"دليل الخليج. مجلد I. القسم التاريخي. الأجزاء Iأ و Iب. ج.ج. لوريمر ١٩١٥" [‎١‎٠‎٧‎٤] (١٧٨٢/١٢٢٩)

A'ctiou of the
Wahhnbis in
Bahrain,
Qatar and
Hasa.
Action of the-
Wahhabis iu
Trucial
'Omsn.
expedition by sea against Kuwait and Basrah ; but the Qawasim alone
expressed their willingness to obey, and even they in the end took no
action.
Sa'ud endeavoured, at the beginning- of his reign, to consolidate the
power obtained in his father's time over Bahrain and Qatar ; and, so long
as he remained free from embarrassments in other quarters, his efforts were
not unsuccessful. In 18U5, a dynastic quarrel being then in progress in
"'Oman, he was able to despatch an 'Atbi fleet from Bahrain to watch the
cc se of events at Masqat in theWahhabi interest. In 1809 he won over
to his side the dangerous pirate Rahmah-bin-J abir, with whose assistance his
power was quickly established in Qatar; and in 1810 he was able to appoint
a Wahhabi governor over Qatar, Bahrain and Hasa with headquarters
in Bahrain. In 1811, in consequence of the dangers threatening from
the direction of Egypt and Hijaz, he was obliged to relax his hold on
the newly acquired eastern districts; Zubarah in Qatar was successfully
attacked by the ruler of Masqat; and the Wahhabi garrisons were either
expelled or withdrawn from that place and from Bahrain, and were withdrawn
from Qatif and Hofuf in Hasa By 1814 the influence of the Wahhabis
in Bahrain affairs had ceased; but in Hasa, where there was no strong
local power to contest the field, it remained paramount.
The establishment of a Wahhabi post in the Baraimi Oasis in 1800
did not long remain without effect on the affairs of the district known
at the present day as Trucial 'Oman, and in lS01<-05 there was a marked
increase of lawlessness on the part of the piratical Qawasim; but
whether this was due to the direct incitement of the Wahhabis, or
was an indirect result of their interference in local politics, must be
considered a doubtiul point. At the end of 1808 Shaikh Sultan-bin-
Saqar, the chief of the Qawasim, was deposed by the Wahhabis from
his general authority over the tribe; and in 1809 Husain-bin-'Ali,
Shaikh of Rams, who had recently visited Dara'iyah, was appointed
governor, on behalf of the Wahhabis, over the whole Pirate Coast. In
1808-09 a serious renewal of piracy took place and svmptoms of
fanaticism were perceptible, but conclusive proofs of Wahhabi insti
gation were still wanting; it was stated, however, that Husain-bin-'Ali
had undertaken the usual obligation of a Wahhabi governor to forward
to Dai a iy ah one-fifth of the spoils taken in war from a heretics^ by those
over whom he was placed. In ! 809 the Wahhabis consolidated their
hold upon the "Oman promontory by occupying with Wahhabi garrisons
the forts of tujairah, hithnah and Khor Fakkan in Shamailiyah, and in
the same year they succeeded in decoying Shaikh Sultan-bin-Saqar