If "Abd al-Wahhab" revived the heritage of "Ibn Taymiyyah".. why did "Abd al-Wahhab" succeed and form a vast army.. while "Ibn Taymiyyah" failed? This question is very important and central to the events.. and its answer is simply that "Ibn Taymiyyah" began his movement in an urban environment.. the triangle of civilisation in this square.. and the home of thousands of jurists and scholars.. Egypt, the Levant, and Iraq.. whereas "Abd al-Wahhab" began his call in a Bedouin region.. among simple people living on their natural instinct.. whom he was able to deceive with ease.
"Abd al-Wahhab" had allied with "Emir Muhammad ibn Saud ibn Muhammad Al Muqrin".. and the latter granted him men and an army.. in addition to the followers and dervishes of "Abd al-Wahhab" himself.. they formed a not inconsiderable force.. they fought the princes of the Saudi house.. and began defeating them one after another.. they defeated the governor of Medina.. and the Sharif of Mecca, Emir "Ghalib ibn Musaid," moved against them at the head of an army.. but his army fell into a tight ambush in Najd.. and was defeated and returned to the Hejaz.
They march on Mecca itself and enter it on 9 Muharram 1208 AH, 1793 AD; and they enter Medina two years after that.. and al-Jabarti says of that battle:
"When the Wahhabis took control of Medina they demolished the domes in it and in Yanbu, among them the dome of the imams of al-Baqi in Medina, and they compelled the people to accept what they had compelled them to accept in Mecca, and they took all the treasures of the Prophetic Chamber and its jewels, so that they obtained four sacks of jewels.. filled with diamonds and rubies.. of great value."
They demolished every trace they came across.. they demolished the dome of Lady "Khadija," may God be pleased with her, and a dome in the very place of the birth of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.. and they stole whatever jewellery and gems they could.
Unfortunately "Muhammad Ali" never met "Abd al-Wahhab," otherwise he would have literally made him a flowerpot.. "Abd al-Wahhab" died in the year 1791.. while "Muhammad Ali" began to move against the Wahhabi movement after that.. it was the sons of "Abd al-Wahhab".. "Hussein, Ibrahim, Abdullah, Ali, and Abd al-Aziz" who carried on the march.
At the end of the year 1810, "Muhammad Ali" sends his son "Ahmed Tusun Pasha" to fight the Wahhabis.. and the Egyptian fleet moves from the port of Suez.. and the forces of the Wahhabi movement meet the Egyptian fleet at the port of "Yanbu".. and he finishes off the Wahhabis there and occupies it.. and its Wahhabi emir "Jabir ibn Jabbara al-Ayashi" flees to Medina.. and after that "Ahmed Tusun" advances to "Badr".. and a tight ambush had been prepared for him by his forces.. but he survives it and wins.. and kills the Wahhabi emir of Qahtan, "Hadi ibn Qarmala."
"Tusun Pasha" encamps with his men at Yanbu.. and they were 4,000 Egyptian soldiers.. and here the Ottoman Empire sends "Muhammad Ali" reinforcements of Ottoman troops.. so he makes the mistake of his life and accepts them and sends them to Ahmed Tusun.
And in January of the year 1812, "Ahmed Tusun" moves with 8,000 soldiers, half of them Turks, to "Wadi al-Safra".. so Emir "Abdullah ibn Saud" comes out against him with ten thousand soldiers.
And "Abdullah ibn Saud" had taken advantage of "Tusun's" presence in "Yanbu".. and dug a large trench in "Wadi al-Safra".. in which he hid half his horsemen, while the rest waited for "Ahmed Tusun" on top of the mountain under the command of "Uthman ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Mudayfi'i."
And when "Ahmed Tusun" reached Wadi al-Safra.. the atmosphere seemed completely calm.. so he began to encamp there.. and as soon as he had pitched his tents and the soldiers had laid down their weapons.. "Abdullah ibn Saud" attacked him from the heart of the trench on the right flank.. and that was the side where the Turkish forces were.. which began to withdraw and flee.. and caused tremendous confusion, destroyed the camp, and could not form up.. while at the same time.. the Egyptian forces engage with "Uthman al-Mudayfi'i" charging down from the mountain with his horsemen.. under cover of arrows.
"Tusun" issues an order to withdraw.. and he does indeed withdraw with the Egyptian formation.. while the Turkish formation, which was in a state of appalling chaos.. most of it is picked off by the Wahhabis.. except for a few hundred.. who return with "Ahmed Tusun" to Yanbu.
And from Yanbu, "Tusun" sends to "Muhammad Ali" telling him what happened and asking for more soldiers.. and when the Ottoman Empire tries to send more.. Muhammad Ali replies to it politely, courteously, and with disgust that "thank you.. we will manage".. so he sends Tusun the reinforcements he had requested from Cairo..
And "Ahmed Tusun" was a fox like his father.. so while fortifying himself at Yanbu.. he lures the tribal emirs around him, between Yanbu and Medina.. with money and gifts.. and brings them over to his side.. and reorganises his forces.
