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

The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab
the commoners among the Muslims and Bedouins began to know the
foundations and fundamentals of the faith concerning which many
people today who hold degrees of higher learning are themselves
ignorant.” 1 With this correct knowledge came a great attachment and
devotion to the Quran and Sunnah. 2 He instructed his teachers to teach
“the right of Allah upon His servants, the rights of the created, such as
the right of a Muslim upon another Muslim, the rights of kinship and
the rights of parents, and most importantly, the right of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allah be upon him).” 3
These efforts were summarized by Siddiqi when he wrote,
In order to set his movement on the right lines and to perpetuate
the influence of his teaching on future generations, the Shaikh
made an elaborate programme of fostering education amongst the
masses. As a result of his efforts every oasis was given its own
maktab, and teachers who could both teach and preach were sent
to the Bedouin tribes. The disciples of the Shaikh pursued learning
with great ardour. Ibn Bishr says that so many were the students
attracted to his classes that if somebody were to attempt to give
their number nobody would believe him. All his sons, Husain, Abd
Allah, Ali, and Ibrahim, had their own maktabs in their houses
where students from distant places came to master Islamic
learning. 4
He was not simply concerned with the outward practices of the
faith. He also taught the people about zuhd (proper abstinence from
desiring the goods of this world), purification of the soul, the
importance of increasing one’s acts of worship, continual
remembrance of Allah, imploring Allah for guidance, continual
prayers to Him and the ever important two conditions of purity and
following the revelation in every righteous act. 5 He also stressed that
learning without its subsequent application meant nothing. Thus, he
1 Abdul-Muhsin ibn Baaz, vol. 2, p. 729.
2 Ibn Baaz (vol. 2, p. 729) notes that another result of ibn Abdul-Wahhaab’s
approach is that ibn Abdul-Wahhaab’s death did not weaken the faith of the
people at all. This is because ibn Abdul-Wahhaab made them attached to the
Quran and the grand example, the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be
upon him), and not to himself and his personal views. Thus the call continued
with great strength even after his death.
3 Abdul-Muhsin ibn Baaz, vol. 2, p. 747.
4 Siddiqi, vol. 2, pp. 1448-1449.
5 Abdul-Muhsin ibn Baaz, vol. 2, p. 747.
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