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During the reign of Sultan Salim III (1204-1222 AH) many tribulations
took place. One was the tribulation of the Wahhabiyyah which started in
the area of al-Hijaz{1} where they captured al-Haramayn{2}, and
prevented Muslims coming from ash-Sham{3} and Egypt from reaching their
destination to perform Pilgrimage (Hajj). Another tribulation is that of
the French who controlled Egypt from 1213 A.H. until 1216 A.H. Let us
here speak briefly about the two adversities{4}, because each was
mentioned in detail in the books of history and in separate treatises.
The fighting started between the Wahhabis and the Prince of Makkah,
Mawlana Sharif Ghalib Ibn Bu Sa^id, who had been appointed by the
honored Muslim Sultan as his ruling representative over the areas of al-Hijaz.
This was in 1205 AH during the time of Sultan Salim III, the son of
Sultan Mustafa III, the son of Ahmad. Previous to the outbreak of
fighting, the Wahhabis began to build power and gain followers in their
areas. As their territories expanded, their evil and harm increased They
killed countless numbers of Muslims, legitimated confiscating their
money and possessions, and captured their women. The founder of their
wicked doctrine was Muhammad Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab, who originated from
eastern Arabia, from the tribe of Banu Tamim. He lived a long life,
about one-hundred years. He was born in 1111 AH and died in 1200 AH. His
history was narrated as follows:
Muhammad Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab started as a student of knowledge in the city
of the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam: al-Madinah al-Munawwarah.
Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab’s father was a good, pious man among the people of
knowledge as was his brother, Shaykh Sulayman. His father, his brother,
and his shaykhs (teachers of religion) had the foresight Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab
would innovate a great deal of deviation and misguidance, because of
their observance of his sayings, actions, and inclinations concerning
many issues. They used to reprimand him and warn people against him.
What Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab’s father, brother, and shaykhs speculated
about him came true--by the Will of Allah, ta^ala. Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab
innovated deviant and misleading ways and beliefs and managed to allure
some ignorant people to follow him. His deviant and misleading ways and
beliefs disagreed with the sayings of the scholars of the Religion. His
deviant beliefs led him to label the believers as blasphemers! He
falsely claimed visiting the grave of the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa
sallam, and performing the tawassul{5} by him as shirk{6}. Additionally,
he falsely claimed visiting the graves of other prophets and righteous
Muslims (awliya’) and performing tawassul by them was shirk as well. He
added to this by saying, "To call upon the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi
wa sallam, when performing tawassul by the Prophet is shirk." He passed
the same judgment of shirk on the ones who call upon other prophets and
righteous Muslims (awliya’) in performing tawassul by them.
In an effort to give credibility to his innovations Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab
embellished his sayings by quotations which he selected from Islamic
sources, i.e., quotations which are used as proofs for many issues but
not the issues which Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab was attempting to support. He
brought false statements and tried to beautify them for the laymen until
they followed him. He wrote treatises for them until they believed that
most of the People of Tawhid{7} were blasphemers.
Moreover, Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab called upon the princes of eastern
Arabia and the people of ad-Dar^iyyah{8} to support him. They carried
his doctrine and made this endeavor a means to strengthen and expand
their kingdom. They worked together to suppress the Bedouins of the
deserts until they overcame them and those Bedouins followed them and
became foot-soldiers for them without pay. After that, these masses
started to believe that whoever does not believe in what Ibn
^Abdul-Wahhab said is a blasphemer, and it is Islamically lawful (halal)
to shed his blood and plunder his money.
The matter of Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab started to evidence itself in 1143 A.H.
and began spreading after 1150 A.H. Subsequently, the scholars--even his
brother, Shaykh Sulayman and the rest of his shaykhs-- authored many
treatises to refute him. But Muhammad Ibn Su^ud, the Prince of
ad-Dar^iyyah in eastern Arabia, supported him and worked to spread his
ideology. Ibn Su^ud was from Banu Hanifah, the people of Musaylimah
al-Kadhdhab{9}. When Muhammad Ibn Su^ud died, his son ^Abdul-^Aziz Ibn
Muhammad Ibn Su^ud took over the responsibility of fulfilling the vile
task of spreading the Wahhabi beliefs.
