Readers of books that chronicle the history of the Arabian Peninsula, specifically its center (Najd or Al-Yamamah), from the early Islamic ages until the past four centuries, notice a reference to, or even an emphasis on the spread of ignorance, heresy and polytheism among the population. A number of accounts went to uunderline the lack of religious, cultural and scientific awareness in all their forms.
Many of us agree that the idea of establishing a state that would start from Diriyah and stretch over other regions has long haunted the rulers of this area, from Prince Mani’ Al-Muraydi, his sons and grandsons, to the day when Imam Mohammad bin Saud finally declared the birth of the First Saudi State three decades later.
In their narration, some historians focused on Imam Mohammad’s support for reforms, and considered it the basis for the establishment of the state. Many have overstressed the religious factor, which they saw as the most important motive for the creation of the state, which had fallen twice due to internal and external circumstances, to rise for the third time, and finally develop into a modern country and a key international player.
In order to better understand the environment and circumstances of the establishment of the First Saudi State, Asharq Al-Awsat met with historian, researcher and author Dr. Rashid bin Asakir.
A political and social pact
According to bin Asakir, some books that narrated the history of central Arabia reported that the Najd region in particular lacked all aspects of culture and knowledge. Heresy was prevalent since the early Islamic ages until the past four centuries, when the area witnessed the birth of the so-called reformist “Dawa” with Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdul Wahhab and the support of Imam Mohammad bin Saud.
However, bin Asakir said historical research showed that this narrative was inaccurate. The region lacked political unification, for religion existed and was based on spiritual teachings and the widespread Hanbali school of thought, which relied on the Quran and Sunnah.
The historian added that Imam Mohammad sought to forge political and military alliances, and to gain religious support for the preachers, including Sheikh Mohammad, about three centuries ago.
“This resulted in the creation of a new political and social pact whose framework we are still moving within despite the reforms that our society has witnessed,” he commented.
Bin Asakir noted that some historians did not refer to the presence of any cultural manifestations or the existence of a scientific renaissance at that time. Instead, they pointed to the spread of ignorance and other practices that contradicted the spirit of Islam.
He told Asharq Al-Awsat that manuscripts, documents, poetry, artifacts, and other data were the largest and most reliable witness to the history of any nation.
With regard to the period that many books say was marked by ignorance and the spread of heresy and polytheism before the establishment of the First Saudi State, bin Asakir said that a large number of manuscripts, documents and poems confirm the contrary. He quoted men of literature who left their mark during that era, including poet Humaidan Al Shuwaier, who had mentioned, for example, that paying zakat (the third pillar of Islam) was a necessary matter that gained much attention by the rulers and members of the society.
He added that a Levantine scholar, Al-Awza’i, set out to seek knowledge in Riyadh (which was called at that time al-Yamama), and similarly, the well-known scholar and interpreter of dreams, Ibn Sirin, went to study at the Riyadh Mosque.
Bin Asakir pointed to a book by Abdullah Al Bassam, entitled, “Ulama' Najd” (The scholars of Najd), which lists the works of a large number of scholars that were translated by more than 800 linguists during the period that extended from the 9th to the 14th century AH.
“I had in my hands manuscripts belonging to a family in the Najd region. They were over a thousand documents dating back to varying periods, and holding useful information about the scientific, social and intellectual life that characterized this rich and prosperous region since the early Islamic ages,” bin Asakir told Asharq Al-Awsat.
A rich culture and heritage
According to bin Asakir, Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman bin Abdulaziz provided him and other researchers with all the needed support to study the history of the Kingdom and Arabian Peninsula.
In this regard, he said he had recently embarked on a work pertaining to the royal family and the Al-Arid area, which includes Al-Aynah, Diriyah, Arqa, Riyadh, Manfuha and Al-Masani. He added that he has been collecting documents and manuscript books in the Najd region and other data on scholars, families, places, social life and heritage that have characterized this particular region.
“I reviewed many documents and manuscripts that I collected and came out with conclusions that this country is rich in its history, civilization and heritage…” he remarked.
Bin Asakir emphasized in this regard that the great transformation in the history of the region was the establishment of the First Saudi State, which is the first central state in the Arabian Peninsula, whose foundation began in 1139 AH.
“Its establishment was a necessity to achieve security for the residents of the region, which was contested by wars and conflicts. This was achieved with the presence of a leading, military, intellectual and administrative figure, who took advantage of the circumstances to found a state that achieves security, deters the oppressors and builds hope,” he stated.
Bin Asakir explained: “This was achieved by Imam Mohammad bin Saud and the imams who succeeded him, until the fall of the state due to external factors, then the establishment of the second state, followed by the Third Saudi State, which was established by King Abdulaziz… Today, it has become a modern state whose strength is acknowledged worldwide.”
