Indeed Shaikh Muhammah ibn abdul Wahhab (rahimahu'Allah) was a great man, a man with a mission and with vision. He gave all his life for reformation of the Ummah and calling people back to monotheism that was lost in the practices of polytheism.
Shaikh Muhammad Ibn-'Abd-Al- Wahh'ab (1703 - 1792) And Wahh'abism:
Historical Justice Needed
The eighteenth century was an era of Western colonial expansionism. The entire Muslim World was groaning under the iron heels of the European colonialists. The mighty Ottoman Empire was heading towards a collapse. Muslim society suffered from superstitions, pagan practices, heretical innovations and apostatical leanings. The concept of pure and uncompromising Tawhid (monotheism) got mixed up with polytheism. Hijaz, the land of two sanctuaries of Islam, was no exception. The whole of the Arabian Peninsula was under the grip of superstitions and Jahiliya practices. Najd, the central part of the Peninsula, had also lapsed into pre-Islamic heathenism. Despite such a gloomy picture, the reformative impulse was always active and operational.
Religio-Cultural And Political Milieu Of Najd Before The Shaikh
Bedouin Arabia had slipped into ignorance, barbarism, bloodletting, discord and corruption. Religion was perverted and the socioeconomic and cultural life was paralysed. Few God-fearing 'Ulama' were combating the heathen beliefs and practices, such as stone, tree and grave worship. The state of affairs in Najd was awful:
"... They called upon idols and sought their intercession and aid, offered sacrifices to stones and rocks and trees in the belief that these possess the power to bring good and ward off evil, and so people sought their pleasure and approbation through
offerings .....” (Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhaab; Ahmad Abdul Ghafur)
The Najdians used to consult the soothsayers and oracles as if they were the successors of Al-Ablak al-Saadi, the famous oracle of pagan Najd. It resembled the practices of the Quraish before Islam. The life of Bedouins in the desert of Najd, as well as in its cities and villages, were characterised by lawlessness, bestiality, mad and brute freedom which was bound to let the society loose in ignorance, wickedness and political tyranny of the Amirs and Governors.
Bedouins assaulted the travellers and caravans and killed innocent men and women. Assassins fell upon villages and towns during day and night. They would plunder towns, kill and enslave people and kidnap children and infants to sell them into slavery. Since there was no strong ruler to ensure peace and security and since petty states were ruled by absolute tyrants, devoid of Islamic spirit, public safety was non-existent. The devilish and wicked rulers and leaders hired criminals to kill the 'Ulama' who were preaching the truth of Islam or were frightening the people with the punishments of the Hereafter. The 'Ulama', judges, notables, preachers and guides of Al-Kasim were killed in 1196 A.H., without discrimination. A conference was convened by the criminals to decide the fate of all those who preached reform. The unanimous decision of the conference was:
"... to get rid of the 'Ulama' by murder and every town and village would slay its 'Ulama' in a single day ... "
Thus on the specified day the 'Ulama'and learned men in every town and village were killed. It was on Friday that the 'Ulama' of Al-Khabra, and Al-Janah were slain when they were going to the mosque for their Friday prayers. Other towns and villages followed Suit.
Shaikh Husain ibn-Ghannam has recorded numerous tragedies of a similar nature in his famous book 'Rawdat al-Afkar wal-Afham' which mirrors the contemporary life in Najd. He shows how the Najdians had slipped into polytheism and heathenism and worshipped deities other than Allah, "calling them for protection in distress and invoking them to provide sustenance, and ward off evil and bring good". There was a general belief that certain shrines, domes, stones and trees possessed the power to harm and protect people. The famous palm tree called "al-Fahhal" in Bleida was worshipped by men and women who would call on it to provide sustenance, lighten their distress and cure their sicknesses. The women would invoke its help and ask it to give her a husband or a child. The tree of 'Tarjiya' was worshipped in the same way. The women begetting a male child would hang a rope or a piece of cloth on the tree, asking it to grant a long life to the child. The branches, leaves and stems of the tree was not visible because they were covered by piles of ropes and pieces of cloth. The cave, situated in the hill of Dar'iya, was the centre of pilgrimage. It was claimed that the cave was the grave of the daughter of a Prince. She was a great female saint. People invoked her for aid. (Ibid)
"The story was invented by a deceiver to lead people astray and to extort money through jugglery" (Ibid)
Similarly, a blind man was being worshipped after his death. To him was attributed great Karamat. There was hardly a city where tombs and graves were not worshipped. Special mosques were venerated and visited as objects of pilgrimage. People invoked succour and offered sacrifices on them. Islam as religion was forsaken and its teachings forgotten.
