Wahhabi Sack of Najaf (1806)

Wahhabi Sack of Najaf
Part of Wahhabi wars and Wahhabi-Shia conflicts
Date 1806 (1221 H) Location Najaf, Ottoman Iraq 32°00′N 44°20′E Result Shia victory • Wahhabi forces repelled
Belligerents
Emirate of Diriyah (Wahhabi forces)	Najaf defenders (Shia militias, scholars, and civilians)
Commanders and leaders
Unknown Wahhabi leader	Ja'far Kashif al-Ghita
Strength
~12,000 fighters	Local defenders, including scholars, students, and civilians
Casualties and losses
Unknown	Unknown

The Wahhabi Sack of Najaf took place in 1806 (1221 H) under the leadership of Wahhabi forces from the Emirate of Diriyah. Approximately 12,000 Wahhabi fighters from Najd launched an attack on Najaf, a holy city in Shia Islam and the location of the Imam Ali Shrine. This assault followed the 1802 sack of Karbala, another Shia holy site, and formed part of a broader Wahhabi campaign against practices they considered polytheistic, including the veneration of saints and pilgrimage to shrines

Background

In the late 18th century, the Wahhabi movement, founded by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, aimed to purify Islam by removing practices it viewed as un-Islamic, particularly in Sufi and Shia traditions. The Wahhabi alliance with the Emirate of Diriyah under the Al Saud family expanded Wahhabi influence and led to several campaigns targeting Shia holy sites. Following the 1802 Wahhabi sack of Karbala, Wahhabi forces targeted Najaf, a major Shia pilgrimage city in Ottoman Iraq and home to the Imam Ali Shrine.

Event

In 1806 (1221 H), Wahhabi forces estimated at 12,000 fighters advanced on Najaf. The city's residents, led by Ja'far Kashif al-Ghita, a Shia scholar, organized a defense to protect the shrine and the city’s inhabitants. Kashif al-Ghita mobilized local scholars, students, and civilians and directed the construction of a defensive wall to fortify the city. The defenders successfully repelled the Wahhabi forces, forcing them to retreat without breaching Najaf's defenses.

Aftermath

The successful defense of Najaf was a significant moment for the Shia community and reinforced the city as a fortified religious center. Ja'far Kashif al-Ghita was celebrated for his role in the city’s defense, and he later authored Manhaj al-Rashad li-man arad al-sadad, a theological critique of Wahhabism, marking one of the earliest intellectual defenses against Wahhabi ideology. The repulsion of Wahhabi forces at Najaf limited their reach into Iraq and intensified sectarian tensions across the region.

See also

• Wahhabi sack of Karbala
• Imam Ali Shrine
• Emirate of Diriyah
• Shia–Sunni relations

Qajar-Wahhabi War

References

• Madelung, Wilferd. Religious Trends in Early Islamic Iran. Variorum Reprints, 1988.
• al-Qurashi, Baqir Sharif. The Life of Imam Ali. Ansariyan Publications, 2000.
• Commins, David. The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi Arabia. I.B. Tauris, 2006.
• Al-Rasheed, Madawi. A History of Saudi Arabia. Cambridge University Press, 2010.
• Dickson, H.R.P. The Arab of the Desert. George Allen & Unwin Ltd, 1949.