Description
One of number of publications that mark the centennial of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, this work is based in part on the author's dissertation (from the U. of Washington). The roots of the Salafi reform movement (also known as Wahhabi and still in place today) are examined here in an analysis of the social, political, and religious conditions of the area from the 15th-18th centuries A.D., including the impact of migrations, population growth, and religious learning. Al-Juhany teaches at King Saud U. in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Distributed in the US by ISBS. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)
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In the middle of the 18th century, a religious reform movement arose in al-Dir'iyyah, a small town in Najd, central Arabia. Founded by Shaykh Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, and politically and militarily supported by Muhammad Ibn Sa'ud, the chief of al-Dir'iyyah, this movement, known as the Salafiyya, called for a return to the original teachings of the Qur'an and the traditions of the Prophet Muhammad. This book examines the Najd during the three centuries preceding the rise of the Salafis. It is a fascinating historical narrative that reveals phenomenal developments in the spheres of nomadic migration, settlement, the growth of the sedentary population, and the growth of religious learning, all combined to produce a new society that had new prospects by the middle of the 18th century.
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