The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ... - IslamHouse.com

The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab
of Dalim, tried to work together with the ruler of Najraan to attack al-
Diriyyah in 1189. Their plan failed for a number of reasons. First, al-
Diriyyah had become too strong for such an army and secondly there
was no great trust between Zaid and the chief of Najraan.
Furthermore, the Najrani leader also became ill during the campaign,
thus weakening his resolve. This failure once again led to a number of
delegations coming to pledge their allegiance. This time it included
the leaders from al-Zilfi and Munaikh, including Muhammad ibn
Abdul-Wahhaab’s own brother and previous adversary Sulaimaan. 1
(By 1190 A.H. (1786 C.E.), the lands to the south, being the lands of
the Aflaaj and al-Dawaasir, were under the authority of al-Diriyyah,
although “anti-Wahhabi insurrections continued for a long time in the
latter province.” 2)
By the beginning of thirteenth century Hijri, Najd had become
a united and strong state. Indeed, with the internal struggles among the
Tribe of Khaalid, it was probably the strongest force in the area. By
this time, it turned its attention from simply defending itself to
expanding its message to the outlying areas. This, once again, meant
that it would have to encounter the rulers of al-Ahsaa. 3 By the time of
Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab’s death, virtually all of al-Ahsaa was
under the control of the new state.
The other important threat in the Arabian Peninsula were the
Sharifs of Makkah, the rulers of the Hijaz. Ahmad al-Qabbaani alleges
that Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab sent a letter to Makkah around
the year 1155 A.H., calling the people there to embrace Islam. Ahmad
Dahlaan claimed that Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab sent thirty
scholars as a delegation to Makkah during the time of Masood ibn
Saeed (1146-1165 A.H.). When the scholars, who had heard of
Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab, investigated the matter, they found
1 Cf., al-Uthaimeen, Al-Shaikh Muhammad, p. 65. Zaid ibn Zaamil “declared his
allegiance to the Wahhabis, only to betray them shortly afterwards” (Vassiliev,
p. 86). Indeed, he later joined with the Tribe of Khaalid in their attack on
Buraidah in al-Qaseem in 1196 A.H. (1782 C.E.). The attack on Buraidah was
unsuccessful and Zaid himself was killed in 1197 A.H.
2 Vassiliev, p. 87.
3 Indeed, by the year 1200, the Tribe of Khaalid leader Sadoon, who had
effectively kept the followers of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab from
penetrating al-Ahsaa, had to flee from al-Ahsaa due to internal strife, seeking
refuge with his bitter enemy Abdul-Azeez ibn Saud in al-Diriyyah. Cf., Abu-
Hakima, p. 134.
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