THE CONCEPT OF TAWHID ACCORDING TO

MUHAMMAD IBN ABD AL-WAHHAB AND MUHAMMAD ABDUH:

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

BY

MUHAMMAD HANIF BIN ABD PATAH

INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA

2008

THE CONCEPT OF TAW×ÔD ACCORDING TO MU×AMMAD IBN ÑABD AL-WAHHÓB

AND MU×AMMAD ÑABDUH: A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

BY

MUHAMMAD HANIF BIN ABD PATAH

A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of

the requirements for the degree of Master of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage

(UÎËl al-DÊn and Comparative Religion)

Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences

International Islamic University Malaysia

FEBRUARY 2008  

ii

ABSTRACT

This study seeks to highlight the concept of tawÍÊd according to MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb (d. 1903 A.D) and MuÍammad ÑAbduh (d. 1905 A.D) and the similarities and differences in their concepts and methodologies pertaining to tawÍÊd. This qualitative library research resembles and compares the concept of tawÍÊd from both scholars and their methodology in explaining it through their writings and other scholars’ who discuss the concept of tawÍÊd according to MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb and MuÍammad ÑAbduh. The present study answers several issues and questions that deals with how far they based their argument on the Qur’Én and Sunnah. It was presented in five steps. Firstly, the researcher unties MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb’s concept of tawÍÊd that can be best clarified through KitÉb al-TawÍÊd and his compiled writings in Mu’allafÉt. Secondly, he clarifies MuÍammad ÑAbduh’s explanation of tawÍÊd reflected in his RisÉlah al-TawÍÊd and several of his writings in his Qur’Énic commentary such as tafsÊr al-ManÉr and TafsÊr Juz’ ÑAmmÉ. Thirdly, the researcher discusses their positions on related tawÍÊd issues: The Free Will and Predestination. He then brings the historical facts on the efforts of both scholars in preserving tawÍÊd and finally he exposes their similarities and differences in the field of tawÍÊd. Hopefully, this research will alleviate misunderstandings on both scholars, clarifying the concepts, methodologies and interpretations of tawÍÊd through the eyes of both scholars and free from any prejudices.

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ملخص البحث

يسلط هذا البحث الضوء على مفهوم التوحيد عند العلامتين محمد بن عبد الوهاب المتوفى

م، بحيث يدرس أوجه التشابه والاختلاف 1905م، ومحمد عبده المتوفى عام 1903 3عام

وعن طريق البحث الكمي المكتبي قامت الدراسة بالمقارنة بين . بينهما في المفهوم والمنهج

م التوحيد لدى العلامتين والمنهج الذي اتخذه كل منهما في شرح هذا المفهوم من خلال مفهو

مؤلفاتهما، بالإضافة إلى مؤلفات غيرهم من العلماء الذين تطرقوا إلى موضوع التوحيد من

وقد توصل البحث إلى نتائج حول بعض القضايا التي تتعلق بمدى . منظور هذين العلامتين

على القرآن والسنة في بلورة مفهوم التوحيد، وذلك من خلال خمس خطوات اتخذها استنادهما

تحليل مفهوم التوحيد عند محمد بن عبد الوهاب من خلال : أولا: الباحث متمثلة في الآتي

تناول شرح محمد عبده لمفهوم التوحيد في كتابه : ثانيا". المؤلفات"ومجموعة " كتاب التوحيد"

تفسير جزء "و " تفسير المنار"وفي غيره من المؤلفات في تفسير القرآن منها " درسالة التوحي"

دراسة منظور كل من العلامتين في بعض قضايا التوحيد كحرية الإرادة والقضاء : ثالثا". عم

ثم كشف البحث عن إسهامات العلامتين في الدفاع عن مفهوم التوحيد، كما عرض . والقدر

ختلاف بينهما في هذا المجال، على أمل أن يساهم هذا البحث في تصويب أوجه التشابه والا

