Early years
Background
Muhammad Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab is generally acknowledged to have been born in 1703 Philby 1930: 8 into the sedentary and impoverished Arab clan ofEarly studies
Ibn ʿAbd-al-Wahhab's early education was taught by his father, and consisted of learning theTravels
Pilgrimage to Mecca
After leaving 'Uyayna around the age of twenty, Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab performed the Greater Pilgrimage inTutelage under Al-Sindhi
Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab's teacher, 'Abdallah ibn Ibrahim ibn Sayf, introduced the relatively young man to Mohammad Hayya Al-Sindhi in"... one day Shaykh Muḥammad bn 'Abdi'l-Wahhābstood by the chamber of the Prophet where people were calling pon him or supplicatingand seeking help by the Prophet's chamber, blessings and peace be upon him. He then saw Muḥammad Ḥayāt l Sindīand came to him. The shaykh bn 'Abdi'l-Wahhābasked, "What do you say about them?" He l-Sindīsaid, "Verily that in which they are engaged shall be destroyed and their acts are invalid.""
Journey to Basra
Following his early education in Medina, Ibn ʿAbd-al-Wahhab traveled outside of theReturn to 'Uyaynah
Early preaching
His leave from"I do not - God be blessed - conform to any particular sufiorder Order, ORDER or Orders may refer to: * Categorization, the process in which ideas and objects are recognized, differentiated, and understood * Heterarchy, a system of organization wherein the elements have the potential to be ranked a number of d ...or '' faqih'', nor follow the course of any speculative theologian (''mutakalim'') or any other Imam for that matter, not even such dignitaries asibn al-Qayyim Shams al-Dīn Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr ibn Ayyūb al-Zurʿī l-Dimashqī l-Ḥanbalī (29 January 1292–15 September 1350 CE / 691 AH–751 AH), commonly known as Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya ("The son of the principal of,_al-Dhahabi">he_schoo_...
Pact with Muhammad bin Saud
"This oasis is yours, do not fear your enemies. By the name of God, if all Nejd was summoned to throw you out, we will never agree to expel you."Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab replied:
"You are the settlement's chief and wise man. I want you to grant me an oath that you will perform jihad against the unbelievers. In return, you will be imam, leader of the Muslim community and I will be leader in religious matters."The agreement was confirmed with a mutual oath of loyalty (''
Rise of Emirate of Dir'iyyah
War with Riyadh (1746–1773)
Realising the significance of efficient religious preaching (''"As for warfare, until today, we did not fight anyone, except in defense of our lives and honor. They came to us in our area and did not spare any effort in fighting us. We only initiated fighting against some of them in retaliation for their continued aggression,he recompense for an evil is an evil like thereof He or HE may refer to: Language * He (pronoun), an English pronoun * He (kana), the romanization of the Japanese kana へ * He (letter), the fifth letter of many Semitic alphabets * He (Cyrillic), a letter of the Cyrillic script called ''He'' in ...(42:40)... they are the ones who started declaring us to be unbelievers and fighting us"
Rebellion in Huraymila (1752–1755)
In 1753–4, the Wahhabis were confronted by an alarming number of towns renouncing allegiance and aligning with their opponents. Most prominent amongst these was the town ofCapture of Riyadh and Retirement (1773)
Death
After his departure from public affairs, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab would remain a consultant to 'Abd al-Azeez, who followed his recommendations. However, he withdrew from any active military and political activities of the Emirate of Diriyah and devoted himself to educational endeavours, preaching, and worship. His last major activity in state affairs was in 1202/1787; when he called on the people to give ''Family
According to academic publications such as the ''Views
On ''Tawhid''
"What has been mentioned to you about me, that I make generalised '' takfīr'', this is from the slanders of the enemies.. atherwe make ''takfīr'' of the one who affirms the religion ofRejecting the allegations of his detractors who accused him of ex-communicating whoever didn't follow his doctrines, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab maintained that he only advocated orthodox Sunni doctrines. In a letter addressed to theAllāh Allah (; ar, الله, translit=Allāh, ) is the common Arabic word for God. In the English language, the word generally refers to God in Islam. The word is thought to be derived by contraction from '' al- ilāh'', which means "the god", an ...and HisMessenger ''MESSENGER'' was a NASA robotic space probe that orbited the planet Mercury between 2011 and 2015, studying Mercury's chemical composition, geology, and magnetic field. The name is a backronym for "Mercury Surface, Space Environment, Geoche ...but then showed enmity towards it and hindered people from it; as well as the one who worshipped idols after he came to know that this is the religion of the polytheists and beautified it for the people nviting them to it. nfacteveryscholar A scholar is a person who pursues academic and intellectual activities, particularly academics who apply their intellectualism into expertise in an area of study. A scholar can also be an academic, who works as a professor, teacher, or researche ...on the face of the Earth makes ''takfīr'' of them, save an obstinate or ignorant... But we nlymake ''takfīr'' of the one who associates partners with Allāh in His sole right of worship (ilāhiyyah), after we have made clear to him the proof for the futility of '' shirk''."
