This part illustrates how the global shifts and changing subjectivities of modern Muslims are forcing adjustments even within the most conservative of Islamic scholarly traditions. Chapter 4 maps the political economy of the Saudi religious sphere before tracing the changes in public subjectivities resulting from increased access to education and mass communication that are forcing the ‘ulamā’ to show flexibility in interpreting Islamic fiqh; most importantly, the chapter also shows how the Saudi state has actually played a critical role in triggering this change in social attitudes. Chapter 5 presents a detailed analysis of the rise of Wahhabism and its tense relationship with the highly pluralistic religious culture of Mecca and Medina, which for centuries have been a centre of diverse, global scholarly networks. Chapter 6 shows how a growing number of Saudi scholars are starting to move beyond the established limits of reform. It looks in particular at the work of Salman al-Ouda, who uses reasoning from fiqh al-wāqi’(jurisprudence of realities) to argue for democracy, and that of Hatim al-Awni, a prominent student of Nasir al-Din al-Albani, who calls for opening up the debate in Salafi thought, and who maintains that freedom of conscience rather than a state enforcement of sharī’ah allows for a better quality of dialogue on the Islamic tradition.