Wahabism-A Gift of Britain

Dr.Mazhar Naqvi

Wahabism is actually not a school of theology. It is a political sect that originated from the attempts of British to dominate the Islamic world by dividing Muslims. This is evident from the book of a British secret agent Hempher who was instrumental in shaping Wahabism.In his book, he mentions that he went to Istanbul in 1710 AD, and stayed there for two years. Then he returned to London, got married and lived there for six months. Later he obtained a duty to Iraq and arrived in Basra. He met a young man named Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahab Najdi. He followed Najdi and lived in his house for two years.  They also designed a program to redefine Islam. To give fillip to his newly developed program, Najdi wrote “Kitab at-Tawhid” around 1736 AD. He explained that the polytheists only have two choices: (1) Embracing Islam, or (2) Embattled. This was in contrast to the maxim that the People of the Book have three options: (1) Embracing Islam, or (2) Pay Jizya (Protection Tax) and (3) Embattled.

With his explanation, Najdi legitimized sword, aggression, and slaughter. Then, the jihad began with the sword. Wahabi, under the leadership of Abdul Aziz stormed the city of Taif. They killed people on the street, in stores and in mosques. They attacked Karbala in 1802 AD and massacred and looted countless. They destroyed shrine of Imam Hussain and looted valuables. Wahabis did not spare the tomb of Hazrat Abbas. They also attacked Mecca and Medina. In Mecca, they prohibited pilgrims to enter into the city. In Medina, they attacked and insulted the Prophet’s Mosque and sold relics and jewelry kept at the holy tomb of the Prophet. The historian Alexei Vassiliev states “Having launched a terror to the Sunni population of  Hijaz, Ibn Saud occupied Mecca through the support of the British secret.” (A History of Saudi Arabia, p. 264)
Abdul Aziz bin Muhammad bin Saud in 1791 AD declared war against Amir of Mecca, Sharif Ghalib Effendi-official appointed by Ottoman Empire).

The fact that the Wahabi movement is formed and utilized by the United Kingdom (through the secret agent named Hempher) can not be denied. England is famous for creating sects often contrary to the beliefs of the majority, for the sake of running political “divide and conquer” (divide and conquer), as well as the Ahmadiyah group in India-Pakistan in the 19th century AD. Thus, by forming the Wahhabi movement , England pitted Arab Muslims with Turkey.Thus, the power of the Ottoman Empire can be torn down and occupied.

After fierce battles, Wahhabis seized Mecca in 1803 AD. In 1807 AD, they invaded Medina. The majority of the villages around Medina burned and destroyed. Its people were killed and looted. They forced people to accept the Wahabi beliefs.Then, the Turkish government ordered the governor of Egypt, Muhammad Ali Pasha, to punish Wahabi. He seized Mecca in 1812 AD. Wahabis fled to the mountains. After a long battle, Turks managed to beat them in 1818.

Wahabi bounced back with the help of British colonialism. When the British successfully invaded Bahrain in 1820 AD, Wahabi saw it as an opportunity to gain the protection of UK.In 1843 AD, Wahabi leader Faisal al-Saud managed to escape from his prison in Cairo and reached Najd. He  contacted the British and begged them to support his  representatives in Oman. In 1851 AD, he again pleaded for help.In1865 AD, the British sent Colonel Lewis Pelly to Riyadh to make a pact with the Wahabi. In 1866 AD, the Wahabi signed a friendship treaty with Britain. With the support of  British, as historian Ibn Hizlul reports “In 1924, the Wahabi forces entered the Taif, plundered it for three days. The scholars were dragged out from their homes and massacred. Hundreds of civilians were also killed. “(Tarikh al-Muluk Su’ud, hal.151-1533).There are other records also available to prove that the British shaped and supported Wahabis to break the power of the Ottoman Empire to create its puppet state i.e. Saudi Arabia. After emergence of America as the most powerful nation, Saudi Kingdom earned the friendship of Washington. Since then, they are dividing muslims through a network of preachers and madarsas in countries like India, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nigeria, Bangladesh and many others. In the process, their ideology has also become a threat to world peace. (The article is primarily based on a book titled Confession of a British Spy.Other references are also available on request).