Biography of Imam Muhammad bin Abdulwahhab

Usually, the Ottomans and their palace scholars are regarded as the greatest eighteenth-century reformers of Islam. But this is not true, for that rank belongs to none other than Muhammad bin Abdulwahhab al-Tamimi, may Allah show His mercy on him. He was a great scholar and mujaddid (reformer) as well as a person who respected the art of Tasawwuf or Sufism. Imam Muhammad was hated by most people of his time, especially the Ash'aris and Maturidis, because he fought against the innovations of his time. Many have slandered him, and many still do today. Oh Allah, guide all those slanderers away from their misguidance!

The Imam was born in the year 1703 AD/1115 H, in the village of 'Uyaynah located within Najd. His father was his first teacher, and he was brought up in a very righteous manner. He learned to recite the Qur'an at a very early age, and he acquired Islamic knowledge at the hands of his father, who was not only a religious teacher, but also one of the noble Fuqaha (jurists) of Al-Yamamah region, and a prominent Qadi (judge). Once Imam Muhammad had reached puberty, he travelled to Makkah and Madinah to learn more and study under the various noble and respected scholars of Islam. He had studied under many scholars, not many have been recorded in the books of history and biography.

In Madinah, Imam Muhammad bin Abdulwahhab studied under the noble Muhammad Hayyat al-Sindhi. Despite being a Maturidi, Al-Sindhi had been educated with the teachings of Ibrahim al-Kurani, one of the greatest Athari-Sufi masters. Al-Sindhi was also one of the few reformists amongst the tariqah of the Naqshbandiyya. How the Imam learnt about the Sunnah, and the flattening of graves, the oppositions towards excessive saint venerations, was through none other than Al-Sindhi. Imam Muhammad bin Abdulwahhab then studied under Shaykh Abdullah ibn Ibrahim al-Najdi, a prominent authority of the Hanbali school of thought back then. The Imam moved to Basrah in Iraq later on to further his education.

Once he had gained enough knowledge, Imam Muhammad bin Abdulwahhab started his Da'wah at Basrah. He was accompanied by a famous Shaykh, Muhammad al-Majmu'i. However, there were misguided scholars in Basra who rebelled against him after losing a debate with him. He along with his companion Shaykh were harmed by these people. So they moved to other parts of Iraq, and eventually Imam Muhammad reached Al-Ahsa where he discussed matters of religion with local scholars. He then travelled to Huraymila, where he accompanied his father, the Qadi. But after the death of his father in 1740 AD/1153 H, some of the people of his town began to experience resentment for him, because he urged the rulers to inflict Ta'zir (discretionary punishment) on robbers and muggers. When those wicked people learned that the Shaykh was urging rulers to punish them and curb their evil ways, they became enraged and tried to kill him. They even attempted to climb into his house, but Allah saved him. 

Imam Muhammad was thus forced to move to another town, and he moved to 'Uyaynah, where he was welcomed by the governor, Uthman ibn Muammar. Ibn Muammar was very supportive of him and his efforts to enjoin the good and forbid evil. Imam Muhammad worked as a religious teacher at 'Uyaynah. Eventually, he became so famous, people were attracted to his teachings, and more people were guided to a better path. 

One day, the Imam met with Ibn Muammar, and asked him to remove the tombs of Sahabah that were located at 'Aqrabah. Ibn Muammar hesitated at first, as he was afraid of potential rebellion, but the Imam convinced him that nothing would happen, and he was doing this for Allah and to eliminate shirk from the land. The governor and the Imam agreed on the plan, and they marched to 'Aqrabah. Imam Muhammad was fortunate enough to have the experience of demolishing the shrines built over the graves of Zayd ibn al-Khattab and Dirar ibn al-Azwar, may Allah be pleased with Them. Following this, several caves that the ignorant locals worshipped were destroyed.

