Page 51 - Historical Summaries (Persian Gulf) 1907-1953

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India with a sepoy army. The leading tenets*
of Wnhab’s faith seem to have been those
common to prophets, to proclaim himself and tho
unity of tho Creator and kill or plunder his
immortal creatures.*’
British Relations with the Wuhahees.
[Communicated by tho India Office.]
Aitchisou, In April I860 tho then Waliabco Amir, Imam
vol. x, |>. lid.
Abdullah-bin-Fysul, entered into a voluntary
engagement with the British Government (in
the form of a declaration, which was not signed
on our side), by which lie bound himself—
1. Not to oppose or injure British subjects
residing in territories under his authority.
2. Not to “ injure or attack the territories of
the Arab tribes in alliance with the British
Government, specially on the Kingdom of
Muscat, further than in receiving tho zukut that
has been customary of old.”
With the decline of the Wahabee power and
the withdrawal of their influence from politics
on the coast, tho above engagement ceased to be
of practical value, and all relations between the
Wahabces and ourselves came to an end. It
Lord Lansdowno js worth recording that in October 1901, at a
!<• bir fti.O Conor,
October 1, 1901. time of serious intertribal disturbances in the
interior of Arabia, we came to an understanding
with the Turkish Government that we would
do what we could to discourage the Sheikh of
Koweit from aggressive action, on the under­
standing that the Turks would endeavour to
restrain the Amir of Nejd.
The successes of the present Wahabee Amir,
Abdul Aziz-bin-Saoud, over his rival the Amir
of Nejd (Abdul Aziz-bin-Rashid) again brought
tho Wahabee question to the front. In February
Mr. Brndrick’s 1904, when the Government of Iudia wore
telegram of
February 8,1904, considering a proposal to send an Agent to
Riadh, the Wahabee capital, for the purpose of
collecting information on Central Arabian affairs,
Mr. Brodriek telegraphed to tho Viceroy as
follows:—
• What most offended the rigid monotheism of Wahab'a
philosophy was tho almost universal visitation of shriues,
Invocation of saints, and houour paid to tho tomb of
Mahommed. Tho uso of tho rosary, of jowels, wine, and
tobacco woro all abominations to bo eschewed. On the other
hand. I he prophet married twenty wives, and died at tho
ogo of 95 after begetting eighteen childrcu.
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