All around the Muslim world,
we see some Muslims, individually and collectively
proclaiming the Call to Tawheed and the return to
the Qur’an and Sunnah in the face of opposition by the
‘Saint-worshippers’, `Grave-worshippers`, `the Sufis’
and the ‘Tariqat followers’. These deviant groups
all purport or make the false claim to be Ahl us
Sunnah wal Jam’aah and label the true callers to The
Sunnah as `Wahhabis’
In view of the ignoble and
false propaganda mounted against the reformatory
movement of Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab and the
derogatory use of the word `Wahhabi’ for the
movement ant its followers, we will Insha Allah in the
course of this booklet, give a short account of the
important events of his life and salient features of his
creed and of his works.
HIS LIFE
STORY
Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al
Wahhab ibn Sulaiman ibn Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn
Rashid al Tamimi was born in the year 1115 A.H.(1703
C.E.) in ‘Ayina to the north of Riyadh, in the Kingdom
of Saudi Arabia during the reign of Abdulla ibn Muhammad
ibn Hamd ibn Muammar. He excelled over his
contemporaries in intelligence and physique and was able
to commit the Quran to memory by the time he was ten
years old. His father found him capable of leading the
congregational prayers and decided to get him married
that year.
He studied the Hanbali
Jurisprudence, Tafsir and Hadith from his learned
father. During his childhood itself, he directed his
full attention to the books on Tafsir, Hadith and Aqidah
and particularly to the writings of Sheik al Islam Ibn
Taimiya and Ibn al Qayyim and made a deep study of them.
He left his native town to
perform the Hajj and then proceeded to Madinah. At that
time Sheikh Abdullah bin Ibrahim ibn Saif belonging to
the progeny of Saif Najdi was chief of the scholars of
Madinah. Sheikh Muhammad acquired a good deal of
knowledge from him and came to be loved and held in high
esteem by his teacher. His strong stand on Thawheed and
his deep concern over false beliefs and evil deeds
brought about a strong bond between the Sheikh and his
teacher. He was so impressed by his student that Sheikh
Abdullah granted him permission of narrating well-known
hadiths of two of the authorities. Firstly on the
authority of Ibn Muflih reporting from Sheikh Ibn
Taiymiyyah and reaching up to Imam Ahmad. Secondly on
the authority of Abd al Rahman bin Rajab, reporting from
Ibn al Qayyim who narrated it from his teacher Sheikh
ibn Taiymiyya reaching up to Imam Ahmad. Sheikh Abdullah
also authorized him to narrate all the traditions
reported by Sheikh Abd al Baqi Hanbali, the chief among
the great teachers of his time. He also authorised him
to narrate the traditions of the Sahih of Bukhari and
the traditions of the Sahih of Muslim and commentaries
of both, the Sunan of Tirmidhi, Nasa’ai, Abu Dawud, Ibn
Maajah, the Muwatta of Imam Malik and the Musnad of Imam
Ahmad.
During this time he came to
know and benefited from the knowledge of other scholars
such as Ali Afendi Daghastanee, Ismaeel Ajluni and
others. Then he moved on to Nejd, Basra and Syria for
the purpose of acquiring further knowledge. He stayed
for a long time in Basra, where he pursued his studies
under a number of renowned scholars, among whom Sheikh
Muhammad Majmui was most prominent. During this time he
compiled and published many valuable books on the topic
of innovations, superstitions and the supplication to
the dead ones in the graves. He supported his treatises
with manifest evidence from the Quran.
The adherents of falsehood
defamed, tortured and turned him out of Basra. They also
persecuted his teacher Sheikh Majmui. He left for the
town of Zubair in the scorching heat of the summer and
was almost dying of thirst, when Allah sent to him a man
called Abu Hamidan. He found the Sheikh to be a man of
learning and righteousness. So he mounted him on his
animal and took him to Zubair. Sheikh Muhammad thought
of going to Syria to quench his thirst for more
knowledge, but soon fell short of provision and was
compelled to return to Nejd. He arrived at Ahsa and
stayed with the Sheikh Abdullah ibn Abd al Latiff
Shafi’i and studied under him.
UN-ISLAMIC
PRACTICES OF THAT TIME.
