Origins of Wahhabi Islam

Name: Wahhabism, Wahhabi Islam

Founder: Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab
Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (d. 1792) was the first modern Islamic fundamentalist and
extremists. Wahhab made the central point of his reform movement the principle that absolutely
every idea added to Islam after the third century of the Mulsim era (about 950 CE) was false and
should be eliminated. Muslims, in order to be true Muslims, must adhere solely and strictly to the
original beliefs set forth by Muhammad.
The reason for this extremist stance, and the focus of Wahhab's reform efforts, was a number of
popular practices which he believed represented a regression to pre-Islamic polytheism. These
included praying to saints, making pilgrimages to tombs and special mosques, venerating trees,
caves, and stones, and using votive and sacrificial offerings.
These are all practices commonly and traditionally associated with religions, but they were
unacceptable to Wahhab. Contemporary secular behaviors are even more anathema to
Wahhab's successors. It is against modernity, secularism, and the Enlightenment which current
Wahhabists do battle and it is this anti-secularism, anti-modernism which helps drive their
extremism, even to the point of violence.
Wahhabi Doctrines
In contrast to popular superstitions, Wahhab emphasized the unity of God (tawhid). This focus
on absolute monotheism lead to him and his followers being referred to asmuwahiddun, or
unitarians. Everything else he denounced as heretical innovation, orbida. Wahhab was further
dismayed at the widespread laxity in adhering to traditional Islamic laws: questionable practices
like the ones above were allowed to continue, whereas the religious devotions which Islam did
require were being ignored
This created indifference to the plight of widows and orphans, adultery, lack of attention
toobligatory prayers, and failure to allocate shares of inheritance fairly to women. Wahhab
characterized all this as being typical of jahiliyya, an important term in Islam which refers to the
barbarism and state of ignorance which existed prior to the coming of Islam. Wahhab thus
identified himself with the Prophet Muhammad and at the same time connected his society with
what Muhammad worked to overthrow.
Because so many Muslims lived (so he claimed) in jahiliyya, al-Wahhab accused them of not
being true Muslims after all. Only those who followed the strict teachings of al-Wahhab were
truly Muslims because only they still followed the path laid out by Allah. Accusing someone of
not being a true Muslim is significant because it is forbidden for one Muslim to kill another; but if
someone is not a true Muslim then killing them (in war or in an act of terrorism) becomes licit. It
would be hard to underestimate the importance of this principle to modern terrorists and
extremists.

Obviously, Wahhabi religious leaders reject any reinterpretation of the Quran when it comes to
issues settled by the earliest Muslims. Wahhabists thus oppose the 19th and 20th century
Muslim reform movements which reinterpreted aspects of Islamic law in order to bring it closer to
standards set by the West, particularly with regards to topics like gender relations, family law,
personal autonomy, and participatory democracy.
Wahhabi Islam & Extremist Islam Today
Today, Wahhabism is the dominant Islamic tradition on the Arabian peninsula, though its
influence is minor in the rest of the Middle East. Because Osama bin Laden comes fromSaudi
Arabia and is Wahhabi himself, Wahhabi extremism and radical ideas of purity have obviously
influenced him considerably. Adherents of Wahhabi Islam do not regard it as simply one school
of thought out of many; rather it is the only path of true Islam nothing else counts.
Even though Wahhabism is a minority position overall in the Muslim world, it has nevertheless
been influential for other extremist movements throughout the Middle East. This can be seen
with a couple of factors, first of which is al-Wahhabs use of the termjahiliyya to vilify a society
which he does not consider pure enough, whether they call themselves Muslim or not. Even
today, Islamists use the term when referring to the West and at times even to their own societies.
With it, they can justify overthrowing what many might regard as an Islamic state by essentially
denying that it is truly Islamic at all.
What is Ahmadiyya Islam?
Ahmadiyya Islam was founded in 1889 by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad (c. 1839-1908) in Qadian,
Punjab, India. Ahmad claimed to be the appearance of the promised Messiah (or, according to
some sources, the manifestation of the prophet Muhammad as well as an incarnation of Jesus
and the Hindu god Krishna).
Ghulam Ahmad taught that Jesus feigned his crucifixion and resurrection, then lived to be 120
years old in India, contradicting the orthodox Muslim doctrine that Jesus was taken up into
heaven before his death.
Ahmad also reinterpreted jihad as a nonviolent battle against nonbelievers, using as its weapon
the pen instead of the sword. These doctrines, along with the teaching that Ahmad was a
prophet like Muhammad, have led Ahmadiyyas to be denounced as heretics by most of
orthodox Islam.
Successors
Upon the death of Ahmad, Mawlawi Nur-ad-Din was elected as successor (caliph). When he
died in 1914, the Ahmadiya group split into two groups:

Qadiani, who recognize Ahmad as a prophet; and

Lahore, who regard Ahamad only as a reformer of Islam.

