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Wahhabism: A Critical Essay

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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.

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.

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.

First off this book is short. It is not meant to be a through analysis of the regional history, person or movement. It is, as the author says: A critical ESSAY. As such, it performs well. The author does a decent job of providing Abdul Wahab's educational/political background. The book also provides a history of the Western influence, the ties to Saudi family, their perpetrations and quite obviously the author's personal views on all the aforementioned.

The book, in my opinion, falls on the right side of judging the entire movement, without burdening the reader with tedious excerpts, citations, or lengthy analysis; it merely picks out the accepted facts of history and presents them for the reader. If you are looking for the smoking gun you will NOT find it here. This book should be the first of many books for you to read to get a complete and comprehensive view on why and how the Saudi family's history is intertwined with Western politics, and why control of Islam's epicenter - Mecca, is vital to that effort, all under the banner of reform and while using religious edicts from a so called reformist.

The book is recommended for the narrow band of people who know SOME Islam, SOME regional political history and are interested in answering: Why the political control and definition of Islam is vital to regional security. This book will BEGIN to answer that question. It is an entry level book and serves well to that purpose.

Hamid Algar along with other great professors who study The Middle East and Islam @ UC-Berkeley (to mention another Hatem Bazian( I know because I have met them)), are honored scholars in their fields. This book provides the reader with a short history on Wahhabism; describing the impact it has had on Middle-Eastern Society and American Society. It also makes note the often controversial definition of extremism as the Salafi's (Muslim Brotherhood), are often compared to Wahhabi belief.
The most interesting aspect that I found to be shocking was the Saudi-Wahhabi connection to the Muslim Student Association of North America(being a president myself).
The author concludes with this feelings on Wahhabism.
Overall,Great.

Quite simply, this is the most accessible and most reliable primer on Wahhabism. Easy to read and very well documented, Dr. Algar's essay offers plenty of material to expose the Wahhabis for who they are, from where they came, and debunks their claim as bearers of the torch of Islam. I would highly recommend this for anyone who is interested in Islam, especially those who are interested in the fanatical strains and idiocy done in the name of the religion. As a Muslim who lives in the West and often finds himself having to explain and apologize for the actions of the idiot fringe, this is the perfect companion. I would recommend the book whole-heartedly. Certainly a must-read.

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 the illegitimate rulers of Saudi Arabia are the propagators of Wahhabism and most of the internal confusion within Islam can be attributed to them. The Talibans and Osama bin Laden follow this ideology and they do not represent the real Islam. 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

A well written and documented account on the violent, despotic rise of Wahhabism and the detrimental effects and repurcussions it has had on Islam and Islamic countries, specifically Saudi Arabia . Although not as detailed and lengthy as one would hope, this essay nonetheless intelligently addresses the problematic polemics of Muhammad ibn Abd Al Wahhab resulting from his erroneous and fallacious understanding of Islamic theology and faith. The union between Wahhab and ibn Saud is discussed and how it catalyzed the pseudo religious-political partnership responsible for hijacking Sunni Islam and using it as a flagpole for self serving ambitions...at the cost of thousands of Muslim lives, mainly Sufis and Shiias, all brutally slaughtered. I wish Dr. Algar would expound more on the subject, but this brief, yet telling essay should satiate most curious minds.

A very well written text about the history of Wahabism. It deconstructs its claims from a historical and doctrinal perspective. Excellent introduction to the topic. An important read for all orientals and middle-east lovers alike.

A complete historical overview of Wahhabism, this book should be enough for anyone interested in this deviant branch of Islam. I'm surprised that so few works exist on this all-too-critical subject, and I'm afraid that after this book, no one will need to write another. Written in his usual engaging style, carefully researched and expounded in detail, Dr. Hamid Algar's book is a must for the library of anyone interested in understanding Wahhabis and the political movements associated with them (the Taliban would be the most glaring example). I would also recommend his other fine works, particularly the classic "Islam and Revolution" (if you're fortunate enough to find a copy of this gem, buy it without hesitating).