Dawat al-Shaykh Muhammad Abd al-Wahhab wa Atharuha fi al-Alam al-Islami
- Author died
- -
- Editions
- Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Dawah and Guidance - Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Da‘wat al-Shaykh Muhammad Abd al-Wahhab wa-Atharuha fi al-Alam al-Islami (The Call of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and Its Impact on the Islamic World) is a modern historical study by the Saudi historian Muhammad al-Salman (b. 1374 AH / 1953 CE), examining the historical background, principles, and regional reverberations of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab's reform movement.
Background and Composition
The book originated from a series of undergraduate lectures delivered by Muhammad al-Salman to history students at the College of Social Sciences in Riyadh and al-Qasim, affiliated with Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University. Compiling and expanding his lecture material, the author sought to provide a comprehensive, academically structured account of the movement and its broader historical resonance across the Islamic world.
Structure and Content
The author organized the work into three main chapters:
- Chapter One (History of the Movement): Surveys the political and religious conditions prevailing in the Islamic world during the twelfth century AH (eighteenth century CE)—addressing the states of the Ottoman Empire, the Safavid dynasty, and the Mughal Empire—as well as the specific religious and political fragmentation in Najd. It includes a concise biography of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, outlining his upbringing, travels in pursuit of knowledge, and the distinct phases of his preaching.
- Chapter Two (Principles and Sources of the Movement): Details the core doctrinal and reformist tenets of the call, analyzing its original textual sources and clarifying its intended objectives and underlying tenets.
- Chapter Three (Spread and Impact on the Islamic World): Examines the catalysts and historical factors that facilitated the dissemination of the movement, tracing its influence across Asia and Africa and assessing the various Islamic revivalist and reform trends affected by it.
Sources and Publication
In detailing the principles of the call, the author relied directly on primary writings, letters, and treatises by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab and early scholars associated with the movement, alongside modern and regional historical sources listed in the book's bibliography. The work was published in Riyadh in 1407 AH (c. 1986–1987 CE), and later appeared in a revised third edition issued by the Saudi Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Dawah and Guidance.
Answer updated