Everything that the prince had said is important, but I will comment here on issues of identity, history, Islam, extremism, society and ideologies.

The word magician is deemed an accusation when it is used to label prophets and messengers of God. However, it is an advantage and a virtue when it is used to call the talented and creative people in any field and in any art. In this sense, we can say that Prince Muhammad Bin Salman has charmed people with halal magic.

“Constructive ambiguity” is a term generally credited to former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger. He spoke about the deliberate use of ambiguous language on a sensitive issue as a strategy. The superstitious people in the ancient time used ambiguity to promote “witchcraft.”

Prince Mohammad Bin Salman does not use ambiguity, but on the contrary, he relies systematically, intensely and consistently on “clarity” and “transparency”.

His vision “Saudi Arabia 2030” and all its supportive programs that cover entire aspects of the Saudi state and life of its people are announced and published with all the minute details, phases and figures, not only in Saudi Arabia, but in the whole world. It can be read in most languages of the world, and this is the magic of clarity and not ambiguity.

The Vision of the Saudi Crown Prince is his project that confronts a “project to thwart it.” This project to thwart the “Saudi Vision 2030” involves international, regional and local parties, as well as countries, groups and individuals.

The Crown Prince said in his interview with the American magazine ‘The Atlantic’: “There are a lot of people who want to be sure that our project, Saudi Arabia’s project today, Vision 2030, fails. But they can’t touch it. It will never fail. No one on the whole world has the power to make it fail,” he said.

He added, “There are a few groups — I don’t want to point fingers — but anyone with good knowledge can make the link between groups in the West, and groups in the Middle East, who have interests in seeing us fail.”

In 2018, the prince spoke to the American magazine “Time” about the dangers of the Muslim Brotherhood. Before and after this, he emphasized the need to return to the real Islam before “political Islam” groups distorted it. He also spoke about extremism.

In 2021, he spoke with Abdullah Al-Mudaifer in a detailed talk about his vision on the issues of identity, Shariah and Islam in an unprecedented manner, with clarity of argument and strength of logic.

In Saudi Arabia, the Crown Prince’s visions quickly turn into projects and programs, scoring successes and achievements. But these schemes were delayed due to various reasons, including the fact that change needs time to reach maturity.

Some people were unable to comprehend the prince’s ideas, and their depth, comprehensiveness and future prospects while some others were much more comprehensive than Saudi Arabia as a country, but rather they constitute a civilized way out for all Muslim countries. There are some others who want to see “failure” of these projects as the prince had mentioned.

Some observers expressed their astonishment over the delay in implementing the visions. The prince made it clear that some of these ideas have already translated into reality, and that a cultural project pertaining to the Prophetic Traditions will see the light within two years.

Everything that the prince had said is important, but I will comment here on issues of identity, history, Islam, extremism, society and ideologies, due to space constraint. The prince said: “Our country is founded on a set of views and beliefs that are based on Islam, on tribal culture, Arab culture, and unique attributes to Saudi culture and beliefs. That’s our soul.”

He stressed, “We are going back to the real teachings of Islam, the way that the Prophet and the four Rightly Guided caliphs lived, which was open and peaceful societies.” He said about extremists: “The Muslim Brotherhood, the Ikhwan, played a huge role in creating all of this extremism. They were the bridge that took others to extremism. When you talk to them, they will not seem to be extremists, but they lead you to extremism.”

Then he spoke elaborately about Sheikh Mohammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab, saying: “I would say that Mohammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab is not a prophet, he is not an angel. He was just a scholar like many other scholars who lived during the first Saudi state, among many political leaders and military leaders.”

He also spoke in detail about the problem at that time in the Arabian Peninsula was that Ibn Abdul Wahhab’s students were the only people who knew how to read and write and history was written from their perspective. Ibn Abdul Wahhab’s writing has been used by many extremists to serve their own agendas.

