Despite the differences amongst the Kuffar over the division of the Muslims’ lands, they were in full agreement of the idea to destroy Islam. They pursued several methods for this purpose. Initially, they aroused the feelings of nationalism and independence in the European countries. They incited people against the Islamic State and they supplied them with weapons and money in order to revolt against it, as was the case in Serbia and Greece. In this way, the European countries tried to stab the Islamic State in the back. France invaded Egypt and occupied it in July 1798, then marched onto Palestine and occupied it. France wanted to occupy the rest of Al-Sham in order to deal the Islamic State the fatal blow, but was however defeated, later being forced to leave Egypt and surrender the lands she had occupied back to the Islamic State.

Britain had attempted through her agent Abdul-Aziz ibn Muhammad ibn Saud to strike the Islamic State from within. The Wahhabis by then had managed to establish an entity within the Islamic State, led by Muhammad ibn Saud and later by his son Abdul-Aziz. Britain supplied them with weapons and money and they moved on a sectarian basis to seize the Islamic lands which were under the authority of the Khilafah.

They took up arms against the Khaleefah and fought the Islamic armed forces (the army of the Amir ul-Mu’mineen), all the time goaded and supplied by the British. The Wahhabis wanted to seize the lands ruled by the Khaleefah in order to rule these lands according to their Math’hab (school of thought), and suppress all the other Islamic Mathahib that differed from theirs by force. Hence, they raided Kuwait and occupied it in 1788, then marched northwards until they besieged Baghdad. They wanted to seize Karbalaa’ and the tomb of Al-Hussein (may Allah be pleased with him) to destroy it and ban the visiting of it. Then in 1803, they launched an attack on Makkah and occupied it. In the spring of 1804, Madinah fell under their control. They destroyed the huge domes which used to shade the grave of the Messenger of Allah (saw) and stripped them of all the gems and precious ornaments. Having completed their seizure of the whole of Al-Hijaz, they marched on towards Al-Sham. Nearing Hims in 1810 they attacked Damascus for a second time and they also attacked Al-Najaf. Damascus defended itself bravely and gloriously. However while besieging Damascus, the Wahhabis moved at the same time to the north and spread their authority over most of the Syrian lands as far as Aleppo. It was a well known fact that this Wahhabi campaign was instigated by the British, for Al Saud were British agents. They exploited the Wahhabi Math’hab, which was Islamic and whose founder was a Mujtahid, in political activities with the aim of fighting the Islamic State and clashing with the other Mathahib, in order to incite sectarian wars within the Ottoman state.

The followers of this Math’hab were unaware of this, but the Saudi Amir and the Saudis were fully aware. This is because the relationship was not between the British and Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab, but between the British and Abdul-Aziz ibn Muhammad ibn Saud and then with his son Saud.

Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab, whose Math’hab had been Hanbali, made Ijtihad in a host of matters and deemed that the Muslims who followed other Mathahib differed with his opinion in such matters. Hence, he set about calling for his opinions, working towards implementing them and attacking the other Islamic opinions fiercely. He faced a barrage of opposition and rejection from the various scholars, Amirs and prominent figures, who considered that his opinions differed from what they had understood from the Book of Allah and His Messenger. For instance, he used to say that visiting the grave of the Messenger Muhammad (saw) is Haram and a sinful act. He even went as far as to say that whoever set off in a journey to visit the grave of the Messenger of Allah (saw), would not be allowed to shorten his prayer while travelling, since the purpose of the journey would be to commit a sinful act. He made reference to the Hadith in which the Messenger of Allah (saw) is reported to have said:

"Journeys should only be made to three mosques: This Mosque of mine, the Sacred Mosque and Al-Aqsa Mosque." Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab understood from this Hadith that the Messenger of Allah (saw) had forbidden travelling to other than the three mosques.

Hence, if one were to travel to visit the grave of the Messenger of Allah (saw), he would be travelling to other than the three mosques, hence, it would be Haram, and a sinful act. Other Mathahib deemed the visiting of the grave of the Messenger of Allah (saw) as being Sunnah and a Mandub action that yields a reward, because the Messenger of Allah (saw) said:

