Wahhabism: A Critical Essay [Paperback]

Hamid Algar (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 188999913X | ISBN-13: 978-1889999135 | Publication Date: March 10, 2002

Wahhabism, a peculiar interpretation of Islamic doctrine and practice that first arose in mid-eighteenth century Arabia, is sometimes regarded as simply an extreme or uncompromising form of Sunni Islam. This is incorrect, for at the very outset the movement was stigmatized as aberrant by the leading Sunni scholars of the day, because it rejected many of the traditional beliefs and practices of Sunni Islam and declared permissible warfare against all Muslims that disputed Wahhabi teachings. Nor can Wahhabism be regarded as a movement of “purification” or “renewal,” as the source of the genuinely revivalist movements that were underway at the time. Not until Saudi oil money was placed at the disposal of its propagandists did Wahhabism find an echo outside the Arabian Peninsula.

The author discusses the rise of Wahhabism at the hands of Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Wahhab, a native of Najd in the eastern part of the Arabian peninsula, the doctrines he elaborated to serve as the basis of the Wahhabi sect, and the alliance he concluded with the Saudi family, then rulers of the principality of al-Dir’iya. An early result of this union was a creeping conquest of the Arabian Peninsula, misnamed as jihad; it culminated in the sacking of Taif and the occupation of Mecca in 1803. This first Wahhabi occupation was short-lived but Wahhabism triumphed anew with the foundation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1925. Among the extensions of Wahhabism beyond Arabia must be accounted the perverse and brutal regime of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Hamid Algar, born in England in 1940, received his formal training in Islamic studies at Cambridge University, from which he received his Ph.D. in 1965. Since 1965, he has been teaching at the University of California, Berkeley, a wide range of courses including tafsir, Sufism, Shi'ism, the history of Islam in Iran, Arabic, Persian and Turkish literature.

Product Details

• Paperback: 104 pages
• Publisher: Islamic Publications International (March 10, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 188999913X
• ISBN-13: 978-1889999135
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (33 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #375,136 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #71 in Books > History > Middle East > Saudi Arabia

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 35 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Concise, April 13, 2003

By 

The Critic (Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Wahhabism: A Critical Essay (Paperback)

Hamid Algar, in his essay book "Wahhabism", summarizes the birth, spread, and influence of the right wing Islamic Wahhabist sect in Saudi Arabia and world wide.

Although he does not discuss the ideological details of the Wahhabist sect, he does provide a good end-to-end overview highlighting its principles and its contributions to the creation of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia, the impact of its alliance with the Saudi royal family, and its attempts of spreading its right wing ideology within Europe, USA, Pakistan, and Afghanistan.

The book starts off with some difficulty since the author is anti-Wahhabism and therefore, on few occasions, he jumps back and forth between documenting the historical events and refuting the Wahhabist ideology without giving sufficient details to support his arguments. Few pages into the book, its tone changes and the focus becomes a summary of historical events, wrapped at the end with a list of organizations that have Wahhabist influence and Saudi funding. He does touch briefly on the relationship between Wahhabism, 9/11, and the Taliban. He also hints on the current strain on the Saudi-Wahhabist alliance post 9/11.

Although there were times when it was difficult to follow the author's train of thought, the over all book provides a good starting point for anyone who is interested in Saudi history and its modern methodology for spreading Wahhabism throughout the world. The book can be used as a launch pad for identifying further, and more detailed, readings.

25 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Necessary expose of Wahhabism--the ideology of terrorism., April 28, 2003

By 

Mr. A. Jehangir - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Wahhabism: A Critical Essay (Paperback)

This book is a timely effort. Traditional Muslim scholars fought against this heresy disguising itself in the garb of Islam from the time of its inception by the infamous Ibn Abd al Wahhab al-Najdi who is detailed in this book. Indeed, his own brother, Shaykh Sulayman ibn Abdul Wahhab refuted him as did the great Muslim scholars all over the world; and they are still doing.

This movement is extremely crude and cultish and rejects almost all of the traditional teachings of Islam which do not fit into its narrow black and white views: any Muslim who disagrees with them is considered a non-believer! They are only about 2% of the world's Muslims but because of Saudi petro-dollars their beliefs have spread far and wide amongst the disenchanted youth. They have an especial hatred for Sufism--the heart of Islam and because they can offer nothing spiritual to their followers, Wahhabism is the first step to becoming angry with the rest of the world and leads to terrorism. All the Muslim terrorist organisations are Wahhabi in creed or sympathetic to Wahhabism. This book therefore is excellent for allowing misinformed Western Muslims and non Muslims to differentiate between the religion of Islam (respresented by the Sufis in its highest form and scholars like Imam Ghazzali (12th century), Imam Abu Hanifa (8th) and Imam Ahmad Rida Khan (20th) to name just three from different centuries of Islamic history) and Wahhabism.

46 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A short but complete history of Wahhabism, June 20, 2002

By 

A. Raza (Flushing, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Wahhabism: A Critical Essay (Paperback)

Prof. Algar should be congratulated for writing this timely book. For readers who do not know about this ideology, it is sufficient to tell them that Talibans are "Wahhabis". If you want to know what Taliban believed and why they did not represent the real Islam - YOU MUST READ THIS GEM. Two quick points - It is a misconception specially in the minds of western scholars that Wahhabism started as a reform movement. Wahhabism was/is just a plot to befool ordinary devout muslims to capture power and that is how Saudi Arabia (the most extremist "muslim" country) is under the control of these power hungry dictators. Secondly, Wahhabis are mostly characterized as "extreme" or as "conservative" Sunnis with adjectives such as "stern" or "austere" (though saudis are not austere by any standard!) added for good reason. It has, however, been observed by knowledgeable Sunnis since the earliest times that Wahhabis do not count as part of "Sunnis" for almost all the practices, traditions and beliefs denounced by the Wahhabis have been historically integral to Sunni Islam, enshrined in a vast body body of literature and accepted by the great majority of muslims. To know more about this tension between traditional "Sunnism" and Wahhabis you should refer to:
Beliefs: Encyclopedia of Islamic Doctrine, Vol. 1
by Muhammad Hisham Kabbani which is available at Amazon.