Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab

 

Saudi Arabian scholar Modern era Saudi Arabia
Name	Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahab
Birth	1703
Death	1792
School/tradition	Sunni
Influences	Ibn Taymiyyah
Influenced	Bin Baz Uthaymeen al-Albaanee

Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab at-Tamimi (1703–1792) (Arabic:محمد بن عبد الوهاب التميمي) was a prominent Arab theologian born in Najd, in present-day Saudi Arabia and an influential scholar. Despite that he did not call for a separate school of thought, it is from ibn Abd-al Wahhab that name that the term Wahhabism is derived. He was a member of the famous al-Tamimi tribe.

Biography

Childhood

The early life of Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab remains somewhat vague despite extensive studies existent on the subject. Historians at the time were not interested and few contemporary journals covered such scholars. Thus, there are only two official histories of ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab and his religious movement: ibn Ghannam's Tarikh Najd and ibn Bishr's Unwan al-Majd fi Tarikh Najd.

Some details have been pieced together via the work of numerous historians. Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab is generally acknowledged to have been born in 'Uyayna^[1][2][3][4] in 1703^[5][6]. He was thought to have started studying Islam at an early age, primarily with his father ('Abd al-Wahhab) early on^{[7][8][9][10][11]}, as he was from a line of scholars of the Hanbali school of thought^[12]. While there is some consensus over these details, there is not a unanimous agreement over the specifics and some minority opinions do exist in regard to his place and date of birth.

Reforms

In 1744, ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab began to attract followers in 'Uyayna, in the Najd. Lacking a base of support at the time, his teachings were challenged by Sulaiman ibn Muhammad ibn 'Urai'ir al-Hamidi of the Shi'ite tribe Banu Khalid, the chief of Al-Hasa and Qatif. Al-Hamidi threatened 'Uthman ibn 'Hamad ibn Mu'ammar, the ruler of 'Uyayna, that he would not pay ibn Mu'Ammar a land tax for his properties if he did not kill ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab. The ruler declined to do this, but ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab was forced to leave. ^[13]

Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab gained attention through the following actions: first, after he returned to 'Uyayna, he persuaded ibn Mu'ammar to destroy a sacred tomb revered by local Sufi Muslims, citing Islamic teachings that forbid grave worship. Secondly, he ordered that an adulteress be stoned to death, a practice that had become uncommon in the area despite having Islamic textual basis. Additionally, he practiced the Islamic concept of rihla fi talab al-'ilm, "traveling the land in order to seek knowledge." The full extent of such travels remains disputed among historians.

Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab spent some time studying with the scholars in Basra (within modern day Iraq)^[14][15], and it is reported that he traveled to the Muslim holy cities of Mecca and Medina to perform Hajj and study with the scholars there beforehand^[16][17]. Official sources on ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's life put his visits to these cities in different chronological order.

Almost all sources agree that his reformist ideas were formulated while living in Basra, where he became somewhat famous for his debates with the Islamic scholars there, and wrote the Kitab at-Tawhid ("The Book of Monotheism"). Dates are missing in a great many cases, thus it is difficult to reconstruct a chronology of his life up until his arrival in 'Uyayna..

Criticisms

The Egyptian Islamic scholar 'Abd al-Wahhab ibn Ahamd Barakat al-Shafe'i al-Azhari al-Tantawi wrote an early criticism of Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab's reforms in the book, Kitab Rad` al-Dalala wa Qam` al-Jahala ("The Book of the Prevention of Error and the Suppression of Ignorance.") Tantawi did not specifically name ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab in the text, but referred to him as 'Sheikh an-Nas' ("the populist scholar"). This may be seen as either an effort to not humiliate ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab or to simply not draw unwanted attention to his call. Tantawi wrote that he received word of ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's teachings through word-of-mouth and letters from local "authorities." The content of Tantawi's arguments also suggest this, as they do not appear to be based on any writings of ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's, instead disputing his general ideas, quoting a considerable number of Qur'anic verses.^{[citations needed]}

Another critic of ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab at the time was a major Sufi theologian, 'Ali al-Shafe'i al-Basri al-Shahir bel-Qabbani. A historian at the time, ibn Turki, considered Qabbani to be among the four most prolific detractors of ibn Abd-al-Wahhab particularly because - unlike Tantawi - he had actually read ibn 'Abd l-Wahhab's writings. Qabbani wrote two texts criticizing ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, the Fasl al-Khitab fi Rad Dalalat Ibn Abd al-Wahhab ("the unmistakable judgement in the refutation of the delusions of Ibn Abd Al-Wahhab,") and the Kashf al-Hijab an Wajh Dalalat Ibn al-Wahhab ("lifting the veil from the face of the delusions of Ibn al-Wahhab,"). Qabbani later wrote a formal, anti-Wahhabi tract, citing both sources.^{[citations needed]}

Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab’s brother Sulaiman and his father, 'Abd al-Wahhab, had initially repudiated him for his ideas. Later in life, however, the views of both his brother and father changed significantly, with both of them eventually accepting and agreeing with those of Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's.^[18]

Amongst his modern supporters were the late Shaikh bin Baz and Shaikh Uthaymeen of Saudi Arabia, Shaikh Muqbil of Yemen, and Shaikh Albani of Albania.

Alliance with the House of Saud

During his life, Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab forged a pact with Najd chieftain Muhammad bin Saud ensuring that regions conquered by the House of Saud would be ruled according to ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's teachings on Islam. Beginning in the last years of the 18th century Ibn Saud and his heirs would spend the next 140 years mounting various military campaigns to seize control of Arabia and its outlying regions, finally taking control of the whole of modern day Kingdom of Saudi Arabia in 1922. This provided the movement with a state. Vast wealth from oil discovered in the following decades, coupled with Saudin control of the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, have since provided a base and funding for Salafi missionary activity.

