The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ... - IslamHouse.com

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The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab
wanted to forge ahead with a new understanding of Islam that would
be compatible with the European West of his time.
Muhammad Rasheed Ridha (1282/1865-1354/1935) was
originally from Syria but he moved to Egypt in 1891 C.E. After
moving to Egypt, he became very close to Muhammad Abduh and for
many years was the main espouser of his view. However, in many
ways, he was very different from his Shaikh Muhammad Abduh,
especially when it comes to a leaning toward the salaf. He was a
strong supporter of ibn Taimiyyah—publishing his works—as well as
of the scholars of Najd—publishing their works in his magazine and
in a separate anthology entitled Majmooah al-Rasaail wa al-Masaail
al-Najdiyyah. In his introduction to al-Sahwasaani’s refutation of
Dahlaan, Ridha, in a lengthy passage, described ibn Abdul-Wahhaab
as a mujaddid (“religious revivalist”), repelling the innovations and
deviations in Muslim life. 1 Through his magazine, al-Manaar,
Muhammad Rasheed Ridha greatly contributed to the spread of ibn
Abdul-Wahhaab’s teachings in the whole Muslim world. In fact, he
published some of his articles from that magazine in a work entitled
al-Wahhaabiyoon wa al-Hijaaz (“The Wahhabis and the Hijaz”). His
magazine was unique in its thought and popularity. As a result of
many students coming from all over to study in al-Azhar, in Cairo,
this magazine’s popularity spread throughout North Africa, Greater
Syria and even into the Indo-Pak subcontinent and Malay
Archipelago. 2
Afterwards, Muhammad Haamid al-Faqi was one of the
strongest supporters of ibn Abdul-Wahhaab’s teachings in Egypt. He
was the founder of “the association of supporters of the Muhammadan
Sunnah.”
North Africa
Concerning Algeria, Uwais makes the point that there were
always “reform” movements in Algeria trying to take people back to
the Quran and Sunnah, in other words calls and teachings that were
1 Muhammad Rasheed Ridha, introduction to Muhammad Basheer al-
Sahsawaani, Sayaanah al-Insaan an Waswaswah al-Shaikh Dahlaan (third
edition, no publication information given), pp. 6-7.
2 For more details about Muhammad Rasheed Ridha, see Jumuah, pp. 159-170.