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The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab The correct translation, using Algar’s terms, should be, “The first is that the ancients did not commit shirk nor did they call upon the angels, sacred personages or idols except during times of ease.” 1 In fact, the remainder of the passage, especially the verses of the Quran he quotes, makes it very clear that this is what ibn Abdul-Wahhaab said. Thus even if there were an error in Algar’s copy, its meaning is clear from the rest of the text. It cannot be known whether this completely faulty translation was due to a mistake in the text that he used, intentional or simply a mistake on Algar’s part. Given the tenor of his work, there is no reason, unfortunately, to assume any good intention on his part. However, it seems that Algar never gave this work of his much scholarly effort and most likely he simply mistranslated this portion (he may have been overjoyed to later find that it implied a contradiction on ibn Abdul-Wahhaab’s part). Allah knows best. It is very interesting to note that in his second appendix, a passage from Dahlaan, Dahlaan seems to be implying a tomb worship that Algar had earlier denied occurred among the Muslims. Much of this passage from Dahlaan is the same false propaganda that was discussed from him in the previous chapter. Dahlaan wrote, [ibn Abdul-Wahhaab] went so far as to declare the believers unbelievers. He claimed that visiting the tomb of the Prophet— upon whom be peace and blessings—as well as appealing to him or other prophets and righteous person as intermediaries (altawassul) or visiting their tombs constituted shirk [the assignation of partners to God]. He also denounced as shirk addressing the prophets, the saints and the righteous while appealing to them, 2 and attributing anything to other than God, even if by way of rational metaphor. 3 The last appendix and “refutation” of ibn Abdul-Wahhaab comes from the Shiite Ja’far Kashif al-Ghita. Algar opens this 1 Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab, vol. 1, p. 169; Al-Ruwaishid, vol. 1, p. 283. Emphasis added. 2 Emphasis added. Earlier Algar had written (p. 34, fn. 27), “It is interesting to note in passing that much nonsense has been written by Western scholars on what they term ‘tomb worship’ or ‘the worship of saints’ in the Muslim world, thus implicitly accepting the Wahhabi thesis that to visit and offer a prayer at a tomb, although not to its occupant, somehow constitutes a form of worship of the tomb.” (Emphasis added.) 3 Algar, p. 78. 292
293 The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab refutation with a passage greatly praising its author. The passage is less than three pages and actually does not have much to offer and the greatest evidence it presents in refuting ibn Abdul-Wahhaab is the following, It will be appropriate to cite here what has been narrated here by al-Qutaybi. He relates that he was once sitting next to the tomb of the Messenger of God—peace and blessings be upon him—when a Bedouin came, offered his salutations to the Messenger, and then recited these verses: “O best and greatest of those ever buried in the earth, who have made it fragrant with their perfume, May my soul be ransom for the tomb in which you dwell, for there lie purity, and generosity, and nobility.” The Bedouin then said: “Here I am, o Messenger of God; I have wronged myself. I seek forgiveness of God and I ask you, o Messenger of Allah, that you seek forgiveness for me.” Al-Qutaybi relates that he then fell asleep, and dreamed that the Prophet told him: “O Qutaybi, find the Bedouin, and give him the glad tidings that God has forgiven him.” He accordingly rose and gave the Bedouin the good news. 1 Is this the kind of “strong Shareeah arguments” that Algar is pleased to present as his only refutation of ibn Abdul-Wahhaab? When people start relying on dreams and stories of this nature and simply forget everything the Quran and Sunnah have to offer, one could argue that the room for discussion has practically vanished. This is actually typical of what one finds as a refutation of ibn Abdul-Wahhaab. Algar calls his work a critical essay. One would expect that he critiques and appraises ibn Abdul-Wahhaab’s beliefs and teachings. From a Muslim perspective, one would expect that this work will be then filled with verses of the Quran and hadith, demonstrating the ignorance of ibn Abdul-Wahhaab’s way. In fact, in all of Algar’s work, some 84 pages of text, there is reference to only two hadith. One was the hadith that Algar misinterpreted concerning Najd and the second one is in relation to the coming of a revivalist every one hundred years, that Algar refers to as “a certain hadith.” 2 Actually, perhaps more astounding, in this work in which Algar critiques the Wahhabis and in which he presents two appendices refuting the Wahhabis, there is not one verse of the Quran 1 Algar, pp. 83-84. 2 Algar, pp. 36-37.
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