"I am a man of social standing in my village and the people respect my word. This led some chieftains to reject my call, because I called them to what contradicts the traditions they were raised to uphold.... the chieftains directed their criticism and enmity towards our enjoining ''Tawheed'' and forbidding ''Shirk''... Among the false accusations they propagated, ... is the claim that I accuse all Muslims, except my followers, of being Kuffar (Unbelievers)... This is truly incredible. How can any sane person accept such accusations? Would a Muslim say these things? I declare that I renounce, before Allah, these statements that only a mad person would utter. In short, what I was accused of calling to, other than enjoining Tawheed and forbidding Shirk, is all false."
On ''Taqlid''
Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab was highly critical of the practice of ''On the nature of ''Nubuwwah'' (Prophethood)
Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab elucidated his concept on the nature ofInfluence on Salafism
Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab's movement is known today asOn ''Fiqh''
Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's approach to ''"The companions of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, differed on various issues without denunciation, so long as the text was not clear. It is upon the believer to place his concern and intent to know the command of God and His Messenger in those matters of disagreement, and to act accordingly whilst respecting the people of knowledge, and respect them, even if they erred, but he does not take them as lords besides God; This is the way of those who are blessed. As for those who throw away their speech and do not respect, then this is the path of those who have incurred God's wrath."
"The Hanbalis are the least prone of all people to innovation. etmost of the ''Iqna'' and the ''Muntahā'' wo late Hanbali authoritative worksconflicts with the view ofAhmad Ahmad ( ar, أحمد, ʾAḥmad) is an Arabic male given name common in most parts of the Muslim world. Other spellings of the name include Ahmed and Ahmet. Etymology The word derives from the root (ḥ-m-d), from the Arabic (), from the ve ...and his explicit statements, not to mention thehadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ...of the Messenger of God"
On Islamic revival
As a young scholar inOn Sufism
Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab praisedWe do not negate the way of the Sufis and the purification of the inner self from the vices of those sins connected to the heart and the limbs as long as the individual firmly adheres to the rules of Shari'ah and the correct and observed way. However, we will not take it on ourselves to allegorically interpret (''ta'wil'') his speech and his actions. We only place our reliance on, seek help from, beseech aid from and place our confidence in all our dealings in Allah Most High. He is enough for us, the best trustee, the best ''mawla'' and the best helper. May Allah send peace on our master Muhammad, his family and companions.
On social reforms
Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab concerned himself with the social reformation of his people. As an 18th-century reformer, Muhammad ibn 'Abd al Wahhab called for the re-opening of ''On women
The legal writings of Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab reflected a general concern of female welfare and gender justice. In line with this approach, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab denounced the practice of instant ''On Muslim saints
Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab strongly condemned the veneration ofOn non-Muslims
According to thedespite his at times vehement denunciations of other religious groups for their supposedly heretical beliefs, Ibn Abd al Wahhab never called for their destruction or death ... he assumed that these people would be punished in the Afterlife ..."