Sheikh Muhammad then went to Harimala, a village of Nejd
because his father had transferred there and stayed with
him. He devoted himself fully to the learning of Tafsir
and Hadith, particularly the works of Skeikh ibn
Taiymiyyah and Sheikh ibn Qayyim. This immensely
increased his knowledge and insight and infused in his
heart a spirit of determination and steadfastness. With
his deep insight he could visualize all the un-Islamic
notions and corrupt practices prevailing in Nejd and the
countries he had visited. Even in Madinah, he saw people
invoking the Prophet (sal) and making supplication to
him. He decided to disseminate the True message of Islam
throughout the Arabian Peninsula.
The Sheikh found that Nejd
was infested with corrupt beliefs and religious
practices repugnant to the fundamentals of the True
Religion. There were a number of graves in the Nejd area
which were attributed to some of the Companions of the
Prophet (sal). People visited these graves and invoked
them for help in their hour of need. In Jubila they
visited the grave of Zaid ibn Khattab and seeking relief
for their needs. In Manfuha, people sought
mediatiothrouga male palm-tree believing that a
spinster, who pays a visit to it, soon gets married.
In Dariya there was a cave
which people frequented. Similarly there was grave of
Dirar ibn al Azwar in the valley of Ghabira. It was the
same story as in Basra and Zubair where people worship
idols of the pre-Islamic period. A similar sad state of
affairs prevailed in Iraq, Syria Egypt and Yemen.
He compared all these
practices in the light of the Quran and the practices of
the Prophet (sal) and his Companions and found them far
removed from and inconsistent with the religion and
spirit of Islam. This was the sorry state of affairs not
only with the people of Nejd but of other places as
well, in the Muslim world.
CALL FOR REVIVAL OF PURE MONOTHEISM
The Sheikh found that the
people had abandoned their faith, and the more he
studied their deviations, the firmer he grew in his
conviction and determination that Muslims should
inevitably change themselves and tread the path of the
Pious Predecessors. The hadiths of Prophet (Sal) say as
follows:
-
`You
must necessarily tread the path of those who
lived before you’.
2 -
`The last hour shall not come, until some of the
people of my Ummah begin to worship idols.’
3-`Islam was
born a stranger and shall return as a stranger in
similar manner.’
Sheikh Muhammad had by now
resolved to publicly declare unto his people that they
had gone astray from the right path.
He started with his call to
the people in the town of Harimala, and made it clear to
them, that he called them only unto Allah. He reminded
the people that everything should be for Allah alone and
that they should give up their wrong beliefs and
practices. This naturally led to a dispute and struggle
with the people and even with his father, who had been
led away by the false sayings of the deviated followers.
The Sheikh continued to
pursue his cause undeterred by making speeches, writing
as well as practically guiding the people. Eventually a
good majority of his people accepted his views. His
father and brother Sulaiman too were convinced after
prolonged discussions. In the year 1153 A.H. his father
Abd al Wahhab passed away.
After the death of his
father the people openly accepted the call of the Sheikh
and forsook their false notions. They responded to the
call for a return to the Sunnah of the Prophet (sal)
both in words and deeds.
During this time his town
was dominated by two tribes both claiming leadership but
none able to take full control and maintain justice.
These tribes were in the practice of keeping slaves and
indulged in every mischief and sin. When the Sheikh
thought of admonishing them, they got wind of it and set
upon him but were prevented by the timely action of some
good people.
The Sheikh left Harimala for
his native town Aiyna, where his forefathers once lived
and ruled. Here he met one Uthman bin Hamd bin Muammar,
to whom he explained his reformist movement based on the
Quran and Sunnah. He explained the significance of
Thawheed and how much the beliefs and actions of the
people differed from the true path. He told Uthman that
if he would uphold the cause of Allah and his word, he
would soon come to the leadership in Nejd and crowned
with eternal bliss.
Uthman responded readily to
the Sheikh’s call. Here again the Sheikh urged the
people to return to the worship of Allah only (Thawheed)
and a strict adherence to the Sunnah of the Prophet
(sal). The Sheikh managed to cut down trees that were
being worshipped in the area. He succeeded with the help
of Uthman, in bringing down the dome over the grave of
Zaid ibn al Khattab. He also carried out the prescribed
punishment for adultery on a woman who had confessed to
it.
