Abd al-wahhab biography template

Secondly, he ordered the cutting down of trees considered sacred by locals, cutting down "the most glorified of all of the trees" himself. Third, he organized the stoning of a woman who confessed to having committed adultery. These actions gained the attention of Sulaiman ibn Muhammad ibn Ghurayr of the tribe of Bani Khalidthe chief of Al-Hasa and Qatifwho held substantial influence in Najd.

The early Wahhabis had been protected by Ibn Mu'ammar in 'Uyayna, despite being persecuted in other settlements. As soon as Ibn Mu'ammar disowned them, Wahhabis were subject to excommunication Takfir ; exposing themselves to loss of lives and property. This experience of suffering reminded them of the Mihna against Ahmad Ibn Hanbal and his followers, and shaped the collective Wahhabi memory.

As late asthe sharif of Mecca imprisoned those Wahhabis who went to Mecca to perform the Hajj annual pilgrimage. According to the anonymous author of Lam al-Shihab Brilliance of the Meteorwhen they first met, Ibn Saud declared:. By the name of God, if all Nejd was summoned to throw you out, we will never agree to expel you. I want you to grant me an oath that you will perform jihad against the unbelievers.

In return, you will be imam, leader of the Muslim community and I will be leader in religious matters. The agreement was confirmed with a mutual oath of loyalty bay'ah in The nucleus of Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's supporters all across Najd retreated to Dir'iyyah and formed the vanguard of the insurgency launched by Al-Saud against other towns. From a person who started his career as a lone activist, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab would become the spiritual guide of the nascent Emirate of Muhammad ibn Saud Al-Muqrin.

By offering the Al-Saud a clearly defined religious mission, the alliance provided the ideological impetus to Saudi expansion. After consolidating his position in Diriyah, he wrote to the rulers and clerics of other towns; appealing them to embrace his doctrines. While some heeded his calls, others rejected it; accusing him of ignorance or sorcery.

Realising the significance of efficient religious preaching da'waIbn 'Abd al-Wahhab called upon his students to master the path of reasoning and proselytising over warfare to convince other Muslims of their reformist endeavour. They came to us in our area and did not spare any effort in fighting us. We only initiated fighting against some of them in retaliation for their continued aggression, [The recompense for an evil is an evil like thereof] In —4, the Wahhabis were confronted by an alarming number of towns renouncing allegiance and aligning with their opponents.

Abd al-wahhab biography template

Most prominent amongst these was the town of Huraymilawhich had pledged allegiance to Dir'iyah in A fierce war between Diriyah and Huraymila began in a magnitude that was unprecedented. Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab held a convocation of Wahhabis from all the settlements across Najd. Reviewing the recent desertions and defeats, he encouraged them to hold fast to their faith and recommit to the struggle.

Abd al-Azeezthe son of Muhammad ibn Saudhad emerged as the principal leader of the Wahhabi military operations. Alongside a force of men, accompanied by an additional under the command of the deposed ruler of Huraymila, Abd al Azeez was able to subdue the rebels. In the treatise, compiled to justify Jihad pursued by Dir'iyyah and its allies, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab excommunicated the inhabitants of Huraymila and declared it as a duty of Wahhabi soldiers to fight them as apostates.

The last point of serious threat to the Saudi state was in However, the defenders were able to hold onto their town due to the unexpected departure of the Najranis after a truce concluded with the Saudis. The capture of Riyadh marked the point at which Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab delegated all affairs of governing to 'Abd al-Azeezwithdrew from public life and devoted himself to teaching, preaching and worshipping.

After his departure from public affairs, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab would remain a consultant to 'Abd al-Azeezwho followed his recommendations. However, he withdrew from any active military and political activities of the Emirate of Diriyah and devoted himself to educational endeavours, preaching, and worship. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab fell ill and died in June C.

E or A. H in the lunar month of Dhul-Qa'dahat the age of eighty-nine. He was buried in an unmarked grave at al-Turayf in al- Dir'iyya. Many of his sons became clerics of greater or lesser distinction. The descendants of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab are known as the Aal Ash-Shaykhs and they continued to hold a special position in the Saudi state throughout its history, which still continues.

A clear separation of roles between the Saudi family and the Wahhabi clerics had begun to emerge during the interval between Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's retirement from front-line politics in and his death in Although the Aal Ash-Shaykhs did not engage in politics, they comprised a significant part of the designating group of notables who gave allegiance bay'ah to a new ruler and acclaimed his accession.

After Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, his son 'Abd Allahrecognised by his critics as moderate and fair-minded, would succeed him as the dominant Wahhabi cleric. When she died, he inherited her property and wealth. Four of his sons, Hussain, Abdullah, Ali and Ibrahim, established religious schools close to their home in Dir'iyah and taught the young students from YemenOmanNajd and other parts of Arabia at their majlis study circle.

Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab also had a daughter named Fatimah, who was a revered Islamic scholar known for her piety, valour and beauty. She was a committed adherent to her father's reformist ideals and taught numerous men and women. Fatimah travelled a lot and remained unmarried throughout her life in order to research hadith sciences and concentrate on her scholarly endeavours.

She witnessed the Fall of Dir'iyah and fled to Ras al-Khaimah in ; which was captured by the British the following year. As a result, she was again forced to emigrate along with her nephew; this time to Omanwherein she became a major proponent of reformist teachings of the Muwahhidun and campaigned against various superstitions. Fatimah returned to Riyadh after the establishment of Emirate of Nejd in Due to her travels, she was often referred to by her appellation "Lady of the Two Migrations".

As the daughter of Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, Fatimah became a role model for Arabian women active in educational efforts and various social undertakings. In return, the Al ash-Sheikh support the Al Saud's political authority [ ] thereby using its religious- moral authority to legitimize the royal family's rule. Islam portal. Following Ibn Taymiyya's teachings on TawhidIbn 'Abd al-Wahhab believed that much of Najd had descended into superstitious folk religion akin to the period of Jahiliyya pre-Islamic era and denounced much of their beliefs as polytheism shirk.

According to David Comminsvarious Muslims throughout history had held the view that declaring the testimony of faith is sufficient in becoming a Muslim. He asserted that an individual who believed in the existence of intercessors or intermediaries alongside God was guilty of shirk polytheism or idolatry. This was the major difference between him and his opponents, [ ] and led him to label his adversaries who engaged in folk rituals associated with such beliefs to be apostates a practice known in Islamic jurisprudence as takfir and idolaters mushrikin.

Another major doctrine of Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab was the concept known as Al-'Udhr bil Jahl excuse of ignorancewherein any ignorant person unaware of core Islamic teachings is excused by default until clarification. As per this doctrine, those who fell into beliefs of shirk polytheism or kufr disbelief cannot be excommunicated until they have direct access to Scriptural evidences and get the opportunity to understand their mistakes and retract.

If not, their affairs are to be delegated only to God. Hence, he believed that education and dialogue was the only effective path for the successful implementation of reforms. Rejecting the allegations of his detractors who accused him of ex-communicating whoever didn't follow his doctrines, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab maintained that he only advocated orthodox Sunni doctrines.

This led some chieftains to reject my call, because I called them to what contradicts the traditions they were raised to uphold Among the false accusations they propagated, This is truly incredible. How can any sane person accept such accusations? Would a Muslim say these things? I declare that I renounce, before Allah, these statements that only a mad person would utter.

In short, what I was accused of calling to, other than enjoining Tawheed and forbidding Shirk, is all false. Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab was highly critical of the practice of Taqlid blind-followingwhich in his view, deviated people away from Qur'an and Sunnah. He also advocated for Ijtihad of qualified scholars in accordance with the teachings of Qur'an and Hadith.

In his legal writings, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab referred to a number of sources- Qur'anhadithopinions of companionsSalaf as well as the treatises of the 4 schools of thought. Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab argued that Qur'an condemned blind emulation of forefathers and nowhere did it stipulate scholarly credentials for a person to refer to it directly. His advocacy of Ijtihad and harsh denunciation of Taqlid arose widespread condemnation from Sufi orthodoxy in Najd and beyond, compelling him to express many of his legal verdicts fatwas discreetly, using convincing juristic terms.

He differed from Hanbali school in various points of law and in some cases, also departed from the positions of the 4 schools. In his treatise Usul al-Sittah Six FoundationsIbn 'Abd al-Wahhab vehemently rebuked his detractors for raising the description of Mujtahids to what he viewed as humanely unattainable levels. He condemned the establishment clergy as a class of oppressors who ran a "tyranny of wordly possessions" by exploiting the masses to make money out of their religious activities.

Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab opposed partisanship to madhabs legal schools and didn't consider it obligatory to follow a particular madhab. Rather, in his view, the obligation is to follow Qur'an and the Sunnah. Radically departing from both Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn Qayyim, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab viewed the entirety of the prevalent mad'hab system of jurisprudence Fiqh as a fundamentally corrupt institution, seeking a radical reform of scholarly institutions and preached the obligation of all Muslims to directly refer to the foundational texts of revelation.

