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The term ‘Wahhabi’ has been applied to a variety of forms of Islam, across various geographical locations, and is often associated with radical Islamic groups that actually have little or no connection to the ideology that Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab espoused. However, the involvement of Saudi nationals in the 9/11 attacks has led to Wahhabi Islam and Saudi Arabia coming under intense scrutiny, and requires us to have a greater understanding of the core tenets of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab’s teachings. The decade since 9/11 has been characterised by polemical discussions of Islam, and current representations of Wahhabi Islam are dominated by the ‘clash of civilisations’ attitude. Most accounts therefore reveal little about the true nature of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab’s doctrine, and leave no room for the possibility of his dawa being a peaceful or socially beneficial tradition. My aim is to explore the origins and development of Wahhabi Islam, comparing Ibn Abd al-Wahhab’s interpretation of Islam to that of other Islamic thinkers, and examining its place in the modern Islamic milieu in order to evaluate the claims of those who say that it is, in whole or in part, responsible for the rise of global terrorism.

The term ‘Wahhabi’ has been applied to a variety of forms of Islam, across various geographical locations, and is often associated with radical Islamic groups that actually have little or no connection to the ideology that Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab espoused. However, the involvement of Saudi nationals in the 9/11 attacks has led to Wahhabi Islam and Saudi Arabia coming under intense scrutiny, and requires us to have a greater understanding of the core tenets of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab’s teachings. The decade since 9/11 has been characterised by polemical discussions of Islam, and current representations of Wahhabi Islam are dominated by the ‘clash of civilisations’ attitude. Most accounts therefore reveal little about the true nature of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab’s doctrine, and leave no room for the possibility of his dawa being a peaceful or socially beneficial tradition. My aim is to explore the origins and development of Wahhabi Islam, comparing Ibn Abd al-Wahhab’s interpretation of Islam to that of other Islamic thinkers, and examining its place in the modern Islamic milieu in order to evaluate the claims of those who say that it is, in whole or in part, responsible for the rise of global terrorism.

The term ‘Wahhabi’ has been applied to a variety of forms of Islam, across various geographical locations, and is often associated with radical Islamic groups that actually have little or no connection to the ideology that Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab espoused. However, the involvement of Saudi nationals in the 9/11 attacks has led to Wahhabi Islam and Saudi Arabia coming under intense scrutiny, and requires us to have a greater understanding of the core tenets of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab’s teachings. The decade since 9/11 has been characterised by polemical discussions of Islam, and current representations of Wahhabi Islam are dominated by the ‘clash of civilisations’ attitude. Most accounts therefore reveal little about the true nature of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab’s doctrine, and leave no room for the possibility of his dawa being a peaceful or socially beneficial tradition. My aim is to explore the origins and development of Wahhabi Islam, comparing Ibn Abd al-Wahhab’s interpretation of Islam to that of other Islamic thinkers, and examining its place in the modern Islamic milieu in order to evaluate the claims of those who say that it is, in whole or in part, responsible for the rise of global terrorism.