ABSTRACT al-Hedaithy, Mesaid Ibrahim. Ph.D., University of Durham, 1989. Modernization and Islam in Saudi Arabia: a Sociological Study of "Public Morality Committees". This is a study of the dynamics of institutional religious change in Saudi Arabia. Its aim is to analyse the effects of institutional differentiation on the ability of official religious organizations to continue playing their public role. The theoretical framework is drawn from studies in sociology of religion which deal with religious change in the modern world. Three main approaches have been utilized to test the hypothesis that there is a positive relationship between institutional differentiation and secularization (loss of religious influence in public life). Firstly, there is a general review of the main sociological arguments dealing with modernization and secularization. The aim is to test the applicability of these arguments to the situation in Saudi Arabia. Secondly, a comparative and historical approach is adopted to ascertain the changes that have taken place in the public role of religion over the past five decades. And thirdly, a detailed case study is presented of hay'at al-amr bi-'1-maerrif wa-'1-nahy Can al-munkar (Organization for Enjoining the Acceptable and Forbidding the Reprehensible): a unique religious organization modelled after the traditional Islamic institution of hisbah, and commonly known as "Public Morality Committees". The case study provides basic information, much of which has never been published in translation, about the hay'ah. The evidence, collected during fieldwork in Saudi Arabia, demonstrates that a traditional institution can continue playing its unique role in a changing environment with an increasing degree of institutional differentiation. The main hypothesis is not, therefore, supported by what appears to be taking place in present-day Saudi Arabia. There has been a high level of functional differentiation between the various public spheres, but not to the point where religion might have become a separate institution and lost its dominance in public life. Modernization and Islam in Saudi Arabia: a Sociological Study of "Public Morality Committees" by Mesaid Ibrahim al-Hedaithy (Musac id Ibrahim Al -Hudaythi) Thesis submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent and information derived from it should be acknowledged. University of Durham Department of Sociology and Social Policy October 1989 31 OCT 1990 3 TABLE OF CONTENTS Page 1 Abstract 7 Statement of Copyright 8 Dedication Acknowledgements 9 List of Figures 11 List of Tables 12 List of Appendices 13 Chapter One: General Introduction 14 A. Objectives of the Study 15 Statement of the Problem 19 Orientating Hypothesis 20 Definitions of Concepts 20 B. Organization of the Study 21 C. Methods of Study 23 D. Sources of Information 25 Primary Sources 25 Secondary Sources 27 E. Notes on Transliteration and Dates 27 PART I: Theoretical Bases 29 Chapter Two: Review of the Bain Sociological Arguments 30 A. Sociology of Religion: General Assessment 31 B. Sociology of Religion and Islam 35 C. Theories of Secularization 41 Secularization and Islam 48 D. Theories of Modernization and Development 51 Economic Development 58 Political Modernization 60 E. Religion and Modernization 62 Modernization and Islam 65 F. The Problematic Case of Saudi Arabia 66 Conclusion 69 PART II: Religion and State in Arabia: Past and Present 71 Introduction 72 4 Contents (continued) Page Chapter Three: Islam: Theological and Socio-Political Developments 74 A. The Rise of Islam 75 B. The Meaning and Institutions of Islam 77 Articles of Faith 79 The Five Pillars of Islam 80 The Shari cah 82 The cUlama' 84 The Madhahib 86 C. Islam as a Socio-Economic System 86 D. Islam as a Political System 90 E. Decline of Islam in Central Arabia c c 92 F. The Da wah of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab 94 G. Restoration of the State Based on Religion 97 H. Religious Situation Before the Modern State 99 Conclusion 100 Chapter Four: The Modern Saudi State 102 A. Geographical Considerations 103 B. Unification of the Realm 1319-1352/1902-1932 107 C. The Role of Religion 109 The Ikhwln Movement 111 D. Political and Social Developments 1352-1373/ 1932-1953 116 E. The Basis of a Modern State 1373-1390/ 1953-1970 119 F. The Transformation Years 1390-1405/1970-1985 128 G. Saudi Arabia Today 137 Conclusion 144 Chapter Five: The Religious Situation Today 146 A. Public Manifestations of Religion 148 B. The Main Religious Institutions 151 Imam al-Muslimin 153 Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques 153 The Holy Qur'an 154 The cUlama l 155 The Judiciary 159 Mosques 160 maic 161 Da wah and Guidance 163 Religious Education 164 Zaklh Collection 165 Endowments 165 C. The International