He advocated a form of scholarly authority based upon the revival of the practice of ittibai. The prevalent legal system was, in his view, a "factory for the production of slavish emulators" symbolic of Muslim decline. These included negating those concepts and beliefs that bestowed the Prophet with mystical attributes that elevated Muhammad beyond the status of ordinary humans.

In his introduction to MukhtasarIbn 'Abd al-Wahhab asserts that every Prophet came with the mission of upholding Tawhid and prohibiting shirk. He also used these and other similar incidents to undermine the belief regarding prophets being completely free from sin, error, or Satanic afflictions. Instead, he has a abd al-wahhab biography template within creation and for the created beings.

Rather than being viewed as an extraordinary performer of miracles, Muhammad should instead be upheld as a model of emulation. However, modern scholars remark that Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's followers adopted the term "Salafi" as a self-designation much later. Silverstein consider Wahhabi movement as "the most influential expression of Salafism of the Islamist sort, both for its role in shaping some might say: 'creating' modern Islamism, and for disseminating salafi ideas widely across the Muslim world.

Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's approach to Fiqh Islamic jurisprudence was based on four major principles: [ ] [ ]. According to Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, the clear meaning of authentic hadiths takes precedence over the opinions of any other scholar, even if it went against the agreement of the eponyms of the four madhabs. It is upon the believer to place his concern and intent to know the command of God and His Messenger in those matters of disagreement, and to act accordingly whilst respecting the people of knowledge, and respect them, even if they erred, but he does not take them as lords besides God; This is the way of those who are blessed.

As for those who throw away their speech and do not respect, then this is the path of those who have incurred God's wrath. Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab challenged the madhhab system, by advocating for a direct understanding of the Scriptures. Rather than rejecting madhabs outright, he sought a reformation of the system by condemning prevalent trends within the madhabs.

He criticised the madhhab partisans for adhering solely to medieval Fiqh manuals of later scholars and ignoring Qur'anHadith and opinions of early Imams. He rebuked the contemporary Shafi'i scholars for being partisans of Ibn Hajar al Haytami d. Similarly, he critiqued the Malikis for being dependent on the Mukhtasar of the Egyptian jurist Khalil ibn Ishaq d.

In addition to criticising the Madhab partisans, he berated the advocates of Taqlid for discouraging the practice of Ijtihad and called on the laity to follow scholars only after asking for Scriptural evidences. In calling for a direct return to the Scriptures, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab was not a literalist and often strongly objected to literalist approaches and ritualism of religion that came with it.

He believed that pure intentions Niyyah constituted the essence of all virtous actions and upheld its superiority over dull ritualism. As a deferential and accomplished jurist with the experience of religious training under numerous masters in his travels, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab opposed the rigid, hardline views of the tradition-bound ulema who had excommunicated sinful, unrepenting Muslims ; thereby making their blood forfeit based on their reading of the reports of Muhammad and Companions.

On the other hand, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab contextualised those reports; arguing that they must be understood in recognition of historical circumstances. According to his view, sincerity and purity of intent Ikhlas could expiate the evil of sins committed in mistakes. Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's legal approach began with hadith authentication, followed by contextualised intrapolation in consideration of Hanbali legal principles such as Maslaha common good.

Other legal criteria involved upholding the spirit of the law, Maqasid al-Shariaand intent behind pronouncing legal verdicts which addressed various themes such as societal justice and safeguarding women. He also believed in a holistic legal understanding of Qur'anic verses and hadithdistinguishing between general rules applicable for all Muslims and rulings unique to various life-time situations.

Much of the Wahhabi teachings such as opposition to saint-cults, radical denunciation of blind-following medieval commentaries, adherence to Scriptures and other revivalist thoughts came from Muhammad Hayyat. Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's revivalist efforts were based on a strong belief in Tawhid Oneness of Allah and a firm adherence to the Sunnah.

His reformative efforts left exemplary marks on contemporary Islamic scholarship. Viewing Blind adherence Taqlid as an obstacle to the progress of Muslims, he dedicated himself to educating the masses for them to be vanguards of Islam. According to Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, the degradation and lagging behind of Muslims was due to their neglect of the teachings of Islamemphasizing that progress could be achieved only by firmly adhering to Islam.

He also campaigned against popular Sufi practices associated with istigathamyths and superstitions. He stated the popular saying: "From among the wonders is to find a Sufi who is a faqih and a scholar who is an ascetic zahid ". We do not negate the way of the Sufis and the purification of the inner self from the vices of those sins connected to the heart and the limbs as long as the individual firmly adheres to the rules of Shari'ah and the correct and observed way.

However, we will not take it on ourselves to allegorically interpret ta'wil his speech and his actions. We only place our reliance on, seek help from, beseech aid from and place our confidence in all our dealings in Allah Most High. He is enough for us, the best trustee, the best mawla and the best helper. May Allah send peace on our master Muhammad, his family and companions.

Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab concerned himself with the social reformation of his people. As an 18th-century reformer, Muhammad ibn 'Abd al Wahhab called for the re-opening of Ijtihad by qualified persons through strict adherence to Scriptures in reforming society. His thoughts reflected the major trends apparent in the 18th-century Islamic reform movements.

Unlike other reform movements which were restricted to da'waIbn 'Abd al-Wahhab was also able to transform his movement into a successful Islamic state. Thus, his teachings had a profound influence on majority of Islamic reform - revivalist movements since the 18th century. Numerous significant socio-economic reforms would be advocated by the Imam during his lifetime.

His reforms touched over various fields such as aqeedaibaadat ritual acts of worshipmuamalaat social interactionsetc. In the affairs of mu'amalathe harshly rebuked the practice of leaving endowments to prevent the rightful heirs particularly the females from receiving their deserved inheritance. He also objected to various forms of riba usury as well as the practice of presenting judges with gifts, which according to him, was nothing more than bribing.

He also opposed and brought an end to numerous un-Islamic taxes that were forced upon the people. The legal writings of Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab reflected a general concern of female welfare and justice. In line with this approach, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab denounced the practice of instant triple talaqcounting it as only a single talaq regardless of the number of pronouncements.

The outlawing of triple talaq is considered to be one of the most significant reforms across the Islamic World in the 20th and 21st centuries. Following a balanced approach in issues of gender, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab advocated moderation between men and women in social interactions as well as spirituality. According to Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, women has a place in society with both rights and responsibility, with the society being obliged to respect her status and protect her.

He also condemned forced marriages and declared any marriage contracted without the consent of a woman be it minor, virgin or non-virgin to be "invalid". Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab also stipulated the abd al-wahhab biography template of the guardian as a condition in marriage in line with traditional Hanbali, Shafi'i and Maliki schools. Nevertheless, as a practical jurist, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab allowed guardians to delegate the right to contract marriages to women herself, after which his permission cannot be denied.

He also allowed women the right to stipulate favourable conditions for her in the marriage contract. Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab also defended the woman's right to divorce through Khul' for various reasons, including in cases wherein she despised her husband. He also prohibited the killing of women, children and various non-combatants such as monks, elderly, blind, shaykhsslaves and peasants in warfare.

In addition to these, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab also defended married women's right to maintenance from her husband; as well as bride's right to receive mahr from her groom. He also strongly campaigned against domestic abuses against women, enjoining men to treat their wives with kindness. Muhammad Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab believed in social participation of women for communal solidarity; as per Islamic codes of modesty Haya that was inclusive to all sections of society, especially the poor.

He also campaigned for improving female literacy and asserted women's education as part of their religious rights and duties. Educated elite women played an important role in the Wahhabi movement through social activism and in various instances also weld significant political influence. Many women were trained in various religious disciplines, memorising Qur'an and being proficient in hadith sciences ; which gained them civic respect as well as a source of income by teaching.

As a result, the townsfolk of 19th-century Central Arabia had noticeably higher rates of literacy as observed by foreign travellers. Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab also encouraged educated women to be active in various communal activities so as to bolster the reformist campaigns of the Muwahhiduneducating other women, generating awareness of superstitions as well as other cultural activities such as reciting poetryplaying tambourine during feasts, weddings and various social gatherings.

Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's own daughter, Fatima was an influential Islamic scholar active in social and communal affairs and would influence subsequent generations of Arabian women. We only initiated fighting against some of them in retaliation for their continued aggression, [ The recompense for an evil is an evil like thereof ] However, Western scholar Natana J.

Bythe Ottoman Empire had officially begun to wage religious campaigns against the Wahhabis, issuing tracts condemning them as Kharijites. Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah ibn Humayd's 19th abd al-wahhab biography template biographical dictionary sheds light on those Hanbali scholars. It also misrepresents many Najdi Hanbali scholars as on the side of Ottoman Hanbalis.

Ibn Humayd's maternal lineage, Al-Turki, was of some local renown for its religious scholars, including two men who opposed the Wahhabi movement. He then travelled to Damascus and Meccawherein he attended lessons of men known for strong anti-Wahhabi convictions. Ibn Humayd's compatibility with Ottoman religious outlook made him eligible for the post of Ottoman Mufti in Mecca.

The Wahhabis, in turn, came to view him as one of their worst enemies and an exemplar of idolatry. E would respond to these accusations by asserting that Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab refrained from making Takfir :. However, as for those on whom the proofs are established, then there is nothing to prevent takfeer being made on such people" [ ]. Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's father disagreed with his son's metholodolgy in implementing reforms.

