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

The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab
teachings differed greatly from that of ibn Abdul-Wahhaab, thus
leading many to doubt any influence of the latter upon the former. His
movement became so strong that the colonialists in North Africa
complained that all of the problems that they were facing with the
locals were the result of this movement. 1
Sub-Saharan Africa
Uthmaan Dan Fodio (b. 1169 A.H./1754 C.E.) was from the
Fulani tribe. During his early years, many of his people had yet to
embrace Islam in a complete sense. A lot of idolatry still existed; they
did not attend to the prayers and fasts; they still drank alcohol; they
ran around practically in the nude and so on. 2 At an early age,
Uthmaan learned the Quran and Arabic language. While traveling to
further pursue his studies, he studied under Shaikh Jibreel ibn Umar in
the land of the Tawaariq. Shaikh Jibreel directed his attention to the
serious study of the Quran and Sunnah. Previous to that, Shaikh
Jibreel had made the pilgrimage and was greatly influenced by the
followers of ibn Abdul-Wahhaab in Makkah. Uthmaan himself
decided to make the Hajj and in the process met with many of the
scholars in the Hijaz who were followers of ibn Abdul-Wahhaab. In
the Hijaz, he studied the writings of ibn Abdul-Wahhaab and
personally transcribed copies for himself. 3
After staying one year in the Hijaz, he returned to his
homeland and earnestly started his reform movement. He gave
lectures, wrote books and became very popular. He fought against
common heresies within his tribe. He struggled to remove the final
remnants of polytheism, animism and ancestor worship from his area.
He spread the correct teachings of the faith. He began his movement
with polite admonitions, reminders, ordering good and eradicating
evil. As his followers increased in number, he, like ibn Abdul-
Wahhaab before him, turned to one of the local authorities to gain
political strength. He went to King Nafta, the strongest of the Hausah
1 Cf., al-Husain, p. 426; al-Zuhaili, vol. 2, pp. 326-328; Jumuah, pp. 213-219.
2 Al-Ghunaimi, vol. 2, p. 350.
3 There are those who deny that Uthmaan visited Hijaz. In any case, though, it is
clear that he studied under Shaikh Jibreel who was a follower of ibn Abdul-
Wahhaab’s teachings.
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