The Creation of Saudi Arabia

In terms of geography and location, Arabia is unequivocally very special for all Muslims regardless of doctrinal or legal orientation. It is not only the birth place of Islam but also the birth place of the greatest human being to ever walk on earth. Hence, it is not surprising that history and politics pertaining to Arabia will be of utmost interest not only to learned scholars but also to the general Muslims. The book under review not only gives one an understanding of the political history of Arabia between 1914-1927 but also helps to shed some light on contemporary political events in the Middle East.

There are two views regarding Ibn Saud’s early policy. One maintains that Ibn Saud established his dynasty through military force while the other argues that Ibn Saud grew ever bolder after realizing his initial ambition of recapturing Najdi territories. His success inspired him to establish a state on a larger scale. However, central to the discussion of the creation of ‘Saudi’ Arabia is Wahhabism. It is commonly agreed by both sides that Ibn Saud’s agenda was to facilitate the spread and propagation of Wahhabism because according to them, Wahhabism as an ideology is innately expansive and belligerent. Breaking from the traditional views, al-Enazy sets out to challenge this thesis. Al-Enazy argues that Ibn Saud’s main objective was to recapture his homeland and establish his authority therein. In fact the entire province of Najd was not in the design of Ibn Saud. Rather his family homeland in southern Najd was his initial goal. Al-Enazy dismisses the idea that Ibn Saud used Wahhabism to justify his expansionist mission. According to al-Enazy, Wahhabism as an ideology did not have expansionist or aggressive teachings. Ibn Saud’s success between 1915 and 1926 was the result of legal Anglo-Saudi arrangements in the form of the 1915 Protectorate Treaty that fully integrated Saudi foreign policy into Britain’s imperial policy. All this was, of course, to advance both the political and military objectives of the British in the Middle East.