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The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab
the individual’s intention in cases of difference of opinion must be to
obey Allah. He said,
In matters in which there is a difference of opinion, it is a must that
the believer make his concern and intent the knowing of Allah’s
and His Messenger’s command and to act upon that. He must
respect and regard the people of knowledge, even if they make a
mistake. However, he cannot take them as lords besides Allah.
Such is the path of those who have [Allah’s] blessing upon them. To
ignore their statements and not respect them is the path of those
who have [Allah’s] anger upon them. And to take them as lords
other than Allah—that is, if it is said to them Allah or Allah’s
Messenger said, they reply, “These people [that is, the scholars] are
more knowledgeable than us”—is the path of those who have gone
astray. 1
In fact, in this way, ibn Abdul-Wahhaab and his followers were truly
following the teachings of the founding scholars of the schools who
prohibited a blind adherence to their opinions or adherence to any
opinion that contradicts the Quran or Sunnah. 2
Ibn Abdul-Wahhaab and his followers accepted the authority
of ijmaa or consensus (although McDonald, Bethmann and Zweimer
claimed otherwise 3). In addition to the quote above in which ibn
Abdul-Wahhaab stated that it is obligatory to follow the people of
knowledge when they agree upon something, he also stated, “What the
due to ibn Abdul-Wahhaab and his followers not having the proper knowledge
of those two schools, as such fiqh schools were recorded and passed down. See
Abdullah al-Ruwaishid, Al-Imaam al-Shaikh Muhammad ibn Abdil-Wahhaab fi
al-Tareekh (Raabitah al-Adab al-Hadeeth, 1984), vol. 1, p. 131.
1 Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab, Muallifaat, vol. 3, section of Fataawa, p. 97.
Ibn Abdul-Wahhaab was also very much aware of some of the causes of
differences of opinion among the scholars. For example, he wrote, “The sound
evidences do not contradict each other. In fact, what is correct simply verifies
other correct statements. However, one person could be mistaken in the
evidence that he uses. He could have used a hadith which is not authentic or he
could have misunderstood an authentic statement.” Muhammad ibn Abdul-
Wahhaab, Muallifaat, vol. 3, section of Fataawa, p. 32. Ibn Abdul-Wahhaab
was also well aware of Islamic legal theory, as can be seen in the discussion by
Abu Sulaimaan, vol. 1, pp. 392ff.
2 See the numerous quotes from the different Imams of the four schools in Usrah,
pp. 94-96.
3 Cf., Al-Uthaimeen, Al-Shaikh, p. 132. However, it is clear that what ibn Abdul-
Wahhaab meant by consensus is not simply the agreement of the four schools.
See Nusair, p. 74.
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