Islamic Role of Saudi Arabia 166 D. Modernization and Religious Influence 168 E. Islam in Saudi Arabia in Comparative Perspective 174 Conclusion 177 5 Contents (continued) Page c Part III: A Case Study of Hay 'at al-Apr wa-'1-Nahy Can al-Munkar (Organization for Enjoining the Acceptable and Forbidding the Reprehensible) 179 Introduction 180 The Importance of the Case of the Hay'ah 180 The Hay'ah in Western Literature 183 Chapter Six: The Traditional Bisbah and the Modern Hay'ah: Bases and Historical Evolution 187 A. The Ideological Basis 187 B. The Institution of Visbah 192 Historical Evolution 198 Developments in the Arabian Peninsula 204 C. Evolution of the Modern Hay'ah 206 The Hay'ah in Najd 208 The Hay'ah in the Hejaz 213 The Hay'ah after 1976 218 Conclusion 220 Chapter Seven: The Hay'ah Today 222 A. Structure of the Hay'ah 223 The Hay'ah on the National Level 224 The Hay'ah on the Regional Level 229 The Hay'ah on the Local Level 233 B. Regulations 237 The Current Nizam (Statute) 238 The By-Laws of the Current Nizam 240 Comparing the Old and New Regulations 243 C. Members 249 D. Activities 259 Daily Activities 259 Occasional Activities 262 Annual Activities 264 Conclusion 266 Chapter Eight: The Hay'ah in Relation to Other Institutions 268 A. The Hay'ah and Law Enforcement Agencies 269 B. The Hay'ah and Other Government Institutions 276 C. The Hay'ah and the Media 280 D. The Hay'ah and the Public 282 E. The Hay'ah and Foreigners 291 Conclusion 298 6 Contents (continued) Chapter Nine: Modernization and the Hay'ah 300 A. Implications of Modernization for the Hay'ah 302 Implications for Structure 302 Implications for Activity 305 Implications for Regulations 308 B. The Hay'ah and Bureaucracy 309 C. Institutional Differentiation and the Hay'ah 312 D. The Hay'ah Today: Problems and Prospects 319 Conclusion 324 PART IV: Summary, Analysis and Conclusions 326 Chapter Ten: Discussion of the Findings 327 A. The Main Findings 327 B. Limitations of the Study 338 C. Suggestions for Future Research 339 Endnotes 342 Appendices 372 Bibliography 418 7 Statement of Copyright The copyright of this thesis rests with the author. No quotation from it should be published without his prior written consent, and information derived from it should be acknowledged. 8 Dedicated to all members of my family and to the memory of my friend Dr. Mushayt H.al—Näyif 9 ACKNOWLEDGMENTS It would have been impossible for me to complete this thesis without the help and support of so Many individuals either directly or indirectly. I would like to take this opportunity to express my thanks and appreciation. On a personal level, my parents come at the top of the list. Their encouragement and moral support have kept me going throughout the years I spent studying in the United States and Britain. Words cannot express my feelings toward them and my appreciation of all they have done for me. My brothers and sisters and many friends have also contributed a lot, each in his/her unique way. To all of them I am grateful. It is my wife and my son, however, who have shared with me the difficult experience of living away from home and family. They have sacrificed a great deal, and I am very much indebted to both of them. During the three years I spent working on this thesis at the University of Durham my supervisor, Professor James A. Beckford, has helped a great deal in making my work both possible and rewarding. Without his professional guidance, his encouragement, his patience, and his understanding this work would never have been completed. To him I am thankful and to everything I learned from him I am grateful. I would like also to acknowledge the help of Dr David C. Chaney and to express my sincere appreciation. My sincere thanks go also to Mr Abdelmalik Badruddin Eagle for his valuable assistance in editing my work and helping with transliteration. I would like also to thank all 1 0 the members and staff of the Department of Sociology and Social Policy at the University of Durham for their friendliness and support. I am indebted to the government and people of my country, Saudi Arabia, for financing my education and giving me the opportunity to acquire knowledge. I hope I will have the opportunity to repay some of that debt. My special thanks go to HRH Prince Nayif b. cAbd al-cAziz ÄL Suclid, Minister of the Interior, for approving the extension of my scholarship to continue my post-graduate studies. Furthermore, I should like to thank those officials of the Ministry who have given me so much support during my years of study abroad. The field-work and most of the information presented in this study would not have been possible without the help of the General President, the Deputies, and Officials of hay'at al-amr bi-'1-macraf wa-'l-nahy c an al-munkar in Riyadh.