David Commins | |
---|---|
Born | 1954 |
Nationality | American |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Islamic Studies |
Institutions | Dickinson College |
David Commins (born 1954) is an American scholar and Professor of History and Benjamin Rush Chair in the Liberal Arts and Sciences (1987) at Dickinson College. [1] [2] He is known for his works on Wahhabism. [3] [4]
Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ibn Sulaymān at-Tamīmī was a religious leader, reformer, scholar and theologian from Najd in central Arabia, attributed as the founder of the Islamic doctrine and movement known as Wahhābism. His prominent students included his sons Ḥusayn, ʿAbdullāh, ʿAlī, and Ibrāhīm, his grandson ʿAbdur-Raḥman ibn Ḥasan, his son-in-law ʿAbdul-ʿAzīz ibn Muḥammad ibn Saʿūd, Ḥamād ibn Nāṣir ibn Muʿammar, and Ḥusayn āl-Ghannām.
Wahhabism is an Islamic revivalist movement and doctrine that started within Sunni Islam and it is associated with the teachings of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. It has been variously described as "orthodox", "puritan(ical)"; and as an Islamic "reform movement" to restore "pure monotheistic worship" by devotees. The term Wahhabi(sm) is chiefly used by outsiders polemically and adherents reject its use, preferring to be called "Salafi", and view themselves as 'Muwahhid', to emphasize the principle of Tawhid. The term has also been described as a Sunniphobic slur. It adheres to the Athari theology.
The Ottoman/Egyptian-Wahhabi War also known as Ottoman/Egyptian-Saudi War (1811–1818) was fought from early 1811 to 1818, between Ottoman Egypt under Muhammad Ali Pasha and the army of the Emirate of Diriyah, the First Saudi State, resulting in the destruction of the latter.
Juhayman ibn Muhammad ibn Sayf al-Otaybi was a Saudi militant and soldier who in 1979 led the Grand Mosque seizure of the Great Mosque of Mecca, Saudi Arabia's holiest mosque, to protest against the Saudi monarchy.
Sunni Islam is the state religion of Saudi Arabia. The connection between Islam and modern day Saudi Arabia is uniquely strong. The kingdom is called the "home of Islam" due to Islam being founded in modern day Saudi Arabia as well as it is the birthplace of Islamic Prophet Muhammad and all territories of Saudi Arabia and Arabian Peninsula being United and ruled by Prophet Muhammad, It is the location of the cities of Mecca and Medina, where Muhammad, the messenger of the Islamic faith, lived and died, and attracts millions of Muslim Hajj pilgrims annually, and thousands of clerics and students who come from across the Muslim world to study. The official title of the King of Saudi Arabia is "Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques"—the two being Al-Masjid al-Haram in Mecca and Al-Masjid al-Nabawi in Medina—which are considered the holiest in Islam.
Safar bin Abdul-Rahman al-Hawali al-Ghamdi is a scholar who lives in Mecca. He came to prominence in 1991, as a leader of the Sahwah movement which opposed the presence of US troops on the Arabian peninsula. In 1993, al-Hawali and Salman al-Ouda were leaders in creating the Committee for the Defense of Legitimate Rights, a group that opposed the Saudi government, for which both were imprisoned from 1994 to 1999.
The Grand Mosque seizure occurred during November and December 1979 when extremist insurgents calling for the overthrow of the House of Saud took over Masjid al-Haram, the holiest mosque in Islam, in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. The insurgents declared that the Mahdi had arrived in the form of one of their leaders – Mohammed Abdullah al-Qahtani – and called on Muslims to obey him. For nearly two weeks Saudi Special Forces, advised by French commandos, fought pitched battles to reclaim the compound.
Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Saalih ibn Muhammad ibn Sulayman ibn Abd Al Rahman Al Uthaymeen Al Tamimi was a Saudi Arabian scholar. Described as a "giant of Islam". He has been considered to be one of the greatestFaqīhs of the modern era.