The prince also added that Ibn Abdul Wahhab is not Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has Sunnis and Shiites, and among Sunni, you have four schools of thought, and Shiites have different schools, and all of them are represented in number of religious boards.

This comprehensive and deep talk opens doors to a new concept of freedom in dealing with history with modern and advanced specialized scientific tools. We can congratulate independent historians, history departments in universities, historical research institutions, and serious researchers for heralding a new era that opens up real opportunities for them to bring out the “silent” and address the “prohibited” previously due to a complex network of reasons, pretexts and interests. Now, the door is open and the road is open.

Everyone should pay attention to the fact that the phases of states’ victory for themselves as well as for their history and identity are sensitive stages that require application of reason and wisdom, and should not be tainted by labeling, biases, or prejudices against anyone whether regions, tribes or families. The goal shall be to serve the present and the future, as well as consolidate unity and build generations.

After centuries of rule by the House of Saud in Diriyah, Mohammad Bin Saud came and established a state for which he leveraged all energies and capabilities, overcame challenges, and established a bright future. After its fall, Turki Bin Abdullah rose, restored the state, and overcame the challenges. After its downfall, King Abdul Aziz came and established the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, overcoming challenges and illuminated the way.

In this era, Mohammad Bin Salman came, transcended challenges, employed all energies and illuminated the paths. He taught the world and Saudis about potentials that no one had heard of and no one thought of before him, and the fabric of the founders of the state is of one substance, even if there are divergence in eras and circumstances.

Leaders who change history are few, and they gather — throughout history and across geography — talents that people consider “magic” because people are unable to explain them. Leaders see what people do not see, and even if some people share some competence with them, they do not share with them in building strategies as well as in realizing quality of administration, strength of decision making, and achieving goals.

In the American journalist’s questions, he was clearly influenced by unfriendly thoughts towards the Crown Prince and towards Saudi Arabia. The answers speak for themselves in understanding the hidden intentions, self-criticism and acknowledgment of the mistakes of the distant and near past. The goal is success, and the ultimate aim is a bright future.

Finally, the context here is purely descriptive, neither praise nor criticism and slander, but rather an approach to the image and a reflection of reality and an explanation of the outcomes of ideas and the results of the Vision.

This article was originally published in Asharq Al-Awsat. Translated by Saudi Gazette.

Abdullah bin Bijad al-Otaibi is a Saudi writer and researcher. He is a member of the board of advisors at Al-Mesbar Studies and Research Center. He tweets under @abdullahbjad.

Disclaimer: Views expressed by writers in this section are their own and do not reflect Milli Chronicle’s point-of-view.

The satanic method was based on spreading the culture of worshiping the graves of the righteous, shrines, praying to the dead, stones, trees, and glorifying the Sufi orders and religious men.

The Ottomans ruled the Arab world since 1326 until the collapse of their caliphate in 1922.

During that, they were in need for a way to spread their influence and control and at the same time to finance the treasury of their empire at Istanbul.

Therefore, Ottomans spread the religious rituals and superstitions through Sufism, and the satanic method was based on spreading the culture of worshiping the graves of the righteous, shrines, praying to the dead, stones, trees, and glorifying the Sufi orders and religious men.

Ottomans took advantage of the Arabs’ attachment to Islam by constructing shrines and mosques around the graves of the righteous and scholars, and sometimes when they did not find a real grave of a prophet or of religious man somewhere, they put a fabricated grave. But Why?

Then the Ottomans exploited the ignorant and weak Muslims and convinced them that it is necessary to pray for the dead in order to obtain sustenance, marriage, pregnancy, wealth, salvation, and success in life.

Then, their religious men convinced them that, in order to get their prayers accepted, they had to pay an amount of money to the guardian of the grave of that deceased. More the money paid the greater the opportunity to accept the supplication and achieve the required wish.

As Muslims started neglecting the truth of their religion, a vast network of holy shrines sprang up.

