Wahhabi

American  

[wuh-hah-bee, wah-] / wəˈhɑ bi, wɑ- /

Also Wahabi,

noun

Islam.

Wahhabis plural

1. a follower of ʿAbd al-Wahhab (1703–1792), who stringently opposed all practices not sanctioned by the Quran. The Wahhabis, founded in the 18th century, are the most conservative Muslim group and are today found mainly in Saudi Arabia.

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Wahhabi British  

/ wəˈhɑːbɪ /

noun

1. a member of a strictly conservative Muslim sect founded in the 18th century with the aim of eliminating all innovations later than the 3rd century of Islam

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Other Word Forms

Derived Forms

• Wahhabism
  noun

Inflected Forms

noun

• Wahhabis
  plural

Etymology

Origin of Wahhabi

First recorded in 1800–10; from Arabic, equivalent to ʿAbd al- Wahhab + -ī a suffix indicating relationship or origin

Example Sentences

But things have moved slower in Saudi Arabia, once dominated by ultraconservative Wahhabi religious leaders before the rise of Prince Mohammed.

From Seattle Times • Mar. 13, 2024

It advocates the strict Saudi-inspired Wahhabi version of Islam, while most Somalis are Sufis.

From BBC • Sep. 25, 2021

Nayef embodied the Saudi old guard; he was conservative, insular and attentive to the kingdom’s Wahhabi religious establishment.

From Washington Post • Jul. 5, 2020

The reforms underscore a push by de facto ruler, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, to modernise the ultra-conservative kingdom long associated with a fundamentalist strain of Wahhabi Islam.

From The Guardian • Apr. 26, 2020

In the reign of Abbas, who succeeded Mehemet Ali, the Egyptian troops were driven from Nejd, and the Wahhabi state recovered its independence.

From Encyclopaedia Britannica, 11th Edition, Volume 9, Slice 1 "Edwardes" to "Ehrenbreitstein" by Various