Background On The Tribulations Of The Wahhabis

Introduction
During the reign of Sultan Salim III (1204-1222 AH) many tribulations took place. One was the tribulation of the Wahhabiyyah which started in the area of al-Hijaz{1} where they captured al-Haramayn{2}, and prevented Muslims coming from ash-Sham{3} and Egypt from reaching their destination to perform Pilgrimage (Hajj). Another tribulation is that of the French who controlled Egypt from 1213 A.H. until 1216 A.H. Let us here speak briefly about the two adversities{4}, because each was mentioned in detail in the books of history and in separate treatises.

Background On The Tribulations Of The Wahhabis
The fighting started between the Wahhabis and the Prince of Makkah, Mawlana Sharif Ghalib Ibn Bu Sa^id, who had been appointed by the honored Muslim Sultan as his ruling representative over the areas of al-Hijaz. This was in 1205 AH during the time of Sultan Salim III, the son of Sultan Mustafa III, the son of Ahmad. Previous to the outbreak of fighting, the Wahhabis began to build power and gain followers in their areas. As their territories expanded, their evil and harm increased They killed countless numbers of Muslims, legitimated confiscating their money and possessions, and captured their women. The founder of their wicked doctrine was Muhammad Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab, who originated from eastern Arabia, from the tribe of Banu Tamim. He lived a long life, about one-hundred years. He was born in 1111 AH and died in 1200 AH. His history was narrated as follows: Muhammad Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab started as a student of knowledge in the city of the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam: al-Madinah al-Munawwarah. Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab�s father was a good, pious man among the people of knowledge as was his brother, Shaykh Sulayman. His father, his brother, and his shaykhs (teachers of religion) had the foresight Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab would innovate a great deal of deviation and misguidance, because of their observance of his sayings, actions, and inclinations concerning many issues. They used to reprimand him and warn people against him.

Some Of The Beliefs Of Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab
What Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab�s father, brother, and shaykhs speculated about him came true--by the Will of Allah, ta^ala. Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab innovated deviant and misleading ways and beliefs and managed to allure some ignorant people to follow him. His deviant and misleading ways and beliefs disagreed with the sayings of the scholars of the Religion. His deviant beliefs led him to label the believers as blasphemers! He falsely claimed visiting the grave of the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, and performing the tawassul{5} by him as shirk{6}. Additionally, he falsely claimed visiting the graves of other prophets and righteous Muslims (awliya�) and performing tawassul by them was shirk as well. He added to this by saying, "To call upon the Prophet, sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam, when performing tawassul by the Prophet is shirk." He passed the same judgment of shirk on the ones who call upon other prophets and righteous Muslims (awliya�) in performing tawassul by them. In an effort to give credibility to his innovations Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab embellished his sayings by quotations which he selected from Islamic sources, i.e., quotations which are used as proofs for many issues but not the issues which Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab was attempting to support. He brought false statements and tried to beautify them for the laymen until they followed him. He wrote treatises for them until they believed that most of the People of Tawhid{7} were blasphemers.

Alliance With The Su^udiyy Family
Moreover, Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab called upon the princes of eastern Arabia and the people of ad-Dar^iyyah{8} to support him. They carried his doctrine and made this endeavor a means to strengthen and expand their kingdom. They worked together to suppress the Bedouins of the deserts until they overcame them and those Bedouins followed them and became foot-soldiers for them without pay. After that, these masses started to believe that whoever does not believe in what Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab said is a blasphemer, and it is Islamically lawful (halal) to shed his blood and plunder his money. The matter of Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab started to evidence itself in 1143 A.H. and began spreading after 1150 A.H. Subsequently, the scholars--even his brother, Shaykh Sulayman and the rest of his shaykhs-- authored many treatises to refute him. But Muhammad Ibn Su^ud, the Prince of ad-Dar^iyyah in eastern Arabia, supported him and worked to spread his ideology. Ibn Su^ud was from Banu Hanifah, the people of Musaylimah al-Kadhdhab{9}. When Muhammad Ibn Su^ud died, his son ^Abdul-^Aziz Ibn Muhammad Ibn Su^ud took over the responsibility of fulfilling the vile task of spreading the Wahhabi beliefs. Many of the shaykhs of Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab in al-Madinah used to say, "He will be misguided, and he will misguide those for whom Allah willed the misguidance." Things took place as per the speculation of the scholars. Ibn ^Abdul-Wahhab claimed his intention behind the madhhab he invented was "to purify the tawhid" and "repudiate the shirk." He also claimed people had been following the shirk for six-hundred years and he revived their Religion for them!!