al-Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Daawatuhu wa Siratuhu
- Author died
- 1420 AH
- Editions
- General Presidency of the Administrations of Scientific Research, Ifta, Da'wah and Guidance - Department of Printing and Translation
al-Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab: Da‘watuhu wa Siratuhu (Imam Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab: His Mission and Biography) is a treatise by the Saudi scholar Ibn Baz (d. 1420 AH / 1999 CE) that provides a historical and theological overview of the life, reformist movement, and legacy of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1115–1206 AH / 1703–1792 CE) .
Origin and Context
The text originated as an extemporaneous public lecture delivered by Ibn Baz in the lecture hall of the Islamic University of Madinah in 1385 AH (1965 CE), during his tenure as the university's vice president . Delivered without prior written notes, the lecture was transcribed directly from an audio recording and prepared for publication . Printed editions of the treatise frequently include an introductory preface and biographical note on Ibn Baz written by the scholar Atiyyah Muhammad Salim .
Contents and Overview
The treatise outlines the life and mission of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, contextualizing his reform efforts within the political and religious landscape of eighteenth-century Arabia .
Religious Conditions in Najd
Ibn Baz depicts the religious environment of Najd and surrounding regions prior to the movement as fraught with theological deviations, including the veneration of domed tombs, trees, stones, and caves, the invocation of jinns, and reliance on sorcerers and fortune-tellers . He identifies Ibn Abd al-Wahhab’s adherence to the creed of the early generations (al-salaf al-salih) as the foundation for his efforts to restore pure monotheism (tawhid) and eradicate religious innovations (bida‘) .
Early Life, Travels, and Early Reforms
The treatise traces Ibn Abd al-Wahhab’s scholarly journeys to Basra—where he studied under Muhammad al-Majmu‘i before being driven out due to his preaching—as well as his visits to al-Zubayr and al-Ahsa, and his residence in Huraymila alongside his father until the latter's death in 1153 AH . It describes his subsequent relocation to al-Uyaynah under the initial patronage of its emir, Uthman ibn Mu‘ammar, where Ibn Abd al-Wahhab implemented practical reforms: destroying funerary domes, notably the dome over the grave attributed to Zayd ibn al-Khattab, felling trees revered by locals, and enforcing the prescribed legal punishment (hadd) of stoning on a confessing adulterous woman .
Relocation to Diriyah and Political Alliance
Following threats sent to Uthman ibn Mu‘ammar by Sulayman ibn Uray‘ir, the chieftain of al-Ahsa, Ibn Abd al-Wahhab left al-Uyaynah on foot for Diriyah . There, he forged a formal pact of mutual support with Emir Muhammad ibn Saud, agreeing to establish religious education, implement Islamic law, and undertake military campaigns (jihad) to defend and spread the mission . Ibn Baz highlights the extensive correspondence Ibn Abd al-Wahhab conducted with scholars and regional rulers across Najd, the Hijaz, Yemen, Egypt, Syria, Iraq, and India .
Classification of Opposition
Ibn Baz classifies Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's adversaries into three primary categories :
- Deviant scholars who considered tomb veneration and supplication to saints to be authentic religion, regarding opposition to these practices as enmity toward the righteous .
- Uninformed religious figures who blindly accepted rumors and false accusations claiming that he disrespected prophets and denied the miracles of saints .
- Political authorities who opposed him out of fear of losing their positions and power, using religious pretexts to justify their resistance .
Historical Continuity
The work surveys the continuation of the reformist state through Ibn Abd al-Wahhab’s sons (such as Abd Allah, Husayn, Ali, and Ibrahim), grandsons, and students, noting the expansion into Mecca and Medina under Saud ibn Abd al-Aziz in 1218–1220 AH . It recounts the destruction of Diriyah by Ottoman-Egyptian forces in 1233 AH (1818 CE), followed by the revival of the state and movement under Turki ibn Abd Allah in 1240 AH, extending through successive Saudi rulers up to the unification of the kingdom under King Abdulaziz (d. 1373 AH / 1953 CE) .
Publication History
The treatise was printed as part of the Islamic University of Madinah's lecture series in 1385 AH (1966 CE) . It was subsequently issued in multiple independent editions, including prints by Dar al-Futuh in Cairo (1956 CE), al-Dar al-Sa‘udiyyah in Jeddah (1969 CE), the General Presidency of Scholarly Research and Ifta in Riyadh (1403 AH), and Dar al-Salam (1412 AH) . It is also included in Ibn Baz's collected writings, Majmu‘ Fatawa wa Maqalat Mutanawwi‘ah .
Answer updated