It has spread in thousands to most parts of the Islamic world. Indeed, a number of graves worshiped in a country were no less than number of cities and villages in that country.

Moreover, the Arabian Peninsula was not an exception to the case of the Islamic world, which was suffering from poverty, ignorance, backwardness and being far from the truth of Islam, and there were hundreds of tombs for which money and sacrifices were offered so prayers get accepted.

Ottomans followed by Persians started spreading mystic ideas of Sufism and Shi’ism, such as worshiping graves, trees and stones, begging in front of them, and circling around them, and collecting money from the fools and weak who wanted God’s forgiveness, but their money went to Istanbul or Tehran.

Therefore, the Arabian Peninsula was living its worst days in delusion, backwardness, and horrific fragmentation and domination of the tribal leaders that the Ottomans bought their loyalty to oppress other tribes and nomads.

This dire situation continued until a religious reformer Muhammad bin Abd AlWahhab appeared in the early 1700s and began his call for true Islam, by rejecting the religious myths that the Ottomans brought.

The Ottomans disturbed by the movement of Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhab and called it (Wahhabism) in order to try to portray it as if it was something contingent on Islam while it was nothing but an invitation to correct beliefs and return to true Islam.

Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab was in need of a political and military leader to support his reform movement, and he found this in Muhammad bin Saud, the Emir of Diriyah, a village in Najd in the middle of the Arabian Peninsula. Here is the first Saudi state which was born in 1744.

The reform movement of Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab called for a return to pure and true Islam, by praying directly to God which stipulates the prohibition of praying to the dead and at graves, and the prohibition of giving money to them by any form.

Consequently, the Muslims in Arabia launched a campaign to demolish those shrines and end the era of worshiping the dead and the graves, and as a result, the flow of funds to the treasury of the Ottoman Empire stopped from the holiest cities of Mecca and Medina.

All this made Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab and his teachings a nightmare threatening the flow of money to the Ottoman treasury, so they wrote books against him and paid their Arab clients to distort his image and portray him as pure evil.

Therefore, the term Wahhabism was coined in a deceitful way to link all forms of terrorism and extremism with Saudi Arabia, and to prevent the influence of Wahhabism upon other Muslims, and to retain the loss of the income of the shrines and the blind followers.

Unfortunately, the Ottoman Sufi myths and the worshiping of shrines are still widespread in many countries of the Islamic world because they still generate a lot of money for their owners who were beneficiaries of distorting the Wahhabi movement of Muhammad bin AbdulWahhab.

They continue stealing money of fools. You can imagine how much money one grave produces, for example the Iranian regime relies on the money of the shrines to finance many of its terrorist operations. Look at the huge amount of money put in by those who dreamed of wealth.

They continue spreading crazy rituals and dances that have no relation to Islam but the fools would indulge in, to fire up their emotions that will end up with them paying money and meeting everything the Sheikh of the Sufi order wants, look at their situation in Turkey now

Consequently, many ignorant Muslims still use the term Wahhabism, unintentionally, exactly as the Ottomans wanted them to do, and they do not know what is really the truth of Wahhabism or Muhammad Bin Abd AlWahhab!

Muslim Brotherhood and Sufis who dreamed of restoring the Ottoman Empire intentionally linked terrorism to Wahhabism and they will not tell you that the teachings of Wahhabism, for example, prohibit suicide operations while they encourage them. Here is their leader Al-Qaradawi.

On the contrary, what is known as Islamic terrorism, it did not appear until the establishment of the Muslim Brotherhood 100 years ago, which is considered the womb from which Al Qaeda, ISIS and other extremist terrorist groups emerged.

May God have mercy on Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab. Without him, we would have been in Saudi Arabia where we go every Friday to the graves and pray to dead for success in life, as is happening now in Turkey, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Egypt, Morocco and many Muslim countries.

