Imam Muhammad ibn Abdulwahhab: Biography and Message
Praise is due to Allah, the Lord of the worlds. May Allah’s peace and blessings be upon His slave and Messenger and the best of His creation, our master and leader Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah, and upon his family, his Companions, and those who ally themselves with him.
My honorable brothers and my dear sons, this is a brief lecture that I present to you as an enlightenment of thoughts, clarification of facts, sincere advice that I offer to Allah’s slaves for His sake, and as fulfillment of some of the due rights that I owe to the man whom the lecture is about. The title of the lecture is: The Call and Biography of Imam Muhammad ibn ‘Abdul-Wahhāb.
Speaking about reformers, callers to Allah and revivers and reminding the people of their manners and praiseworthy attributes and glorious deeds as well as presenting their biographies that demonstrate their sincerity and truthfulness in their call and reformation have always been something that the souls long to and the hearts find comfort in. Every person who has a sense of protective zeal for his religion and wishes to conduct reformation and call others to the path of the truth would surely like to listen to such speech. For this reason, I chose to speak to you about a great man, a significant reformer, and a zealous caller to Allah. It is the Shaykh who undertook to revive the Islamic religion in the Arabian Peninsula in the twelfth century of Hijrah, namely Imam Muhammad ibn ‘Abdul-Wahhāb ibn Sulaymān ibn ‘Ali at-Tamīmi al-Hanbali.
People have known this Imam, especially the scholars, leaders, and dignitaries inside and outside Arabia. He has been the subject of many writings, both brief and extensive, and some writers have assigned for him independent works. Even Orientalists wrote much about him, while others wrote about him in the course of their writings about reformers and history. The fair among them described him as a great reformer and a reviver of Islam who was rightly guided by his Lord. They are too many to be counted.
They include the prominent author Abu Bakr ash-Shaykh Husayn ibn Ghannām al-Ihsā’i. He aptly wrote about the Shaykh and provided great benefit. He presented his biography and his battles with elaboration and penned many works about his treatises and his deduction from the Book of Allah Almighty. Shaykh ‘Uthmān ibn Bishr also wrote about him in his book ‘Unwān al-Majd. He shed light on his call, biography, battles, and Jihad. Other authors from outside Arabia wrote about him, like Dr. Ahmad Amīn in his book Zu‘amā’ al-Islāh, and he was fair in what he wrote about him. Moreover, the prominent Shaykh Mas‘ūd an-Nadawi wrote about him and called him the wronged reformer. He excellently wrote about his biography. Others wrote about him as well including the great Shaykh Al-Amīr Muhammad ibn Ismā‘īl as-San‘āni who was contemporary to him and followed his call. When the call of the Shaykh reached him, he was pleased with it and praised Allah for it.
The outstanding scholar Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Ali ash-Shawkāni, the author of Nayl al-Awtār, wrote about him and lamented him in a wonderful elegy. Many others who are known to readers and scholars also wrote about him besides those mentioned earlier. However, since many people may be unaware of the reality of this man, his biography and call, I thought to contribute to introducing him to the people and highlight his good conduct, righteous call, and sincere striving, and explain some of what I know about this Imam so that those who harbor some doubt or confusion about him or about his call and approach would learn the truth. Imam Muhammad ibn ‘Abdul Wahhāb was born in 1115 AH according to the famous report about his birthday (may Allah have mercy upon him). It was also said that he was born in 1111 AH. However, it is more commonly known that he was born in 1115 AH.