Public education—from primary education through college—is open to every Saudi citizen. The second largest governmental spending in Saudi Arabia goes for education. Saudi Arabia spends 8.8% of its gross domestic product on education, compared with the global average of 4.6%, which is nearly double the global average on education. Islamic studies are part of the education system alongside scientific and social studies that vary from educational institution to another.
Saud bin Faisal Al Saud, also known as Imam Saud, (1833—1875) was a ruler of the Second Saudi State in 1871 and 1873–75. He joined alliances with foreign tribes and revolted against his half-brother Abdullah. His rule was short-lived and he was overthrown by Abdullah bin Turki. He gained power again in 1873 but died two years later. His reign was notable for the infighting in the House of Saud which he initiated.
Abdullah bin Jiluwi bin Turki Al Saud (alternative spelling: Abdullah bin Jalawi was one of the early Saudi governors.
The Unification of Saudi Arabia was a military and political campaign in which the various tribes, sheikhdoms, city-states, emirates, and kingdoms of most of the Arabian Peninsula were conquered by the House of Saud, or Al Saud. Unification started in 1902 and continued until 1932, when the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was proclaimed under the leadership of King Abdulaziz, creating what is sometimes referred to as the Third Saudi State, to differentiate it from the Emirate of Diriyah, the First Saudi State and the Emirate of Nejd, the Second Saudi State, also House of Saud states.
The Saudi government does not conduct census on religion and ethnicity but some sources estimated the percentage of Shiites in Saudi Arabia is roughly 10-15% of approximately 23 million natives of Saudi Arabia. The modern Kingdom of Saudi Arabia was formed in 1932 by the House of Saud, who are followers of a movement within Sunni Islam known as Salafis. Followers of the Wahhabite mission—who dominate religious institutions, courts and education of the kingdom—believe that "Muslims should return to the interpretation of Islam found in the classical texts, the Quran and the Sunnah." They also believe that "Muslims who seek intercession from holy men, such as the imams revered by Shiites, are not 'true' Muslims."
The Al ash-Sheikh, also transliterated in a number of other ways, including Al ash-Shaykh, Al ash-Shaikh, Al al-Shaykh, or Al-Shaykh, is Saudi Arabia's leading religious family. They are the descendants of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, the 18th-century founder of the Wahhabi sect of Islam which is today dominant in Saudi Arabia. In Saudi Arabia, the family is second in prestige only to the Saudi royal family, the Al Saud, with whom they formed a power-sharing arrangement nearly 300 years ago. The arrangement, which persists to this day, is based on the Al Saud maintaining the Al ash-Sheikh's authority in religious matters and the Al ash-Sheikh supporting the Al Saud's political authority.
Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Al ash-Sheikh (1893–1969) was the Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, or highest religious authority in the country, from 1953 to his death in 1969. He is recognised as being amongst the forefront of Salafi theologians in history.
Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Latif Al ash-Sheikh (1848–1921) was a Wahhabi scholar from Nejd in Arabia and was the grandfather of King Faisal. He was a descendant of Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab.
Izala Society or Jama'atu Izalatil Bid’ah Wa Iqamatus Sunnah, also called JIBWIS, is a Salafi movement originally established in Northern Nigeria to fight what it sees as the bid'ah (innovation) practiced by the Sufi brotherhoods. It is one of the largest Sunni societies in Nigeria, Chad, Niger, and Cameroon.
Natana J. DeLong-Bas is an American scholar and the author of a number of books on Islam, as well as "numerous book chapters and encyclopedia articles" on the subject of "Saudi Arabia, Wahhabism, Islamic thought and history, Islam and politics, and contemporary jihadism".
Anti-Sunnism is hatred of, prejudice against, discrimination against, persecution of, and violence against Sunni Muslims.
Starting in the mid-1970s and 1980s, conservative/strict/puritanical interpretations of Sunni Islam favored by the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia have achieved what political scientist Gilles Kepel calls a "preeminent position of strength in the global expression of Islam." The interpretations included not only "Wahhabi" Islam of Saudi Arabia, but Islamist/revivalist Islam, and a "hybrid" of the two interpretations.