However, Imam Muhammad bin Abdulwahhab was later forced to leave 'Uyaynah because of a threat against his life and Ibn Muammar's. The Imam reached Diriyah where he was welcomed by the ruler of its Emirate, Muhammad ibn Saud al-Muqrin. He was righteous ruler with a keen interest in enjoining good and forbidding evil. Both men pledged to protect each other, and the Imam promised to stay in Diriyah. His stay in Diriyah proved beneficial to locals, whom flocked to his school and house to learn more from him. The Imam gave his lectures about Hadith, fiqh and Tafsir in Diriyah. He was well-respected in the land of Diriyah, indeed.

Imam Muhammad bin Abdulwahhab fell into a severe illness at the old age of eighty-eight, and he was bedridden. He eventually passed away in the year 1792 AD/1206 H. The burial was done in secret, in an unmarked grave, said to be somewhere in At-Turayf. This way, his body would not be exhumed by angry innovators, not would fanatics build a shrine or even a mosque over his grave.

A common misconception about him is that he rejected Tawassuf and hated Sufism. This is in fact an untrue statement. In the Imam's treatise, Arb'at Qawa'id Tadur al-Ahkam Alayha, he says, “You, may Allah show mercy on you, should know, that religion revolves around these four sentences, in spite of their brevity; this is regardless of whether the speaker is speaking regarding the science of tafsir, the science of usul (principles of fiqh), the science of the deeds of the heart, which is known as Ilm al-Suluk, the science of hadith, the science of that which is permissible and impermissible and ahkam which is known as the science of fiqh, or regarding the knowledge of the rewards and punishments that aspire from good and bad deeds.” (2/4) He added in Mu'allafat al-Imam al-Shaykh Muhammad bin Abdulwahhab, “His love itself is the basis of His worship, and assigning equals shirk in love is the basis of polytheism in His worship. These are those who resemble the Christians; in them is a form of polytheism of the type that the Christians possess.

This is why the 'arif Sufi shaykhs would advise many to pursue knowledge. Some of them would say: “A person only leaves a single Sunnah due to the pride in him.”

It is like the saying: Indeed, when he does not follow that which the Prophet ﷺ brought, then he is pursuing his carnal desires without any guidance from Allah. This is the mode of living of the carnal desires (nafs) and a form of pride, for indeed it is a branch from the sayings of those who said: “We shall only bring faith if we are given the likes of that which was given to the Messengers of Allah.” (appendix, 24) As you can see, Imam Muhammad bin Abdulwahhab did not reject Tawassuf except for the so-called Sufism which was performed by innovators.

May Allah have mercy on Imam Muhammad bin Abdulwahhab and his family.

The heresies of Ibn Arabi

The controversial figure Abu Abdullah ibn Arabi al-Hatimi, better known as Ibn Arabi (1165-1240 AD/560-638 H) is nowadays regarded as a so-called “Shaykhul Akbar.” Additionally, he is also known as “Muhyi ad-Din” which means “one who revives the faith.” I can assure you, he did not revive the faith of Islam, much rather, he revived the faith of pantheism. In fact, he was refuted and disliked by many scholars of Islam, and even the Ash'airah were not huge fans of him.

Ibn Arabi was the one who invented the creed of Wahdat al-Wujood. It means the Oneness of Being, which itself in turn means that none exists but Allah, and hence, this will mean that everything one sees is Allah or a manifestation of Allah. This is Ibn Arabi's definition of Tawheed. However, this is not Tawheed, but this is blatant pantheism. How can one say Allah is in everything? Is Allah in Satan? Is Allah in toilet? This is very similar to the belief of the Jahmiyyah that “Allah is everywhere.” Unfortunately, the creed of Wahdat al-Wujood was accepted, but not adopted, by many scholars here in Southeastern Asia, especially Indonesia.

