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The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab
Sooner or later, threats and mere words are no longer of any
avail. If people see that that is the most that they are going to be
threatened with, they will not change their ways. Hence, action of a
positive and corrective manner is definitely needed. Indeed, it is
directly pointed to in the hadith of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him),
�ﻪـﹺﺒﹾﻠﹶﻘﹺﺒﹶﻓ �ﻊ�ﻄ�ﺘ�ﺴـ�ﻳ �ﻢﹶﻟ ﹾﻥﹺﺈﹶﻓ �ﻪﹺﻧﺎ�ﺴ�ﻠﹺﺒﹶﻓ �ﻊ�ﻄ�ﺘ�ﺴ�ﻳ �ﻢﹶﻟ ﹾﻥﹺﺈﹶﻓ �ﻩ�ﺪ�ﻴﹺﺑ �ﻩ�ﺮ�ﻴ�ﻐ�ﻴﹾﻠﹶﻓ ﺍ�ﺮﹶﻜ�ﻨ�ﻣ �ﻢﹸﻜ�ﻨ�ﻣ ﻯﹶﺃ�ﺭ �ﻦ�ﻣ
�ﻥﺎ�ﳝِﻹﺍ �ﻒ�ﻌ�ﺿﹶﺃ �ﻚ�ﻟﹶﺫ�ﻭ
“Whoever of you sees an evil must then change it with his hand. If he
is not able to do so, then [he must change it] with his tongue. And if
he is not able to do so, then [he must change it] with his heart. And
that is the slightest [effect of] faith.” 1 (Recorded by Muslim.)
Since shirk and disbelief are the greatest of all possible evils,
ibn Abdul-Wahhaab used the means that Allah had given him to
remove the actual sources of such shirk. In his abridged version of
Zaad al-Maad, ibn Abdul-Wahhaab recounts some of the important
points related to masjid al-dharaar, an “opposition mosque” set up by
hypocrites during the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) to take people away from the Prophet’s mosque.
In the narration of ibn Hishaam, this mosque was demolished. Ibn
Abdul-Wahhaab then says that if such was the case with that mosque,
“There is more of a right and obligation to do so with the sites of
shirk. Similar should be done with bars, pubs and locations of evil.” 2
In one of his letters, he also wrote, “It is not allowed for the places of
shirk and false gods to remain even for one day if someone has the
means to destroy them and bring them to an end… This is the ruling
for the tombs built over the graves that are taken as idols worshipped
besides Allah and the stones from which people seek blessings, make
1 Although it is not explicitly mentioned above, ibn Abdul-Wahhaab also spoke
about the importance of removing evil with “one’s heart” if that is all within
one’s ability. In his letter to al-Suwaidi, he wrote, “I hope that Allah will honor
you by helping His religion and His prophet according to what is in your
ability, even if it just be by the heart and prayers. Verily, the Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) has said, ‘If I order you to do something, do
of it whatever is within your ability.’ [Recorded by al-Bukhari.]” Muhammad
ibn Abdul-Wahhaab, Muallifaat, vol. 7, p. 37.
2 Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab, Muallifaat, vol. 6, p. 287.
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