Wahhabist Expansion in Arabia (1744-1818)
Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab formed an alliance with Muhammad bin Saud to purify Islam according to their strict interpretation. Their combined religious-military campaign conquered neighboring Arabian tribes through force. Wahhabi fighters destroyed Shia shrines and Sufi tombs as “idolatrous innovations” forbidden by Allah. Towns that refused their austere version of Islam faced violent subjugation. Religious police enforced rigid social codes after conquests. This divine mission established Saudi power across much of the peninsula.
