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

237
The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab
Al-Haddaad is one of the opponents of ibn Abdul-Wahhaab’s
teachings who applied all of these characteristics to both the
Kharaawij and ibn Abdul-Wahhaab’s followers. 1 It was noted earlier
that al-Saawi and ibn Abideen also tied the followers of ibn Abdul-
Wahhaab to the Khawaarij. Muhsin ibn Abdul-Kareem made the
claim that the followers of ibn Abdul-Wahhaab would not accept
anyone into their ranks until he shaved his head. 2 Dahlaan and the
Shiite al-Amali also made similar claims. In fact, al-Amali went even
further and claimed that ibn Abdul-Wahhaab was a descendant of Dhu
al-Khuwaisarah. 3 Even the well-respected legal theorist of the 20 th
Century, Abu Zahrah, stated about the “Wahhabis,” “They resemble
the Khawaarij in that they declared people disbelievers simply due to
sins committed.” 4
Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab himself stated his belief
about sins and being within the fold of Islam. He wrote, “I do not
declare any Muslim a disbeliever due to a sin nor do I take him out of
the fold of Islam.” 5 Furthermore, the Khawaarij were known for
declaring themselves free of the rightly-guided caliphs Uthmaan and
Ali, as well as other Companions of the Prophet (peace and blessings
1 Cf., al-Abdul-Lateef, p. 179.
2 It is true that it was the custom of the Bedouins in particular of Najd to shave
their heads. However, this was not something that ibn Abdul-Wahhaab or his
descendents considered part of the faith. Hence, they did not declare anyone a
disbeliever simply on that basis nor did they force people to shave their heads.
However, it is reported in a hadith recorded by Abu Dawood that upon entering
into Islam, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) ordered a
man to remove his hair from the [days of] disbelief. Based on this hadith, some
people did shave their heads after giving up shirk. According to Abdul-Qaadir
al-Arnaoot the chain of that hadith is weak but al-Albaani concludes that the
hadith is hasan. See Abdul-Qaadir al-Arnaaoot, vol. 7, pp. 338-339;
Muhammad Naasir al-Deen al-Albaani, Irwaa al-Ghaleel fi Takhreej
Ahaadeeth Manaar al-Sabeel (Beirut: al-Maktab al-Islaami, 1979), vol. 1, p.
120.
3 Cf., al-Abdul-Lateef, pp. 180-182; Umairah, vol. 2, pp. 61-66. Dhu al-
Khuwaisarah was the man who told the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah
be upon him) to be just in his distribution of the war booty. The Prophet (peace
and blessings of Allah be upon him) then described his descendents. The
Companions agreed that this description fit the group known as the Khawaarij.
The claim that the “Wahhabis” were Khawaarij also reached al-Shaukaani in
Yemen. He wrote, “Some people claim that he [ibn Abdul-Wahhaab] has the
beliefs of the Khawaarij. I do not think that such is true.” Quoted in al-Abdul-
Lateef, p. 183.
4 Abu Zahrah, Tareekh, p. 199.
5 Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab, Muallifaat, vol. 7, p. 11.