The Amirs and rulers, being totally ignorant of the laws of Allah, were blinded by lust, prejudices and mad impulses, slaying people without reason, and plundering their houses and lands. Wars were rampant among the tribal chiefs and Amirs who would enslave women and sell them for adultery. The savage bestiality swayed supreme. The two families, comparatively better in administering justice, were the rulers of Dar'iya and 'Uyaina. The former was ruled by the Sa'ud family while the latter was under the rule of the family of Muammar. They were religiously orientated. Other parts of the country were governed by tyrants and despots. Riad was ruled by Daham ibn-Dawas, a tyrant and hypocrite of the first order, who would sew the mouths of women, cut the tongues of innocent people, break their teeth and slash flesh from their bodies and force them to eat their own flesh after being roasted. He was a peerless brute, whose sports was nothing but pillage, plunder and aggression.
The economic life was as corrupt as was the religio-cultural life. Piracy and plunder had paralysed the trade routes and liquidated the import and export of merchandise. Agriculture perished due to the extortion of the tyrant rulers who would burn standing crops. Thus anarchy and famine prevailed, raiding, robbery and murders continued, and lust and ambitions swayed supreme. Moral and educational life was almost non-existent. Righteous 'Ulama' were resented and reformists were slain
The Advent Of The Shaikh:
It was in the background of such pitch darkness that Shaikh Muhammad ibn-'Abd-al-Wahhab appeared on the scene and started his Da'wa work. He was full of hope and promise and dispelled the clouds of gloom and frustration that had engulfed the souls of people. He revived the concept of pure Tawhid (monotheism) and called people to return to pristine Islam - the Quran and the Sunna. He launched his movement with full vigour and resolved to cut the roots of heathenism, superstitions and heretical innovations with the sharp scissor of Tawhid. Ruthless battles with the formidable adversaries had to follow and migration and persecutions were in store for the Shaikh. Had there been no protection of Allah descending on the Shaikh, he would have perished.
The rise of the Tawhid Movement, threatened the rulers politically and the 'Ulamaa` as-Su`’ (evil-minded religious scholars), religiously. The Ottoman Empire got frightened and hastened to liquidate the movement through military operations. 'Ibrahim Pasha, the son of Muhammad 'Ali, the Turkish governor of Egypt, was sent to crush the movement which he did in April 1818, when Dar'iya was raised to the ground and men and women, old and young and infants were slain. Amir 'Abd-Allah, the Sa'udi ruler of Dar'iya, was arrested and sent to Turkey via Egypt, where he was executed at the Aya Sofia Square with humiliation. His companions were also executed in Turkey.