Gaith Al-Tamimi is a Saudi-based Engineer, Geophysicist, Explorer and Travel Expert. He tweets under @GaiTamimi1.

The Ottoman’s quickly learned how foolish they were to underestimate the power of the calling…

The Historical Roots

The grass roots movement of Imam Muhammad bin Abdul Wahab started in the eighteenth century C.E. as a movement calling to the return to the monolithic teachings of Islam in abiding to the Quran and Sunnah.

Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab calling adapted the Hanbali teachings of jurisprudence, and he denounced many fascist extremist teachings, practices and heresies among Muslims, he sought to return the belief of Muslims to its roots and remove the Clergymen control of faith and organized religious practices forced onto the people through more than 200 years of Ottoman occupation that resulted in closing schools of thought and adapt to teachings based on myths and innovated devotional practices that spread in the Arabian Peninsula.

Seeing the level of intellectual decay of the nation and the effects of the Ottoman imposed track of clergy loyal to the Ottomans that resulted in the decline of the education and culture in the Arabian Peninsula bringing it to a complete cessation collapse. Imam Mohammed called for monotheism rejecting the clergymen control of faith and collection of tribute, and devoted himself to purifying the religion and ridding it off what was imposed on the people, as he moved between the towns of Yamama until he settled in the Al-Dir’iyya.

The Imams meet and a nation is born

After the expulsion of the Imam Muhammad by Emir of the Oyiena, Ibn Muammar, for fear of the Ottoman regent the governor of Al-Ahsa, who vowed to cut trade with the Oyiena if Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab was not exiled.

Imam Muhammad bin Saud (Emir of Diriyah) was a religious man who answered to the call of Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Wahhab and wanted to restore the Arabian Peninsula to its past glory and to bring back the Islamic roots back in the region.

He was the founder of the first Saudi state and the 16th Emir of Dra’iyya. Muhammad bin Abdul Wahab arrived to Diriyah, and called on its people to reject all that was foreign to the religion of God and return to the monolithic teachings of Islam in Quran and Sunnah.

Al-Dir’iyya became a center for spreading the reformist call of Muhammad bin Abdul-Wahhab, schools were slowly popping up in villages, towns and cities across the Arabian Peninsula. The Ottoman regents, clergymen and Rouge Shiekhs started targeting the preachers and teachers.

The news of the calling spread and very few science students who later became supporters of the call and the state from Levant came to it, and the Sheikh Ibn Abdul-Wahab began sending his messages to the neighboring country regents and tribal leaders, calling for a revival of religion.

The lands were lawless and dangerous, so the Sheikh began to help Prince Muhammad bin Saud, to organize troops with very primitive weapons to enforce the basic laws in Diriyah ​​to the neighboring towns, villages and cities, and allow preachers to spread the call and establish its pillars in the region and outside it.

The Sheikh was supervising himself to prepare men, equipping armies, and sending companies, and continuing with writing lesson, teaching people writing and reading, welcoming guests, and delegations.

Battles against warlords and raiders continued and with every village, town freed from the state of lawlessness more supporters of Da`wah joined and more people were slowly started learning the basics of reading and writing.

The year is 1178 AH / 1773 C.E., Riyadh was liberated under the leadership of Prince Abdulaziz bin Muhammad bin Saud, and its former ruler, Daham bin Dawas, fled from it.

At the time of Saud bin Abdul Aziz, the state reached the apogee from a political point of view, as it reached Karbala in Iraq, and to Houran in the Levant, and the entire island was subjected to it except Yemen.

The Saudis abolished the tribute law that forced the weak to pay huge sums and the fees paid to war lords upon traveling, and Zakat was restored to the house of the Money House or Baitul-Maal. Might was no longer the rule in disputes between people as Judges were appointed.

War of the Ottoman’s and the Saudi State

The Ottoman Empire’s perception of the Saudi state varied according to the place it stretches to. The Ottoman’s viewed the Saudi state and its calling as a minor threat, a local uprising unworthy of the Empire’s direct attention.

