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The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab
company and distributes books in many different language against
Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab and the salafi beliefs. 1
In addition to the staunch opponents and those who have
written refutations of ibn Abdul-Wahhaab, there have been a number
of scholars who in passing have written short passages about ibn
Abdul-Wahhaab and his followers. Most likely, these authors did not
truly study the issue in detail and were simply relying upon
misinformation that was available to them. However, even this type of
misinformation in passing can have a very damaging effect, as shall be
noted below. Al-Abdul-Lateef mentions a large number of such
works. Works of this nature include ibn Abideen in Haashiyah, al-
Saawi’s notes to the Quranic commentary by “the two Jalaals,” 2
Muhammad Labeeb al-Batnooni’s al-Rihlah al-Hijaaziyyah, 3
Muhammad Abu Zahrah’s Tareekh al-Madhaahib al-Islaamiyyah, 4
Muhammad al-Bahi 5 and other works. Al-Abdul-Lateef also notes that
1 Some of Isik’s works have been translated into English, such as Advice for the
Wahhabi and The Religion Reformers in Islam.
2 In this work, al-Saawi refers to the Wahhabis as Khawaarij.
3 In this work, the author claimed that Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab was
trying to spread new beliefs among the Muslims and went to an extreme.
4 Muhammad Abu Zahrah was a well-known legal theorist and jurist of 20 th
Century Egypt. He discussed the “Wahhabis” in two of his works. In one of
them, on the history of the schools of thought in Islam, Tareekh al-Madhaahib
al-Islaamiyyah, he includes the “Wahhabis” in his section on recent or new
schools of belief. In this category he discusses the “Wahhabis,” Bahais and
Qadianis. In this work, he considers the “Wahhabis” as completely distinct
from the Salafi movement. He also discusses them in his work on ibn
Taimiyyah, considering them to be the followers of ibn Taimiyyah. In both of
these works, he uses very harsh words for his description of the “Wahhabis”
and he simply stresses their behavior with others. Saalih al-Fauzaan has taken
issue with many of the statements Abu Zahrah made and has written a
response to him. Cf., Muhammad Abu Zahra, Tareekh al-Madhaahib al-
Islaamiyyah fi al-Siyaasah wa al-Aqaaid wa Tareekh al-Madhaahib al-
Fiqhiyyah (Cairo: Daar al-Fikr al-Arabi, n.d.), pp. 199-201; Muhammad Abu
Zahrah, Ibn Taimiyyah: Hayaatuhu wa Asruhu wa Araauhu wa Fiqhuhu
(Cairo: Daar al-Fikr al-Arabi, n.d.), pp. 529-531; Saalih al-Fauzaan, “Radd
Auhaam Abi Zahrah fi Haqq Shaikh al-Islaam ibn Taimiyyah wa Shaikh al-
Islaam Muhammad ibn Abdil-Wahhaab,” Majallah al-Bahooth al-Islaamiyyah
(No. 42, Rabi al-Awal 1409), pp. 137-149.
5 Cf., Muhammad Khaleel Haraas, al-Harakah al-Wahhabiyyah: Radd ala
Maqaal li-l-Diktoor Muhammad al-Bahi fi Naqd al-Wahhaabiyyah (Madinah:
Islamic University, 1396 A.H.), passim.
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