.النظرة الخاطئة نحو هذين العلامتين في توضيح مفهوم التوحيد ومنهجهما بعيدا عن التحيز

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APPROVAL PAGE

I certify that I have supervised and read this study and that in my opinion, it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate in scope, and quality, as the dissertation of Master of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage (UÎËl al-DÊn and Comparative Religion) …………………………………….. Thameem Ushama Supervisor I certify that I have supervised and read this study and that in my opinion, it conforms to acceptable standards of scholarly presentation and is fully adequate in scope, and quality, as the dissertation of Master of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage. ……………………………………… Maziah Mustapha Examiner This dissertation was submitted to the Department of Usuluddin and Comparative Religion and is accepted as a partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage (UÎËl al-DÊn and Comparative Religion). ………………………………………. Anis Malik Thoha Head, Department of UÎËl al-DÊn and Comparative Religion This dissertation was submitted to the Kuliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Human Sciences and is accepted as partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Islamic Revealed Knowledge (Usuluddin and Comparative Religion). ………………………………………. Hazizan Md. Noon Dean, Kulliyyah of Islamic Revealed Knowledge and Heritage.

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DECLARATION

I hereby declare that this thesis is the result of my own investigations, except otherwise

stated. I also declare that it has not been previously or concurrently submitted as a

whole for any other degrees at IIUM or other institutions.

Muhammad Hanif bin Abd Patah

Signature……………………….. Date ………………

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INTERNATIONAL ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY MALAYSIA

DECLARATION OF COPYRIGHT AND AFFIRMATION OF FAIR USE OF UNPUBLISHED RESEARCH

Copyright © 2008 by Muhammad Hanif bin Abd Patah. All rights reserved

THE CONCEPT OF TAWHÔD ACCORDING TO MU×AMMAD IBN ÑABD AL-WAHHÓB AND MU×AMMAD ÑABDUH:

A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

No part of this unpublished research may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without prior written permission of the copyright holder except as provided below.

1. Any material contained in or derived from this unpublished research may only be used by others in their writing with due acknowledgement.

2. IIUM or its library will have the right to make and transmit copies (print or electronic) for institutional and academic purposes.

3. The IIUM library will have the right to make, store in a retrieval system and supply copies of this unpublished research if requested by other universities research libraries.

Affirmed by Muhammad Hanif bin Abd Patah. ……………………………… ………………..

Signature Date

vii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Alhamdulillah, thanks to Almighty Allah that with His guidance and permission I finally am able to finish this thesis. I would like to express my gratitude and sincere thanks to my supervisor, Professor Dr. Thameem Ushama for his guidance, assistance and time; not only in preparing for my thesis but also throughout my study at IIUM. I would also like to express my gratitude to Professor Ibrahim Zein with whom I had the privilege to become one of his students in the Department of Usuluddin. My special thanks to Dr. Maziah Mustapha for her help and encouragement in completing my thesis. My humble gratitude to all the lecturers at IIUM in the Department of Qur’Én and Sunnah Studies and the Department of Usuluddin and Comparative Religion; who have imparted their knowledge that I manage to figure out the subject matter of my research and expanding my idea. I would also like to express my thanks to my colleagues who have played an important role in helping me throughout my study. To Brother Mazlan Yusof, a lecturer from the Department of English, thank you for your help in editing my work. My gratitude is also due to Madam Hafsah Mohd (a librarian at Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia) who has helped me find some materials that are unavailable at IIUM. Lastly but not least, a very special thanks to my parents, wife and son who have given me the inspiration, encouragement, passion and hope to finish this thesis. Their love and understanding has given me the strength to be steadfast in my undertaking. Hopefully, this piece of work however small does contribute to a better understanding of Islam.