The Ottoman’s quickly learned how foolish they were to underestimate the power of the calling. Although the Ottoman Empire felt that the calling and the Saudi state were a religious, cultural and political challenge to the Ottomans.

Khaled Homoud Alshareef holds PhD in Business and he earned Masters in Philosophy. He often writes about Islamism, Islamist factions and modern Terrorism. He tweets under @0khalodi0.

Following are the excerpts of famous Scholars who debunked the myth, and clarified the matter from verified historical perspective.

When Shaykh Abdulaziz bin Abdullah bin Baz was asked about the matter, he replied.

Shaykh Muhammad bin Abdulwahab did not rebel against the Ottoman Caliphate state – as far as I know and believe. There was no governmental control or authority for the Turks over Najd.

Najd was made up of small emirates and scattered villages and upon every town or village – no matter how small they were – was an independent leader…there were emirates which had battles, wars and disputes.

Shaykh Muhammad bin AbdulWahab did not rebel against the Ottoman state, but he rebelled against the evil situation in his area, so he strove truly for the sake of Allaah and was patient and persevered until the light of the Dawah spread to other towns. — Nadwa Jadeed al-Fikr al-Islaami in the University of King Saud 1402 A.H.

When Shaykh Salih al-Fawzan was asked that, some of the people, those enemies to the Dawah of Shaykh ul Islaam Muhammad bin AbdulWahab say that Shaykh ul Islaam and the Imam Muhammad bin Saud rebelled against the rule of the leader of the Ottoman state and that they split away from Najd is the central area of mid Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Riyadh etc. obedience and this is against the creed of the Ahl ul Sunnah wal Jammah what is your opinion about this statement?

He replied.

Does this person who says this statement adhere to hearing and obeying the leader?! Most of those who say this statement hold the opinion of rebelling against leaders nowadays, and they do not adhere or acknowledge the authority of the leaders, this is one aspect.

The second aspect is that Shaykh Muhammad bin AbdulWahab and Imam Muhammad bin Saud did not rebel against the leader at their time because the Ottoman state did not have authority over the area of Najd but the area of Najd was in the hands of their leaders.

Every area from the lands of Najd had an independent leader which it would rule over. When one of them would pass away then one of his sons or relatives would take over after him, therefore, the Ottomans did not have authority over the area of Najd.

The Ottoman state did not give importance to the Najd area because there was no produce there at that time and there was no importance paid to it. The Ottomans fought against the Saudi state, however, they did not fight them because they rebelled, but rather they fought against the Saudi state out of fear of them.

Therefore, they fought against the Saudi state fearful of them, when their ability and matter had become great and their command became apparent, the Ottoman state feared them and fought against them. They feared them, and that is why they fought them, that the Saudi state may war against them in their own land, this is the purpose, otherwise they had no authority over the land of Najd.

The land of Najd was in the hands of its leaders and rulers, generation after generation until Shaykh Muhammad bin AbdulWahab came with the Dawah and Muhammad bin Saud aided him and extended out their authority over all of the Najd area and other areas of the Arabian peninsula and Allaah established them firmly because they undertook the Dawah of Muhammad peace be upon him and spread Islaam and all the emirates of Najd which were previously spread out over Najd entered under one authority, then at that time the Ottoman state feared that they would reach their land and the land of Iraq and the land of Shaam so they feared for themselves.

They also had major deviancies and they had tombs and shrines, so they feared for what they were upon. They were upon Soofeeyah and Bida’ so they feared the Dawah of the Shaykh will change them, that is why they fought against the Saudi state.

When the similar question was asked to Shaykh Saleh Alaa Shaykh that, what is your opinion about the one who says that Shaykh Muhammad bin AbdulWahab rebelled against the Ottomans, how do we refute them?

He replied.