A Profile Of The Shaikh:
The Shaikh, who descended from a noble family - the Musharraf - a branch of Banu-Tamim, was born in 1703/1115 in the family of learned 'Ulama'. His father 'Abd-al-Wahhab himself was a great Jurist, 'Alim and a chief Qadi (Judge) of Dar'iya. He personally taught his son all the sciences of Islamic learning. He learnt the Qur'aan by heart while still a child. His brilliance and good memory helped him to cut short the years of study. By the age of twenty, he excelled all the 'Ulama' of his town. Since his movement involved his whole family in open hostility leading to the use of force by the adversaries, his father had to migrate in 1139 from 'Uyaina to Huraimila, along with his family. The Shaikh resolved to stay behind and promote his Da'wa. The 'Ulamaa` as-Su`’ started refuting him and instigated people to rise against him, ridicule, abuse and insult him. The opposition reached such a passe that the Shaikh had to migrate from his hometown 'Uyaina', so that the fire of discord kindled by the opponents, could be extinguished. He went to Mecca and Madina for higher education and for the promotion of his mission. Many 'Ulama' in Mecca and Madina supported his Da'wa. He studied under the 'Ulama' of Madina, especially under Shaikh Ibn-Saif who initiated him to study Imaam Ahmad ibn-Hanbal, and the Sihah Sitta, the six famous compilations of Hadith. The Shaikh launched his Da'wa in the holy cities which were also under the grip of un-Islamic practices. One day he was shocked when he saw painful scenes in front of the tomb of the Holy Prophet (SAW), and he decided to emancipate people from acts which were forbidden even by the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) himself. After having finished his education in Madina he returned to Najd and survived the ordeals that he had to face during the course of his journey from Madina to Najd via Basra, az-Zubair and al-Ahsa. He reached Huraimila where his parents lived. His father pledged his support, help and protection to the son and encouraged him to carry on with his call. The 'Ulama' of Huraimila rose against the Shaikh and instigated the rank and file to stiffen their resistance to his call and murder the Shaikh.
The Shaikh left his parents and reached 'Uyaina where he was welcomed by the Amir, 'Uthman-ibn-Mu'ammar, who lent all his support to the Shaikh and gave the daughter of 'Abd-Allah ibn-Mu'ammar into his marriage. The matrimonial relations helped the Shaikh in the promotion of his Da'wa. Now people of 'Uyaina, in addition to people of Huraimila, Riad and Dar'iya also joined the Shaikh in his noble mission.
The Da'wa In Action:
The Shaikh started teaching people the Qur’aan, and Hadith and the concept of Tawhid and invited them to return to pristine Islam and renounce the idolatrous cult. The first acid test of public faith appeared when the Shaikh invited them to pull down the gigantic sacred tree at 'Uyaina and to demolish the idols that were worshipped by them. People were scared to do so because they feared that some divine curse would befall them soon after the act was committed. The tree was, however, pulled down and the idols were removed. People's faith was strengthened in the call of the Shaikh when no curse descended upon them after the tree was cut off. They were spellbound with amazement.
There was still another test to follow, namely, the demolition of the dome from the tomb of a grave, which was ascribed to Zaid ibn-al-Khattab, situated at Gubaila. Scholars do hold that the said grave has not yet been located by archaeologists. The supposed grave was a centre of pilgrimage, where people committed idolatrous acts. It was, however, demolished in the presence of the ruler of 'Uyaina. The tomb was a means of earning a living. The ruler himself took part in its demolition. People were now more scared of divine afflictions and chastisement of the town that had to follow after such acts of desecration. But their faith was further strengthened when they saw that no affliction descended on them from the heavens. Consequently, people followed the call of the Shaikh in large numbers. 'Uyaina and its suburbs were cleared from such trees, stones and domes.
The news of the success of the Shaikh and of the support given to him by the ruler of 'Uyaina alarmed other tyrant rulers who were afraid of losing their political power. The rulers of Najd and Al-Ahsa' made an alliance to destroy the movement as soon as possible. The ruler of Al-Ahsa' asked the Amir of 'Uyaina to suspend his support and present himself to Al-Ahsa', which he did not comply with. The ruler of Al-Ahsa' stirred a revolt against the Shaikh in order to expel him from 'Uyaina. He succeeded in doing so. The Shaikh left his hometown and reached Dar'iya, which was destined to become the cradle of the immortal Tawhid movement. Ibn-Sa'ud, the Amir of Dar'iya, lent his full support to the Da'wa of the Shaikh and protected and promoted the call. The town and its people were now transformed from darkness unto light and from ignorance to knowledge. The Shaikh gave lessons in the Holy Book, the Hadith and other Islamic 'Ulum in the famous hall Dar-an-Nadwa'. Mosques were filled with the youth. The envious 'Ulamd' could not see the scene and branded the Shaikh as soothsayer, sorcerer and false pretender and charged him with trickery and charlatanry. Some of them charged him of being a heretic, an unbeliever and a lying sorcerer. The Shaikh, however, exercised maximum forbearance for his sufferings at the hands of the clergy and the laity and endured the mischief they inflicted upon him. He simply prayed to Allah for the guidance of the opponents. Forbearance and fortitude became the elements of his sterling character and pattern of behaviour.
