Page 37 - Su'udi Relations with Eastern Arabi & Uman (1800-1870)

and political reform as extensively and widely as possible, found a legitimate
cause for their military operations which, at the same time, facilitated their
expansionist policy along the coast. The uncompromising attitude in Ibn ‘Abd
al-Wahhab’s teaching toward religious sects encouraged the leaders of the new
politico-religious state to campaign (as they had previously done in Najd)
against the Shl‘ah175 and unjust governmental practices,176 against the ideas
and rule of the Ibadis in ‘Uman, and against various other superstitious
practices in various Arabian locations.177 Apart from this religious zeal, there
were other economic and political factors which encouraged the Su‘udis in
their expansionist policy.
The chiefs of some maritime settlements sided at one time or another with
those who opposed the Su‘udls during the crises of al-Hasa. They collaborated
with the Banu Khalid chiefs and gave some help to the Ottoman expeditions
against the Su‘udls in 1797 and 1798.178 Moreover, the settlements served as a
shelter for the Su‘udl opponents and detractors both before and after the fall of
al-Hasa:
The Bedouin tribes of the Bani Khalid, whenever defeated by the
Wahhabis, travelled northwards to the region of al-Kuwait, while settlers
took to their boats and remained at Zubara and on the Coastal Islands.179
These circumstances made it imperative for the Su‘udis to take stronger
measures against those havens in order to safeguard their newly-established
rule in the eastern part of their territory. It also seems likely that the Su‘udis
wanted these regions for their maritime power, which could be used against
their enemies, as well as for the mercantile wealth; also the nomadic tribes
would be subjected to taxation in accordance with Islamic law, thus adding to
the income of the new and fast-growing state.
While the Su‘udl state continued to grow in strength and to exercise
unchallenged authority over the settled and Bedouin tribes in its domain
through rigid legal and political administration, the conditions in eastern and
southeastern Arabia were far from perfect. The contest for leadership and
material gain among the tribal chiefs, and even among the kinsmen of ruling
houses contributed to their already existing fragmentation and weakness, thus
enabling the Su‘udl state to make further encroachments and extend its
influence without much difficulty. The propagation of religious reform also
found fertile ground in these areas and attracted a sufficient number of people
to serve as the vanguard in their own regions.
It is worthwhile to note that the Su‘udl state was tribal in nature and, hence,
administratively decentralized.180 It was more concerned with authority than
with power and control. The tribal chiefs and former rulers of subjugated
districts were, in most cases, left to run their own tribes and lands. From the
turn of the nineteenth century to the fall of al-DirSyah to the Ottoman-
Egyptian troops in 1818, the Su‘udl state played a major role in the political
affairs of eastern Arabia and ‘Uman and was considered the dominant power in
the area.

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