Ihtisab al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab

Ihtisab al-Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (The Ihtisab of Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab) is a specialized analytical study by Mirfat bint Kamil bin Abdullah Asrah that examines the theoretical principles and practical application of ihtisab (enjoining good and forbidding wrong) in the life and reform movement of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (1115–1206 AH / 1703–1792 CE) Ihtisab al-Shaykh Muhamma…+1.

Background and Purpose

The work originated as an academic master's thesis submitted to the Department of Da'wah and Ihtisab within the College of Da'wah and Media at Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University in Riyadh Ihtisab al-Shaykh Muhamma…+1. It was supervised by Dr. Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Rashid, with early outline guidance from Dr. Ahmad ibn Muhammad Aba Butayn, and evaluated by Dr. Fadl Ilahi bin Shaykh Zuhur Ilahi and Dr. Hamad ibn Nasir al-Ammar Ihtisab al-Shaykh Muhamma…. The book was subsequently published by Dar al-Watan in Riyadh (1419 AH) al-Dawa al-Islahiyya fi B…+1.

The author notes that while earlier scholarship addressed the broader historical and theological aspects of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab's mission—such as Ali Abd al-Halim Mahmud's paper on his link to the Salaf—the specific domain of his ihtisab (institutional moral and religious accountability) lacked an independent, exhaustive analytical study Ihtisab al-Shaykh Muhamma…+1. The work aims to elucidate both his theoretical positions and his concrete enforcement methods across various domains of religious and public life during the 12th century AH Ihtisab al-Shaykh Muhamma…+1.

Structure and Content

The book is organized into an introduction, an introductory chapter, two main thematic chapters, a conclusion, and reference indexes Ihtisab al-Shaykh Muhamma…+1:

• Introductory Chapter (الفصل التمهيدي): Details the social, political, and religious environment of 12th-century Najd and provides a biographical sketch of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab Ihtisab al-Shaykh Muhamma…+1.
• Chapter One (الفصل الأول): Focuses on hisbah theory in Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's thought, divided into three sections:
  1. The essential characteristics and qualifications of the muhtasib (moral inspector/censor) Ihtisab al-Shaykh Muhamma….
  2. The legal prerequisites and conditions for performing ihtisab Ihtisab al-Shaykh Muhamma….
  3. The graduated stages and levels of correcting wrongs (maratib al-ihtisab), ranging from verbal admonition to physical enforcement when capability is established Ihtisab al-Shaykh Muhamma…+1.
• Chapter Two (الفصل الثاني): Analyzes his practical application of hisbah across five sections:
  1. Creed (العقيدة): His censure of violations regarding tawhid al-uluhiyyah (divine worship), tawhid al-rububiyyah (lordship), and tawhid al-asma' wa-l-sifat (names and attributes); the physical demolition of idols and venerated tombs in coordination with local leadership such as Uthman ibn Mu'ammar; and his opposition to theological innovations (bid'ah), improper loyalty and disavowal (al-wala' wa-l-bara'), sorcery, astrology, divination, amulets, and incantations Ihtisab al-Shaykh Muhamma…+1.
  2. Acts of Worship (العبادات): His enforcement of the pillars of Islam, including enforcing mandatory congregational prayer in mosques and penalizing non-attendees in al-Uyaynah, as well as collection of zakat Ihtisab al-Shaykh Muhamma…+1.
  3. Financial and Civil Transactions (المعاملات): His rulings and intervention against discriminatory family endowments (al-waqf 'ala al-awlad) that excluded female heirs, illicit interest (riba), official bribery, and uncanonical market tolls and customs levies (al-mukus wa-l-'ushur) Ihtisab al-Shaykh Muhamma…+1.
  4. Legal Penalties and Sanctions (الحدود): His implementation of prescribed penal sanctions, such as the stoning penalty for adultery upon confession, and military engagement against armed opponents of creedal orthodoxy Ihtisab al-Shaykh Muhamma….
  5. Manners and Social Conduct (الآداب): Preserving due etiquette toward the Prophet's household (Ahl al-Bayt) and his prohibition of singing and musical instruments Ihtisab al-Shaykh Muhamma….

Methodology

The author utilizes a historical-inductive methodology (al-manhaj al-tarikhi al-istiqra'i) to trace Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's writings, letters, and recorded historical actions Ihtisab al-Shaykh Muhamma…. She evaluates these practices alongside traditional classical Islamic legal jurisprudence to demonstrate that his methods were anchored in established canonical rules of enjoining good and forbidding wrong rather than improvised measures Ihtisab al-Shaykh Muhamma…+1. The text is supported by nine indexes covering Quranic verses, prophetic hadiths, historical reports (athar), biographical figures, sects and tribes, geographical locations, poetic verses, sources, and subject topics Ihtisab al-Shaykh Muhamma…+1.