al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab fi Mirat Ulama al-Sharq wa al-Gharb
- Author died
- 1420 AH
- Editions
- al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab fi Mirat Ulama al-Sharq wa al-Gharb
al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab fi Mirat Ulama al-Sharq wa al-Gharb (Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab in the Mirror of the Scholars of the East and West) is a biographical and apologetic treatise by the Syrian scholar Mahmud Mahdi al-Istanbuli (d. 1420 AH / 1999–2000 CE), compiled to document testimonies and assessments of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1115–1206 AH / 1703–1792 CE) from across the Islamic world and Western scholarship .
Purpose and Scope
The work was composed as part of al-Istanbuli's decades-long efforts to present the theological and reformist mission of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab and clear it of misconceptions and polemical misattributions . It gathers evaluations, historical testimonies, and literary praise from fair-minded scholars, historians, and thinkers across various regions, eras, and backgrounds—both Muslim scholars of the East and non-Muslim Western orientalists and observers—attesting that Ibn Abd al-Wahhab called to pristine early Islam centered on pure monotheism (tawhid) and the rejection of innovations and polytheistic practices .
Structure and Contents
The book compiles the views of prominent classical and modern figures:
- Eastern and Muslim Figures: It records statements from early historians such as Ibn Bishr (quoting from his chronicle Unwan al-Majd fi Tarikh Najd regarding the socio-religious conditions of Najd and the Shaykh's revivalist efforts) , the poetic praise of the Yemeni jurist Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-San'ani , as well as modern Islamic and Arab intellectuals including Muhammad Rashid Rida, Taha Husayn, and Muhammad Kurd Ali .
- Western Scholars and Observers: It examines the appraisals of orientalists and European travelers who documented the nature and impact of the movement in the Arabian Peninsula .
Polemical Rebuttals
A significant portion of the work is devoted to refuting contemporary political and historical accusations directed at the Wahhabi movement . Notably, al-Istanbuli directly answers the claim raised by Abdul Qadeem Zalloom of Hizb ut-Tahrir in his book Kayfa Hudimat al-Khilafah ("How the Caliphate was Destroyed"), wherein Zalloom alleged that Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's movement was backed by the British to undermine the Ottoman Caliphate . Al-Istanbuli demonstrates through historical documentation that British and French imperial interests actively opposed the movement from its inception out of fear of an Islamic resurgence, and that the British provided military and diplomatic support to the Egyptian campaigns of Muhammad Ali Pasha and Ibrahim Pasha against the Saudi state .
Educational Proposal and Publication
In the concluding section of the treatise, al-Istanbuli proposes integrating refined, accurate summaries of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's reform movement into the history curricula of primary, preparatory, and secondary schools and universities across the Muslim world . He cites the curriculum of the Syrian Ministry of Education as an example, noting that while it included information on the movement in its history textbooks, it suffered from certain shortcomings due to the textbook authors' limited familiarity with the Shaykh's biography and theology .
The work was published in 1400 AH / 1980 CE .
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