Wahhabism is an ultra-conservative branch of Sunni Islam. It is a form of Salafism, and a religious movement within Sunni Islam Wahhabism was developed by an eighteenth century Muslim theologian, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1703–1792) from Najd, Saudi Arabia. Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab advocated purging Islam of what he considered to be impurities and innovations. His has become the dominant form of Islam in Saudi Arabia. Its adherents prefer to be referred to as Salafis.