Arabia in the mid 1700’s when the Saudi-Wahhabi pact was sealed
NOTE: This article is the fourth in a series of long-form, deep-dive investigations into the development of Islamic political thought during the 20th and 21st centuries. If you haven’t read the first two, it may be worth your while doing so before continuing. You can find them here and here. The aim is to dig into these developments so that we can be much better equipped to face up to the reality of the struggle with Islamist dreams of world domination. We will, of course, get to ISIS and Al-Qaida eventually, but the first few episodes will explore earlier developments that directly fed into their rise. You may want to get a hot drink before tackling the pieces in this series, but hopefully it will be more than worth your valuable time! Also, please do not hesitate to let me know what you think of these articles. Links to the previous articles can be found below:
How Anti Colonialism and Islam Became Intertwined
What’s in a Name?
Most people have probably never given the name of Saudi Arabia as much as a second thought. However, it is quite unique among the names of the countries of the world. Saudi Arabia is, in fact, the only country on earth that is named after its ruling family. In this case, the House of Saud. Understanding how this came about will be very helpful in deepening our understanding of the development of political Islam, a part of modern history in which Saudi Arabia was, in many ways, deeply involved.
To understand modern Saudi Arabia, we need to reach back into history to meet three representative figures: An Islamic jurist, an ideologue, and a military strongman. The jurist in question was Ahmad ibn Hanbal (780-855 CE). He lived his life far from the Arabian Peninsula, but his legacy would go on to have a profound impact on this part of the world.
The Jurist: Ahmad ibn Hanbal (780-855 CE)
In some ways Ibn Hanbal’s life was a clear demonstration of how the center of gravity of the Islamic empire eventually shifted away from the Arabian Peninsula to Mesopotamia. His family was originally from the city of Basra (now in southern Iraq), but he was born in the Abbasid capital, Baghdad. He would make his greatest contribution amidst the theological turmoil that beset the developing Muslim religion during the 9th century. This contribution would see him receiving the distinction of being regarded as the founder of one of the four major schools of Sunni jurisprudence, i.e., the Hanbali School.
From an early age Ibn Hanbal (also known as Imam Ahmad) was known for his deep piety, and he even memorised the entire Qur’an as a young boy. This zeal did not diminish as he grew older, and he would eventually study under some of the most famous scholars of his age. He specifically focussed on a study of the traditions associated with the life of Muhammad (hadiths) and on the developing discipline of Islamic jurisprudence (fiqh)
Ibn Hanbal lived his life against the backdrop of the Mutazilite Controversy. This name is derived from the word ‘muʿtazilah’ which can be translated as ‘those who withdraw’. This name neatly encapsulates the verdict of what went on to become the orthodox Islamic theological establishment. According to conservatives, like Ibn Hanbal, the Mutazilites definitively separated themselves from the essentials of Islam.