Page 51 - The Persian Gulf Historical Summaries (1907-1953) Vol IV_Neat

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India with a sepoy army. The leading tenets*
of Wahab’s faith seem to havo been those
common to prophets, to proclaim himself and tho
unity of the Creator and kill or plunder his
immortal creatures.”

British Relations with the Wahabecs.
[Communicated by tho India Office.]
Aitcliison, In April 1SG0 tho then Wahabco Amir, Imam
vol. x, p. 110.
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 he hound himself—
1. Not to oppose or injure British subjects
residing in territories under his authority.
2. Not to “ injure or attack tho territories of
the Arab tribes in alliance with the British
Government, specially on the Kingdom of
Muscat, further than in receiving the zukut that
has been customary of old.”
With the decline of the Wahabco power and
the withdrawal of their influence from politics
on the coast, the above engagement ceased to be
of practical value, and all relations between the
Wahobces and ourselves came to an end. It
Jr^nQ’Conor *s wor^1 rcc01'diug that hi October 1901, at a
October l, 1901. ’ time of serious intertribal disturbances in the
interior of Arabia, we came to an understanding
with tho Turkish Government that we would
do what wo 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 Wahabec Amir,
Abdul Aziz-bin-Saoud, over his rival the Amir
of Nejd (Abdul Azi/.-bin-Itashid) again brought
the Wahabce question to the front. In February
Mr. Brod rick’s 1904, when the Government of India were
telegram of
FoUuary 8, 1904, considering a proposal to send an Agent to
Bindh, the Wahabec capital, for the purpose of
collecting information on Central Arabian affairs,
Mr. Brodrick telegraphed to the Viceroy as
follows:—
• What most ofTondod tho rigid monotheism of Wahab’a
philosophy was the almost universal visitation of shrines,
invocation of saints, and honour paid to tho tomb of
Mahommed. Tho uso of tho rosary, of jowc-ls, wine, aud
tobacco woro all abominations to bo eschewed. On the other
haud. tho prophet married twenty wives, and died at the
ago of 95 after bogotting cightccu childrcu.
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