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The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab
“Whoever introduces anything into this matter of ours that is not from
it shall have it rejected.” (Recorded by al-Bukhari and Muslim.)
(5) The generation of the Prophet (peace and blessings of
Allah be upon him) was the best of all generations. They followed the
guidance that came to them directly from the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) himself. In turn, the following and the
next generations form the best of all generations. This was stated by
the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) who said,
�ﻢ�ﻬ�ﻧﻮﹸﻠ�ﻳ �ﻦﻳ�ﺬﱠﻟﺍ �ﻢﹸﺛ �ﻢ�ﻬ�ﻧﻮﹸﻠ�ﻳ �ﻦﻳ�ﺬﱠﻟﺍ �ﻢﹸﺛ ﻲﹺﻧ�ﺮﹶﻗ ﻲ�ﺘ�ﻣﹸﺃ �ﺮ�ﻴ�ﺧ
“The best of my Nation are my generation, then the generation that
follows it, and then the generation that follows it.” (Recorded by al-
Bukhari.) Hence, ideas, concepts and ways of practicing Islam that are
not found among those first generations or that clearly contradict their
way of thinking must be, at the very least, doubted as true paths of
guidance.
(6) Finally, Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab was a human
being. Hence, he was definitely not infallible. Thus one may conclude
on a certain point that his approach or conclusion was wrong. This
does not necessarily mean that one now has belittled ibn Abdul-
Wahhaab or that he does not consider him a great scholar. This is an
important point lost on many of the more zealous followers of many
scholars and leaders. As ibn Abdul-Wahhaab himself noted, everyone,
save for the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), is
bound to have some of his statements rejected. At the same time,
though, finding a mistake on his part does not mean that one is free to
insult or attack him. In fact, the most important point was whether his
methodology was sound and if on the main issues, the real pillars of
his mission, he was strongly supported by the Quran and Sunnah.
The Motivation Behind the Opposition to Muhammad ibn Abdul-
Wahhaab
(1) As described in Chapter 3, by the time of ibn Abdul-
Wahhaab, the Muslims had fallen into a great deal of ignorance and
had greatly strayed from the straight path delineated in the Quran and
Sunnah. Hence, heresies and idolatrous practices had become
commonplace. In fact, these became more than commonplace. They