From the removal of the government to Bagdad, the consequence of the Arabian peninsula began rapidly to decline. Many chiefs of the interior provinces rose in arms to assert their independence, and withdrew them selves from the civil jurisdiction of the caliph, respect ing him only as the head of their religion ; and even during the reigh of Al Mansor, the Arabs of Al Thala biya and Maad made several predatory irruptions into Assyria and Mesopotamia. • ' In the 278th year of the Hegira, the Karmatians, a new sect of religionists, appeared in Arabia. They bore an inveterate malice against the Mahometans, and occa sioned great disturbance in the empire. They took Bassora and Ahraat, committed dreadful devastations and outrages in Arabia and Syria, and even carried their ravages to the walls of Damascus. During half a cen tury this sect continued their depredations, increasing in power and numbers, till at length they established a con siderable principality in the heart of Arabia, to the chiefs of which the caliphs were obliged to pay an an nual tribute, that the pilgrimage to Mecca might be re gularly performed.
After the abolition of the caliphate by the Tartars, the Arabs shook off all subjection to its destroyers, and resumed their original government of independent chiefs.
In the beginning of the 16th century, the Turks in vaded this peninsula, and seized ail the considerable towns upon the Arabic gulf. Some yeai's after, they subdued Yemen, penetrated into the highland districts, and rendered almost the whole of Arabia a province of the Ottoman empire. This conquest, the Turks main tained for more than a century. They were, however, continually harassed by the independent princes and Shiecks of the mountains, who, under Khassem Abu Mahomed, at last compelled them to evacuate Yemen, and retire from all their fortresses on the Red Sea. The services of Khassem obtained for him the dignity of a sovereign prince. He assumed the title of Sejid, and reigned nine years over the kingdom of Yemen. His son Metwokkel Allah, upon his accession to the throne, took the title of Imam, or " prince of the faith ful," which still continues to distinguish the monarchs of Sana. This prince is revered by the Arabs as a saint, an honour which he acquired by his frugality and temperance. So sparing was he of the public revenue, that he refused to be supported at the expellee of his subjects, and earned his livelihood by his own labour, as a maker of caps. He lived to promote the happiness of his people, not to dissipate their substance in useless projects of ambition or magnificence. The petty quar rels in which his successors were engaged with the neighbouring chiefs, and their disputes about the suc cession to the throne, deserve not to be commemorated in history. The Arabs still remain an independent na tion; and, in spite of the efforts of the Greeks, Romans, Persians, and Turks, they have maintained their cus toms and manners pure and inviolable from the remotest ages. (//)
About lorty years ago, a new sect sprung up in Ara bia, which has made such rapid progress, as to threat en with destruction the mighty fabric of power and su perstition, which Mahomet had reared. Abdul Waheb, the founder of the \Vahabee sect, was born at El Aianc, -a town in the province of Nedjed-el-Ared. After stu dying the sciences for many years in Arabia, he travel led through Persia, and resided for some time at Basra. Having returned to his native country, he proclaimed himself the reformer of its religion, and exposed tO the Shcicks who governed the small tribes in the province of Nedjed, the abuses which disfigured the Mahometan faith. He reprobated the worship of saints, the use of ardent spirits, and intoxicating drugs, and the opinion which was entertained respecting the eternity of the Koran ; but, in order to conciliate the Sheicks, he ac knowledged in part, the authority of their prophets. " There is only one God," says Abdul Waheb. " He is God, and Mahomet is his prophet. Act according to the Koran, and the sayings of Mahomet. It is unneces sary to pray for the blessing of God or the prophet, more than once in your life. You must not invoke the prophet to intercede with God in your behalf; for his intercession will be of no avail. At the day of judg ment it will avail you. Do not call upon the prophet ; call on God alone." These doctrines approaching more nearly to pure theism than the creed of Islamism, were rapidly disse minated among the different tribes, and increased the power and influence of Abdul Waheb. Those Shcicks who refused allegiance to his spiritual and temporal authority, united their power against the impostor, and, under the guidance of the Sheick of Lachsa, attacked him in El Aitme, his native city. Having opposed a successful resistance to this assault, and having, on another occasion, repelled an attack of four thousand of his foes, with the assistance of the Shcick Mekrami, he triumphed over the attempts of his enemies, and ra pidly extended both his faith and his territories.
Availing himself of his deep acquaintance with the human heart, he conjoined the influence of self-interest with the impulse of enthusiasm, by declaring unholy and liable to confiscation, all the property of the uncon verted. Allured by a regard to their own property, and by the love of plunder, thousands flocked to the Waha bee standard, and enabled the impostor to secure the whole province of Nedjed, and to carry his victorious arms into Yemen. About this time Abdul Wahcb died, and was succeeded by his son Abduluziz.