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Wahhabism
Saudi alliance 1744· Religion or tradition· Judaism, Christianity & Islam
Historical recordConfirmed by archaeology, outside sources or contemporary records.
A strict Sunni reform movement founded by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab in Arabia, allied since 1744 with the Saudi royal family.
See it on the World Religions map →What it is
Ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1703–1792), a scholar from Najd in central Arabia, preached tawhid, the absolute oneness of God, and condemned practices he saw as idolatry: venerating saints, praying at tombs and seeking holy men's intercession. In 1744 he made a pact with the local ruler Muhammad ibn Saud: religious backing in return for protection. That alliance underlies all three Saudi states, including today's kingdom, founded in 1932. Followers usually prefer the names Salafi or muwahhidun, 'those who affirm God's oneness'.
Why it matters
Backed by Saudi oil wealth after the 1970s, its teachings spread worldwide through mosques, schools and publishing, shaping debates about Islam far beyond Arabia.
Sources and history
Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's own treatises, such as Kitab al-Tawhid; Najdi chronicles such as Ibn Bishr's; Ottoman and European reports; and the continuing Saudi religious establishment.
Questions and debates
How much it shaped modern militant groups is argued; scholars also debate whether 'Wahhabism' is a distinct sect or one strand of wider Salafism.
Connections (2)
▸Wahhabism opposed many practices of Sufism, Islamic mysticismHistorical record
The connection
Ibn Abd al-Wahhab condemned practices common in Sufi-influenced Islam: venerating saints, visiting tombs for blessings, and asking holy men to intercede with God. He saw them as shirk, associating partners with God; Sufis see them as honoring God's friends. Wahhabi forces destroyed shrines in Arabia, and Saudi-funded teaching has opposed such practices worldwide.
When and where
Najd in central Arabia from the 1740s; Wahhabi forces sacked Karbala's shrines (1802) and razed tombs at Medina's al-Baqi cemetery (1806, and again in 1925).
Historical evidence
Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's treatises, Arabian chronicles, Ottoman reports, and photographs of al-Baqi before and after 1925.
Questions and debates
He may not have rejected Sufism wholesale, only certain practices; scholars debate how hostile early Wahhabism was to Sufi spirituality itself.
▸Wahhabism inspired strands of Islamic revival and political IslamMostly agreed by scholars
The connection
Wahhabism teaches strict monotheism and rejects saint veneration. After the 1973 oil boom, Saudi Arabia funded mosques, schools, scholarships and free Qurans worldwide, spreading Salafi ideas of returning to Islam's first generations. Most Salafis are quietist, but jihadist groups such as al-Qaeda and ISIS fused Salafi theology with revolutionary ideas.
When and where
From the Muslim World League (1962) and Islamic University of Medina (1961), expanding sharply after 1973 and after the 1979 seizure of Mecca's Grand Mosque.
How do we know?
Records of Saudi-funded institutions and textbooks, studies of their graduates, and jihadist writings that cite Ibn Abd al-Wahhab.
Questions and debates
How much Saudi funding caused extremism, versus local wars and repression, is debated; spending estimates vary widely, and since 2017 Saudi leaders have promoted 'moderate Islam'.