Today there are about 170 million Ahmadiyya Muslims in the world. Qadianis reside mainly in
Pakistan, where they are zealous missionaries for Islam and the two prophets Muhammad and

Ahmad. Lahore Ahmadiyyas also seek converts, but more to Islam in general than to their
particular sect.
Ahmadiyya Islam is also associated with several Sufi orders, most notably the Al-Badawi order
of Egypt, named for an Islamic saint who died in 1276.
What is Sufism?
Sufism is less a sect Islam than a mystical way of approaching the Islamic faith. It has
been defined as "mystical Islamic belief and practice in which Muslims seek to find the
truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God." [1]
Islamic mystics are called Sufis and their way of life is Sufism (also spelled Sufism). These
terms evolved in Western languages in the early 19th century and derive from the Arabic term
for a mystic, sufi, which in turn derives from suf, wool. This likely refers to the woollen garment
of early Islamic ascetics.
Similarly, Islamic mysticism in general is called tasawwuf (literally, to dress in wool) in Arabic.
Sufis are also referred to as fuqara, the poor, the plural form of the Arabic faqir. The Persian
equivalent is darvish. These are the roots of the English terms fakir and dervish, used
interchangeably for an Islamic mystic.
History of Sufism
Sufism has been a prominent movement within Islam throughout most of its history. It grew out
of an early ascetic movement within Islam, which, like its Christian monastic counterpart,
sought to counteract the worldliness that came with the rapid expansion of the Muslim
community.
The earliest form of Sufism arose under the Umayyad Dynasty (661749) less than a century
after the founding of Islam. Mystics of this period meditated on the Doomsday passages in
the Quran, thereby earning such nicknames as "those who always weep."
These early Sufis led a life of strict obedience to Islamic scripture and tradition and were known
for their night prayers. Many of them concentrated their efforts upon tawakkul, absolute trust in
God, which became a central concept of Sufism.
Another century or so later, a new emphasis on love changed asceticism into mysticism. This
development is attributed to Rabi'ah al-'Adawiyah (d. 801), a woman from Basra who formulated
the Sufi ideal of a pure love of God that was disinterested, without hope for Paradise or fear of
Hell.
Other important developments soon followed, including strict self-control, psychological insight,
"interior knowledge," annihilation of the self, mystical insights about the nature of man and the
Prophet, hymns and poetry. This period, from about 800-1100 AD, is referred to as classical
Sufism or classical mysticism.
The next important stage in Sufi history was the development of fraternal orders, in which
disciples followed the teachings of a leader-founder. The 13th century is considered the golden
age of Sufism, in which some of the greatest mystical poetry was composed. Important figures
from this period include Ibn al'Arabi of Spain, Ibn al-Farid of Egypt, Jalal ad-Din ar-Rumi of

Persia, and Najmuddin Kubra of Central Asia. By this time, Sufism had permeated the whole of
the Islamic world and played a large role in the shaping of Islamic society.
Sufi Beliefs

Sufi beliefs are based firmly in orthodox Islam and the text of the Quran, although a few Sufi
teachers have strayed too close to monism or pantheism to remain within the orthodox fold.
The core principles of Sufism are tawakkul (absolute trust in God) and tawhid (the truth that
there is no deity but God). Tawhid is rich in meaning for mystics: it has been interpreted by
some as meaning that nothing truly exists but God or that nature and God are but two aspects
of the same reality.
The love of God for man and the love of man for God are also very central to Sufism, and are
the subjects of most Islamic mystical poetry and hymns.
Sufi Practices
Sufi practices have their foundation in purity of life, strict obedience to Islamic law and imitation
of the Prophet. Through self-denial, careful introspection and mental struggle, Sufis hope to
purify the self from all selfishness, thus attaining ikhlas, absolute purity of intention and act.
"Little sleep, little talk, little food" are fundamental and fasting is considered one of the most
important preparations for the spiritual life.
Mystical experience of the divine is also central to Sufism. Sufis are distinguished from other
Muslims by their fervent seeking of dhawq, a "tasting" that leads to an illumination beyond
standard forms of learning. However, the insight gained by such experience is not valid if it
contradicts the Qur'an.
The Path
The Sufi way of life is called a tariqah, "path." The path begins with repentance and submission
to a guide (sheikh or pir). If accepted by the guide, the seeker becomes a disciple (murid) and is
given instructions for asceticism and meditation. This usually includes sexual abstinence, fasting
and poverty. The ulimate goal of the Sufi path is to fight the true Holy War against the lower self,
which is often represented as a black dog.
On his way to illumination the mystic will undergo such changing spiritual states (hal)
as qabd and bast, constraint and happy spiritual expansion, fear and hope, and longing and
intimacy, which are granted by God and change in intensity according to the spiritual "station" in
which the mystic is abiding at the moment. The culmination of the path is ma'rifah (interior
knowledge, gnosis) or mahabbah (love), which implies a union of lover and beloved (man and
God). The final goal is annihilation (fana'), primarily of one's own qualities but sometimes of
one's entire personality. This is often accompanied by spiritual ecstasy or "intoxication."
After the annihilation of the self and accompanying ecstatic experience, the mystic enters a
"second sobriety" in which he re-enters the world and continues the "journey of God."
Rituals: Prayers, Music and "Whirling"