Legacy

Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab considered his movement an effort to purify Islam by returning Muslims to what he believed were the original principles of Islam, as typified by the Salaf and rejecting what he regarded as corruptions introduced by Bid'ah and Shirk.

During his life he denounced practices of various sects of Sufism as being heretical, such as their veneration of saints. Although all Muslims pray to one God, ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab was keen on emphasizing that no intercession with God was possible, an idea supported by the majority of Muslims. Specific practices, such as celebrating the birth of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, were also deemed as innovations. He is hence considered by his followers to be a great reformer of Islam, and by his opponents as an innovator and heretic. In either case, ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's impact on Islam has been considerable and significant.

Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab also revived interest in the works of the Islamic scholar Ibn Taymiya.

The followers of this revival (see Islamism) are often called Wahhabis, though most reject the usage of this term on the grounds that ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's teachings were the teachings of Muhammad, not his own. Thus, most generally refer to themselves as Salafis or muwahhidun, meaning "monotheists."

Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab closely allied with Muhammad bin Saud, a chief in the Najd. As per the accord, ibn Saud and his family would be the chiefs of political administration whereas ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab and his family would be the chief of Islamic interpretation. Today the royal family of Saudi Arabia belongs to the House of Saud.

Commentary

Perceptions of ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab are varied. To many Muslims of the Salafi persuasion, 'ibd al-Wahhab is a significant luminary in the proud tradition of Islamic scholarship. A great number of lay Sunni Muslims regard him as a pious scholar whose interpretations of the Qur'an and Hadith were nevertheless out of step with the mainstream of Islamic thought, and thus discredited. Many scholars regard him as a pious scholar who called people back to worship of Allah according to the Qur'an and Sunnah. Others, often Sufis, regard him as a one who stopped at nothing to gain power and manipulate others.

Works

• Usuulu Thalaatha (The Three Fundamental Principles)
• Adab al-Mashy Ila as-Salaa (Manners of Walking to the Prayer)
• Usul al-Iman (Foundations of Faith)
• Fada`il al-Islam (Excellent Virtues of Islam)
• Fada`il al-Qur’an (Excellent Virtues of the Qur’an)
• Kitab at-Tauhid (The Book of the Unity of God)
• Kitab Kashf as-Shubuhat (The Book of Clarification of Uncertainties)
• Majmu’a al-Hadith ‘Ala Abwab al-Fiqh {Compendium of the Hadith on the Main Topics of the Fiqh (Islamic Jurisprudence)}
• Mukhtasar al-Iman (Literally Abridgement of the Faith, means the summarized version of a work on Faith)
• Mukhtasar al-Insaf wa`l-Sharh al-Kabir (Abridgement of the Equity and the Great Explanation)
• Mukhtasar Seerat ar-Rasul (Summarized Biography of the Prophet)
• Mukhtasar al-Sawa`iq (Literally Summary of the Lightning bolt, it is a summary of a criticism of Shi’as written in Palestine by Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani).
• Mukhtasar Fath al-Bari (Fath al-Bari is a commentary on the Sahih al-Bukhari by Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani).
• Mukhtasar al-Minhaj (Summary of the Path, most likely referring to Minhaj al-Sunna by Ibn Taymiyya)

References

Further reading

• David Holden & Richard Johns, The House of Saud, Pan, 1982, 0-330-26834-1
• Gold, Dore. Hatred's Kingdom, New York: Regnery Publishing, Inc., 2003.
• Goldberg, Jeffrey. "Inside Jihad U.: The Education of a Holy Warrior," The New York Times Magazine. June 25, 2000.
• Traboulsi, Samer. Die Welt des Islams, Nov2002, Vol. 42 Issue 3, p373, 43p; (AN 9117682)
• Qadhi, Yasir. A Critical Study of Shirk: Being a Translation and Commentary of Muhammad b. Abd al-Wahhab's Kashf al-Shubuhat, al-Hidaayah Publications, Birmingham, UK, 2002.
• Qadhi, Yasir. The Four Principles of Shirk of Muhammad b. Abd al-Wahhab, al-Hidaayah Publications, Birmingham, UK, 2001.
• Algar, Hamid, "Wahhabism: a Critical Essay. Islamic Publications International, Oneonta, New York, 2002
• James Oliver, Haneef, The Wahhabi Myth, Dispelling Prevalent Fallacies and the Fictitious Link with Bin Laden. T.R.O.I.D. Publications, Toronto, Canada, 2004.
• DeLong-Bas, Natana, Wahhabi Islam From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad. Oxford University Press, Oxford and NewYork, 2004.
• Abualrub, Jalal. Biography and Mission of Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab. Madina Publishers and Distributors, Orlando, FL. 2003.
• Olivier de Corancez, Alexandre. The History of the Wahhabis from their Origin until the End of 1809. Translation: Erik Tabet. Garnet Publishing. 1995

See also

• Islam
• Islamist
• Salafism
• Wahhabism
• Wahhab (name)
• Muhammad (name)

External links

• Does Saudi Arabia Preach Intolerance and Hatred in the UK and US?
• Full Text of Kitab Al Tawhid by Ibn Abdul Wahhab
• Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahab by the Liberal Islam Network
• Ibn Abdul Wahhab, his life and mission by Abdul Aziz Ibn Baz
• Relationship between Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Abdul Wahhab – from an Islamic website
• The Wahhabi Myth
• Responding to Stereotypes About Muhammad ibn 'AbdulWahhaab

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