Imaam
Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab
His Life and Mission
by Shaikh Abdul Aziz Ibn Abdullah Ibn Baz
This article is based on a
lecture given by Shaikh Abdul Aziz Ibn Abdullah Ibn Baz about the life and
Mission of Imam Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab.
Published by Darussalaam
Imam Muhammad Ibn Abdul
Wahhab was a great man, an outstanding reformer and a zealous preacher, who
appeared in the Arabian Peninsula in the twelfth century A.H. He was educated
by his father in his homeland, Oyayna, a village located at Yamama in Najd,
northwest to the city of Riyadh. He learnt to read the Qur'aan at a very early
age and exerted himself in studies and advanced learning at the hands of his
father, Shaikh Abdul Wahhab Ibn Sulaiman, who was a great jurisprudent and the
Judge of Oyayna.
Having attained puberty, the Shaikh traveled to Makkah and then to Medina to
learn from learned personalities there. Then he went to Iraq (Basrah) to seek
after knowledge. It was in Iraq that he started his mission. There he called
the people to Tawheed and the Sunnah of the Prophet (). He announced that it
was the duty of every Muslim to follow his or her religion (Islam) strictly in
accordance with the Qur'aan and the Sunnah. He engaged in debates and
discussion with scholars and thus became famous. However, some characterless
scholars rebelled against him and he faced some harms and persecutions from
them. So, he left Basrah moving towards Az-zubair, then to al-Ahsa, and then
finally to Huraymela, where also he faced much suffering at the hands of the
wicked because he enjoined the good and forbade the evil and persuaded the
rulers to punish the criminals severely. So, some of them even attempted on
his life, but Allah saved him. Then he moved to Oyayna, which was then
governed by Prince Uthman Ibn Muhammad Ibn Muammar, who welcomed the Shaikh
with hospitality and promised him all support and help in calling people to
Islam.
People in Najd at that time lived in a condition that could not be approved by
any believer. Polytheism had spread widely; people worshiped domes, trees,
rocks, caves or any persons who claimed to be Awliya (saints). Magic and
soothsaying also had spread. When the Shaikh saw that polytheism was
dominating the people and that no one showed any disapproval of it or no one
was ready to call people back to Allah, he decided to labor singly and
patiently in the field. He knew that nothing could be achieved without Jihad,
patience and suffering.
The Shaikh continued calling people to the Path of Allah and guided them to
piety, righteousness and love in the cause of Allah. Gradually, the Shaikh
became famous in and around Oyayna. People came to Oyayna to meet him from
neighboring areas and villages. He also wrote to many scholars requesting
their support and reminding them of their task of helping Allah's Religion and
fighting against polytheism. Many scholars from Najd, Makkah and al-Medina
accepted his request, while some disagreed with him, reproached his mission,
condemned him and kept him away.
The Shaikh and those with him were in between two types of people; one group
consisted of the ignorant people, who knew nothing about Islam and followed
deviations and innovations, superstitions, etc. which their forefathers had
upheld. The Qur'aan says about them, "We found our fathers following a certain
way and religion and we will indeed follow their footsteps." The second group,
on the other hand, was related to knowledge but responded negatively to the
Shaikh because of their envy and also because they were ashamed and afraid
that the people would question their integrity, 'why did you keep silent
without warning us against such and such evils until Abdul Wahhab appeared?'
But the Shaikh carried on patiently seeking the Help of Allah in all matters.
He strove hard in studying the Qur'aan and reading useful books. He had a
special skill of interpreting the Qur'aan and deducing from it. He also worked
hard in studying the life of the Prophet r and the lives of his companions
(radhi allahu anhum).
The Shaikh went on teaching and preaching. Gradually, he exerted himself on
practically removing polytheism when he noticed that his call to Islam had no
affect on some. One day, the Shaikh said to the governor, 'Let us demolish the
dome at the grave of Zaid Ibn al-Khatab t (Zaid Ibn al-Khatab was the brother
of Umar Ibn al-Khattab t and a martyr, who died in the fighting against
Musailimah Khaddhab in 12 A.H, he was buried and later on people built a dome
on his grave). It is erected on deviation and the Prophet r has forbidden
building domes or mosques on graves. Moreover, this dome has destroyed the
people's belief with polytheism. So, it must be demolished.'
The Prince agreed and mobilized an army of six hundred soldiers and marched
towards the grave, headed by the Shaikh. As soon as they approached the dome,
the people came forward to defend it but when they saw the Prince with his
army, they changed their decision. Then the Shaikh took the action of
demolishing and removing the dome. Allah removed it by his hands and Al-hamdulillah,
none of its traces remains now. Similarly, there were other domes, caves,
trees, etc. that were also destroyed and removed. The Shaikh, thus, continued
his mission by words and action, for which he became very famous. Also, one
day a woman came to him and confessed that she had committed adultery. After
realizing that she was sane, married and had confessed without external
compulsion, he gave the order according to the Sunnah that she should be
stoned to death as a punishment, as he had now become the Judge of Oyayna.
