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

31
The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab
convinced some of the ignorant people of the area that those graves
truly cannot benefit or harm an individual. Furthermore, those kinds of
actions must have also greatly increased ibn Abdul-Wahhaab’s fame
and prestige in the area. In essence, al-Uthaimeen states, these actions
can be considered the beginning of the practical stage of the call.
Indeed, ibn Abdul-Wahhaab had entered into a new stage. 1 This new
stage is one in which, in general, many people are either going to be
strong supporters or they are going to be strong opponents.
Going well beyond the simple removal of polytheistic
practices, ibn Abdul-Wahhaab attempted to create a true Islamic
society in al-Uyayna. The laws of the Shareeah (Islamic Law) were to
be implemented in every aspect of life -superseding any customs or
practices that contradict them. In particular, he insisted on the
performance of the prayers -actually not just the performance of the
prayers but their performance in congregation in the mosque.
During this time, a woman came forward to Muhammad ibn
Abdul-Wahhaab to admit her crime of adultery. She wanted to be
purged of her sin -much like the woman who came forward to the
Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) to
purge herself of the same sin. Ibn Abdul-Wahhaab behaved exactly
like the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) himself.
He made sure that the woman was not insane, was not raped and that
she was making the confession of her own free will. After meeting the
necessary conditions, ibn Abdul-Wahhaab had the woman stoned,
with Uthmaan himself throwing the first stone. Then ibn Abdul-
Wahhaab ordered that her body be washed, wrapped in a shroud and
have the funeral prayer performed for it. All of this was both her wish
and completely in accordance with Islamic Law. 2
Al-Uthaimeen notes that this action on the part of the woman
reflects how greatly the call of ibn Abdul-Wahhaab had penetrated the
hearts of the individuals of that society. Indeed, it became a new
society as before ibn Abdul-Wahhaab’s time, there was no great alarm
1 Al-Uthaimeen, Al-Shaikh Muhammad, pp. 43-44. Al-Uthaimeen (p. 44) also
discusses the story of ibn Abdul-Wahhaab hearing a camel driver seeking aid
from “the saint” Saad. Ibn Abdul-Wahhaab told him to seek refuge in the Lord
of Saad. This caused quite a stir and the people were then divided into two
camps. This story was mentioned by Palgrave, Rehatsek and al-Batreek. Al-
Uthaimeen concludes that there is no truth to this story.
2 See ibn Ghannaam, vol. 1, pp. 79-80; ibn Bishr, vol. 1, p. 32.