The Repercussion of Juhayman al-'Otaybi's Uprising in His Time

On the first day of Muharram 1400 (20 November 1979), Juhayman al-'Otaybi, accompanied by his friends, occupied the Grand Mosque of Mecca. He vowed allegiance to Mohammed Abdullah al-Qahtani as the promised Mahdi or redeemer. This incident led to a change in many concepts and relationships in the Islamic world in general and in Saudi Arabia in particular.  The significance of this event can be studied from two angles: One is the study of its short-term effects on the Islamic world, particularly the provocation of anti-American sentiments in Muslim countries, and the other is the study of the long-term effects of this uprising on the Islamic world and other Salafist movements. This article seeks to clarify the first part of the discussion, and the second requires an independent treatment beyond the scope of this paper. The insult to the Grand Mosque and the opening of fire by the occupiers as well as the Saudi government followed by issuance of fatwa by Wahhabi scholars about the seizure of the Mosque, the dissatisfaction of Saudis and their dissent from their rulers, fear from the Iranian revolution, failure of Saudi Arabia's security force, uprising against Muslim rulers in the Sunni world, the US getting accused in the Muslim world and provocation of Saudi Shiites to rise up are among the important discussions which, on the whole, signify the great impact of this movement in the Islamic world.