Who are the Wahhaabis and what is their message?
Question i have recently come to islam and people have told me to stay away from wahabis, who are they and wht do they preech? Praise be to Allah. It is obligatory upon the Muslim to follow the Messenger of Allaah (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), according to the way of the…
Question
Praise be to Allah.
It is obligatory upon the Muslim to follow the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him), according to the way of the righteous salaf
who followed the guidance of the Prophet
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), the Sahaabah and those
who followed them – may Allaah be pleased with them all. These people
are called Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamaa’ah (the People of the Sunnah
and the Community). Everyone who follows the way brought by the Messenger
of Allaah (peace and blessings
of Allaah be upon him) is one of them. The Messenger of Allaah
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) brought the message of Tawheed
(absolute Oneness of Allaah) and rejection of shirk (polytheism,
or association of others with Allaah); he called people to worship Allaah
alone and none other. With regard to the word “Wahhaabis”, some people
use this word to refer to the message of Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhaab
ibn Sulaymaan al-Tameemi al-Hanbali (may Allaah have mercy on him),
and they call him and his followers Wahhaabis. Everyone who has any
knowledge of the movement of Shaykh Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhaab (may
Allaah have mercy on him) and his message knows that he sought to spread
the message of pure Tawheed and to warn against shirk in all
its forms, such as attachment to the dead, or to trees and rocks, etc.
In his ‘aqeedah (belief), he was following the way of the righteous
Salaf and the Taabi’een [i.e., the earliest generations of Islam], as
is indicated by his books and fatwas, and the books of his followers
among his sons and grandsons and others. All of these books are in print
and are in circulation among the people. His message was in accordance
with the Book of Allaah and the Sunnah of His Messenger
(peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). Wahhaabism is not a new
way or a new school of thought; rather it is a call to Tawheed and the
revival of aspects of the religion that had been forgotten. What you
have to do is to beware of those who warn you against the Wahhaabis,
because they are warning you against following the truth and the early
generation of this ummah. Applying the word “Wahhaabis” to those who
adhere to correct belief and warning people against them is the way
of the ignorant and biased. We ask Allaah to keep you safe and sound.
See
Fataawa al-Shaykh Ibn Baaz (may Allaah have mercy on him), 3/1206;
see also Question # 12203. And Allaah knows
best/
