Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhaab – a reformer concerning whom many malicious lies have been told

 

Why is so much of what is said about Shaykh al-Islam Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhaab so hostile, and why are his followers called Wahhabis?.

Praise be to Allaah.
 

 

You should note that one of the ways in which Allaah deals
with His chosen slaves is to test them according to the level of their
faith, to show who is sincere and who is not. Allaah says (interpretation of
the meaning): 

“Alif-Laam-Meem.

[These letters are one of the miracles of the Qur’aan, and
none but Allaah (Alone) knows their meanings.]

2. Do people think that they will be left alone because
they say: ‘We believe,’ and will not be tested.

3. And We indeed tested those who were before them. And
Allaah will certainly make (it) known (the truth of) those who are true, and
will certainly make (it) known (the falsehood of) those who are liars,
(although Allaah knows all that before putting them to test)”

[al-‘Ankaboot 29:1-3] 

Those who are most severely tested are the Prophets, then the
next best and the next best, as it says in the saheeh hadeeth of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). 

If you study the seerah (biography) of the Messenger of
Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), you will see that
he went through severe tests; he was even accused of being a liar, a
sorcerer and a madman; garbage and filth were thrown on his back; he was
expelled from Makkah; and his feet bled in al-Taa’if. This was the situation
of all the Prophets who were rejected before him (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him). 

Shaykh al-Islam Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhaab (may Allaah have
mercy on him) suffered the same as other sincere scholars and daa’iyahs, but
in the end the message of truth that he brought prevailed. How could it be
otherwise? How could the light of truth be extinguished? Think about this
man and how Allaah helped him to sow the seeds of Tawheed throughout the
Arabian Peninsula and put an end to all kinds of shirk. If this indicates
anything, it indicates that he was sincere in his call and made sacrifices
for that cause as far as we can tell, and of course his efforts were
supported and helped by Allaah. 

But the enemies of this call have spared no effort to make
false accusations concerning it. They claimed – falsely – that the Shaykh
claimed to be a prophet, and that he did not respect the Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) properly, and that he
condemned all the ummah as kaafirs… and other fabrications and lies that
were told about him. Anyone who examines these claims will realize for sure
that they are all lies and fabrications. The books of the Shaykh which are
widely circulated bear the greatest witness to that, and his followers who
answered his call never mentioned anything to that effect. If the matter
were as they claim, his followers would have conveyed the same ideas,
otherwise they would have been disloyal to him. If you want to know more
details about this and to clarify the matter, you should read the book
Da’aawa al-Manaawi’een li Da’wah al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhaab
by Dr ‘Abd al-‘Azeez al-‘Abd al-Lateef, which will answer all your
questions, if Allaah wills. 

With regard to calling
his followers Wahhaabis, this is just another in a long series of
fabrications made up by the enemies of his call, to divert people away from
the call of truth and to place a barrier between his call and the people so
that the call will not reach them. If you study the story of how al-Tufayl
ibn ‘Amr al-Dawsi (may Allaah be pleased with him) became Muslim, you will
see the parallels with what happened in the case of Imam Muhammad ibn ‘Abd
al-Wahhaab. 

Ibn Hishaam narrated in his Seerah (1/394) that
al-Tufayl set out towards Makkah, but Quraysh intercepted him at the gates
of the city and warned him against listening to Muhammad (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him). They made him think that he was a sorcerer
who could cause division between man and wife… they kept on at him until he
took some cotton and put it in his ears. Then when he saw the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), he thought to himself that he
would take out the cotton and listen to him, and if what he said was true
then he would accept it from him, and if he what he said was false and
abhorrent, he would reject it. When he listened to him, all he could do was
become Muslim on the spot. 

Yes, he became Muslim after putting cotton in his ears. Those
who oppose the call of Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhaab fabricated lies
the same way Quraysh did. Quraysh understood full well that the call of
Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) had the power to
reach people’s hearts and minds, so they exaggerated in their lies about the
Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in an
attempt to stop the truth reaching people. Similarly we see that those who
speak against Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhaab and his followers repeat
the same lies that were told against the original call. 

You should – if you follow the truth – not pay any attention
to these lies and fabrications. You should look for the truth of the matter
by reading the books of Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhaab, for his books
are the greatest proof that these people are lying, praise be to Allaah. 

There is another subtle
point that should be noted, which is that the Shaykh’s name was Muhammad,
the attributive of which is Muhammadi. The word Wahhabi is the attributive
derived from al-Wahhaab (the Bestower), who is Allaah, as He says
(interpretation of the meaning): 

“Our Lord! Let not our hearts deviate (from the truth)
after You have guided us, and grant us mercy from You. Truly, You are the
Bestower [al-Wahhaab]”

[Aal ‘Imraan 3:8] 

As al-Zajjaaj said in Ishtiqaaq Asma’-Allaah, p. 126,
al-Wahhaab “is the One Who gives a great deal. This form (fa’’aal) in Arabic
is indicative of something that is done to a great extent. Allaah is
al-Wahhaab (the Bestower) Who gives to His slaves one after another.” 

Undoubtedly the path of al-Wahhaab is the path of truth in
which there is no crookedness or fabrication, and His party is the one that
will prevail. Allaah says (interpretation of the meaning): 

“And whosoever takes
Allaah, His Messenger, and those who have believed, as Protectors, then the
party of Allaah will be the victorious”

[al-Maa’idah 5:56] 

“They are the party of Allaah. Verily, it is the party of
Allaah that will be the successful”

[al-Mujaadilah 58:22] 

Long ago they accused al-Shaafa’i of being a Raafidi (Shi’ah)
and he refuted them by saying:

“If being a Raafidi means loving the family of Muhammad, then
let the two races (of mankind and the jinn) bear witness that I am a
Raafidi.” 

We refute the claims of those who accuse us of being Wahhabis
by quoting the words of Shaykh Mullah ‘Imraan who was a Shi’i but Allaah
guided him to the Sunnah. He said: 

“If the follower of Ahmad [the Prophet (peace and
blessings of Allaah be upon him)] is a Wahhaabi, then I affirm that I am a
Wahhaabi 

I reject the association of any other with Allaah, for I have
no Lord except the Unique, the Bestower (al-Wahhaab) 

Those who were called by the Prophet accused him of being a
sorcerer and a liar.” 

(See: Manhaaj al-Firqat al-Naajiyah by Shaykh Muhammad
Jameel Zayno, p. 142-143. 

And Allaah knows best.