Meanwhile, the Prince of al-Ahsa (and surrounding villages) feared the
Shaikh's position, because committing wrong, robbery, murder, etc, were usual
for them. He wrote to Prince Uthman threatening him and demanding him to kill
the Shaikh. The Prince approached the Shaikh saying, "the nomad prince has
sent me a message to do so and so. We never wish to kill you, but we are
afraid of the prince and we are unable to fight him. So if you think you may
leave." The Shaikh replied: "I am simply calling people to Islam and to the
fulfillment of the testimony of Faith that there is no god except Allah and
Muhammad is Allah's Messenger. Whoever holds fast to Islam and upholds it
truthfully, Allah will help him and make him ruler of his enemy's countries.
And if you endure and be righteous and accept this Religion, then be glad that
Allah will help you and protect you from the nomad prince and others. Allah
will also give you power over his country and his kinfolk." But Uthman said:
"O Shaikh! But we cannot fight him nor can we stand his oppression." So, the
Shaikh had to leave Oyayna for Dareyya on foot because Uthman did not even
provide him any means of transportation.
On reaching Dareyya, the Shaikh stayed in the house of a man who was one of
the best personalities in Dareyya, but he feared the prince of Dareyya,
Muhammad Ibn Suad. The Shaikh said to him, 'be glad and hope for the best. I
am simply calling the people to Allah's Religion, and He will undoubtedly make
it victorious.'
The news of Shaikh's arrival in Dareyya reached Muhammad Ibn Suad. It is said
that his wife first informed him of the Shaikh. She was a kind and pious lady
and she addressed her husband saying, 'Here is a great fortune sent to you by
Allah. A man who is calling the people to Islam, calling to the Qur'aan and
the Sunnah of the Prophet r. What a good fortune! Rush to him and support him.
Never resist him or stop him from that.' Muhammad Ibn Suad accepted her advice
and went to the Shaikh and made a contract with the Shaikh that he should not
leave the country.
The Shaikh now settled in Dareyya. People started to come to him for learning
from everyplace - from Oyayna, Iraq, Manfooha, Riyadh and other neighboring
places. Respected, loved, supported by the people, the Shaikh arranged
lectures on various topics; Creed, the Holy Qur'aan, the Qur'aanic
commentaries, Islamic Jurisprudence and its principles, the Hadeeth and its
terminology, and others. He arranged classes for the public as well as for the
selected persons. Thus, he continued his mission and activities of preaching
in Dareyya. He wrote to the scholars and rulers establishing his arguments and
warning them against polytheism and innovation. Because of his correspondence
with scholars and rulers and his struggling in the cause of Allah, the Shaikh
became famous. His mission continued and spread all over the Islamic world and
also other countries.
It is a known fact that every favor has its envier, as every preacher has his
enemies. Allah, the Exalted, said in the Qur'aan: "And so We have appointed to
every Prophet an enemy - devils among the men and Jinn - inspiring to each
other adorned speech as a delusion. And had your Lord willed they could not
have done it. So, leave them alone to their fabrication." [Soorah al-An'aam
(6): 112]
When the Shaikh became famous for his teaching, and his writings received wide
popularity among the people, many envious groups emerged as his opponents. One
group consisted of characterless scholars who saw the truth as falsehood and
falsehood as truth, and believed that building domes and invoking the engraved
as pertaining to Islam. The second group was associated with knowledge but was
ignorant of the reality of the Shaikh's mission. They simply believed others
and kept aloof from the Shaikh. The third group that opposed the Shaikh
consisted such people who feared the removal of their positions and ranks.
They showed humility so that the supporters of the Islamic mission might not
reach them and remove their positions and take over their lands.
So, some opposed him in the
name of religion, while other opposed him in the name of politics though they
hid under the cover of knowledge and religion and exploited the enmity of
those scholars who had hated him and accused him of deviation. Sometimes, his
opponents argued that he belonged to the Khawarij, at times some criticized
him out of their lack of proper knowledge, etc. Thus, the fighting between
words continued through debates and arguments. He would write to them and they
would reply to him, and he would refute them, and thus numerous questions and
answers were accumulated and compiled into volumes. And Al-hamdulillah, most
of them have been published. Then the Shaikh turned to Jihad in 1158 A.H, he
wrote to people to enter the field of Jihad and remove polytheism, which
existed in their countries.
The Shaikh, thus, strove in his preaching and Jihad for fifty years from 1158
A.H. until he died in 1206. He resorted to all methods of his mission - Jihad,
preaching, resistance, debates and arguments until people adhered to obedience
and demolished the domes and mosques built by them on the graves and agreed to
run their affairs in accordance with Islamic Law, discarding all rules and
laws which had been applied by their fathers and forefathers. Then after the
death of the Shaikh, his sons, grandson and supporters continued his mission
and struggle in the cause of Allah.
Related Link:
A Correction Of Misunderstandings Found In Non-Arabic Sources about the
Movement Of Sheikh Muhammad Bin Abdul Wahhab
www.ahya.org