The Sheikh and his message
came to be widely known, and his reputation spread far
and wide and it also reached Sulaiman bin Muhammad bin
Urai’ir, the Governor of Ahsa and the children of
Khalid. This impudent and ignorant man sent a letter to
Uthman bin Muammir saying, “this man who is with you is
saying this and did that, and when you receive this
letter slay him, if not we shall withhold your kharaj
(revenue} which is with us in Ahsa.” This was a tricky
situation for Uthman. To oppose Urair was too much for
him. Fearing this threat and weak in his faith ibn
Muammar ordered the Sheikh to be banished from his town.
The Sheikh left the town on
foot escorted by a horseman through the desert in the
scorching sun, with only the thought of Allah, until he
reached Dariya as the guest of Abd al rahman bin
Suwailim. Through ibn Suwailim most of the prominent
people of Dariya came to know of the Sheikh. They
visited him in secret and he explained to them the real
meaning and the significance of Thawheed. Among those
who visited the Sheikh were the two brothers of Prince
Muhammad bin Saud. These two brothers after much
discussion and tutoring by the Sheikh were enlightened.
They explained to their brother prince Muhammad that
Sheikh Muhammad was staying with Ibn Suwailim and that
he was a blessing from Allah sent to them. They urged
the prince to meet the Sheikh.
PRINCE
MUHAMMED BIN SAUD ACCEPTS THE SHEIKH
Prince
Muhammad accepted the suggestion and met the Sheikh. He
invited the Prince to Thawheed saying that it was the
message, with which all the Messengers were sent by
Allah. He also drew the attention of the Prince to the
polytheistic practices and notions prevalent among the
people of the Nejd. He wished that the Prince should
assume leadership of the Muslims. The prince acceded to
the wish of the Sheikh and offered him all help and
assistance to carry out his task. He also promised to
adhere to the Sunnah of the Prophet (sal) to command the
good and to prohibit the evil.
After the Sheikh had settled
at Dariya, people began to throng to him from all sides
even claiming kinship and accepting his Call. In the
meantime Uthman ibn Muammar who exiled the Sheikh from
his town came to know of Prince Muhammad’s acceptance of
Sheikh Muhammad and his message. Now Uthman very much
regretted what he had done to the Sheikh.
Uthman ibn Muammar,
accompanied by a large delegation came to Dariya and
called on the Sheikh to tender their apologies. They
requested the Sheikh to come back with them. He replied
that it depended entirely on the wish of Prince
Muhammad. Prince Muhammad refused to accede to their
request and Uthman and his followers went back
disappointed.
SHEIKH GAINS
A FOLLOWING
Now people
came in large numbers to the Sheikh, seeking pure
knowledge without the adulteration of fables and
falsehood. He explained to them the real meaning of “La
ilaaha illallah” and its significance. He stressed the
importance of the negation of all false deities and the
affirmation of Allah and his attributes.
The Sheikh communicated with
people of other cities and invited them to accept his
call and join his movement in order to eradicate Shirk
and all its abominable practices.
Some accepted while others
rejected and some even ridiculed him and accused him of
sorcery. He continued with his mission undeterred. The
opponents exerted their utmost to rally their forces to
destroy this nascent movement by any or all means.
Sheikh Muhammad and the Prince had no alternative but to
resort to the sword to defend this movement. This war
went on for many years and village after village fell to
the new alliance. Some opponents voluntarily began to
accept them when they realized the true nature of the
movement.
All the efforts by the
misguided group to rally their forces to destroy this
nascent movement by any means miserably failed. After
the conquest of Riyadh in 1187 A.H. the Sheikh entrusted
the governing of the people to Prince Abdul Aziz bin
Muhammad bin Saud and devoted his time to worship,
learning and teaching. Prince Muhammad and his son Abd
al Aziz always consulted him before they undertook
anything and he gave his ruling. After an arduous
struggle and having reached his goal he passed away in
Dhul Qa’dah of 1206.
BOOKS WRITTEN
BY SHEIKH MUHAMMAD
The Sheikh
was the author of a number of books, prominent among
them being the celebrated KITAB AL TAWHID, which needs
no introduction. The other books are Kashf al Shubuhat,
Thalabat al Usul, Mukhtasar al-Sal-Nabawiyyah,
Mukhthasar al-Insaaf, the Sharh al-Kabir fi’l Fiqh, the
Nasihat al-Muslimin bi-ahadite Khatam al-Nabiyyin, Kitab
al-Kabair, Ahadith al-Fitn and several other treatises
and most of them were pertaining to the topic of
Tawheed.
It is mentioned in the work
Unwan al-Majid that the Sheikh had many pupils amongst
whom were his sons who later became eminent scholars.
