Introduction
History relating to the Wahhabi period that existed between 1800 and 1869 can be found in a number of Omani and British sources. These sources collectively describe the life of the Wahhabis as well as the essential roles that they played in the development Omani and United States Emirates history. Omani sources indicate that the Wahhabis originated in Najd, which represents a major city in today’s Saudi Arabia. 
Both local sources represented by the Omani written history and western sources represented by British written history give an account of the significant Wahhabi period. This main aim of this essay is to compare and contrast different Omani and British sources that describe the Wahhabi period. Specifically, the essay will focus on the following sources; Ibn Raziq’s “The History of the Imams and Seyyids of Oman”, Niebuhr’s “Travels through Arabia and other Countries in the East”, Kelly’s “The Wahhabi Period” and Cox’s “Some Omani Excursions”.
Omani sources provide detailed descriptions of the Wahhabi period as well as what they did during that particular period. For instance, according to Ibn Raziq’s book “History of the Imams and Seyyids of Oman”, it is narrated that a book from Abdu-l-Aziz also known as the Wahhaby was sent to the governors of Oman saying that he would wage a serious war on them in case they failed to submit to his authority.
This was considered to be a huge threat by the Imams and Seyyids that ruled Oman during this time because their freedom and legitimacy would be violated (Ibn Raziq, 2010, p.163). Before Abdu-l-Aziz had sent his servant, the governors did not take the threat seriously and hence they went on doing as they wished.
The slave that was sent to Oman was accompanied by a force of 700 troops that waged a dangerous war that led to the defeat of the Omani people (Ibn Raziq, 2010, p.172). These governors later surrendered and Abdu-l-Aziz was their new leader. However, this book contained a lot of contradictory information to the truth although no one was keen enough to notice.
In addition, Raziq asserts that the Omani governors charged the Wahhabis of Nejd with polytheism which is known as Tashrik in Islam. The Wahhabis were very evil people as they also legalized the killing and murdering of Muslims who failed to adhere to Wahhabism. Additionally, they stole and destroyed valuable property belonging to the local Muslim society, enslaved their children and married women even before they had divorced their Muslim husbands thereby going against the Iddah. Raziq describes these people as the people of darkness and tyranny because of the havoc they had brought in Oman.
The Wahhabis were fraudulent and greedy people who only wanted quick wealth without putting other people into consideration. The Wahhabis eventually left Omani stricken with abject poverty. Another battle that involved the Wahhabis was the battle between Al-Bu-Said and Amis of Julfar known as Hasan-bin-Rahmah el-Hawaly (Niebuhr, 1792, p.127). This battle was fought at the sea although Rahmah was defeated by Al-Bu-Said.
Another Omani source that describes the Wahhabis period is “Travels through Arabia and other Countries in the East” by Niebuhr. Niebuhr emphasizes on the origin of Wahhabism in Oman and argues that this was a new religion that had originated from the district of El Ared (Niebuhr, 1792, p.133). His analysis of Wahhabism is interesting because he calls it a new religion and not a part of Islam.
One major story regarding Abdul-Wahheb is recorded in this book who had traveled frequently to Baghdad through Persia thereby spreading his new belief to other Sheikhs from his home town. These Sheikhs eventually followed him and Niebuhr describes him as the new prophet and consulted various sensitive issues with him. The prince of Lachsa sent an army that defeated Abdul Wahheb in El Ared bringing to an end his influence.
However, the son to Wahheb took over and vowed to continue his legacy despite complaints of his persecution by the inhabitants of Nedsjed that were not willing to embrace the new religion. Despite the fact that Wahheb believed in a single God, he did not recognize the prophets nor the Quran which was written through divine inspiration.
Additionally, he declared that Wahhabism would replace Islam, also known as Mohometism making it look worthless (Niebuhr, 1792, p.137). Despite this history by Niebuhr, it would be difficult to acknowledge every claim he makes regarding the Wahhabis especially when he says that the Arab people are imprudent to follow the new religion.
British sources on the other hand also give an account of the Wahhabi period although they differ with the Omani sources. The British sources narrate their travel accounts in Arabia and how learnt about the social history of the Wahhabis in the 18th century. This account provides clear insights into the Wahhabi’s possibilities as well as their social mobility in Arabia (Kelly, & Dodds-Parker, 1964, p.123). Kelly’s “The Wahhabi Period” describes in detail the life history of the Wahhabi in ancient Arabia.
Kelly argues that the Wahhabis brought numerous problems that led to the emergence of conflicts with the natives. These conflicts continued for an extended period of time as neither the natives nor the Wahhabis were willing to give up. The inhabitants of Oman defeated the Wahhabis eventually as they were well prepared by their Sultans for the fight. Additionally, these sultans sought help from other regions such as Persia whose efforts were noticeable in the defeat of the Wahhabis.
Kelly describes the Wahhabis as fanatics in his book and argues that it is the fear of the Wahhabi that causes the tribes in the region to forget their private feuds and unite against this enemy who had threatened to destroy the whole region. In addition, Kelly asserts that the people of Ras al Khaimah were devoted to Abdul Aziz whose policy lay in forming divisions and quarrels so as to defeat the common enemy. His successor, Sa’ad ibn Mutlaq also continued fighting the Wahhabi as a way of avenging for his father’s death (Kelly, & Dodds-Parker, 1964, p.126).
It is the supremacy of the sultans, Sheikhs and Imams that led to the ultimate defeat of the Wahhabis who had been attacking the inhabitants with a lot of fury to overthrow them. Despite being rich in information regarding the Wahhabi period, this book does not give a clear account of how the Wahhabi had found their way into Arabia as well as how they had settled. Thus, it cannot be fully relied to give clear information about the Wahhabi period.
Cox’s “Some Omani Excursions” is another British source that describes the Wahhabis period very casually because it does not explain the exact events that took place. This is contrary to the Omani sources that give graphic details relating to the Wahhabi’s brutality towards the inhabitants. Cox gives a brief history about his travels to Oman which do not guarantee a wealth of information regarding the Wahhabi period. According to him, he travelled more than 400 miles seeking to establish a reality regarding this period that contributes a major part in United Arab Emirates history (Cox, 1925, p.194).
The Wahhabi had made Oman a market for slave trade and the inhabitants were eager to eliminate them from their territory. The French and British representatives at Muscat were greatly reflected in the slave trade and no people dared to wage a war against them due to their superiority. Cox’s journeys were adventurous and they comprehensively describe the lives of the Omani people in Abu Dhabi and other surrounding regions during the Wahhabi period. This book does not give a clear account reading the Wahhabi and hence it cannot be relied upon to give specific information.
In conclusion, both British sources and Omani sources give a bit of history relating to the Wahhabi period. However, one cannot rely on a particular source to derive relevant information regarding this period. Therefore, when one is researching about the history of UAE, it is imperative to consider all the sources that are available. This is because none of the sources can be treated as being truly objective and without bias. In addition, every source that one read contains snapshots of history and hence it is important to collect information from various sources to get a complete and consistent text. As a result, we must read all of the sources and try to compare them in order to figure out the truth, because no one can trust a single source
References
Cox, P. (1925). “Some Omani Excursions”. The Geographical Journal, Vol. 66, No. 3 pp. 193-221. Blackwell Publishing.
Ibn Raziq, S. (2010). The History of the Imams and Seyyids of Oman. Translated by: Badger, R.
Kelly, J. B., & Dodds-Parker, D. (1964). Eastern Arabian Frontiers (pp. 123-31). Faber & Faber.
Niebuhr, C. (1792). Travels through Arabia and other Countries in the East.