Page 30 - Su'udi Relations with Eastern Arabi & Uman (1800-1870)

CHAPTER III

THE RISE OF THE SU‘UBI STATE:
1745-1800

The alliance made between the amir of al-Dir‘Iyah, Muhammad b. Su‘ud,
and Shaykh Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Wahhab, by which the former agreed to
defend the latter, propagate his views, and use all possible means to put his
ideas into practice, was the major factor in the transformation of this tiny
emirate into a powerful nomocratic state in Arabia for over half a century.
Since the personality and teachings of Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Wahhab played
an important role in creating such a state, it seems appropriate to review here
the career of the Shaykh and the nature of his political ideas,133 which
continued to be enforced with gradual moderation in the three successive
Su‘udi states.134
Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Wahhab was bom in 1115/1703 in al-‘Uyaynah, a
town in Najd known for its prosperity and cultural activity. He belonged to a
family which had already fostered several other ‘ulama.’ strongly inclined
toward Hanbalism. His father, ‘Abd al-Wahhab, and his grandfather,
Sulayman, were known for their scholarship in Hanball law and theology, and
served as teachers and qadis in Najd.135
The Hanball School of Law, named after its founder, Imam Ahmad b.
Hanbal (d. 241/855), has been known throughout history for its militancy
against accretions in Islamic laws, beliefs, and practices. It emphasises none but
the Qur’an and Sunnah as sources for Islamic law, and has adopted a hard line
against the very principles of speculative theology, esoteric sufism, and such
sects as the Khawarij, Mu‘tazilah, and Shl‘ah.136
In various periods of its history Hanbalism has had among its adherents
zealous advocates of its ideology who actively fought innovations and illicit
practices.137 Baghdad, and later Damascus, witnessed periods of unceasing
polemic and periodic clashes between the Hanbalites and groups accused of
engaging in anti-sharfah activity. For the Hanbalites, al-amr bi al-ma‘ruf wa
al-nahy ‘an al-munkar is a Muslim responsibility, and since the introduction of
bida‘ into Muslim society is munkar because it corrupts religion and leads
Muslim society astray, war against it is part of this responsibility.
Among the Hanball *ulama9 known for their roles in the political and
religious history of Sunnism is al-Barbahari (d. 329/940), a vigorous preacher
who struggled bitterly against Shl'ism and Mu‘tazilism for reform of the Sunni
Caliphate.138 He also conducted a vigorous personal campaign against

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