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APPENDIX I: Common Abbreviations

pbuh Peace Be Upon Him Ibid (Ibidem): in the same place n. d. No date vol./vols Volume/volumes etc. (Et cetera): and so forth d. Died n. p. No publisher edn. Edition ed. Edited by 1st First 2nd Second 3rd Third 4th Fourth Sdn. Sendirian Bhd. Berhad a.s. ÑAlaihissalam

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TRANSLITERATION TABLE

A. Table 1: Consonants

ز z ء ’ q ق b ب s س k ك t ت sh ش l ل th ث s ص m م j ج d ض n ن Í ح t ط h هـ kh خ z ظ h ة d د Ñ ع w و dh ذ gh غ y ي r ر f ف

B. Table 2: Vocalisation Signs (Representing Arabic Vowels)

a i u

i. Short vowels illustrated with consonant “d” / “د”

da د di د du د

ii. Long vowels illustrated with consonant “d” / “د”

dÉ دا dÊ دي dË دو

C. Table 3: Diphthongs

aw و ay ي Examples: qawm قوم shaykh شيخ

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D. Words Containing Shaddah ( )

i. Shaddah involving consonants other than و and ي : Double the letter

Examples: bashshara بشر qarra قر

ii. Shaddah involving consonants و and ي :

a. Double the letter when the shaddah is in the middle

Examples: khawwafa خوف hayyara حير

b. Double the letter when the shaddah is in the end and the letter before is assigned fathah ( )

Examples: jaww جو Ïayy طي

c. Represent و as “u” and ي as “i” when the letter before each is assigned Ìammah ( ) and kasrah ( ) respectively

Examples: matlË متلو nabiyy نبي

E. Words Containing the Prefix “ال”

The prefix “ال” is always transliterated “al” regardless of whether it is shamsiyyah or qamariyyah and a hyphen is used after “al” to indicate that it is a prefix.

Examples: al-khayr الخير al-sharr الشر

E. Words Containing Hamzah “ء”

Hamzah “ء” in the initial position, whether it is preceded by the prefix “ال” or not, is not represented in transliteration but how it is vocalized is indicated. This rules applies to both hamzah qatÑ and hamzah waÎl.

Examples: al-insÉn الإنسان idrÉk إدراك

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F. Words Containing TÉ’ MarbËÏah “ة”

Ta’ MarbËÏah “ة” at the end of nouns is transliterated “h”.

Examples: madrasah مدرسة Íasanah حسنة

Notwithstanding the above rule, TÉ’ MarbËÏah “ة” is transliterated “t” when it is present in the first word of a construct pair (iÌÉfah).

Examples: Kulliyyah al-IqtiÎÉd آلية الاقتصاد Majallah al-DaÑwah مجلة الدعوة

G. More Examples

SharÊ‘ah شريعة MakrËh التحسينيات al-TaÍsÊniyyÉt مكروهMaÎlaÍah مصلحة ×arÉm حرام MukammilÉt مكملاتBayÑ بيع al-AwqÉf ÑIbÉdÉt الأوقاف عباداتWÉjib واجب al-MashrË‘Ét المشروعات MuÑÉmalÉt معاملاتMandËb مندوب al-ÖarËriyyÉt الضروريات al-MuwÉzanÉt الموازناتMubÉÍ مباح al-×ÉjiyÉt الأولويات al-AwlawiyyÉt الحاجياتal-TaqtÊr التقتير al-IsrÉf الإسراف al-TabdhÊr التبذير

Note: Other rules of application of the transliteration are not mentioned here for brevity.