He was tutored by his father in the village of ‘Uyaynah where he was born. It is a well-known village in Yamāmah in the north of Najd, to the north west of Riyadh city and is located 70 km away from it. It was there that he was born and grew up as a righteous young boy. At an early age, he was taught Qur’an recitation and studied diligently at the hands of his father Shaykh ‘Abdul Wahhāb ibn Sulaymān who was a great jurist, competent scholar and a judge in ‘Uyaynah. After reaching puberty, he performed Hajj and headed to the Sacred House and there he learned from some of its scholars. Thereafter, he went to Madīnah where he met its scholars and stayed therein for some time. He was a student of two great famous scholars of Madīnah at that time: One of them was Shaykh ‘Abdullah ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Sayf an-Najdi who was originally from Al-Majma‘ah. He is the father of Shaykh Ibrāhīm ibn ‘Abdullah, the author of Al-‘Adhb al-Fā’id Fi ‘ilm al-Farā’id. The other was the eminent Shaykh Muhammad Hayāt As-Sindi. These are the two scholars that are famously known to be among his teachers in Madīnah and it is possible that he learned from others as well that are not known to us.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Abdul Wahhāb moved to Iraq as a seeker of knowledge. He went to Basrah and met with its scholars and learned from them what Allah willed for him of knowledge. He proclaimed the call to Tawhīd (the Oneness of Allah) and invited the people to follow the Sunnah. He informed them that it is incumbent upon all Muslims to learn their religion from the Book of Allah (the Qur’an) and the Sunnah of His Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). He conducted many discussions and debates with the scholars there. A man called Shaykh Muhammad al-Majmū‘i was known for being one of his Shaykhs from whom he acquired knowledge. Some of the dishonest scholars in Basrah rose against him and he, along with his Shaykh, were subjected to abuse. Therefore, he left Basrah and intended to go to Greater Syria, but he could not due to lack of material means. So he left Basrah to Zubayr, and from there he went to Ahsā’ where he met its scholars and studied with them some issues related to the fundamentals of the religion. Afterwards, he headed to Huraymilā’ in the fifth decade of the twelfth century of Hijrah because his father, who had been a judge in ‘Uyaynah, had a dispute with its ruler and as a result moved to Huraymilā’ in 1139 AH. Shaykh Muhammad traveled to his father in Huraymilā’ after the latter had moved to it in 1139 AH. This means that he arrived in Huraymilā’ in 1140 AH or later on. He settled there and remained preoccupied with learning and teaching knowledge and spreading his call in Huraymilā’ until his father passed away in 1153 AH. At that time, some of the people of Huraymilā’ turned against him in an evil manner and some mean ones among them were about to kill him. It was said that some of them climbed over the wall of his house to get to him but some people noticed them so they ran away. After this incident, the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy upon him) moved to ‘Uyaynah.
The reason those mean people were angry at him was that he commanded people to do what is good and forbade them from doing what is evil. He also urged the rulers to inflict discretionary punishment on the criminals who attacked people and committed robbery and looting against them and caused them harm. They were those mean people who were referred to as the slaves there. When they knew that the Shaykh was against them and that he condemned their actions and urged the rulers to punish them and curb their evil, they were enraged and decided to kill him, but Allah protected and guarded him. Then, he moved to ‘Uyaynah whose Emir was then ‘Uthmān ibn Nāsir ibn Mu‘ammar. He was his guest and the ruler welcomed him. He said to him: "Move on with your call to Allah. We are with you and will help you." He was kind and amicable to him and expressed his approval of what he preached.
The Shaykh was busy teaching, guiding and calling the people, men and women, to Allah Almighty, and directing them to do what is good and to love each other for the sake of Allah. His fame spread in ‘Uyaynah and the people came to him from the nearby villages. One day, the Shaykh said to Emir ‘Uthmān: "Let us destroy the dome of Zayd ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) as it was built without a basis of guidance. It is something that does not please Allah Almighty, and the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) forbade building over the graves and constructing mosques over them. In fact, this dome has been a source of Fitnah to the people and changed their creed. It has even led to Shirk, so it must be demolished." The Emir said in response: "I have no objection to that."
The Shaykh said: “I fear that the people of Jubaylah would revolt as a result.” Jubaylah is a village located near the grave. So ‘Uthmān set out with an army of 600 fighters to demolish the dome, and the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy upon him) accompanied them. When they approached the dome, the people of Jubaylah came out to save it and protect it. But when they saw Emir ‘Uthmān and those who were with him, they desisted and refrained from resisting. The Shaykh started the demolishing and removal of the dome and Allah Almighty eliminated it by his hands (may Allah have mercy upon him). Now, let us give a brief account of the conditions in Najd before the mission of the Shaykh and mention the reasons behind his mission and call.
