와하비즘의 발흥과 사우드가와의 종교-정치적 동맹에 대한 역사적 고찰

A Historical Study of the Rise of Wahhabim and Its Religio-Political Alliance with the House of Saud

One of major political factors for the founding of the Saudi state is Wahhabism, an extreme version of Sunni Islam, which has dominated both the religious stage and in the polity in Saudi Arabia. The barren desert territory of central Arabia and the harsh environment with the most meager economic surplus had long left most of central Arabia politically and religiously marginalized from the influence of the outside world, and more particularly of the Ottoman Empire. As a result, some of the major tribal confederations enjoyed autonomy in central Arabia with little or no serious interference from the Ottomans. This context facilitated the emergence of Wahhabism in the region and led to the formation of a lasting alliance between two religiously and politically important figures, Muhammad Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab and Muhammad Ibn Sa‘ud. Since the establishment of the religio-political alliance between the two families in the mid eighteenth century, Wahhabism has provided the Saudi ruling family with legitimacy for its control over the Arabian Peninsula as long as it devotes itself to the implementation of a particular version of Islam in Saudi society. The religious zealotry of the Wahhabis was one of the major driving forces in the conquest of the Arabian Peninsula by providing the Āl Sa‘ud with political justification in the name of jihad. This study will find major factors which had contributed to the emergence of Wahhabism in Najd and demonstrate why Muhammad Ibn Saud accepted Wahhabism in the 18th century.