However, the fact that Rida strove to defend the Wahhabis so energetically does not mean he always admired them. He often acknowledged the adverse effects of Najdi zeal and acknowledged the existence of fierce exaggerators (ghulat) amongst the Najdis. However, strove to downplay their importance by stressing that King Abd al-Aziz was a reasonable man. For Rida, it was better either to judge the Najdis on the basis of their pragmatic and moderate political leader or to accept the fact that some fanaticism was better for the umma than the erosion of Islamic identity.