"I had in the past forbidden you from visiting the graves, but you may now visit them." By greater reason the grave of the Messenger of Allah (saw) should be included in this Hadith, in addition to other Ahadith which they quoted. They said that the Hadith which Muhammad ibn Abdul- Wahhab used as an evidence, was specific to mosques. Therefore, its subject is related to travelling to mosques and does not exceed it. The Hadith is not general, but rather specific and related to a certain subject: "Journeys should only be made to three mosques." Hence, it would be forbidden for a Muslim to specifically visit the Aya Sofia mosque in Istanbul, or the Ommayyad mosque in Damascus, because the Messenger of Allah (saw)

has confined the travel of mosques to three mosques and no more. It would be forbidden to travel to other than these three mosques. Apart from this, it is permitted to travel on business, to visit family and friends, on sightseeing and tourism amongst other reasons. Hence, the Hadith does not categorically forbid travelling and restrict it to these three mosques, it rather forbids travelling with the intent to visit mosques other than the three mosques it mentioned. Likewise, the followers of other Mathahib deemed his opinions as being wrong and contradictory to what they had understood from the Book and the Sunnah. Soon, the difference between him and them intensified and he was banished from the country.

In 1740, he sought refuge with Muhammad ibn Saud, the Sheikh of the tribe of Anzah, who was at odds with the Sheikh of Uyaynah and who lived in Al-Dir’iyyah, which was only six hours away from Uyaynah.

Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab was made welcome and was met with hospitality. He started spreading his opinions and thoughts amongst people in Al-Dir’iyyah and the surrounding areas. After a period of time his thoughts and opinions gained some helpers and supporters. Amir Muhammad ibn Saud inclined towards these thoughts and opinions and started approaching the Sheikh (Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab).

In 1747, Amir Muhammad declared his approval and acceptance of the opinions and thoughts of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab. He also pledged his support to the Sheikh (Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab) and to these thoughts and opinions. With this alliance the Wahhabi movement was established and it came into being in the shape of a Da’awah and in the shape of a rule, for Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab used to call for it and teach people its rules, whilst Muhammad ibn Saud used to implement its rules upon the people who were under his command and authority.

The Wahhabi movement started to spread to the areas and tribes neighbouring Al-Dir’iyyah in both aspects, the Da’awah and the rule. The Imara of Muhammad ibn Saud started to spread as well until he succeeded in ten years to make an area of 30 square miles submit to his authority and to the new Math’hab. However, it was an expansion achieved through Da’awah and the authority of the Sheikh of Anzah. No person challenged him and no person opposed him, even the Amir of Al-Ihsaa’ who had expelled Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab from Uyaynah did not oppose his foe in this expansion and he did not amass his troops to fight him until 1757. However, he was defeated, and Muhammad ibn Saud seized his Imara. Consequently, the authority of Anzah, represented by the authority of Muhammad ibn Saud and the authority of the new Math’hab became the ruling authority of Al-Dir’iyyah and its surroundings, as well as Al- Ihsaa’. In this way the Wahhabi Math’hab was implemented over these lands by the force of the authority.

However, in the wake of its clash with the Amir of Al-Ihsaa and the conquest of his land, the Wahhabi movement stopped there. Little became known of whether it expanded further or carried out any activities. It rather remained confined to that area. Muhammad ibn Saud stopped at that point and the Wahhabi Math’hab stopped at the borders of this area and the movement fell into a slumber and stagnated.

In 1765 Muhammad ibn Saud died. He was succeeded to the Sheikhdom of Anzah by his son Abdul-Aziz. His son followed in his fathers footsteps and ruled the area under his control. However, he did not carry out any activities for the movement, nor any expansion into the surrounding areas.

Hence, the movement remained asleep and was characterised by stagnation.

Hardly anything was heard of this movement and none of its neighbours used to mention it or fear its invasion.

However, 41 years after the start of the Wahhabi movement, from 1747

till 1788, and 31 years after its stoppage and the stagnation of its movement, (from 1757 till 1787), its activity suddenly started again. The movement adopted a new method in spreading the Math’hab and it became widely and highly publicised beyond its borders and all throughout the Islamic State as well as to the other superpowers. This movement started to cause its neighbours disquiet and concern and even started to cause disquiet and concern to the whole of the Islamic State.

In 1787 Abdul-Aziz moved to establish a house of Imara and adopt a hereditary system of rule, or what is known as succession to the throne.

This entailed that Abdul-Aziz would confirm his son Saud as his successor.

A huge crowd led by Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab gathered.

