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worship and the morality o^ the Prophet. These addi- 
tions, being nothing more than an unnecessary and 
arbitrary burden to religion, had need of a reform, as 
they impaired the purity of the revealed text. In con- 
sequence of this, he took the resolution to reduce the 
worship to its pristine simplicity, by purging it from 
these particular doctrines, and to confine it to the 
literal text of the Koran. 
Medina and Mecca being interested in maintaining 
the ancient rites and customs, as also the popular pre- 
judices, which enriched them, were not the proper 
places to introduce the innovations proposed by the 
reformer: he therefore embraced the idea of directing 
his steps towards the East, with a view to insinuate 
himself among the tribes of the Bedouin Arabs; who, 
being indifferent about the worship, and too little en- 
lightened to support or defend its particular rites, were 
not on the other hand interested in the support of any 
one in particular, and consequently left him more 
facilities to promulgate his system among them, and 
to induce them to embrace it, without incurring any 
danger. 
In reality, Abdoulwehhab made a proselyte of Ibn 
Saaoud, Prince or Grand Scheik of the Arabs, estab- 
lished at Draaiya, a town seventeen days journey east 
of Medina, in the desert. The period of the reform 
of Abdoulwehhab may be reckoned from that date 
(1747.) 
I have already remarked, that the reform was con- 
fined absolutely to the text of the Koran, and that it 
rejected all the additions of the imams and law doctors; 
in consequence of which, the reformer annulled the 
difference of the four orthodox rites, called Schaffi, 
Maleki, Hanbeii, and Haneffi. Notwithstanding which, 
