Mīrzā Malkum Khān;: A study in the history of Iranian modernism

Hamid Algar

University of California Press

Wahhabism: A Critical Essay

Wahhabism, a peculiar interpretation of Islamic doctrine and practice that first arose in mid-eighteenth century Arabia, is sometimes regarded as simply an extreme or uncompromising form of Sunni Islam. This is incorrect, for at the very outset the movement was stigmatized as aberrant by the leading Sunni scholars of the day, because it rejected many of the traditional beliefs and practices of Sunni Islam and declared permissible warfare against all Muslims that disputed Wahhabi teachings. Nor can Wahhabism be regarded as a movement of “purification” or “renewal,” as the source of the genuinely revivalist movements that were underway at the time. Not until Saudi oil money was placed at the disposal of its propagandists did Wahhabism find an echo outside the Arabian Peninsula. 
 The author discusses the rise of Wahhabism at the hands of Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Wahhab, a native of Najd in the eastern part of the Arabian peninsula, the doctrines he elaborated to serve as the basis of the Wahhabi sect, and the alliance he concluded with the Saudi family, then rulers of the principality of al-Dir’iya. An early result of this union was a creeping conquest of the Arabian Peninsula, misnamed as jihad; it culminated in the sacking of Taif and the occupation of Mecca in 1803. This first Wahhabi occupation was short-lived but Wahhabism triumphed anew with the foundation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1925. Among the extensions of Wahhabism beyond Arabia must be accounted the perverse and brutal regime of the Taliban in Afghanistan.

Literature & Fiction

Essays & Correspondence

Islamic Publications International

Sayyid Qutb, executed in 1966 by the Egyptian government but still broadly influential today, was deeply convinced that Islam provides an ideal framework for all of human existence -- individual and social, political and economic, intellectual and spiritual. He believed equally that in all these various aspects the religion had been obscured or distorted by an influx of alien influences. In this, one of this most widely read works, he addresses himself to the task of retrieving what he regards as the authentic mode of thought that is distinctive of Islam or even unique to it. This he does through the concise presentation of seven characteristics of Islamic thought, abundantly illustrated with citation of relevant Qur'anic verses.

Basic Principles of Islamic World view

Religion & Spirituality

Sayyid Qutb

Islam

Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence: According to Shi'i Law

Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence is one of the best-known textbooks written by the late Ayatullah Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr (1934-1980). The current volume, the first in a three-volume series, is written in plain language to introduce beginners to the science of the principles of Islamic jurisprudence (usul). Orginally entitled Durus fi 'Ilm al-Usul (Discources on the Science of the Principles of Jurisprudence), but normally known as Halaqat al-Usul (Discourse on the Principles of Jurisprudence), the book was a revolutionary attempt to innovative and systematic presentation of the principles of Islamic jurisprudence. In the current volume, the late Ayatullah al-Sadr expounds on the discipline of usul and responds to the latest debates and challenges. It was no wonder that following its publication this work replaced other standard textbooks which had hitherto been used to teach the principles of jurisprudence.

History

Muhammad Baqir al-Sadir

Middle East

Principles of Islamic Jurisprudence is one of the best-known textbooks written by the late Ayatullah Sayyid Muhammad Baqir al-Sadr (1934-1980). The current volume, the first in a three-volume series, is written in plain language to introduce beginners to the science of the principles of Islamic jurisprudence (usul). Originally entitled Durus fi ?Ilm al-Usul (Discourses on the Science of the Principles of Jurisprudence), but normally known as Halaqat al-Usul (Discources on the Principles of Jurisprudence), the book was a revolutionary attempt at innovative and systematic presentation of the principles of Islamic jurisprudence. In the current volume, the late Ayatullah al-Sadr expounds on the discipline of usul and responds to the latest debates and challenges. It was no wonder that following its publication this work replaced other standard textbooks which had hitherto been used to teach the principles of jurisprudence.

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Books by Hamid Algar