This huge crowd of people were addressed by Abdul-Aziz who declared that the right to Imara was confined to his family and the right to succeed him was confined to his sons. He also declared that his son Saud was confirmed as his successor. Hence this huge crowd of people, headed by Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab agreed with him and acknowledged his declarations. A house of Imara for a state rather than a tribe or a host of tribes was therefore established. It seemed also that the succession to the head of the Wahhabi Math’hab was also confined to the family of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab. Once the issues of succession to both the Amir and the head of the Math’hab were settled, the movement suddenly came to life again and resumed its conquests and expansions. It resorted once more to waging war in order to spread the Math’hab. In 1788, Abdul- Aziz embarked upon equipping and preparing a huge military raid. He attacked Kuwait, conquering it and seizing it. The British had been trying for their part to seize Kuwait from the Ottoman state but they had failed.

This was because other states, such as Germany, Russia and France had opposed them, and because the Khilafah State itself resisted them. Hence, the severance of Kuwait from the Ottoman state and the advance towards the north for its protection was sufficient to catch the imagination of the major states such as Russia, Germany and France, as well as the Ottoman State. Furthermore, the characteristics of this war which was a sectarian one, used to arouse the spiritual emotions.

In this way, the Wahhabis resumed their activities suddenly, and after a lull that had lasted for several decades. They resumed this activity with a new method, which was to spread the Math’hab through war and conquest in order to remove the features of all the other Mathahib from existence, and replace them by their Math’hab. They began their activities by attacking Kuwait and seizing it. Then they followed this activity with several attempts at expansion. Accordingly they became a cause of concern and a nuisance to their neighbours within the Arabian peninsula - Iraq, Al-Sham, and the Ottoman state in its capacity as the Khilafah State. They brandished the sword to fight the Muslims and to force them to abandon what they carried in terms of opinions alien to the Wahhabi Math’hab, and to adopt the opinions of the Wahhabi Math’hab. They fought the Khaleefah and conquered the Islamic lands. Then in 1792, Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhab died and his son succeeded him in his post just as Saud succeeded his father Abdul-Aziz. The Saudi Amirs then proceeded in this course, adopting the Wahhabi Math’hab as a political tool to strike the Ottoman state (the Khilafah State), and to incite sectarian wars between Muslims.

The brokerage and loyalty of Al Saud to the British was a well known matter to the Khilafah state and to the major powers such as Germany, France and Russia. It was also known that they were steered by the British.

The British themselves never used to conceal the fact that they supported the Saudis as a state. Furthermore, the huge arsenals and equipment which reached them via India and the finance to cover the war effort and to equip the armed forces were but British weapons and money. Therefore, the other European countries, especially France, were opposed to the Wahhabi campaign for it was considered a British campaign. The Khilafah State had tried to strike the Wahhabis but to no avail, and her Walis in Madinah and Baghdad were unable to curb them. As a result she instructed her Wali in Egypt Muhammad Ali, to dispatch a task force to deal with them. He hesitated at first. Indeed he was a French agent, and it was France who had helped him stage the coup in Egypt and seize power, then forced the Khilafah to recognise him. So on the basis of France’s agreement and incitement, Muhammad Ali responded to the Sultan’s demands in 1811 and dispatched his son Tosson to fight the Wahhabis.

Several battles took place between the Egyptian army and the Wahhabis, and the Egyptian army managed to conquer Madinah in 1812. Then in 1816, Muhammad Ali sent his son Ibrahim from Cairo, who crushed the Wahhabis until they retreated to their capital, Al-Dir’iyyah and fortified themselves there. Thereafter, Ibrahim besieged them in April 1818. The siege continued all throughout the summer until 9th September 1818

when the Wahhabis capitulated. The armies of Ibrahim destroyed Al- Dir’iyyah and razed it completely. It was said that he ploughed it so that no trace of it was left. This marked the end of the British campaign.

France then attempted to strike the Islamic State from the back through her agent Muhammad Ali, the Wali of Egypt. France openly supported him internationally and politically, and he broke away from the Khaleefah and declared war against it. He marched towards Al-Sham in 1831 with the aim of conquering it. He occupied Palestine, Lebanon and Syria and started to infiltrate Anatolia. However, the Khaleefah dispatched a strong army to fight him. Britain, Russia and two of the German states turned against Muhammad Ali. In July 1840, Britain, Russia and two German states held what became known as the "Quadrilateral Alliance", according to which these states would undertake to defend the unity of the Ottoman State and to oblige Muhammad Ali, by force if necessary, to surrender Syria. This stand taken by the European countries turned the international situation in favour of the Khaleefah. It helped to resist Muhammad Ali and drive him out of Syria, Palestine and Lebanon. Muhammad Ali returned to Egypt whereupon he accepted to be a Wali under the authority of the Khaleefah.