Discussion on Islamic Scholars and Beliefs

differs from Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may God have mercy on him, mentioned

unlike Shaykh Muhammad ibn Abd

al-Wahhab, who lacked this

breadth, neither in Hadith nor in Salafi

jurisprudence; and regarding Hadith, like others,

he has no works in jurisprudence showing us

that he, like Ibn Taymiyyah, followed the Salafi method in understanding the

religion. Perhaps he had an excuse, as

I hinted earlier; likewise in Hadith,

he was, very regrettably, like others,

having no knowledge of authentic and weak Hadith.

And among the evidence that shows

this to us

is that he has a printed treatise circulating among

Najdi followers to this day,

titled *The Etiquette of Walking to the Mosque*,

and at the beginning of this treatise he cited

the Hadith known to Salafis in general,

except for a few, to be fabricated. He cited

the Hadith known to be fabricated, for he

first cited it without noting its fabrication,

even though it has two intertwined defects; if one

was obscure and unknown through the Hadith's

transmission, what about both defects combined?

And secondly, the apparent meaning of this Hadith

contradicts what he used to call for in terms of creed and

sincere monotheism and devotion to Allah Almighty,

which is seeking intercession through created beings. Like Ibn

Taymiyyah, he opposed seeking intercession with Allah

through the servants of Allah Almighty. And this hadith,

on the surface, involves seeking intercession by the right of those who ask

and by the right of this servant walking in obedience to Allah and His worship.

In truth, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab had a degree of

extremism and strictness,

and this—or rather this

strictness manifested in

what did they call those early groups? The Ikhwan.

Abdullah's Ikhwan,

the Mutawwa'a Ikhwan, who were...?

The Ikhwan.

What?

Hikmat.

The proof.

Yes.

in the minds of Abdullah's Ikhwan...

Yeah,

he had some strictness, and it seems this is Allah's way

with His creation, except whom Allah protects, and few are with him.

This group had a degree of strictness

which they naturally drew from some texts of Muhammad ibn Abd

al-Wahhab, may Allah have mercy on him,

and the followers have continued to this day

to be stigmatized by this strictness. We used to hear in the past

that these Najdis declare mainstream Muslims as disbelievers,

Ikhwan,

or call them... and so forth.

When I started traveling to that

country, it became evident in their followers

some of this strictness.

It is enough that merely seeking intercession is considered

disbelief and polytheism,

even though we say directly that he disbelieved and committed polytheism,

and by this we have declared an Imam

of the Muslims to be a disbeliever, namely Muhammad ibn Ali al-Shawkani,

because he permits seeking intercession,

you know this,

through status,

Yes.

Through status.

Through the Prophet.

Where?

After his death.

Through status, meaning it is by status.

I don't... in essence, meaning right now I don't recall

not through status, meaning it could be through status, the permissibility of seeking intercession

through status.

Yes, but don't you feel that dwelling on

these terms distinguishes

if one seeks intercession through status,

it differs from seeking it through the person's essence,

so whoever seeks intercession through status

is not denounced,

and whoever seeks it through the person's essence is denounced?

He is denounced.

Well, if that distinction isn't made,

you are outside the fold of religion, declared an apostate.

Ah,

Why should one be declared a disbeliever and not the other?

Because you are asking

Ah.

through the person's essence.

Ah.

We can seek intercession through status,

as for the person's essence,

and among them

are the Najdis labeled with the title of Wahhabism,

as for the Wahhabis…

So what do I have to do with it? Perhaps I know more about it than others,

and I think those present know that.

The people who are referred to as

Wahhabis,

their history may go back over two hundred years, because the followers of Muhammad ibn

'Abd al-Wahhab—

one of them says:

"If following Ahmad

makes one a Wahhabi, then I confess that

I am a Wahhabi." This is along the lines of what Imam

al-Shafi'i said,

when he said: "If loving

the family of Muhammad is Rafidism,

then what am I? Then I am a Rafidi..."

"Then I..."

None of you knows the line on this meter?

"If loving the family of Muhammad is Rafidism, let the Two Heavyweights bear witness

that I am a Rafidi."

So he quoted him, saying: "If

following Ahmad is being a Wahhabi, then I confess

that I am a Wahhabi."

This group,

these Najdis,

do they call him a Wahhabi?

But this Najdi group, because

their creed in fact contradicts

the majority of Muslim scholars,

on many issues, including what was mentioned earlier in passing,

they do not say it is permissible for God to punish the obedient and reward

the disobedient, even though this is stated by many scholars of scholastic theology.