An unholy alliance, against the Shaikh, was made between the rulers of Riad, Al-Katif and Basra. The 'Ulamaa` as-Su`’ joined them. The most determined and vehement enemies of the call were the Ulama' of Najd. Muhammad ibn-Sahim and his son Ibrahim were among them. Daham ibn-Dawas, the Amirr of Riad, and Sulaiman, the Amir of Al-Ahsa', the absolute tyrants, launched their offensive and militant crusades against the Da'wa. The war between Daham, the ruler of Riad and Ibn-Sa'ud, the ruler of Dar'iya, who was the protector of the Da'wa of Tawhid, raged for about twenty seven years, but to no avail. The Amir of Al-Ahsa', another sworn enemy of the Shaikh, approached various tribes to join him. Their combined armies swarmed the plains and heights of the desert as never witnessed before. The tribes had joined him in lure of plunder and booty. They unleashed their tyrannies, by killing the followers of the Shaikh. In 1188, he destroyed their towns, and burnt their homes. He wanted to march on Dar'iya but his sudden death in 1188 stopped him from his brute ambitions and after his death the opposition could not survive any more.
The failures and discomfiture of the opponents became a source of strength to the Shaikh and his Da'wa and helped him to gain more adherents. The call reached the soil of Iraq, Syria and Hijaz. The call survived and brought radical transformation in the religious, intellectual and political life of the Umma. Now the 'Ulama' were divided into two camps, those who supported the Da'wa and those who opposed it vehemently.
The Wahhabi-Sa'udi Rule:
Since there was no separation between religion and state in Islam and since the state was supposed to enforce the laws of Islam as ordained by Divine Revelation and the Hadith, the Sa'udi rulers of Dar'iya, accepted the call of the Shaikh in letter and spirit and the new state was in fact a Wahhabi-Sa'udi State, promoting justice, truth, righteousness and happiness for the people. The Shaikh himself did not assume any power. He merely motivated the Sa'udi rulers to enforce canonical law and guided them towards Islamic justice. He gave his judgements in disputes in regard to religio-political conflicts or treaties signed between States. He worked both as a religio-social reformer as well as a political leader with vision, insight and acumen. He did not live in isolation from the society or political affairs of the state. The Shaikh and Ibn-Sa'ud acted in perfect harmony because they were on the same wave length of ideas.The harmony reached to such an extent that the Sa'udi rulers could not decide anything without consulting the Shaikh. Even his decisions on war and peace were accepted by the rulers. Thus the government of Dar'iya - was the first Islamic state in the eighteenth century - that was run jointly by the Sa'udi and Wahhabi" leaders.
The Da'wa of the Shaikh succeeded so rapidly because it had a political power and executive authority at its back. Despite hostile assaults, wars for decades, the Da'wa emerged triumphant and the Shaikh saw the fruits of his sacrifice during his own lifetime. The Shaikh, who started his Tawhi'd movement when he was only twenty years old or even less, was happy at heart for he had established the Islamic commonwealth at Dar'iya and had restored the Islamic life-style. After having achieved his mission, the Shaikh surrendered himself to the call of his Creator and passed away in 1792/1206. The news of his demise engulfed the souls of Muslims with sadness, sorrow and grief. Great 'Ulama' mourned the demise in elegiac odes. His message, however, reached Asia, Africa and Europe. One can see the hands of the Shaikh moving in the present resurgence of Islam throughout the Muslim World. It is, however, the saddest episode in the history of Islamic movement that the same Sa'udis who had promoted the call in the beginning have forgotten it today and have slipped into luxuries and are entrapped into the cobwebs of the Superpowers.