Sulayman replied, "No, you have added a sixth one: He who does not follow you is not a Muslim. This, to you, is the sixth pillar of Islam. According to various historical records, Sulayman repented and joined the religious mission of his brother. Capture a web page as it appears now for use as a trusted citation in the future. Hamburger icon An icon used to represent a menu that can be toggled by interacting with this icon.

Web icon An illustration of a computer application window Wayback Machine Texts icon An illustration of an open book. Texts Video icon An illustration of two cells of a film strip. Video Audio icon An illustration of an audio speaker. Audio Software icon An illustration of a 3. Even the term "Wahabbism" is controversial, for within Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's own lifetime it and its Arabic equivalents were used primarily by Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's opponents; his followers called themselves Muwahiddun or Unitarians, believers in a unity.

His writings and actions are susceptible to multiple interpretations. But it can be said that Ibn Abd al-Wahhab was essentially a puritan—not in the contemporary sense of that word, which now tends to refer exclusively to restrictions on sexual activity and its depiction in cultural products, but in the word's older sense, used by early American colonists and indicating a abd al-wahhab biography template to the basic tenets of a religion, in this case Islam.

Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's influence was closely bound up with the emergence of Saudi Arabia as a state, and his ideas continue to flourish there, a fact of immense importance in contemporary world affairs. The facts of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's life, transmitted to posterity mostly by a circle of close followers, are not always clear. He was born in or in the town of al-Uyaynah in the Najd region of the Arabian peninsula, now in northern Saudi Arabia.

His family, at least as far back as a grandfather who was a famous judge in religious maters, contained scholars in the conservative Hanbali tradition, one of the main schools of legal thinking in Sunni Islam. By the time he was ten he had memorized the Quran, and he made the required hajj or pilgrimage to Mecca as a teenager. Soon after that he traveled to the religious center of Medina, studying with noted religious scholars in addition to his own father.

By that time he had already begun preaching in his hometown, and it had become apparent that he was controversial from the start. His teachings were based directly on the Quran itself and on the hadith tradition of teachings associated with the Prophet Muhammad. He rejected the influence of local religious scholars known as ulamawho in turn worked to minimize his influence.

He was forced to leave al-Uyaynah, marking the first of several occasions in which he ran afoul of powerful figures. It was at this point that he traveled to Mecca and Medina. Among the figures with whom he studied was Muhammad Hayat al-Sindi, a figure from the Indian subcontinent who had witnessed the deterioration of the Mughal Empire, and who inculcated in Ibn Abd al-Wahhab the idea that pure forms of Islam could regenerate lost political glories.

Ibn Abd al-Wahhab also studied in Basra in what is now Iraq. By this time he was considered an erudite young scholar, and his teacher, Muhammad al-Mujmui, allowed his own children to study with Ibn Abd al-Wahhab. In Basra Ibn Abd al-Wahhab probably encountered scholars from the rival Shia branch of Islam, which he denounced in one treatise.

But his quarrel was not primarily with Shia Islam, or with the mystic Sufi sect that he sometimes denounced. Rather, Ibn Abd al-Wahhab was motivated above all by the principle of tawhid or montheism, a belief in one God, called Allah in Arabic. He rejected belief in any idol, and he did not accept that any earthly object could be associated with the divine.

Ibn Abd al-Wahhab made his way back to the Arabian peninsula, staying in his hometown and then in Al-Ahsa, and finally moving to Huraymila, where his father had taken up residence. It was at this time that he began to attract supporters in large numbers, with two local tribes joining forces to accept him as a religious leader. He also gained detractors in equal numbers, apparently stirring up anger among a group of slaves with his strict fulminations against sexual immorality.

Members of this group mounted an assassination attempt against Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, but it was unsuccessful. Once more, he returned to his hometown of al-Uyaynah. It was during this period that he undertook three controversial actions designed to offer graphic demonstrations of his beliefs. These were controversial in Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's own time and remain so, providing famous images of the strict form of Islam he espoused.

The first involved a group of trees that the inhabitants of al-Uyaynah considered sacred and invested with quasi-magical powers. Much to Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's dismay, they would hang various items in the branches of the trees in the hope that they would bring blessings or good luck. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab is the 84th most popular philosopher up from rd inthe 17th most popular biography from Saudi Arabia up from 23rd in and the most popular Saudi Arabian Philosopher.

Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab was a Muslim scholar who was born in and died in He is most famous for his book "Kitab at-Tawhid" which was written in the 18th century. Among philosophers, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab ranks 84 out of 1,