Many of the shaykhs of Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab in al-Madinah used to say, "He
will be misguided, and he will misguide those for whom Allah willed the
misguidance." Things took place as per the speculation of the scholars.
Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab claimed his intention behind the madhhab he invented
was "to purify the tawhid" and "repudiate the shirk." He also claimed
people had been following the shirk for six-hundred years and he revived
their Religion for them!!
Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab took the verses revealed to speak about the
blasphemers and applied them to the Muslims. The following examples from
the Qur’an illustrate this point. Allah, ta^ala, said in Surat al-Ahqaf,
Ayah 5: This verse means: [Who is more astray than the one who performs
supplication (du^a’) to [worship] other than Allah; the one other than
Allah he supplicates to will not answer his du^a’.]
Allah, ta^ala said in Surat Yunus, Ayah 106 :
This
verse means: [Do not perform supplication (du^a’) to [worship] other
than Allah; the one other than Allah you supplicate to will not benefit
you and will not harm you.]
The verses in the Qur’an similar to these ones are numerous. Muhammad
Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab gravely misinterpreted the previously cited verses and
said: "The Muslim who asks help from the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa
sallam, other prophets, or the righteous people (salihun), or who calls
or asks any of them for intercession is like those blasphemers mentioned
in the Qur’an." According to the false claim of Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab, the
Muslims who do these things are blasphemers.
He also considered visiting the grave of Prophet Muhammad and the graves
of other prophets and righteous Muslims for blessings as blasphemy.
Allah revealed Ayah 3 of Surat az-Zumar in reference to the mushrikun:
This
verse means: [Those who worship the idols said: "We do not worship
them except to achieve a higher status from Allah."]
Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab falsely stated: "Those who perform tawassul (asking
Allah by the prophets, for example) are similar to those blasphemers
mentioned in Surat az-Zumar, Ayah 3, who claim they do not worship the
idols except to achieve a higher status from Allah." He said: "The
blasphemers did not believe the idols create anything; they believed
Allah is the Creator." He gave his version of proof from the Qur’an by
citing Surat Luqman, Ayah 25 and Surat az-Zumar, Ayah 38, in which Allah
said: These
verses mean: [If you ask them, ‘Who created the heavens and earth?’
They will say, ‘Allah’.]
In Surat az-Zukhruf, Ayah 87, Allah said:
Which
means: [If you ask them, ‘Who created them?’ They will say, ‘Allah’.]
Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab falsely concluded from these verses that the Muslims
who perform tawassul are similar to those blasphemers.
In their writings to refute Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab's sayings, the
scholars said his deduction was false. The believers did not consider
the prophets or the awliya’ as gods and they did not deem them partners
to Allah. Instead, they correctly believe the prophets and awliya’ are
good slaves and creations of Allah, and they do not deserve to be
worshipped.
The blasphemers intended in these verses believed their idols deserved
Godhood. They exalted them as one would exalt his Creator, even though
they believed the idols did not create the heavens and the earth. The
believers, on the other hand, do not believe the prophets or righteous
Muslims (awliya’) deserve to be worshipped, nor do they deserve to be
attributed with Godhood, nor do they exalt them as one would exalt God.
They believe these people are good slaves of Allah, His beloved ones
whom He chose, and by their blessings (barakah) Allah grants His mercy
to His creation. Hence, when the slaves of Allah seek the blessings
(barakah) of the prophets and righteous Muslims (awliya’) they are
seeking these blessings as a mercy from Allah.
There are many proofs and examples from the Qur’an and Sunnah about this
basic belief of the Muslims. Muslims believe Allah is the Creator, the
One Who grants benefit and inflicts harm, and the only One Who deserves
to be worshipped. Muslims believe that no one other than Allah has the
power to affect the creation. The prophets and righteous people do not
create anything. They do not possess the power to bestow benefit or
inflict harm on others, but Allah is the One Who bestows the mercy upon
the slaves by the righteous Muslims’ blessings.
Hence, the belief of the blasphemers, i.e., the belief their idols
deserve to be worshipped and have Godhood, is what makes them fall into
blasphemy. This saying of the blasphemers, as previously cited in Surat
az-Zumar, Ayah 3, was said in an effort to justify their belief when
they were disproved and shown idols do not deserve to be worshipped.