Militant Crusade Launched By The 'Ulama':
The 'Ulama', as alluded to repeatedly, constituted a united front in exciting the states and the public against the Shaikh. Since the Shaikh did not believe in verbal exhortation and guidance and since he was a political positivist, and took part in battles along with Ibn- Sa'ud, he was suspected, disliked and disowned by the 'Ulama' who had accepted gladly the divorce between religion and politics or the state. The Shaikh believed that Islam needed political authority in order to uphold and support the commandments of the Qur’aan and the Sunna. The Shaikh neither introduced any new doctrine nor invented a new creed in Islam. Revival of the concept of Tawhid and renunciation of heathen practices was the core of his call. Scholastic
Disputes Disowned:
Despite insurmountable obstacles blocking the way as fetters on his movement, he clung fast to the Qur’aan and the Sunna. He died as a poor man. The great Imaams of Islam, such as Imaam Ahmad ibn Hanbal of Madina, Imaam Ibn-Taimiya and Imaam ibn-Qayyim al-Jawzi, served as inspirational sources for him in the field of reform and reconstruction of the Muslim society which had relapsed into heathenism and had drifted rapidly from its pristine origins. The Shaikh adopted the Qur'anic method in proving and reviving the concept of Tawhid and rejected the scholastic methodology of Greek logic and dialectics that were adopted by some Muslim scholastic theologians (Mutakallimin). Revelation and not logic or empiricism, according to him was the sole guide in metaphysical affairs ('Ilm al-Ilahiyat). He believed that the method of the Qur’aan in regard to the assertion or negation of metaphysical issues and in arguing with disbelievers and sceptics was enough for the defence of the Islamic standpoint. Greek logic or dialectics aimed merely at defeating the opponents, rightly or wrongly, through false wrangling. The method adopted by him in proving the existence of God and His indivisible Unity was purely Qur'aanic. The reply given by him to Shaikh Ibn Sahim, is self-explanatory. Questions related to the Being or the Nature of God, (Zat and Sifat) such as, whether God is a substance, a body or an accident, were debated by the philosophers and scholastic theologians. Imaam Ahmad ibn-Hanbal argued that the Qur’aan and the Sunna, rather than logic and speculative philosophy of the Greeks, were the sole guides for the Muslims in this regard.
The same view was endorsed by the Shaikh. Since scholastic theologians were not the real 'Ulama' of Islam, they had introduced erroneous doctrines that were based on Greek rationalism. They were disowned and denounced by all classical 'Ulama' of Islam. The Shaikh answered the queries that were made by Shaikh 'Abd-al-Latif of Al-Ahsa' in the same strain. He was well aware of the Ahadith in which the Holy Prophet (SAW) had warned the Muslim Umma not to get involved in speculative conjectures in regard to metaphysical issues, such as the essence of and attributes of God, (Zat and Sifat of Allah), predestination and the like, for previous nations lost their way due to such futile discourses; the Muslim Ummah had to follow as it was commanded by the Qur’aan and the Ahaadith. Muslims were dissuaded from discussing topics of no avail. The companions of the Prophet (SAW) followed the course prescribed by the Holy Prophet. The Shaikh followed the Ahaadith in letter and spirit and attacked the Mutakallimin who were ignorant of the evil consequences of 'Ilm al-Kalam and advised them to follow the path laid down by the Holy Prophet.
Waves Of Allegations:
Despite such orthodox faith in the Qurdn and Hadith, the Shaikh was branded by the 'Ulama' as an unbeliever, who regarded all Muslims as infidels, save his own followers. It was alleged that he did not believe in reciting Darood and Salaam on the Prophet and prevented people from doing so. Moreover, he prevented them from visiting the mausoleum of the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.). All such charges were refuted by the Shaikh in his books, letters and discourses.