Before the Shaykh started his call, the people of Najd were in such a state that no believer would ever approve. Major Shirk had emerged and spread amongst them to the point that they started to worship domes, trees, stones, and caves. They also worshiped anyone who claimed to be a Waliyy (ally of Allah), even though he might be mentally deranged; they worshiped besides Allah mad and lunatic people who just claimed to be Awliyā’ (pl. of Waliyy). Sorcerers and diviners became so common in Najd, people asked them and believed their words and there were none to express his disapproval of such wrongs except those whom Allah willed them to do. People were mostly overwhelmed by worldly desires and few were those who would rise for the sake of Allah and support His religion. The case was the same in the Sacred Mosques in Makkah and Madīnah, and in Yemen this type of Shirk was common as well. They built domes over the graves and called upon the so-called Awliyā’ seeking relief from them. These practices were so rampant in Yemen. Also, Najd was swept by such uncountable manifestations of Shirk that varied between a worshiped grave, cave, tree, or a lunatic or insane person who was called upon for relief apart from Allah. Calling upon the jinn was also a known practice in Najd. People used to seek relief from them and slaughter animals for them, which they placed in the corners of their houses in hope for their help and fear of their evil. When the Shaykh saw that Shirk was being extensively practiced by the people, with no one expressing disapproval of that or calling the people to the way of Allah, he proceeded with his task diligently and adopted patience in his preaching efforts. He was aware that it was imperative to strive in the cause of Allah with patience and endurance of harm. He earnestly instructed, directed, and guided the people when he was in ‘Uyaynah. He was keen to communicate with the scholars and study the issue with them in the hope that they would join him in supporting the religion of Allah and striving against such Shirk and superstitions. Many scholars of Najd, Makkah, Madīnah, Yemen and others responded to his call and messaged him expressing their approval to join him. Others, however, disagreed with him, criticized his call and averted the people from following him. They were either ignorant followers of myths who knew nothing about the religion of Allah or His Oneness, but instead they only knew the falsehood, ignorance, Shirk, religious innovations and superstitions in pursuit of their ancestors. They are those about whom Allah Almighty says: {They say: “We found our forefathers on a path, and we are following their footsteps.”} [Surat az-Zukhruf: 23] Another group who were perceived to be people of knowledge rejected his call out of obstinacy and envy, for fear that the laymen would say to them: “Why did you not disapprove of what we were doing before? Why did Ibn ‘Abdul Wahhāb emerge and was on the right path, but you, despite being scholars, did not disapprove of this falsehood?!” They were envious of him and felt shameful before the people, so they showed stubbornness against the truth, favoring immediate benefits over lasting ones and following the example of the Jews who preferred the worldly life to the Hereafter. We ask Allah for safety and protection against that!
As for the Shaykh, he was patient and diligent in his call. He was encouraged by some of the scholars and dignitaries from inside and outside Arabia. He was resolved to accomplish his mission and sought the help of his Lord. Before that, he extensively studied the Book of Allah and had the upper hand in interpreting it and conducting deduction from it. He also studied the biography of the Prophet (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him) and his Companions. He was so focused in his studies that he came to learn what helped him and made him stay firm on the path of the truth. He dedicated himself to serving the call to Allah and insisted on spreading it among the people, and he sent messages to governors and scholars about this matter, whatever the consequences.
Allah Almighty made his good hopes come true, caused the call to spread through him and supported the truth with his efforts, appointing for him helpers and assistants until the religion of Allah prevailed and His word was superior. The Shaykh carried on his mission in ‘Uyaynah by teaching and guiding the people. Then he shifted to the phase of physical action and embarked upon removing the traces of Shirk with his hands when he realized that his verbal call was not effective. He started to turn his words into action and proceeded to remove as much as he could of the manifestations of Shirk. He said to Emir ‘Uthmān ibn Mu‘ammar: “We must demolish the dome that is built over the grave of Zayd,” i.e. Zayd ibn Al-Khattāb, the brother of ‘Umar ibn Al-Khattāb, The Commander of the Believers (may Allah be pleased with them all).
Zayd was among those who were martyred in the fight against Musaylimah Al-Kadhdhāb in the year 12 AH. When he was killed, it was said that the people built a dome over his grave, though it is possible that the grave belonged to someone else, but it was commonly known to be his. ‘Uthmān agreed with the Shaykh as mentioned earlier, and the dome was demolished, all praise be to Allah, and its traces have disappeared up to the present time. Allah Almighty eradicated it when it was demolished out of a good and upright intention that aimed at supporting the truth. There were other graves, one of them was said to belong to Dirār ibn al-Azwar. It also had a dome built over it and was demolished along with other shrines. There were caves and trees that were worshiped besides Allah Almighty, and they were all removed and people were warned against celebrating them.