The answer is from two angles: The first angle: It is as I mentioned to you, Najd at the time of the Shaykh was not under the authority of the Ottomans, but rather, Najd from the year 260 A.H. was not subject to their authority, not to the authority of the Abbasids or to any other authority, Najd was independent.

Some of the Khawarij tried to overcome the people of Najd from that early time and likewise a group from the people of Yemen etc. This means the people of Najd were independent and did not enter under obedience at that time.

The people of Najd were divided and did not force their people and did not surrender to giving Baya [oath of allegiance] but they were independent.

When the Ottoman state appeared every area of Najd had its own leader, so it was not subjugated under the Ottoman state because when this state first established itself, it was upon correct Islaam then after that it became deviated.

When the Shaykh [Muhammad bin AbdulWahhab] came the people were upon this condition that every area had a leader, they did not acknowledge the authority of Bani Uthmaan in contrast to al-Ahsa and the eastern provinces since these people acknowledged the authority of the Ottomans.

The leader of al-Ahsa and places like that were under the leadership of the Ottomans. Likewise, the Ashraaf [the rulers of Makkah] and those similar to them had a type of independency, but they were under the general authority of the Ottomans, as for Najd it was independent, and that is one angle.

The second aspect is that in the time of the Shaykh the Ottomans were calling to Shirk al-Akbar (major Shirk), Soofi paths and they would get the 8 people to love that. They would spend wealth upon the graves and the worship of them and spend lots of money upon that. Therefore, from this aspect if Najd was under their authority they still would not be under their obedience because they called to Shirk and they consolidated this in their last treaties.

As for the first two hundred years the Ottomans were upon the correct methodology and generally, they were good, but when it came to approximately the year 1100 A.H. and after that, when there occurred a lot of Shirk among the Muslims, the Ottomans were from those who completely aided this Shirk and spent wealth upon it.

There are statements of the Ottoman Caliphs – as was the title widely given to them – statements from the leaders of the Bani Uthmaan who wrote supplications about seeking deliverance and rescue with the Messenger peace be upon him and seeking deliverance and rescue with the Awaaliyaa etc.

The first aspect is that which is dependable as I mentioned, the second aspect is a derivation of the first.” —
Sharh Kitab Thalaat al-Asool, by Shaykh ul Islaam al-Imam the reviver Muhammad bin AbdulWahab atTameemi p.36-37

He further said.

The answer is, that this is not correct, because Najd from the year 256 A.H. was outside the rule of the Abbasid Zaydeeyah. It was out of their jurisdiction and the Abbasid state from the outset did not have any desire for it.

The Abbasids did not send anyone to the people of Najd due to what occurred in the Najd, from disunion and separation, and differences and weakness, because there was no need of Najd at that time. Then the Emirates and states came in to power but they did not request the people of Najd to enter under their authority.

The Najd had emirates and states independent from the year 256 A.H. and then around the year 500 A.H. came the end of the ‘Akhdareeyah’ state, then after that states came in to power or very small states. Every time a person established a garden or farm and people gathered around it, there occurred a leader of the state and village etc.

Then came the Imam of Dawa, Shaykh Muhammad bin AbdulWahab during these circumstances, which is that the states in Najd did not have a connection with the Ottoman state, but the Ottoman state did not give them wealth to spend upon them.

Also, the Ottoman state did not request taxes from the leaders of Najd, nor did they request them to give Baya etc. but rather Najd was abandoned due to them not having a desire for it, there was no wealth there and there was no desire for its people, but Najd was small separated areas. Shaykh Muhammad bin AbdulWahab came during this circumstances, where there was a leader of Uyainah, a leader over Huraymalah, a leader over alJubaylah, a leader over Dareeyah, a leader over Riyadh, a leader over Kharj etc. 10 each area had an independent emirate and independent authority, so he gave Dawa at this time.” —
Asilah Kashf ash-Shubahaat (1/4)

Article first appeared on MiraathPublications