al-Haraka al-Wahhabiya (Radd ala Maqal li Muhammad al-Bahi fi Naqd al-Wahhabiya)
- Author died
- 1395 AH
- Editions
- Dār al-Sunnah
al-Haraka al-Wahhabiya: Radd ala Maqal li Muhammad al-Bahi fi Naqd al-Wahhabiya (The Wahhabi Movement: A Refutation of an Article by Muhammad al-Bahi in Critique of Wahhabism) is a polemical theological treatise by the Egyptian Azhari scholar Muhammad Khalil Harras (1916–1395 AH / 1975 CE), written to defend the reform movement of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab against criticisms leveled by Dr. Muhammad al-Bahi.
Context and Purpose
The treatise was composed in response to a chapter dedicated to the Wahhabi movement in Dr. Muhammad al-Bahi's work al-Fikr al-Islami fi Tatawwurih (Islamic Thought in its Development), published by Dar al-Fikr in Beirut. Al-Bahi treated the Wahhabi movement as an extension of the eighth-century reformist thought of Ibn Taymiyyah, but criticized it for alleged intellectual rigidity, sectarian division, and an exaggerated focus on outward manifestations of idolatry.
Harras, who served as the head of the Creed Department in the postgraduate division at the Faculty of Sharia in Makkah and was a prominent figure in Jama'at Ansar al-Sunnah al-Muhammadiyyah, composed this rebuttal to demonstrate what he characterized as a departure from scholarly objectivity and balance on al-Bahi's part, and to systematically address his assertions.
Content and Structure
The book is structured around systematic responses to specific claims excerpted from al-Bahi's work, covering foundational theological and legal principles:
- Tawhid and Grave Veneration: Harras addresses al-Bahi's characterization of the movement's focus on graves, clarifying that the movement's primary objective is the pure affirmation of the divine oneness of worship (tawhid al-uluhiyya). He explains that supplication to the deceased and sacrificing in their names constitute overt polytheism, whereas erecting structures over tombs and plastering them are forbidden under the legal principle of "blocking the means" (sadd al-dhara'i'), citing prophetic traditions ordering the leveling of elevated graves.
- Modern Idolatry: Refuting al-Bahi's contention that twentieth-century idolatry concerns living political authorities rather than tombs and stones, Harras argues that tomb-worship and superstition remain prevalent in modern societies, while emphasizing that devotion to God negates subjugation to tyrannical rulers.
- The Divine Attributes: Harras affirms that the movement upholds the approach of the early Muslim predecessors (Salaf) in affirming the divine attributes without anthropomorphism or denial, steering clear of both Ash'ari and Mu'tazili theological frameworks.
- Jurisprudential Schools (Madhhab): Countering al-Bahi's assertion that Wahhabism represents rigid adherence to the Hanbali school, Harras argues that the movement's aim was rectifying creedal fundamentals rather than restricting jurisprudence to a single school, noting that Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab's personal practice in legal branches was Hanbali, but the call was directed to followers of all four schools.
Publication History
The work was published by the Islamic University of Madinah in 1396 AH / 1976 CE and has also been printed under titles such as al-Haraka al-Wahhabiya: Radd ala Maqal li-l-Duktur Muhammad al-Bahi fi Naqd al-Wahhabiya by Dar al-Kitab al-Arabi in Beirut.
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