And the Wahhabis had remained in two camps in "Wadi al-Safra".. imagining that in this way they would prevent the advance of "Ahmed Tusun".. but they are surprised by him attacking them suddenly, routing their forces.. and advancing and occupying Medina.. and after it Taif and then Mecca.
And one morning.. a special envoy reaches "Muhammad Ali" in Cairo, carrying a message of the utmost importance from his son "Ahmed Tusun."
And this message was the keys to the Sacred Kaaba.
And that was a great victory.. with which "Muhammad Ali" was pleased.. he whose mind was working all the time.. after he had noted the cowardice and stupidity of the Ottoman soldiers.. and their causing the defeat of "Wadi al-Safra," which enraged him.. and his rage was increased by the Porte's insistence that he send it the keys to the Kaaba.. so he sends them grudgingly.. for fear that the Porte might sense what was stirring in his depths and what he was harbouring towards it.
And a new, terrible plan began to take shape in "Muhammad Ali's" mind.. if he succeeded in it, he would have won everything.. and if he failed.. he would have fallen into the abyss.
But this plan required him first to extend his control over the Hejaz in full.
And "Tusun" advances to Taraba and al-Hanakiyya.. but the Wahhabis had fortified them well.. so he could not enter them.. so he turns back and thinks of a new plan.
But at this moment reinforcements from the English forces reach the Wahhabis.. and the reinforcements were equipment and weapons and.. a plan.
And for the first time since the battle began.. the Wahhabis carry out a clever military move other than direct confrontations.. they cut the lines of communication between Mecca and Medina.
And the pilgrimage stops.. and the caravans stop.
And these caravans in the middle of the desert mean life itself.. they mean food, medicine, and water...
And the soldiers of "Ahmed Tusun" begin to suffer weakness and exhaustion from the lack of food and water.. and disease spreads among them.. so "Ahmed Tusun" sends once again to his father asking for help.
And "Muhammad Ali" realises that the stupidity that is happening is obstructing his dreams and ambitions, so he moves himself at the head of an army on 26 August of the year 1812 and leaves Cairo and reaches Jeddah.. and from there to Mecca.. and performs the pilgrimage.. and after that attacks immediately.. but with his impetuous advance, not based on a plan.. he fails to achieve the rapid progress he had aspired to.. but he does occupy Al-Qunfudhah.
But the Wahhabis suddenly come forward with a new clever plan.. and a kind of warfare that was neither familiar nor known to many in this age.
Guerrilla warfare.
Skirmishes and scattered attacks all the time.. exhausting "Muhammad Ali" severely.. so he is forced to withdraw from Al-Qunfudhah.. and he begins to face this guerrilla warfare that he neither understands nor is accustomed to.. and it drains his soldiers and his resources.. until his enemy "Saud ibn Abd al-Aziz" dies on 27 April of the year 1814.. and is succeeded by "Abdullah ibn Saud".. and despite being Wahhabi in thought.. he was honourable in his war, and refused to deal with the English.. and decided to set the military plans himself.. and with his lack of experience.. "Muhammad Ali" seizes the opportunity.. and moves at the same time as "Ahmed Tusun".. so he takes control of "Bisal," Taraba, and Al-Qunfudhah.. and "Tusun" takes control of Najd.
But suddenly something fatal happens.. that almost ended the ambitions and dreams of "Muhammad Ali" and tore him from the throne of Egypt.. and perhaps ended his life itself...
For during his war with the Wahhabis.. a faction of Ottomans and Arnauts (which is originally a name given to the inhabitants of Albania) gathers.. and they decide to depose "Muhammad Ali" and occupy the throne of Egypt.
And "Muhammad Ali" withdraws from the Arabian Peninsula.. and returns to Egypt, and fights the rebels and does indeed finish them off.. but a new problem faces him.. which is that "Ahmed Tusun" could no longer achieve the required deployment with the forces he had.. and at the same time the Wahhabis had gathered themselves together and were attacking him in Najd, Mecca, and Medina.
And "Tusun Pasha" had been wounded in his last battles.. and illness began to envelop him.. so "Muhammad Ali" sends for him.. and "Muhammad Ali" meets with his son "Ibrahim Pasha".. and they study the situation together.. and he explains to him.. that he will take over the command in place of "Ahmed Tusun".. and he explains to him a new plan.. if "Ibrahim" can carry it out properly.. it will finish off this movement forever...
And this plan we will discuss later.
And the discussion remains to be continued.
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Earlier posts:
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1 - http://bit.ly/30anGpF
2 - http://bit.ly/2Q7e6zv
3 - http://bit.ly/2VVkcrX
4 - http://bit.ly/2WdncAb
5 - http://bit.ly/2HzZSo7
6 - http://bit.ly/2MeJZHO
7 - http://bit.ly/30Y8tZo
8 - http://bit.ly/2K6yBMd
9 - http://bit.ly/2FczAXt
10 - http://bit.ly/2F176PY
11 - http://bit.ly/2K8A2de