TABLE OF CONTENT Abstract……………………………………………………………………………. ii Abstract in Arabic…………………………………………………………………. iii Approval Page……………………………………………………………………… iv Declaration Page…………………………………………………………………… v Copyright Page…………………………………………………………………….. vi Acknowledgement…………………………………………………………………. vii Appendix I…………………………………………………………………………. viii Transliteration Table……………………………………………………………….. x CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION………………………………………….. 1 1.0 Introduction……………………………………………………………1 1.1 Problem Statement……………………………………………………. 1 1.2 Research Questions…………………………………………………… 3

1.3 Objectives of the Study………………………………………………. 3 1.4 Justification of the Problem…………………………………………... 4 1.5 Scope and Limitation of the Study…………………………………… 4 1.6 Methodology………………………………………………………….. 5 1.7 Literature Review…………………………………………………….. 5

CHAPTER TWO: MU×AMMAD IBN ÑABD AL-WAHHÓB’S VIEWS ON TAW×ÔD........................................................................... 16

2.1 Brief Life of MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb………………………. 16 2.2 MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb’s Methodology in Dealing with TawÍÊd………………………………………………………... 19

2.3 His Efforts in Presenting TawÍÊd………………………………………….. 23 2.3.1 TawÍÊd al-RubËbiyyah……………………………………... 24

2.3.2 TawÍÊd al-UlËhiyyah……………………………………………. 25 2.3.3 TawÍÊd al-AsmÉ’ wa al-ØifÉt…………………………………… 33 2.3.4 Al-ØifÉt al-Khabariyyah and its Problems Pertaining to Ta’wil…………………………………………………………....35 CHAPTER THREE: MU×AMMAD ÑABDUH’S VIEWS ON TAW×ÔD…..... 44 3.1 Brief Life of MuÍammad…………………………………………….. 44 3.2 MuÍammad ÑAbduh’s Methodology in Dealing with TawÍÊd: The Methodology of AshÉÑirah…………………………….. 47 3.2.1 The Affirmation of God’s Existence………………………. 55

3.2.2 The Problems in the ØifÉt al-IlÉhiyyah……………………….. 57 3.2.3 AshÉÑirah and the Elucidation (Ta’wÊl)…………………… 61 3.3 The Way to Determine God’s Existence: The Three Divisions of Existence…………………………………………………………... 62 3.4 The Theory of the Contingency Existence (Mumkin LidhÉtihi)……… 65 3.5 The Position of MuÍammad ÑAbduh on Ta’wÊl of the Names and Attributes of Allah……………………………………….. 67

CHAPTER FOUR: TAW×ÔD AND ITS RELATED ISSUES……………….... 80 4.1 Human Action and Free Will.................................................................80 4.2 QaÌÉ’ and Qadr……………………………………………………………… 82

4.2.1 The meaning of QaÌÉ’ and Qadr……………………………… 83 4.2.2 Issues in QaÌÉ’ and Qadr…………………………………….... 86

4.3 MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb’s View on QaÌÉ’ and Qadr……...... 86 4.4 MuÍammad ÑAbduh’s View on QaÌÉ’ and Qadr………………………..102

CHAPTER FIVE: SIMILARITIES AND DIFFERENCES………………….... 112

5.1 Al-TaÑÉmul with the Qur’Én: The ÑAql and the Naql…………………….112 5.1.1 MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb’s View on ÑAql and Naql…………………………………………………………...112 5.1.2 MuÍammad ÑAbduh’s view on Ñaql and naql ……………......115 5.2 Responses Towards ÑIlm al-KalÉm………………………………………...123 5.2.1 MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb’s Position

Towards ÑIlm al-KalÉm……………………………………........123 5.2.2 The View of MuÍammad ÑAbduh onÑilm al-Kalam………..128 5.3 MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb’s Theory of TawÍÊd and its

Defence Against Superstitions and Innovations ……………………... 133 5.4 MuÍammad ÑAbduh’s Theory of TawÍÊd and its Defense Against

Western Critiques and their Ideologies………………………………. 144 CHAPTER SIX: CONCLUSION……………………………………………….. 160 BIBLIOGRAPHY………………………………………………………………… 163

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CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.0 INTRODUCTION

Problems with the concept tawÍÊd did not occur at the time of the Prophet (pbuh).

