BEYOND SYRIA IRAQ

IDEOLOGY
THE ISLAMIC STATE AS HEIR TO THE WAHHABI MISSION
Yet the doctrines of Wahhabism, along with the early state Muhammad ibn
Abdul Wahhab helped build, are revered by jihadists today. In fact, many of
the Islamic State’s printed texts are simply the foundational texts of Wahhabism.
This appropriation of textual resources is a clear challenge to the
Saudi kingdom for the title of true heir to the Wahhabi mission.
Sometimes the Islamic State stakes its claim to Wahhabism explicitly. A
recent essay by an Islamic State supporter, for example, claims it is “the true
continuation of the mission of God’s oneness, the mission . . . of Sheikh al-
Islam Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab.” The supporter goes on to say, “It has
become clear who is the true heir of the mission of Sheikh al-Islam Muhammad
ibn Abdul Wahhab.” 2 Many such comments also appear in the group’s
official literature.
In many other cases, the Islamic State claims the rights to Wahhabism
in less direct terms. This is the norm in the speeches of its leaders. In October
2015, for example, the group’s official spokesman, Abu Muhammad al-
Adani, posed a question to the Saudi people: “Has association and dissociation
died?” “Association and dissociation,” or al-wala wa al-bara, is one
of the key doctrinal concepts of Wahhabism. It enjoins Muslims to associate
exclusively with fellow Muslims and dissociate entirely from all others,
including those deemed false Muslims. Adnani was alluding to the abandonment
by modern Saudi Arabia of the traditionally harsh form of association
and dissociation characteristic of earlier Wahhabism. In the jihadist view, the
Saudis preach a corrupt form of Wahhabism that allows for alliances with
Western countries, is tolerant of the Shiites, and does not dare wage jihad to
expand the ambit of true Islam.
The notion that the Saudi regime has betrayed Wahhabism in favor of
a more flexible and tolerant version of Islam is a prominent feature of the
Islamic State’s propaganda directed at Saudi Arabia. The message is meant to
appeal to Saudis of a more radical Wahhabi bent. The Islamic State accuses
the rulers of Saudi Arabia of being insufficiently Wahhabi.
ISLAMIC STATE WAHHABISM AND SAUDI WAHHABISM
While the Islamic State’s ideology depends heavily on Wahhabism, it also
departs from traditional Wahhabism in several important respects. Most
important, the majority of Saudi Arabia’s Wahhabis have never aspired to
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