By Natana DeLong-Bas
Sooner than Sep 11, few Westerners had heard of Wahhabism. at the present time, it's a loved ones be aware. often pointed out in organization with Osama bin encumbered, Wahhabism is portrayed by way of the media and public officers as an illiberal, puritanical, militant interpretation of Islam that demands the wholesale destruction of the West in a jihad of worldwide proportions. within the first learn ever undertaken of the writings of Wahhabism's founder, Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1702-1791), Natana DeLong-Bas shatters those stereotypes and misconceptions. Her interpreting of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's works produces a revisionist thesis: Ibn Abd al-Wahhab used to be no longer the godfather of latest terrorist pursuits. particularly, he used to be a voice of reform, reflecting mainstream 18th-century Islamic inspiration. His imaginative and prescient of Islamic society used to be established upon a monotheism during which Muslims, Christians and Jews have been to take pleasure in peaceable co-existence and cooperative advertisement and treaty relatives. Eschewing medieval interpretations of the Quran and hadith (sayings and deeds of the prophet Muhammad), Ibn Abd al-Wahhab referred to as for direct, traditionally contextualized interpretation of scripture via either men and women. His realizing of theology and Islamic legislations used to be rooted in Quranic values, instead of literal interpretations. a robust proponent of women's rights, he referred to as for a stability of rights among men and women either inside marriage and in entry to schooling and public house. within the so much accomplished examine of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's interpretation of jihad ever written, DeLong-Bas information a imaginative and prescient during which jihad is exactly restricted to the self-defense of the Muslim neighborhood opposed to army aggression. modern extremists like Osama bin encumbered don't have their origins in Wahhabism, she exhibits. The hallmark jihadi concentrate on a cult of martyrdom, the stern department of the realm into inevitably opposing spheres, the wholescale destruction of either civilian lifestyles and estate, and the decision for worldwide jihad are completely absent from Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's writings. in its place, the militant stance of up to date jihadism lies in adherence to the writings of the medieval student, Ibn Taymiyya, and the 20 th century Egyptian radical, Sayyid Qutb. This pathbreaking ebook fills a big hole within the literature approximately Wahhabism by means of returning to the unique writings of its founder. guaranteed to be arguable, it will likely be most unlikely to disregard.
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Extra info for Wahhabi Islam: From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad
Sample text
73 Upon his arrival in al-Dir’iyah, Ibn Abd al-Wahhab stayed briefly with Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Suwaylim and his cousin, Hamid ibn Suwaylim. 74 As with his stay in al-Uyaynah, Ibn Abd al-Wahhab did not immediately engage in public preaching activities in al-Dir’iyah, nor did he immediately preach his message of tawhid to Muhammad Ibn Saud. Rather, he conducted his preaching activities in clandestine visits with small groups of people. 75 Muhammad Ibn Saud’s wife was the first to accept Ibn Abd al-Wahhab’s proclamation of God’s special role for Muhammad Ibn Saud and to proclaim her belief in it to her husband.
Destruction of property was permissible in the case of the monument only because of the religious purpose it had come to fulfill. Ibn Abd al-Wahhab did not call for his followers to engage in broad or rampant destruction of property. the origins of wahhabism 27 The third critical incident, the stoning of the adulteress, was the most troubling for Ibn Abd al-Wahhab because a human life was at stake. Although opponents have pointed to this incident as evidence of the violence and misogyny supposedly inherent to Wahhabism, as well as the supposedly literal interpretation the outcome reveals, Ibn Abd al-Wahhab did not interpret the incident this way.
However, Ibn Abd al-Wahhab was still reluctant to stone her. Perhaps there was another reason for her behavior. Was she being raped or otherwise forced to engage in sexual intercourse against her will? Ibn Abd al-Wahhab arranged another meeting with the woman to inquire about her circumstances. The woman informed him that she was not being coerced and that she intended to continue to engage in zina’. She left the meeting and continued to engage openly in zina’, confessing her sin each time she did so.