The Shaykh (may Allah have mercy upon him) proceeded with his call in word and deed. One day, a woman came to him and confessed that she had committed adultery multiple times. He inquired about the soundness of her mind and was told that she was sane. As the woman insisted on her confession of adultery and did not retract it, nor did she claim that she was subject to coercion or misconception when she had committed it, and she was also Muhasanah (married/previously married), the Shaykh ordered that she should be stoned to death. The judgment was executed since he issued it in his capacity as the judge of ‘Uyaynah. The Shaykh became known afterwards for demolishing the dome, stoning the woman, his great call to Allah, and the immigration of the people to ‘Uyaynah.
News about the Shaykh reached Sulaymān ibn ‘Uray‘ir al-Khālidi, the Emir of Al-Ahsā’ and its subordinate tribes of Banu Khālid. When this Bedouin learned that the Shaykh was calling to Allah, demolishing domes, and establishing the prescribed punishments, he was so alarmed and enraged. Bedouins were commonly known for wronging others, shedding blood, plundering properties and violating sanctities, except those whom Allah guided. He feared that the Shaykh would gain more popularity and thus jeopardize his authority. Therefore, he wrote a threatening message to ‘Uthmān, ordering him to kill the Mutawwa‘ (a term used informally to refer to a seeker of knowledge who is below the rank of a scholar) whom he is keeping with him in ‘Uyaynah. The message read: “We have learned such-and-such about the Mutawwa‘ who is with you. So, either you kill him or we withhold the tribute that we pay to you!!”
This Bedouin was paying a regular tribute of gold to Emir ‘Uthmān. The message distressed ‘Uthmān and he feared that if he disobeyed him, he would stop paying him the gold or fight him.
So, he said to the Shaykh: “This Emir wrote to us a message to such-and-such effect, and it is not of our goodness to kill you. But we fear this Emir and we cannot fight him. If you believe that you should leave us, then do so.” The Shaykh replied:
“I am calling the people to the religion of Allah, to realize the implication of testifying that there is no god worthy of worship but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. Whoever holds fast to this religion and supports it sincerely, Allah will support him, aid him, and be his ally against his enemies. So, if you adhere to patience and uprightness and accept this good, then rejoice! Allah will help you and protect you against this Bedouin and any other. He will even give you authority over his land and clan.”
At that point, the Shaykh left ‘Uyaynah to Dir‘iyyah. He headed to it on foot, setting out in the early morning and arriving there at the end of the day. He was not expelled by ‘Uthmān. In northern Dir‘iyyah, he entered upon one of its good people whose name was Muhammad ibn Suwaylim al-‘Urayni. He accommodated the Shaykh and it was said that he was worried of having him as a house guest. The man was in distress and was afraid of the Emir of Dir‘iyyah Muhammad ibn Saud. The Shaykh reassured him and said:
“Rejoice and expect good things! What I am calling to is the religion of Allah and Allah will surely make it superior.”
News of the Shaykh reached Muhammad ibn Saud, and it was said that his wife was the one who told him about the Shaykh after some righteous people had come to her and said: “Inform Muhammad about this man and encourage him to accept his call. Urge him to help and assist him.” She was a righteous good woman. When Muhammad ibn Sa‘ūd, the Emir of Dir‘iyyah and its subordinates, entered upon her, she said to him: “Rejoice in this great advantage!
This is a gain that Allah has sent to you; a man calling the people to the religion of Allah, to the Book of Allah, to the Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). What a great gain it is!
You should hasten to accept him and support him, and never hesitate in doing so!” The Emir accepted her advice, but he was hesitant as to whether he should go to him or invite him to come to him.
He was given advice on the matter, and it was said that it was his wife along with a group of righteous people who told him: “It is not proper that you invite him to come to you, but you should go to him in his house in veneration of knowledge and those who call people to what is good.” He responded to their advice, earning thereby the happiness and goodness that Allah decreed for him. May Allah have mercy upon him and grant him an honorable abode. He went to the Shaykh who was staying at the house of Muhammad ibn Suwaylim. He greeted him, talked to him, and gave him promises of support, safety, and assistance. The Shaykh said to him: