Table of Contents

* Preface * Acknowledgements * Map of Arabia * Introduction * Islam Began as a Stranger and Will Return a Stranger * Holding Fast Against Idolatry * Abd al-Aziz ibn Saud and the Taming of Wahhabi Zeal * Wahhabism in a Modern State * The Wahhabi Mission and Islamic Revivalism * Challenges to Wahhabi Hegemony * Conclusion * Al al-Sheikh * Chronology * Glossary * Notes * Bibliography * Index *

Promotional Information

Wahhabism has been generating controversy since it first emerged in Arabia in the 18th century. This book examines the debate on the nature of Wahhabism, and offers findings on its ascendance in Saudi Arabia and spread throughout other parts of the Muslim world such as Afghanistan and Pakistan.

About the Author

David Commins is Professor of History at Dickinson College, Pennsylvania. He was a visiting scholar at the King Faisal Center for Research and Islamic Studies in Riyadh. He is the author of 'Islamic Reform: Politics and Change in Late Ottoman Syria' ( 1990) and 'Historical Dictionary of Syria' (2004).

Reviews

""The history of the Wahhabis' close, loyal alliance with the ancestors of the present Saudi royal family has been recounted in fascinating, and persuasive detail by David Commins. His conclusion is no less startling as it is important, that Wahhabi hegemony over regional religious culture is in jeopardy; its credibility debased, possibly no longer able to buttress the Saudi dynasty's legitimacy. Whatever their future, the story of the Wahhabis has been told with authority and clarity by Commins in this absorbing book."" -- David Waines, Professor of Islamic Studies, Lancaster University""David Commins' careful, comprehensive and erudite account of Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia could not have come at a more opportune time. After so many tendentious and uninformed treatments of the subject in recent years, it is a pleasure to read a real historian's account, based upon original Arabic sources. Everyone involved in the public debate about Saudi Arabia's role in the Muslim world should read this book."" -- F. Gregory Gause, University of Vermont""David Commins' work makes major contributions toward understanding the historical development of Wahhabism, particularly in the 19th century. His analysis of 19th century Wahhabi thought demonstrates the interplay between religion and politics during this critical time, setting the stage for the 20th century founding of the contemporary Kingdom of Saudi Arabia."" --Natana J. Delong-Bas, Goergetown University, Author of Wahhabi Islam: From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad (I.B.Tauris)