His four sons Hussain, Abdullah, Ali and Ibrahim
established schools close to their homes and taught the
young students from Dariya and other places. The fifth
son had not studied under him and had died in his youth.
Some for the students who
benefited from his knowledge and rose to the position of
Qadis and Muftis are as follows:
Sheikh Abd al Aziz bin
Abdullah al Hussein al Nasim who was a Judge in the
territory of Al Washm.
Sheikh Said bin Hijji
who became Judge of Hauta of Bani Tamim,
Sheikh abd al Rahman bin
Nami, who became Judge of Aiyna
Ahsa, Shaikh Ahmad bin
Rashid al-Uraini the Qadi of Sudair.
The most notable student
was Sheikh Muhammad bin Ibrahim bin Abdul Latiff bin
Abdul Rahman bin Hassan who was the grand Mufti of
Saudi Arabia.
A SUMMARY OF
THE STRUGGLE OF SHEIKH MUHAMMED
Due
to the Sheikh’s strong views on Tawhid he was a
controversial figure throughout his life and after his
death to this day. We will reproduce here some of his
communications and excerpts of treatises he had written
for the benefit of the readers. Here is what he wrote to
al-Suwaidi one of the scholars of Iraq in reply to his
letter:
“From Muhammad ibn Abd
al-Wahhab to his brother in faith Abd al-Rahman ibn
Abdalla- Peace be upon you and also the Mercy and the
Blessings of Allah. To continue: I am pleased to receive
your letter. May Allah make you one of the leaders of
the pious people and also one of the missionaries
calling people to the Religion of the Chief of the
Messengers. I would like to inform you that I am by the
Grace of Allah a follower of the Pure Religion and not a
Mubtadi(Innovator). My Creed and Religion with which I
obey Allah is the same Madhab as that of the Ahl
al-Sunnah wal Jama’ah and as that held by the leaders of
the Muslims such as the four celebrated leaders of law
and their followers till the day of resurrection.
However, I have laid
emphasis on faithfulness and sincerity in following the
Religion of Allah. I have asked the people not to invoke
the living and the dead from among the saintly and pious
people seeking help. I have also advised them to avoid
committing acts of SHIRK (associating other objects in
the worship of Allah) while offering devotion to Allah
in such matters like slaughtering for sacrifice, making
vows, trusting in anyone or in Sujood (Prostration) and
such other matters which are exclusively reserved for
Allah alone. None is to be taken as a partner unto Allah
may he be an angel or a prophet commissioned by him. It
is he alone that all the messengers from the first to
the last were ordered to obey and worship. This is the
Madhab followed by the Ahl al Sunnah wal Jama’ah.
.
I have also told the people
in clear words that the first and the earliest of people
who introduced acts of SHIRK were the Rafidah (Shia
extremists) who invoked Ali and others, seeking help for
their needs and to rid them of their afflictions.
I hold an office in my town
where people listen to me and obey me. This was disliked
by some of the chief magnates of the town as what I said
was against their traditions. I lead the people in the
stipulated prayers and induce them to pay their Zakat
and to perform other acts of devotion to Allah. I
forbade them to indulge in RIBA, in drinking wine and
all other intoxicants. The people opposed these corrupt
leaders and rose against them. This is the Thawheed I
have been commanded to preach. These mischievous
magnates of the town began to ascribe different kinds of
fabrications to me. The mischief flared up and they
attacked us with all the armies of Satan, the cavalry
and the infantry. They allege that I branded all the
people as `Kaafirs’ except those who follow me and that
I have solemnized their marriages in a wrong and illegal
manner. I wonder how a sane man can think of and say
such silly things. I however, declare myself free from
such calumnies in the presence of Allah. Such talks can
only emanate from the mentally deranged. In short
whatsoever is mentioned about me- except that I invite
them to Thawheed and prohibit them from committing acts
of Shirk, is absolutely false.”
