CRITICISM AND BIBLIOGRAPHY. REVIEWS

[Great Britain], 2001. 204 p.*

(c) 2002 A. I. YAKOVLEV

The centenary of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has led to a large number of publications, including about King Abdulaziz bin Abdul Rahman Al-Saud. It was his historic mission to gather the lands of Arabia into a single state, starting in 1902, and then modernize the country to integrate it into the modern world. During his reign, Saudi Arabia transformed from an abandoned "great desert", a true "edge of the world", to an oil kingdom that now plays an important role in the global economy and politics.

In his book, Kamal al-Kilani set out to "show Abdel Aziz as a reformer" (p. 11). In the introductory article to the book, Abdullah al-Jafri describes the king as a man who managed not only to unite Arabia (which puts him on a par with A. Lincoln, J. Garibaldi and O. Bismarck), but also to create a modern state based on the principles of Islamic law set out in the Koran and Sunnah, and thereby played an important role in the modern movement for the reform of Islam (p. 14, 20).

The first five chapters of the book briefly describe the state of pre-Islamic Arabia, describe the mission of Muhammad, the activities of Muhammad ibn Abdel Wahhab and the Al-Saud dynasty. The next ten chapters are devoted to the study of the activities of King Abdulaziz. I note that this is not a historical description, but rather a political analysis, which also has considerable relevance.

Kamal al-Kilani describes the future king as a man of strong will and deep faith who "became a Bedouin in every way" (p. 64). The latter was necessary, since nomads made up the bulk of the population of Arabia. The author shows the difficulties of Abdel Aziz in overcoming the resistance to his activities as a unifier of Arabia and a reformer, in reorganizing its internal life on the part of fanatically minded nomads (Ikhwans) and part of the Ulema, who rejected any innovations "invented by infidels". According to the author, "King Abdulaziz showed a true understanding of Islam, as opposed to a narrow-minded one" (p. 87), and encouraged scholars to combine innovations in religion with the current practice of life in order to "form a true image of Islam, their faith, norms of behavior and values"

* Kamal al-Kilani. Abdel Aziz Al-Saud and modern Islamic reform. [UK], 2001.204 p.

page 204

(p. 95). The demand for these qualities of a great king reflects the desire of a certain part of the Saudi establishment to find internal reserves in order to adequately respond to the challenges of our time and reduce the sharpness of the confrontation between Islam and Development, Tradition and Reform.

By showing special respect for Islamic scholars and consulting them, Abdel Aziz "strengthened their authority in society and allowed them to play an important role" in all spheres of public life (p. 96). At the same time, it is impossible not to notice that in his real policy, the king often acted against the resistance of the Ulema, who gained great authority and influence already under his heirs. The harmonious nature of relations between the creator of the Saudi kingdom and Islamic theologians, which the author writes about, clearly indicates the desired model of coexistence of power and Islam.

The author believes that the goal of the West in the Middle East was not only to establish its military dominance, but also to win in the sphere of culture, for which the West had the necessary capabilities (p. 97). The Arab world's attitude to intensive Westernization, with its positive and negative sides, was different (for example, Taha Hussein or Mohammed Abdo), but in Arabia there was still hope for Islam, an Islamic civilization, and there "did not see any reason why Muslims could not join the course of achieving progress without deviating from the norms of Islam." and mastering scientific achievements" (p. 98).

Kamal al-Kilani concludes: "When King Abdulaziz realized his mission to unify the Arabian Peninsula, he made an effort to purify the faith of the people from all that adhered to Islam, and at the same time, opened the door to all the achievements of Western civilization that were useful to his people and did not contradict Islamic values and morals." This thesis seems to be of particular importance to the author, who further explains that loyalty to the Islamic teachings and traditions of tribal Arabia did not prevent the king from adopting a course of reform; on the contrary, for him "Islam was a religion that favored development and progress." Although, of course, this did not mean accepting "any idea contrary to Islam" (p.99-100).

Speaking about Abdel Aziz's political transformations, the author writes that the Saudi king began with the idea of uniting various parts of Arabia into a single state, and by its nature his activities were consonant with the activities of the first rulers of the Arab caliphate. However, unlike the representatives of the Hashemite dynasty, he not only did not take any measures to establish himself as caliph (as did King Hussein of the Hejaz), but also did not support the very idea of reviving the caliphate in the 20s of the XX century. Abdel Aziz was aware of the discrepancy between this idea and the fundamentally new conditions and the level of development of various Arab peoples, including the peoples of Arabia. "During his reign," the author writes, "Bedouin society began to evolve from a simple, primitive state to a complex one" (p.122). Thus, he contributed to the formation of a new, modern Arab statehood, in which the religious element is not systemically important, but important, since "state structures were based on the solid monolith of Islam" (p.123).

Kamal al-Kilani's book is interesting as an attempt to present the great king not so much as a regional or global political figure, but rather as an "Islamic reformer". "Abdul Aziz bin Abdul Rahman Al-Saud was a great figure of the Islamic renaissance and reform in modern times, combining the physical, spiritual and intellectual qualities necessary to defend the great reforms. His first and most important attribute was a strong faith" (p. 180). This approach of the author, apparently, reflects new phenomena in the public life of the modernized Saudi Arabia. After building the material foundations of modern society, the ruling Saudi dynasty faced an equally, and perhaps more difficult task of modernization in the cultural, ideological and spiritual spheres. The authorities are now once again facing a conflict between Tradition and Modernity and are trying to find support in the legacy of the creator of the Saudi state.

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