Wahhabism is described as which within Islam?

• A. A liberal reform movement within Islam
• B. A sect of Hinduism
• C. A conservative movement within Islam
• D. A branch of Christianity

Answer: (C)

Wahhabism is a conservative movement within Islam. It began in the 18th century in the Arabian Peninsula under Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and formed a political-religious alliance with the House of Saud. Its approach centers on purifying Islam by rejecting practices it views as innovations or idolatrous, and it emphasizes strict tawhid—the oneness of God—and a return to what its adherents see as the original, early Muslim practices. Because it seeks to conserve traditional beliefs and oppose newer or syncretic practices, it is accurately described as conservative. It is not a liberal reform movement, nor is it a Hindu or Christian tradition; it is a movement within Sunni Islam.