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The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab
argument that he can make is that ibn Abdul-Wahhaab objected to
“practices, traditions and beliefs… [that] have been historically
integral to Sunni Islam, enshrined in a vast body of literature and
accepted by the great majority of Muslims.” This is a fancy way of
saying nothing. It means that one follows the practices of one’s
forefathers regardless of whether they are sanctioned by the Quran and
Sunnah. This is Sunnism according to Algar. If this is Sunnism, it
actually implies that the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him) himself was not a Sunni. If that is the case, then there is no
value in being a Sunni. Algar has done nothing but misrepresent what
Sunnism is supposed to be about.
Algar moves on to the life of ibn Abdul-Wahhaab. He is very
careful about applying the hadith concerning “disturbances and
disorder and the generation of Satan” 1 to ibn Abdul-Wahhaab and
Najd. He says that in the hadith, with respect to divine blessings,
“Najd compares unfavorably with such regions as Syria and Yemen.” 2
Algar fails to realize that the Najd mentioned in the hadith is not the
same Najd that ibn Abdul-Wahhaab came from, as was discussed in
the previous chapter. In any case, he states that in the end it may be
possible that this hadith has nothing to do with Wahhabism. But then
he says, “Its occurrence in the hadith literature does convey a sense of
foreboding with respect to this part of the Arabian peninsula and
suggest that any movement originating there should be viewed with
great caution.” 3 Had Algar simply picked up virtually any commentary
on Sahih al-Bukhari, he would have been able to understand that he is
making a claim that has no basis.
Algar speaks about ibn Taimiyyah’s influence upon ibn Abdul-
Wahhaab. Then, about ibn Taimiyyah, he states, “It is not without
reason that Donald P. Little once wrote an article entitled, ‘Did Ibn
Taiymiyya have a screw loose?’” 4 Algar does not bother to support his
potshot at ibn Taimiyyah with any kind of evidence or logical
reasoning. Prof. Algar knows full well that if such a publication had
been refereed he would have been required to offer at least some
1 This hadith is an authentic hadith recorded by al-Bukhari. However, Algar (p.
5), after quoting this hadith, states about it, “if indeed authentic…”
2 Algar, p. 5.
3 Algar, p. 6.
4 Algar, p. 9.
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