Untitled Document

WAHHÂBISM AND ITS REFUTATION BY THE AHL AS-SUNNA (II)

Muhammad­ ibn­ ’Abd­ al- Wahhâb’s­ ideas­ imbued­ villagers,­ the­ inhabitants­ of­ Dar’iyya­ and their ­chief,­ Muhammad­ ibn­ Su’ûd.­ People ­who­ accepted­ his­ ideas, which ­he­ termed­Wahhâbiyya, ­are ­called­ Wahhâbîs ­or ­Najdîs. ­They increased­ in­ number,­ and­ he­ imposed­ himself­ as­ the­ qâdî­ and Muhammad­ ibn­ Su’ûd­ as­ the­ amîr­ (ruler).­ He­ declared­ it­ as­ a­ law that ­only ­their­ own­ descendants ­should­ succeed ­them.

Muhammad’s­ father,­’Abd­al-Wahhâb,­ who­ was­ a­ pious­ Muslim and­ a­ scholar ­of ­Medina, ­apprehended ­from­ Ibn­’Abd­al-Wahhâb’s words­ that­ he­ would­ start­ an­ eccentric­ movement­ and­ advised everybody­ not ­to ­talk ­with ­him. ­But ­he ­proclaimed­ Wahhâbism ­in 1150­ [1737­ A.D.].­ He­ spoke­ ill­ of­ the­ ijtihâds­ of­ the­ ’ulamâ’­ of Islam.­ He ­went ­so­ far­as ­to ­call ­the­ Ahl­as-Sunna­ “disbelievers.” ­He said­ that­ he­ who­ visited­ the­ shrine­ of­ a­ Prophet­ or­ of­ a­ Walî­ and addressed ­him ­as­ “Yâ ­Nabî-Allâh!”­(O­ Allah’s­ Prophet) ­or ­as,­“Yâ ’Abd­al-Qâdir!”­would­ become­ a­polytheist­ (mushrik).

The­ real­ owner­ of ­man­ is­ Allâhu­ ta’âlâ. ­The­ 257th ­âyat ­of ­the Sûrat­ al-Baqara­ states­ this­ openly:­ “Allâhu ta’âlâ is the Walî (Protector,­ Guardian)­ of those who believe.” And­ by­ saying, “Allâhu ta’âlâ and His Prophet ‘’alaihis-salâm’­ are your walîs,” and­ “The Prophet protects the Believers more than they protect themselves,”  in­ the ­56th ­and­ 6th ­âyats­of­ Sûra s­al-Mâ’ida ­and­ al- Ahzâb,­ respectively,­ He­ means­ that­ man,­ too,­ although symbolically,­ is­ a­ walî.­ Similarly,­ the­ real­ helper­ is­ Allâhu­ ta’âlâ, and­ He ­also­ calls­men­ ‘mu’în’ ­(helper)­ metaphorically. ­He­ says ­in the­ third­ âyat­ of­ the­ Sûrat­ al-Mâ’ida:­ “Help one another in goodness and piety (taqwâ).” Wahhâbîs ­use ­the­ word­ ‘mushrik’ (polytheist)­ for­ Muslims­ who­ call­ somebody­ an­ ’abd­ (servant, slave)­ of­ someone­ other­ than­ Allâhu­ ta’âlâ,­ for­ example,­ ‘’Abd an-Nabî’­ or­ ‘’Abd­ ar-Rasûl’;­ however,­ in­ the­ 32nd­ âyat­ of­ Sûrat an-Nûr,­ it ­is­ declared:­ “Give in marriage your unmarried women and those pious ones among your slaves and female slaves.” The Real­ Rabb­ (Trainer)­ of­ men­ is­ Allâhu­ ta’âlâ,­ but­ someone­ else can­ also­ be­ called­ ‘rabb’­ metaphorically;­ in­ the­ 42nd­ âyat­ of­ the Sûrat­ Yûsuf­ is ­said ,­ “Mention me in the presence of your rabb.”