ABSTRACT
This chapter concerns the origins and tenets of the Wahhabi movement and its influence on Saudi political identity, and particularly with Abd al-Aziz in the twentieth century. Wahhabiism has clearly influenced all aspects of social, economic and political life in Saudi Arabia, particularly in Najd where it was conceived and nurtured. The Wahhabis accepted the Al Saud as a legitimate and hereditary Islamic government and, notably, had referred to them as Imams ever since the mid-eighteenth century. The Al Saud and the Wahhabi shaikhs utilised this concept of equality as a political tool to control the badu whom they believed were pernicious and constituted a major cause of disunity among the communities of Najd. The Quran states that when such a person dies, having striven with his wealth or his person, he is immediately admitted to Heaven, circumventing both the interrogation by the two angels and the fires designed to test his righteousness.
