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The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab
difficult for the people to follow in the face of what they had accepted
as the proper way of faith. Hence, in attempting to remove the
innovations and heresies, ibn Abdul-Wahhaab fought an uphill battle
that took a great deal of effort and striving. 1 But he clearly wrote that
one of his principles is, “The obligation of following the Sunnah of
the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)
and avoiding innovations, even if they have become widespread
among the majority of the masses.” 2
On this point, ibn Abdul-Wahhaab is referring to the matters of
a religious nature or, in other words, actions or beliefs that one claims
brings a person closer to Allah, such as how one is to worship Allah,
pray, fast and so forth. However, actions that are not of a “religious”
nature and fall within what is permitted by the law are not considered
heresies. 3
(7) Avoidance of the discussions of the philosophers and
dialecticians in matters of faith (aqeedah)—again, relying solely on
the clear teachings of the Quran and Sunnah. 4 When it comes to the
matter of knowing true faith, the sciences of philosophy, divinity and
so forth are not beneficial, according to Muhammad ibn Abdul-
Wahhaab. He presents quotes from many of the early scholars who
found those types of sciences blameworthy. In fact, he states that there
was a consensus on this point. He notes that much of the time some
scholars discuss concepts that are not even found in the Quran or
Sunnah (“body,” “accident,” “direction” and so forth) and thus lead to
a kind of tauheed (monotheism) that is very different from the clear
and concise tauheed of Islam. 5 He also noted a phenomenon that is
common in similar works today, “When one reads through a book
from the books of dialectic theology… one finds that in the book,
from the beginning to the end, there is no use of a verse of the Quran
1 For a detailed discussion of ibn Abdul-Wahhaab’s struggle against innovations
and heresies as well as heretical groups, see Abdul-Muhsin ibn Baaz, vol. 1, pp.
360-393.
2 Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab, Muallifaat, vol. 7, p. 72.
3 Cf., Al-Uthaimeen, Al-Shaikh, p. 129. Al-Uthaimeen points out that some
people claim that the “Wahhabis” forbade tobacco because it is an innovation.
Such is not true. They forbade it for other reasons.
4 For a discussion of ibn Abdul-Wahhaab’s stance towards ilm al-kalaam
(scholasticism), see Nusair, pp. 102-104.
5 See, for example, Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab, Muallifaat, vol. 7, pp. 131-
132.