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The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab
The word najd in Arabic refers to a “highland, plateau”. 1
Hence, the same word is used to refer to different tracks of land. For
example, najd in the language of the people of Makkah referred to the
Najd of al-Yamaamah (in what is now central Saudi Arabia).
However, najd in the language of the people of Madinah referred to
the steppe and semi-desert lands of Iraq. The understanding of the
hadith above, as stated by scholars present long before any kind of
“Wahhabi” influence is that it was referring to the Najd of the people
of Madinah or Iraq. Indeed, Iraq has clearly been the seat or source of
many of the greatest trials in Islamic history. 2
Such was the understanding of Saalim, the son of the famous
Companion Abdullah ibn Umar, who said, “O people of Iraq, why do
you ask about a small thing while you have committed a great thing. I
heard my father say, ‘I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and
blessings of Allah be upon him) saying, “The affliction shall come
from this direction.” And he pointed to east from whence the horn of
Satan rises.’” 3 Ibn Hajar (d. 852 A.H.) also quotes (approvingly) al-
Khattaabi as stating that Najd for the people of Madinah are the
steppes and semi-desert of Iraq. 4 Al-Aini (d. 855 A.H.) also agrees
that the East being referred to is Iraq, mentioning the trials of the
Battle of Jamal, the Battle of Sifeen, the appearance of the Khawaarij. 5
He also approvingly quotes al-Khattaabi. 6 Al-Karimaani has virtually
the same comments as al-Aini. 7 Obviously, all of these people lived
long before Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab.
This interpretation of the hadith is also supported by the
historical events related to Iraq. In Iraq occurred the appearance of the
heretical group the Khawaarij, the killing of al-Husain, the fighting
1 Lane defines najd as, “High, or elevated, land or country; or hard, and rugged,
and elevated, or high, table-land; only stony and rugged, or hard, elevated land,
like a mountain, standing over against one and intercepting his view of what is
behind it, but not very high…” E. W. Lane, Arabic-English Lexicon (Cambridge,
England: The Islamic Texts Society, 1984), vol. 2, p. 2767.
2 Besides those mentioned shortly, see the long list in al-Husain, pp. 355-357.
3 Quoted in Ahmad ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari Sharh Saheeh al-Bukhaari (Riyadh:
Daar al-Salaam, 2000), vol. 18, pp. 58-59.
4 Ibn Hajar, vol. 18, p. 59.
5 Mahmood al-Aini, Mahmood, Umdah al-Qaari Sharh Saheeh al-Bukhaari
(Beirut: Daar al-Turath al-Arabi, n.d.), vol. 24, p. 199.
6 Al-Aini, vol. 24, p. 200.
7 Al-Karimaani, Sahih al-Bukhari Sharh al-Karamaani (Beirut: Daar Ihyaa al-
Turaath al-Arabi, 1981), vol. 24, p. 168.