His response to the queries made by Shaikh 'Abd-ar-Rahman as-Suwaidi of Iraq, is illuminating. He asserted that he neither regarded any Muslim as apostate nor condemned their marriages as invalid. Neither had he ever thought of pulling down the dome of the Holy Prophet, nor to bring any change in the Kaba. These, he asserted, were blatant lies. He, however, advised people to read the Qur’aan instead of books like Dalaa'il al-Khairat. A similar reply was sent to 'Abd-Allah ibn-Sahim in response to his twelve questions addressed to the Shaikh. He rejected the allegation that he was at war with the 'Ulama'. On the contrary, he invited people to follow the rightly guided 'Ulama' of Islam. The domes that were demolished were not the result of desecration of holy shrines but because they were converted into centres of corruption and above all money-making complexes, which corrupted and enfeebled the faith (Aqaaid) of people. The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.) was the first to dismantle the centres of idolatry and priesthood and to ask people to turn to Allah alone and ask Him for Bounties or Favours instead of asking the stones and idols. His mission was, the Shaikh asserted, the revival of the same message. But no amount of explanation could satisfy the 'Ulama' who framed new stories and coined new phrases. It was alleged that Wahhabism and the sword go together and they were inseparable. Thus lies were ascribed to the Shaikh and his Tawhid movement, every now and then. He was intensely detested by the 'Ulama'. His statements and writings were tampered with in order to deceive the innocent public, who were the victims of 'Ulamaa` as-Su`’.
Examples of the Prophet were followed by the Shaikh. The Holy Prophet himself had ordered the pulling down of a tree called 'Dhat Anwat', on which polytheists used to hang their arms and worship it. This analogy did not convince the theologians who charged the Shaikh of disrespecting the Holy Prophet. The truth is that the Shaikh rarely mentioned the name of the Holy Prophet without having recited the Darood and Salam on him.
The 'Ulama' who ignited both the rulers and the public were in fact, court-'Ulama', patronised by the rulers and Amirs. They were afraid of losing face in the public if people were acquainted with the truth of the Tawhid movement, the most powerful emancipating and liberating force from all earthly bondages and mundane loyalties. Consequently, they sowed the seed of discord among the Muslims, instilled hatred and hostility in their hearts against the Da'wa of the Shaikh. The passions of the public, stirred by the 'Ulama' rose so high that they were ready to assassinate the Shaikh. The Sharif of Mecca - Ghalib ibn-Sa'id (1204), hastened to ask 'Abd-al-Aziz-ibn-Sa'ud, the Amir of Dar'iya to send to him some of the learned Wahhabi 'Ulama' in order to clear the mist of mistrust and suspicions befogging the climate about the credentials of the movement. The son of the Shaikh was sent to Mecca with a special message from the Shaikh which is worth reading.
It was also alleged that the Shaikh was very harsh in his Da'wa works. The fact is that the Shaikh in his 'Sadir', advised his followers to be kind, and patient in Da'wa work. He cannot be held responsible for the harshness of some of his followers who were prone to such behaviour due to their Bedouin temperament. The Shaikh explained his views in regard to intercession and made it clear that he believed in the intercession of the Holy Prophet on the Day of Resurrection. Authentic books, such as 'Al-Tawassul wal-Wasila' by Ibn-Taimiya and 'Ad-Dur an-Nadir'by Imaam Shawkaani, were also cited by him. He finally quoted the Qur'anic verse: "... Those whom you call on, themselves desire nearness to Allah, which of them shall be nearer to Allah.”
He further explained the Qur'anic injunctions in which Allah says that all intercessions belonged to Him and He alone will grant permission for intercessions. The Holy Prophet was granted the right to intercede. The chapter on intercession in his "Kitab at-Tawhid' is quite elaborate. Ibn-Taimiya had divided intercession into six categories. The Shaikh also discussed the visit to the graves in the light of Ahadith. Ibn-Qayyim made an express statement in the following words: "Among evil practices are using them (tombs) as religious festivals, performing prayers in them, walking round them, kissing them and touching them, rubbing the face against the dust, worshipping persons buried in them, making supplication to them and calling on them for sustenance, health, repayment of debts, alleviation of distress, aid to the needy, and other things such as idolaters used to ask their idols"
Ibn-Taimiya, in his 'Al-Tawassul wal-Wasila' wrote that: “Numerous are the traditions telling that the Prophet forbade using tombs as mosques and cursed anyone who does so, and forbade using his grave as a religious festival, for polytheism first started among the people of Noah.”
