Muhammad Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab - Emirate of Diriyah

Emirate of Diriyah

The 1744 pact between Muhammad bin Saud and Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab marked the emergence of the first Saudi state, the Emirate of Diriyah. By offering the Al Saud a clearly defined religious mission, the alliance provided the idealogical impetus to Saudi expansion. First conquering Najd, Saud's forces expanded the Salafi influence to most of the present-day territory of Saudi Arabia, eradicating various popular and Shia practices and propagating the doctrines of ʿAbd al-Wahhab.

Muhammad bin Saud died in 1765 but his son, Abd al Aziz, continued the Salafi cause. Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab in turn died in 1792