Reception
By contemporaries
The doctrines of Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab were criticized by a number of"He gave no order to spill blood or to fight against the majority of the heretics and the misguided until they started ruling that he and his followers were to be killed and excommunicated."By 1802, the
" Shaykh Muhammad (May God have Mercy on him) never made takfeer of the people in the beginning; except via establishing the proofs and the da'wah, because at that time there was a dearth of knowledge of the message (of Islām) and for that reason he said 'due to their ignorance and the lack of anyone who makes them aware'. However, as for those on whom the proofs are established, then there is nothing to prevent ''takfeer'' being made on such people"Both Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab's father and brother disagreed with him and didn't share his doctrinal statements because they considered his doctrine, and the way he intended to impose it in Arabia, too extreme and intolerant. The Arabian historian Ahmad ibn al-Zayni Dahlan,
"The best weapon they brandished against him was that he contradicted the majority of Muslims. Who were the majority of Muslims Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab contradicted in his ''Da'wah''? They were Bedouins of the desert, worse than the people of ''Jahiliyyah'', intent on looting and theft. They allowed shedding the blood of Muslims and non-Muslims, just to earn a living. They took their tyrants as judges in every matter and denied many aspects of Islam on which there is Ijma, consensus [especially among scholars], matters in which no Muslim can claim ignorance."Ali Bey el Abbassi, a Spanish Empire, Spanish explorer who was in Mecca in 1803, shortly after the Wahhabi conquest of Hejaz, presented a starkly different view of the Wahhabis. He was surprised to find that they were fairly "moderate, reasonable and civilized". He further observed that, rather than engaging in rampant violence and destruction, the Wahhabis were pleasant and well-organized. According to Ali Bey, there were major differences in the political approach of Muhammad ibn Saud Al Muqrin, and that of his son, Abdulaziz bin Muhammad Al Saud, during whose reign Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab was retired from active public life. Ali Bey asserts that unlike the fair-minded Muhammad Ibn Saud; his son 'Abd Al-Azeez began employing a "convert or die" approach for the acquirment of wealth and stabilising the state. Ali Bey writes in his ''Travels'':
"I discovered much reason and moderation among the Wehhabites to whom I spoke, and from whom I obtained the greater part of the information which I have given concerning their nation..... The reformer Abdoulwehhab did not invest himself with any honour or public character: he was only the chief of the sect, and did not require any personal distinction. After his death, his son, who succeeded him, preserved the same simplicity."
"When he [i.e, Ibn 'Abd al Wahhab] learned the narrations and the ''Sunnah In Islam, , also spelled ( ar, سنة), are the traditions and practices of the Islamic prophet Muhammad that constitute a model for Muslims to follow. The sunnah is what all the Muslims of Muhammad's time evidently saw and followed and passed ...'' and became expertised in the ''Madhhab, madhab'' of Ahmad; he began supporting the Truth, fighting ''Bidʻah, bid'ah'' and resisting what illiterates have made part of this monotheistic religion and ''Sharia'' of moderation''.'' Some people supported him and made their worship solely to The One God following his path, which was to establish pure ''Tawhid'', call sincerely to monotheism and direct worship in all of its forms solely to The Creator of creation alone. Some people resisted him; they were used to rigidity in following what their forefathers did and they armoured themselves with laziness instead of seeking the truth."
Modern reception
Muhammad Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab is often compared to the 15th-century Germany, German Christians, Christian pastor Martin Luther, for their efforts in launching religious movements that challenged the authority of the dominant clerical and political hierarchy of their societies. Despite being of different religious persuasions; both of them were inspired by an idealised vision of the past and shared similar themes such as the social and economic upliftment of their societies empowered through mass-education enabled by calls for open access to Scriptures. He is honoured by many scholars of the Salafi movement, Salafi tradition as a Faqīh, juristic authority and source of reference. Salafi scholars Rashid Rida and 'Abd al-Aziz ibn Baz considered him a ''mujaddid''. The Albanian Salafi revivalist Al-Albani (d. 1999) believed that Ibn Abd al-Wahhab was not a mujtahid in fiqh, as he 'blindlly' followed the Hanbali school. Al-Albani also questioned Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's knowledge of hadith. According to the 20th-century Austria-Hungary, Austro-Hungarian scholar Muhammad Asad, all modern Islamic revival, Islamic Renaissance movements took inspiration from the spiritual impetus set in motion in the 18th century by Muhammad Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab. Crediting Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab for his contributions to Islamic Renaissance and spread of revolutionary ideals across the Muslim world, Tunisian people, Tunisian Islamist intellectual Rached Ghannouchi, Rached Gannouchi writes:"Just as in the Western world, West in the age of Renaissance, the Muslim world was stirred by a great awakening. Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhab’s message of ''jihad'' and ''ijtihad'' inspired an unbroken movement... to push the Ummah, umma towards ''jihad'' against its enemies, to abandon the guise of tradition (''taqlid'') and to unite its divisions around the mystical origins of Islam and Islamic thought."Rashid Ahmad Gangohi, one of the founders of the Deobandi, Deobandi school praised Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab as a virtuous scholar who upheld the Sunnah and campaigned against Shirk (Islam), polytheistic and Superstitions in Muslim societies, superstitious beliefs and practices. Hence, the contemporary ''ulema'' of Deoband mostly respect him while being critical of the Salafi movement. Major scholars of Tablighi Jamaat, Tabligh Jamaat -a Deobandi-inspired missionary movement- such as Muhammad Zakariyya al-Kandhlawi, Muhammad Zakariya, Muhammad Ilyas Kandhlawi, Yusuf Kandhlawi, Yusuf Kandhalawi, etc. were supportive of Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's ideals. Senior Deobandi scholar Manzoor Nomani, Manzur Numani penned the treatise "''Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab ke Khilaf Propaganda''" (The Propaganda against Sheikh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab) in defense of Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab. Thus, many activists of Deobandi persuasion view Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's movement as an example for establishing an
"Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhab al-Najdi was one of those ''Mujaddids'', [who] called for the upholding of ''Tawhid'' and the sincerity of worship to God alone with what He legislated in Quran, His Book and on the tongue of Muhammad in Islam, His Messenger, the Seal of the Prophets; ... abandoning heresies and sins, establishing the abandoned rituals of Islam, and venerating its violated sanctities."In his book "''Saviours of the Islamic Spirit''", Islamic scholar Abul Hasan Ali Hasani Nadwi, Abul Hasan Ali Nadwi (1913-1999 C.E) acclaimed Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab as a "great reformer" who called his people to ''Tawhid'', revived injunctions based on ''Qur'an'' and ''
"I dare anyone to bring a single alphabetical letter from the Sheikh's books that goes against the book of Allah and the teachings of his prophet, Muhammad."
Western Reception
In the 21st century Western security discourse, Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's movement, Wahhabism, is often associated with various Jihadism, Jihadi movements across the Islamic World. According to various Western analysts, the Islamic terrorism, Islamist terrorist organization Al-Qaeda has been influenced by the Wahhabi doctrine. Other scholars note that the ideology of Al-Qaeda is Salafi jihadism that emerged as a synthesis of the Qutbism, Qutbist doctrine with Salafism. The Taliban in Afghanistan was often conflated with Wahhabis in the early 2000s; however, the Taliban emerged from the Deobandi school rather than the Wahhabi movement. According to other sources, Salafis are fundamentally opposed to the ideology of Al-Qaeda. According to various scholars, the Ideology of the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant, ideology of Islamic State, another Islamic terrorist organization, has also been inspired by Wahhabi doctrines, alongside Salafism, Qutbism, and Salafi jihadism. During the Post-9/11, Post-9/11 period, when the Federal Bureau of Investigation, FBI listed al-Qaeda as "the number one terrorist threat to the United States", American Neoconservatism, neo-conservative journalist Lulu Schwartz, and former U.S. senator, U.S. Senator and Republican Party (United States), Republican politician Jon Kyl asserted during the hearing before the Subcommittee on Terrorism, Technology, and Homeland Security of the United States Senate, U.S. Senate in June 2003 that "Wahhabism is the source of the List of terrorist incidents, overwhelming majority of terrorist atrocities in today's world". Their recommendations would become influential in the 21st century Foreign policy of the United States, US foreign policy:"the development of thehadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approval ..., whose importance cannot be over-emphasized, incorporated dynamism into the very heart of Islam. When Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab criticized local customs in Arabia on the basis of their incongruence with the past he was indeed trying to get back to a Islamic Golden Age, former golden age, but that is a very modern thing to do... What the Wahhabis were doing was to criticize current society and seek to undermine the existing order, something that the earlierIbn Taymiyya Ibn Taymiyyah (January 22, 1263 – September 26, 1328; ar, ابن تيمية), birth name Taqī ad-Dīn ʾAḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm ibn ʿAbd al-Salām al-Numayrī al-Ḥarrānī ( ar, تقي الدين أحمد بن عبد الحليم ...fell foul of when for having similar views he was tortured and threatened with death."
Contemporary recognition
Works
Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab has been described as a "prolific writer" whose scholarly treatises are collected into fourteen large volumes; which consists of various legal books, Tafsir, Qur'anic commentaries, creedal works, and compilation of ''Fatwa, fatwas''. Some of his major works include:See also
*Sources
References
Notes
Citations
Sources
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *Further reading
* Valentine, S. R., "Force & Fanaticism: Wahhabism in Saudi Arabia and Beyond", Hurst & Co, London, 2015, * * *Online
External links
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