How can Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab and those who follow him find it permissible
to equate the believers, who believed in tawhid, to those blasphemers,
who believed in the Godhood of the idols? All the previously cited
verses and the verses which are similar to them are specific to the
blasphemers who associate partners with Allah--none of the believers are
included.
Al-Bukhariyy narrated by the route of Ibn ^Umar, may Allah raise their
ranks, that the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, described the
Khawarij as those who took the verses revealed about the blasphemers and
attributed them to the believers! In the narration by the route of Ibn
^Umar the Prophet said:
which
means: <<What I fear most for my nation is a man who mis-explains the
Qur’an and takes it out of context.>> This hadith and the previous
one apply very well to the Wahhabis.
If performing tawassul had been blasphemy, then the believers, i.e.,
the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, his Companions, and the Salaf
and Khalaf of this nation would not have done it. Yet it is mentioned in
the sahih hadith of the Prophet that the Prophet used to ask Allah by
saying:
which
means: <<O Allah, I ask You by the status of those who ask You.{10}
>> Without doubt, this is tawassul. The Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa
sallam, used to teach this supplication (du^a') to his Companions and
order them to say it. This issue was expounded upon in different books
and treatises refuting Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab.
There is a hadith related by al-Hakim that mentions after Adam ate from
the tree, he performed tawassul by our Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa
sallam. He did that, because he saw the name of the Prophet written on
the ^Arsh, Adam said: <<O Allah, by the dignity of this son
[Muhammad], forgive this father [Adam].>>
It was also related by Ibn Hibban, that upon the death of Fatimah Bint
Asad, may Allah raise her rank, the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa
sallam, with his own honorable hands, put her in her grave and said: <<O
Allah, forgive my mother{11}, Fatimah Bint Asad, and widen her
place by the status of Your Prophet and the prophets who came before me.
You are the most Merciful.>>
There is a hadith classified as sahih{12}, that a blind man asked the
Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, to make a supplication (du^a') to
Allah to return his sight. The Prophet ordered him to make ablution
(wudu’) and pray two rak^ahs and then say:
"O Allah, I ask You and direct myself to You by Your Prophet, Muhammad,
the Prophet of Mercy. O Muhammad, I ask Allah by you to fulfill my need.
O Allah, enable him to intercede for me."
The blind man did what the Prophet taught him to do{13} and Allah
brought his sight back. Moreover, as related by at-Tabaraniyy, the
tawassul made by the blind man was used by the Companions and Salaf
after the death of the Prophet.
^Umar Ibn al-Khattab performed the tawassul by al-^Abbas (the uncle of
the Prophet), may Allah reward their deeds, when he prayed the Salah of
’Istisqa’{14} with the people. There are other proofs mentioned in the
books of the Islamic scholars but we will not recount them at length
here.
The one who pursues the saying of the Companions and their followers
will find a great deal of proof about the validity of calling the
prophet by saying "O Muhammad" in his presence as well as in his absence
and in his life as well as after his death. In fact, many texts include
the phrase which means, "O Muhammad". Calling the name of the Prophet,
sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, is permissible. An example is the saying
of the Companion, Bilal Ibn al-Harith, may Allah reward his deeds, when
he went to the grave of the Prophet. He said: "O Messenger of Allah, ask
Allah to send rain to your Nation." His saying contains this format{15}.
Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Sulayman al-Kurdiyy{16} was among the authors who
wrote refuting Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab. He was Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab’s own shaykh.
Among what he said is as follows:
O Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab, I advise you, for the sake of Allah, ta^ala, to
hold your tongue regarding the Muslims. If you hear from anyone who asks
for help from other than Allah that one has the power to effect things
without the Will of Allah, then teach him the right thing about this
issue, and show him the proofs which state no one other than Allah
brings things from non-existence into existence. The one who rejects
that is blasphemous. You have no right to label the majority of the
Muslims as blasphemers{17} while you are deviant from the majority of
the Muslims. In fact, it is more reasonable to consider the one who
deviates from the majority of the Muslims as a blasphemer then to
consider the Muslims as a nation as blasphemers--because the deviant one
has followed a path other than the path of the believers. In Surat
an-Nisa’, Ayah 15, Allah said:
This ayah
means: [Whomever contends with the Messenger after the right path was
exposed to him and follows other than the way of the believers, Allah
will leave him to whatever he followed and put him in Hell (Jahannam)].