The Shaikh was not different in his message from those of Ibn-Qayyim or Ibn-Taimiya.
From Hostility To Compromise:
The mighty forces rallied against Wahhabism, in and outside of the Arabian Peninsula, could no longer afford to battle against it, either through the pen or the swords. They had to seek compromise and accommodation. The British had already exploited and abused the term of Wahhabism, in order to divide Muslims and rule over them. They had hired religious scholarship in order to produce books against the movement. Syed Ahmad Shahid of Baraili and his movement were branded as Wahhabi movements in the Indo-Pak Subcontinent and gave a brutal blow to his Jihad movements in Balakot in 1831. The Turkish Khilafat, already cracking down, used the term as a source of hate in the Arab and non-Arab world and smeared its good name. They also hired such 'Ulama' who could issue religious decrees of infidelity (Fatwa of Kufr). It was propagated that Wahhabism was a movement of assassins and of unbelievers.
The offensive tides started receding only when progressive 'Ulama' and theologians began to write articles on the movement and evaluated the Shaikh as a great religious reformer and political leader that the eighteenth century had produced. They defended the movement and attacked the Arab rulers who had liquidated it in their countries. Muhammad Kurd 'Ali, a renowned Syrian scholar, wrote his famous article entitled "The Origins of Wahhabism" in the monthly 'Al-Muqtattaf' in 1901/1318, reproduced in his book entitled 'The Old and The New', printed in Egypt in 1925/1343. The movement was favourably evaluated and false accusations were dismissed. Dr. Taha Husain, a well known Egyptian scholar and stylist, changed the climate when he evaluated the movement highly and wrote an article in 'Al-Hilal' in March 1933, about the literary life in the Arabian Peninsula. He rejected the views of Al-Azhar about the Shaikh, and regarded the movement as a great Islamic movement in the Middle East, which liberated the Arabian Peninsula from heathenism and emancipated them from Jahiliyya practices and brought the Bedouins back into Islam, as the Holy Prophet had done in his own time. He concluded by saying: "Had the Turks and Egyptians not made common cause to combat this doctrine and did not combat it in its homeland with force and arm, never known before to the people of the desert, it would have been very probable that this doctrine could have united the Arabs in the twelfth and the thirteenth centuries, just as the advent of Islam had united them in the first century. It awakened the Arab soul and presented it with the lofty ideal it loved."
These statements captured the imagination of the Arab youth who were enchanted with the magical prose style of Taha Husain (1889 - 1973). They were emancipated from both hate and hostility towards Wahhabism, that they had inherited from their elders. 'Abbas Mahmud al-'Aqqad, (1882 - 1964), Muhammad Abduh (d. 1905), Rashid Rida and Ahmad Amin rejected the prejudiced approach and regarded it as a great Islamic movement in the eighteenth century.
The impact of the movement reached beyond the confines of the Arabian Peninsula. The whole of the Islamic World, whether in Asia, Africa or Europe, was influenced by its reform movements. Al-‘Aqqad remarked that the Hajj pilgrims imported the revolutionary message to Iraq, Sudan, India and other distant parts of the world, such as China, Java, Indonesia and Africa. The African leaders, such as Ahmad Bello of Nigeria, killed in 1966 for his Islamic commitment and reform impulse, was influenced by the movement. The Shaikh can be bracketted along with Shah Wali-AllAh, Jamal ad-Din al-Afghani, and Syed Ahmad Shahid of Baraili.
Continued ...
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. Scholars such as Ibn Taymiyyah (rahimahullah), Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahab (rahimahullah) were simply instructing people to worship Allah properly and know the real Aqeedah. As such, they were revivers of the Deen.