A central method on the Sufi path is a ritual prayer or dhikr (remembrance, derived from the
Qur'anic injunction to remember God often in Surah 62:10). It consists in a repetition of either
one or all of the most beautiful names of God, of the name Allah, or of a certain religious
formula, such as the profession of faith: There is no God but Allah and Muhammad is his
prophet. A rosary of 99 or 33 beads has been in use since as early as the 8th century for
counting the thousands of repetitions.
In the mid-9th century some mystics introduced sessions with music and poetry recitals (sama')
in Baghdad in order to reach the ecstatic experienceand since then debates about the
permissibility of sama', filling many books, have been written. Narcotics were used in periods of
degeneration, coffee by the sober mystics (first by the Shadhiliyah after 1300).
Mystical sessions of music and poetry called sama (or sema) were introduced in Baghdad in the
mid-9th century with the purpose of achieving an ecstatic experience. Narcotics have
sometimes been introduced as part of the method, but this is considered a degeneration of the
practice.
The well-known "Whirling Dervishes" are members of the Mevlevi order of Turkish Sufis, based
on the teachings of the famous mystic Rumi (d.1273). The practice of spinning around is the
group's distinctive form of sama. The whirlers, called semazens, are practicing a form of
meditation in which they seek to abandon the self and contemplate God, sometimes achieving
an ectastic state. The Mevlevi sect was banned in Turkey by Ataturk in 1925, but performances
for tourists are still common throughout the country.
The clothing worn for the ritual and the positions of the body during the spinning are highly
symbolic: for instance, the tall camel-hair hat represents the tomb of the ego, the white cloak
represents the ego's shroud, and the uplifted right hand indicates readiness to receive grace
from God.
Khrijite, Arabic Khawrij, the earliest Islmic sect, which traces its beginning to a religiopolitical controversy over the Caliphate.
After the murder of the third caliph, Uthmn, and the succession of Al (Muhammads son-inlaw) as the fourth caliph, Muwiyah, the governor of Syria, sought to avenge the murder of
Uthmn. After fighting the indecisive Battle of Siffn(July 657) against Muwiyahs
forces, Al was forced to agree to arbitration by umpires. This concession aroused the anger of
a large group of Als followers, who protested that judgment belongs to God alone
(Qurn 6:57) and believed that arbitration would be a repudiation of the Qurnic dictum If one
party rebels against the other, fight against that which rebels (49:9). A small number of these
pietists withdrew (kharaj) to the village of Harr under the leadership of Ibn Wahb and, when
arbitration proved disastrous to Al, were joined near Nahrawn by a larger group.
These Khrijites, as they came to be known, were opposed equally to Als claims and to those
of Muwiyah. Repudiating not only the existing caliphal candidates but all Muslims who did not
accept their views, the Khrijites engaged in campaigns of harassment and terror. In the Battle
of Nahrawn (July 658) Ibn Wahb and most of his followers were killed by Al, but the Khrijite

movement persisted in a series of uprisings that plagued both Al (whom they assassinated)
and Muwiyah (who succeeded Al as caliph). In the period of civil war (fitnah) following the
death of the caliph Yazd I (683), the Khrijites were the source of serious disruptions within the
Umayyad domain and in Arabia. Subdued through the intensive campaigning of al-Hajjj, the
Khrijites did not stir again until the collapse of the Umayyads, and then their two major
rebellions, in Iraq and Arabia, ended in defeat.
The Khrijites constant harassment of the various Muslim governments was less a matter of
personal enmity than a practical exercise of their religious beliefs. They held that the judgment
of God could only be expressed through the free choice of the entire Muslim community. They
insisted that anyone, even a black slave, could be elected caliph (that is, head of the Muslim
community) if he possessed the necessary qualifications, chiefly religious piety and moral purity.
A caliph may be deposed upon the commission of any major sin. The Khrijites thus set
themselves against the legitimist claims (to the Caliphate) of the tribe of Quraysh (among the
Sunnites) and of Als descendants (among the Shites). As proponents of the democratic
principle, the Khrijites drew to themselves many who were dissatisfied with the existing political
and religious authorities.
Besides their democratic theory of the Caliphate, the Khrijites were known for their puritanism
and fanaticism. Any Muslim who committed a major sin was considered an apostate. Luxury,
music, games, and concubinage without the consent of wives were forbidden. Intermarriage and
relations with other Muslims were strongly discouraged. The doctrine of justification by faith
without works was rejected, and literal interpretation of the Qurn was insisted upon.
Within the Khrijite movement the Azriqah of Basra were the most extreme subsect,
separating themselves from the Muslim community and declaring death to all sinners and their
families. The more moderate subsect of the Ibdyah, however, survived into the 20th century
in North Africa, Oman, and Zanzibar, with about 500,000 members.