MATTERS TO WHICH THE
SHEIKH INVITED THE PUBLIC AND WHICH GOT HIM INTO DISPUTE
WITH SOME OF THE ULEMAS:
1.Tawhid
al-Ubudiya-
He explained to the people that Ibadah is
nothing but exclusive obedience to Allah and compliance
with His commands. This is a comprehensive term for
everything that Allah loves and such words and deeds He
is pleased with. The forms of Ibadah (Worship) which are
to be offered to Allah alone are many, such as Salat
(Prayers), Saum (Fasting), Zakat and Sadaqah,
slaughtering of sacrificial animals, tawaf and
invocation. He said that anyone who happens to direct
any of these acts to anyone other than Allah becomes a
Mushriq as Allah the Exalted says:
“ And whoever invokes
(or worships) besides Allah any other ilah (god) of
whom he has no proof, then his reckoning is only
with his Lord. Surely Al-Kafirun (the disbelievers
in the Oneness of Allah polytheists, pagans
idolaters etc.) will not be successful.” Al Quran
23:117
2. Tawassul –
This means a fervent plea and is of two
types: the permitted and the prohibited. The permitted
one is by means of faith and righteous deeds and the
Glorious Names of Allah and his attributes. The
prohibited one is entreaty using the name of the
Messenger, pious people and saints. Here is what Allah
the Exalted says:
“O you who believe! Be
mindful of your duty towards Allah and seek the
means of approach and strive in His cause as much as
you can so that you may be successful.” Al Quran5:35
3. Journeying to
Mosques on Pilgrimage -
He asked the people not to
undertake any pilgrimages to mosques other then the
three mosques as given in an authentic hadith.
“Do not undertake a
journey but to the three mosques - the Sacred Mosque
Makkah) my mosque (Madinah) and the further Mosque
(Al Aqsa).”
4. Construction
over graves, covering and decorating them etc. -
The Sheikh openly declared that to
construct buildings over the graves is unlawful. So is
to shroud the graves with beautiful coverings and
decorating them. It is prohibited to burn candles over
the graves or to set up stone inscriptions. He also
declared that it is illegal to have custodians and
caretakers of shrines. Visiting such places tantamount
to idol worship and can lead to other prohibited actions
such as kissing them and going round them. He supported
his statements with numerous hadiths prohibiting such
constructions, visiting them and praying in them. The
Shaikh quoted the hadith of Abu ‘l-Hayyaj al-Asadi whom
Ali ibn Abi Talib asked:
“Should I not commission
you with a duty with which the Messenger of Allah
had commissioned me-to leave no statue but to crush
it, and no grave raised above the surface of the
ground but to level it down?”
5. Unity with
respect of the Holy Names and Attributes of Allah-
On this the Sheikh held the views of the
Pious Predecessors and the four celebrated teachers of
law and others who held the same view, namely the
affirmation and recognition of the Names and Attributes
of Allah without employing Tamtheel (finding
similarity with Allah’s attributes) or Takeef. (e.g.
To explain how Allah does some thing).
6. Innovations-
The Sheikh very much disliked and spoke out
against innovations (Bida’) especially:
1. The celebration
and holding of gatherings on the Prophet’s
Birthday.
2. Making Dhikr and
salawath before pronouncing the Adhan.
3. Verbally
pronouncing the Niyyah (intention) particularly
before Takbir Tahrim.
4. Recital of a
hadith of Abu Huraira before the Khatib ascends
the Minbar. (Pulpit)
The Sheikh also abhorred and
condemned the innovated practices of Tariqas (Orders),
Tawassuf (Mysticism) and other practices which have no
authority or sanction eitfrom the Messenger (sal) or
from the Companion(R.A). Several Ulema had compiled
works on this subject even before Sheikh Muhammad such
as Ibn-Waddah, al-Turthushi and al-Shatibi on these
abominable innovated practices and heretical actions.
This is a short biography of
the best of reformers and the greatest of Mujahids and a
renowned scholar of Islam, whom Allah blessed with deep
insight. This reform movement was initiated by Sheikh
Muhammad and not by Sheikh Abdul Wahhab. The correct
name for this movement should have been “al-Muhammadiya”
and not “al Wahhabiya”. In the light of the above facts
it is left to the reader to judge whether the Sheikh
initiated a new madhab or was reviving the deen of the
Prophet (sal), his noble companions and their
successors.
Indeed all Praise and thanks
be to Allah the Exalted, who has graced us with the
favor of preparing this life sketch of the Sheikh
Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab. May Allah be merciful to him
and Peace and Blessings of Allah be upon Muhammad (sal)
upon his family, all his noble companions and their
successors until the last day.
from :
http://www.alharamain.org
Read Also Sheikh Muhammad
bin Abdul Wahhab great book :
Kitaab At-Tawheed
http://sultan.org/articles/wahabism.html