A list of some of Ibn Arabi's deviant and heretical, satanic, pagan, pantheistic or polytheistic views and beliefs that go against the Shari'ee:

1. Ibn Arabi claimed that the infamous Fir'aun of Egypt died as a believer. He says in Fusus al-Hikam; “The consolation of Pharaoh was with the belief Allah gave him when he was drowning. So Allah took him pure and purified. There was no impurity in him since He took him in his belief before he had acquired any wrong actions. Islam effaces what was before it. He made him a sign of His concern so that none might despair of the mercy of Allah, for “no one despairs of solace from Allah except for the unbelievers.” (12:87) If Pharaoh been of those who despair, he would not have embarked on belief.” This evil statement is contradictory to the following verse from the Qur'an: “And indeed We sent Musa with our Ayat and a manifest authority, To Fir'aun and his chiefs, but they followed the command of Pharaoh, and the command of Fir'aun was no right guide. He will go ahead of his people on the Day of Resurrection, and will lead them into the Fire.” (Surah Hud, 11:96-98) It should be noted that a similar viewpoint was shared by the Ash'ari theologian, Al-Baqillani.

2. Ibn Arabi claimed that those who worshipped the golden calf idol did not do any shirk. In the Fusus, Ibn Arabi says; “Musa knew the matter better than Harun because by his knowledge he knew the One the people of the Calf worshipped since Allah decreed that only He would be worshipped. When Allah decrees something, it must occur. Musa chided his brother Harun since the business consisted of disavowal and inadequacy. The gnostic is the one who sees Allah in everything, rather he sees Him as the source of everything. Musa was teaching Harun with the instruction of knowledge even though Musa was younger than him in age.” What Ibn Arabi is saying here is, the god that was being worshipped is not the Calf, but rather it was Allah manifesting Himself in the form of the Calf. This is the reality of Wahdat al-Wujood, or Oneness of Being, as explained by Ibn Arabi.

3. Ibn Arabi says “I worship Allah, and then Allah worships me.” It is implied he means that vice-versa as well. 

Now we respond to the arguments of those who say that the works of Ibn Arabi are too complex for a layman to read and have a deeper meaning. This argument is in fact invalidated, not only because his works prove that his creed is plain kufr, but also because those who criticized Ibn Arabi and declared him as a deviant are renowned scholars. Even high ranking Ash'aris have denounced him. These Ash'aris include, but are not limited to:

1. 'Izz al-Din ibn Abdul Salam. He says, “Ibn Arabi is nothing more than an evil liar shaykh who claims that this world is eternal and embraces promiscuity.”

2. Nur al-Din al-Bakri, a former enemy of Ibn Taymiyyah. He says, “He is a disbeliever in his words and his creed, both openly and in hiding.”

3. Umar ibn Abu al-Hazm. He says, “As for his words: ‘Allah is Himself the creation’, these are the words of those who believe in pantheism, and these words are like the words of the insane. In fact, it's even more stupid than that.”

4. Mullah Ali Qari, a Hanafi Maturidi. He says, “We seek refuge from Allah against these corrupt sayings,” when referring to Wahdat al-Wujood.

5. Ibn Khaldun. He says, “Among these Sufis are: Ibn Arabi, Ibn Sabain, Ibn Barrajan and their followers who follow their path and their religion. They have many books in circulation that are filled with blatant kufr and repugnant innovations, trying to interpret clear texts in very far-fetched and repugnant ways, such that the reader is astounded that anyone could attribute such things to Islam.”

6. Sa'eed Foudeh, an Ash'ari scholar of Kalam. He says, “If Ibn Arabi was from Ahl al Sunnah, then it necessitates that none of his opinions can be against Ahlus Sunnah wa'l Jamaah.” Foudeh was met with a lot of criticism on Twitter (now X) after he posted a similar thing there.

The true meaning of Sufism

Sufism is a term for “asceticism.” While the practice of Sufism is indeed very spiritual, enlightening and beneficial, it has unfortunately been hijacked by the various innovators of the Kullabi, Ash'ari and Maturidi schools of corrupt aqidah. Hence, the practice of Sufism is often shunned and misrepresented with the misguided acts of innovators that are now widespread. 

