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The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab
“A slave [human] may utter a word which displeases Allah while not
thinking of its gravity and because of it he will be thrown into the
Hell-fire.” (Recorded by al-Bukhari.) Another hadith in Sahih al-
Bukhari states,
ﹺﻕﹺﺮ�ﺸ�ﻤﹾﻟﺍ �ﻦ�ﻴ�ﺑ ﺎ�ﻤ�ﻣ �ﺪ�ﻌ�ﺑﹶﺃ ﹺﺭﺎ�ﻨﻟﺍ ﻲ�ﻓ ﺎ�ﻬﹺﺑ ﱡﻝﹺﺰ�ﻳ ﺎ�ﻬﻴ�ﻓ �ﻦ�ﻴ�ﺒ�ﺘ�ﻳ ﺎ�ﻣ �ﺔ�ﻤ�ﻠﹶﻜﹾﻟﺎﹺﺑ �ﻢﱠﻠﹶﻜ�ﺘ�ﻴﹶﻟ �ﺪ�ﺒ�ﻌﹾﻟﺍ ﱠﻥﹺﺇ
“A human may utter a word without thinking it is right or wrong and
because of that he may descend in the Fire as distance like that
between the East.”
(Another interesting but similarly devastating
misunderstanding or lack of scholarly research occurred in North and
sub-Saharan Africa. In the Second Hijri Century there was an Abaadhi
Kharijite movement in North Africa. They were known as the
“Wahhabis,” after their leader Abdul-Wahhaab ibn Abdul-Rahmaan
ibn Rustum. Muhammad al-Shuwair was visiting Mauritania in 1408
A.H., about fifteen years ago, and he met with Muslim leaders there
who said they like the Saudis but they wish they would give up the
“Wahhabi” school that divides the Muslims. Upon asking them what
their source for their views was, they referred to rulings given by
scholars of North Africa, such as al-Wanshireesi, who lived long
before Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab. Al-Shuwair had to explain to
them that those “Wahhabis” had nothing to do with the followers of
ibn Abdul-Wahhaab. 1)
Works Refuting the Critics
In the face of the onslaught against the teachings of ibn Abdul-
Wahhaab, scholars from various parts of the Muslim world defended
ibn Abdul-Wahhaab and his teachings. Obviously, ibn Abdul-
Wahhaab himself and his own students first took up the cause and
defended the teachings. 2
Of later scholars whose works are of extreme benefit are:
1 Al-Shuwair wrote a book about his experience in Africa. He also discusses (pp.
96ff) whether or not the colonialists fostered this idea that the new “Wahhabis”
were the old “Wahhabis”. See al-Shuwair, passim.
2 For a discussion of some of those students, see al-Abdul-Lateef, pp. 59-61.
Similarly, for a discussion of more works defending ibn Abdul-Wahhaab and
his teachings, see al-Abdul-Lateef, pp. 59-69.