Visiting the grave of the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, was
performed by the Companions and the Salaf and Khalaf who came after
them. Many hadiths cite the benefit of this deed and the scholars of
Islam have written books about this matter{18}.
Among of what was mentioned concerning calling on someone other than
Allah, whether that one is present, absent, dead or alive, is the saying
of the Prophet:
which
means: <<If the animal of anyone of you went out of control in the
wilderness, then call: ‘O slaves of Allah, help me’>>, since there
are slaves of Allah [i.e. the angels] who will respond to him.
There is another hadith related by al-Bazzar in which the Prophet said:
which
means: << If one of you lost something or needs help while in an open
land, then let him say: "O slaves of Allah, help me.">>
Another
narration says:
which
means <<Rescue me, because Allah has created slaves whom you do not
see.>>
When traveling at nightfall the Prophet, sallallahu ^alyhi wa sallam,
used to say:
which
means: << O earth, my Lord and your Lord is Allah.>>
When the Prophet visited the grave of Muslims, he used to say:
which
means: << O people of the graves, peace be upon you.>>
In the Tashahhud in as-Salah the Muslim says:
which
means: << "O Prophet of Allah, may Allah protect you from infirmities,
and have mercy and blessings on you.">>
There is no harm in calling on and performing tawassul by someone unless
one believes that someone other than Allah actually creates things.
Hence, as long as one believes that only Allah creates them, there is no
harm in performing tawassul. Likewise, attributing a certain doing to
other than Allah does not harm unless one believes this doer actually
creates. So once it is established the person does not believe the
creating is for other than Allah then attributing a doing to other than
Allah is understood in its proper context. When one says: "This medicine
benefited me," or "This particular righteous Muslim benefited me," he is
merely exposing the created reason of the benefit. These statements are
also similar to when one says: "This food satisfied my hunger," or "This
water quenched my thirst," or "This medicine cured me." When Muslims say
such statements, they understand them in their proper context, i.e.,
food, water, and medicine are only reasons, and Allah is the Creator of
their benefit.
The general proofs mentioned in this summary are enough to refute Ibn
^Abdul-Wahhab. The scholars of Islam have expounded on this issue in
several treatises.
-
Al-Hijaz
refers to the western part of Arabia which includes Makkah and
al-Madinah.
- Al-Haramayn refers to Makkah and al-Madinah.
- Ash-Sham refers to the area that includes Syria, Lebanon,
Jordan, and Palestine.
- Only the first adversity will be presented in this booklet.
- Tawassul is asking Allah for goodness by a prophet, righteous
believer, etc.
- Shirk refers to associating partners to Allah.
- The People of Tawhid refers to the Muslims.
- Ad-Dar^iyyah is a region north of the city of Riyad, Saudi
Arabia.
- Musaylimah al-Kadhdhab was a blasphemous man who claimed the
status of prophethood for himself after the death of Prophet Muhammad.
He was killed by the Muslims during the caliphate of Abu Bakr, may Allah
raise his rank.
- Ibn Majah and others related this hadith and the-Hafidh, Ibn
Hajar, deemed it a strong hadith.
- The Prophet called her ‘my mother’ out of likening her to
his real mother.
- Sixteen hafidhs of hadith classified this hadith as sahih,
including at-Tirmidhiyy, at-Tabaraniyy, al-Bayhaqiyy, as-Subkiyy, among
others.
- It is clear in the narrations of this hadith, the blind man
was not in the session of the Prophet when he did as the Prophet ordered
him.
- Salah of ’Istisqa’ refers to performing a specific prayer
which includes making supplication for rain.
- Al-Bayhaqiyy related this hadith and classified it as Sahih.
- Shaykh Muhammad Ibn Sulaym al-Kurdiyy was the one who wrote
al-Hashiyah on the explanation of Ibn Hajar to the text of Bafadl.
- It is mentioned in a hadith it is easier for the devil to
trick the lonely person who is away from other Muslims. The Prophet,
sallallahu al ^alayhi wa sallam, while encouraging the Muslims to
perform the prayers in congregation said:
which
means: <<Moreover, the wolf will eat the lonely lamb.>>
- Among these hadiths is the one related by ad-Daraqutniyy that
the Prophet said: <<On the Day of Judgment, I will intercede for the one
who visits my grave with the good intention.>>
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