Islamic civilisation once extended from India in the east to the Atlantic Ocean in the west.
Buildings in Andalusia such as the Alhambra in Granada, the Mezquita in Cordoba, and the
Giralda in Seville are reminders of the architectural imprint this civilisation left on western
Europe. Less well remembered, however, is the impact of Islamic civilisation on Western
science, technology, and medicine between the years 800 and 1450.1 As was argued this month at
the Royal Institution, today's Western world might look very different without the legacy of
Muslim scholars in Baghdad, Cairo, Cordoba, and elsewhere.2
As Islam spread out of the Arabian Peninsula into Syria, Egypt, and Iran it met long established
civilisations and centres of learning. Arab scholars translated philosophical and scientific works
from Greek, Syriac (the language of eastern Christian scholars), Pahlavi (the scholarly language
of pre-Islamic Iran), and Sanskrit into Arabic. The process of translation reached its peak with
the establishment of the House of Wisdom (Bait-ul-Hikma) by the Abbasid Caliph Al-Mamun
in Baghdad in 830. It made Arabic the most important scientific language of the world for many
centuries and preserved knowledge that might otherwise have been lost forever.
As well as assimilating and disseminating the knowledge of other cultures, Arab scholars made
numerous important scientific and technological advances in mathematics, astronomy, chemistry,
metallurgy, architecture, textiles, and agriculture. Techniques they developedsuch as
distillation, crystallisation, and the use of alcohol as an antisepticare still used.
Arab physicians and scholars also laid the basis for medical practice in Europe. Before the
Islamic era, medical care was largely provided by priests in sanatoriums and annexes to temples.
The main Arabian hospitals were centres of medical education and introduced many of the
concepts and structures that we see in modern hospitals, such as separate wards for men and
women, personal and institutional hygiene, medical records, and pharmacies.

Ibn Al-Nafis, a 13th century Arab physician, described the pulmonary circulation more than 300
years before William Harvey.3 Surgeon Abu Al-Qasim Al-Zahrawi wrote the Tasrif which,
translated into Latin, became the leading medical text in European universities during the later
Middle Ages. Al-Zahrawi was also a noted pathologist, describing hydrocephalus and other
congenital diseases as well as developing new surgical technologies such as catgut
sutures.4,5 Some describe Al-Razi (Rhazes), born in 865, as the greatest physician of the Islamic
world. He wrote Kitab Al-Mansuri (Liber Almartsoris in Latin), a 10 volume treatise on Greek
medicine,6 and also published on smallpox and measles: his texts continued to be reprinted well
into the 19th century. The medical texts of Ibn Rushd (Averroes) were also widely used in
European universities.
Ibn Sina (Avicenna) was known in the West as the prince of physicians. His synthesis of
Islamic medicine,al-Qanun fi'l tibb (The Canon of Medicine), was the final authority on medical
matters in Europe for several centuries. Although Ibn Sina made advances in pharmacology and
in clinical practice, his greatest contribution was probably in the philosophy of medicine. He
created a system of medicine that today we would call holistic and in which physical and
psychological factors, drugs, and diet were combined in treating patients.7
Eventually, the Islamic civilisation constructed by the Arabs went into decline. In the east, new
powers rose: first the Mongols, who in 1258 devastated Baghdad, the greatest Arab city of its
day, and later the Ottoman Turks, who brought large parts of the Arab world into their new
empire from the 14th century onwards. Weakened by internal strife and civil conflict, most of the
Islamic cities of Spain had been conquered by Christian armies by the 14th century. The last
Islamic state in Spain, Granada, surrendered to the Spanish in 1492 and its ruler, Boabdil, was
exiled to North Africa.8
The flow of technology and ideas from the Islamic world to the West slowed and, in the past 600
years, has reversed. Academics and politicians still debate the reasons for and consequences of
this decline in Islamic science and technology. The legacy of Islamic civilisation, though,
remains with us in making possible Europe's own scientific and cultural renaissance.9