As surprising as it may seem, the term “Sufism” is not a Shari'ee term. This term did not exist during the time of the Salaf. Rather, those who practiced asceticism were known as Zuhaad. And it is known that most of the Zuhaad were pious and righteous Muslims who had scholarly roles. Examples of these include the Tabi' Imam Al-Hasan al-Basri, Ibn Sireen, Rabi'ah al-'Adawiyyah, Abu Bakr al-Shibli and Bishr ibn al-Harith. The term “Sufism” only came until after the generation of Tabi' al-Tabi'een. The word “Sufi” is said to originate from the word “Soofiyyah” which means to wear clothes made out of wool. The word “soof” means wool, and ascetics were known to wear clothes of wool, hence the term Sufism was coined.

But what defines Sufism? It is a personal journey of religious self-development. Basically, it is a path of self-improvement and detachment from this dunya (world) and to get closer to Allah. Sufism has two paths that one must go through, known as the maqamat and the ahwal. The maqamat translates to “station” and it refers to righteous behaviour such as striving in worship, sincere tawbah, taqwa, tawakkul and gratitude towards Allah. The ahwal translates to “state of a person” and it refers to the temporary feelings of the Muslim at the moment. These include sadness, hope, fear and happiness. These feelings are very quick, and will take one by complete surprise as well. Sheikhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah states in his iconic Majmu' al-Fatawa; “These abridged terms are in regards to the deeds of the heart, which are known as ‘stations and states.’ They are among the foundations of faith and principles of the religion.” (10/5)

The practice of Sufism is known as Tazkiyyat al-Nafs, which means in English, the science of cleansing your soul. It is also known as Maqareem ul-Akhlaq as it inspires one to and makes one have noble character and morality. Sufism has also been regarded as knowledge of wayfaring, or “Ilm al-Suluk” due to it being associated with spiritual travel and wayfaring. 

But how do we tell who is actually a Sufi, and who is an innovator? Real Sufis can be differentiated from innovators through their adherence to the externally revealed laws and creeds. The external form is a reflection of one's internal essence, so any Muslim must always adhere to the external law regardless of their internal purity. (to Madakhalis reading this; I'm not talking about your obey-the-ruler-or-khawarij bullcrap.) Shaykhul Islam explains this issue very well, in his Majmu' again; “As for the upright among the spiritual wayfarers, such as the majority of Sheikhs among the righteous predecessors, they are the likes of Al-Fudayl ibn ‘Iyad, Ibrahim ibn Adham, Abu Sulayman al-Darani, Ma’ruf al-Karkhi and others from the earliest generations. And they are the likes of Shaykh Abdul Qadir, Shaykh Hammad Abu al-Bayyan, and others from the later generations. They would never justify for a wayfarer, even if he were to fly through the air or walk on water, to abandon the commands and prohibitions of the revealed law. Rather, it is duty upon him to do what has been commanded and leave what is forbidden until he dies. This is the truth which is indicated by the Book, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the righteous predecessors.” (10/516) Therefore, obedience to the external laws and creeds are an indication of one's sincerity. This is the standard by which the Sufis should be judged, even if they can perform apparent miracles and extraordinary stunts and tricks.

As for examples of pretend Sufis, it includes those Sufis who do innovations, such as dancing and spinning around till dizzy or celebrating Mawlid and birthdays of certain Muslim scholars. Additionally, a pretend Sufi can include those that worship graves or objects. Such examples include but are not limited to: Ibn Arabi, Mansur al-Hallaj, Mu'in al-Deen Chisthi, Fakhr al-Din al-Razi and 'Izz al-Din ibn Abdul Salam. Pretend Sufis are also usually those who are Ash'ari or Maturidi in their creed.

And remember, Allah knows best.