An al-Rasail al-Shakhsiyya lil-Shaykh Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhab (Matbu within Buhuth Nadwat Dawat al-Shaykh Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhab, al-Juz al-Awwal)
- Author died
- 1436 AH
- Editions
- Deanship of Scientific Research at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University
'An al-Rasa'il al-Shakhsiyya lil-Shaykh Muhammad bin 'Abd al-Wahhab (On the Personal Letters of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab) is an academic research treatise written by the Saudi historian Abd Allah ibn Salih al-Uthaymin (d. 1436 AH / 2015 CE) . The study examines the epistolary corpus of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, analyzing the textual authenticity, literary styles, and historical insights provided by his personal letters concerning the religious and political landscape of eighteenth-century Najd .
Context and Composition
The paper was originally submitted to the scholarly symposium of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Week (Usbu' al-Shaykh Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhab) held in 1400 AH / 1980 CE . At the time of its presentation, al-Uthaymin served as the head of the Department of History in the College of Arts at King Saud University . The research was subsequently published in the first volume of the conference proceedings (Buhuth Nadwat Da'wat al-Shaykh Muhammad bin Abd al-Wahhab) by the Deanship of Scientific Research at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh .
Contents and Analysis
The treatise evaluates the historical and textual significance of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's personal letters across several main themes:
Textual Authenticity and Corpus Critique
Al-Uthaymin observes that although Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's active public career spanned approximately six decades, the surviving corpus of his personal correspondence is relatively limited, indicating that many letters were lost . The primary transmission of these letters relies on the chronicle of Husayn ibn Ghannam (Rawdat al-Afkar wal-Afham), alongside later compilations such as al-Durar al-Saniyya and Majmu'at al-Rasa'il wal-Masa'il al-Najdiyya .
Al-Uthaymin subjects several letters compiled in modern editions to source-critical scrutiny, questioning their direct attribution to Ibn Abd al-Wahhab:
- Letter to a scholar of Medina: Recorded solely in al-Durar al-Saniyya without naming the recipient, lacking the author's name, and departing from his customary opening salutation .
- Letter to Abd Allah al-San'ani: Also unique to al-Durar al-Saniyya and anonymous in its sender, it closely mirrors the style and content of a treatise written by the author's son, Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, upon entering Mecca with Sa'ud ibn Abd al-Aziz .
- Letter to the people of the Maghrib: Al-Uthaymin argues this letter was likely written by Abd Allah ibn Muhammad after Saudi authority expanded into the Hijaz, noting its circulation in Tunisia during the reign of Hammuda Pasha .
- Reply to an unidentified correspondent: Analyzed for internal chronological anomalies involving references to the opponent Abd Allah al-Muways .
Style and Rhetorical Methods
The study analyzes the literary conventions of the letters. While Ibn Abd al-Wahhab predominantly adhered to plain, concise phrasing modeled on early Islamic epistolography (typically opening with "From Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab to..."), he adjusted his register when addressing influential figures outside Najd . When writing to the scholars and rulers of Mecca—such as the Sharif Ahmad ibn Sa'id—he incorporated formal rhymed prose (saj'), deferential titles, and diplomatic appeals . Conversely, his letters to local Najdi correspondents frequently incorporated regional colloquial expressions, sharp polemical exchanges, and biting sarcasm against steadfast adversaries .
Historical Context and the Najdi Opposition
Al-Uthaymin utilizes the correspondence to reconstruct the religious environment of Najd, qualifying the overly bleak depictions found in early chroniclers by highlighting the existence of traditional scholarly culture and religious observances prior to the movement .
From the letters, al-Uthaymin identifies over twenty local scholars and students of religious knowledge who opposed the movement at various times, categorizing their stances into unyielding opposition (e.g., Abd Allah al-Muways of Huraymila), shifting stances (e.g., Sulayman ibn Suhaym of Riyadh), and ambivalent figures (e.g., Abd Allah ibn Isa, judge of Dir'iyya) . He delineates four main strategies employed by these opponents:
- Penning written refutations and treatises against Ibn Abd al-Wahhab .
- Engaging in direct oral debates with his supporters in regional towns .
- Appealing to external political authorities and scholars in the Hijaz and Iraq .
- Circulating anti-Wahhabi treatises written by external scholars, such as Muhammad ibn Fayruz, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn 'Afaliq, and al-Qabbani of Basra .
Reception
Al-Uthaymin's critical assessments provoked discussion among contemporary researchers of the Wahhabi movement. Scholars such as Salih ibn Abd Allah al-Abbud addressed al-Uthaymin's reservations regarding the attribution of certain personal letters, defending their inclusion within Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's corpus while acknowledging the methodological distinctions raised in the paper .
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