The Muslims during that time (who were known as Salaf al-ØÉliÍ) understood the

Qur’Énic verses and they did not need to analyze those verses in order to understand

them, especially as the Prophet (pbuh) was still with them. However, by the end of

the Umayyad era and the beginning of the Abbasid era, the concept of tawÍÊd had

been misunderstood because of internal influences such as the MuÑtazilah, and also

due to individuals who were enemies of IslÉm. Many problems occurred due to the

misunderstanding and misinterpretation of issues pertaining to the Islamic ÑaqÊdah

(faith) such as the creation of the Qur’Én and the exercise of free will by man. This

problem led to the formation of many schools of thought such as the AshÉÑirah and the

MuÑtazilah which resulted in the corruption of the Islamic ÑaqÊdah. Moreover, external

influences led to the bigger problem in comprehending the true meaning of tawÍÊd,

including the influence of Greek philosophy and modern ideologies including

naturalism and liberalism.

1.1 PROBLEM STATEMENT

TawÍÊd is the most important aspect in the human life, it is to affirm wholeheartedly in

one‘s heart the belief in the Oneness of Allah in all matters. This includes our

devotion, recognition of His Names and Attributes, His Actions and His Essence,

empowering us to become true Muslims. But tawÍÊd has been subject to discussions in

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Sufistic, philosophical and theological forms that have resulted in corruption and

deviation from its true meaning. The understanding of tawÍÊd also has been subjected

to corruption due to internal and external causes, and so it has been given new features

by several Muslim schools of thought in order to defend it from foreign elements that

might lead to polytheism, pantheism or atheism.

The most important works to defend the concept of tawÍÊd can be traced from

the writings of mutakallimËn known as the AshÉÑirah and a second group who called

themselves the Salaf, who were the followers of the ×anbalÊ school of thought who

claimed that they were the holders of the pure tawÍÊd. They seek the true meaning,

purpose and concept of tawÍÊd. From the approach of Muslim scholars towards

tawÍÊd three distinct schools of thought emerged:1

1. The rational approach such as the MuÑtazilah.

2. The literal approach such as the Salaf and the ×anbalÊ school of thought.

3. The combination of the above schools of thought such as the AshÉÑirah

and the MÉturÊdiyyah.

MuÍammad ÑAbduh’s thought somewhat resembles the AshÉÑirah school

which combines the philosophical approach and the Salaf approach as the original

source of IslÉm. Thus, he was identified as one of the mutakallimËn who defended the

Islamic ÑaqÊdah with rational arguments. He is the representative of the AshÉÑirah

method after ImÉm al-GhazÉlÊ. Meanwhile MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb was the

representative of Salaf thought in the new era after Ibn Taymiyyah, who strongly

held on to the two main Islamic sources, the Qur’Én and Sunnah. They stressed the

literal meaning without explaining tawÍÊd through new approaches, and presented

ÑaqÊdah as they were practiced during the time of the Prophet (pbuh). This research

1 Sayyed ÑAbdul Hai, Muslim Philosophy (Dhaka: Zakir Art Press, 2nd edn., 1982), 31.

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will present and elaborate on their concept of tawÍÊd and identify how far their

explanations preserve the Islamic faith.

1.2 RESEARCH QUESTIONS 1. What is the meaning of tawÍÊd according to MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-

WahhÉb and MuÍammad ÑAbduh?

2. What are the methodologies adopted by these scholars in defining tawÍÊd?

3. What influenced them in shaping their thoughts?

4. How they based their arguments on the Qur’Énic verses and the Sunnah?

5. What are their positions on other tawÍÊd issues such as QaÌÉ’ and Qadr?

6. What are their contributions to uphold the explanation of tawÍÊd?

1.3 OBJECTIVES OF THE STUDY

1. To explore the meanings of tawÍÊd according to MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-

WahhÉb and MuÍammad ÑAbduh.

2. To discover the methodologies of MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb and

MuÍammad ÑAbduh and identify their similarities and differences in

explaining tawÍÊd.

3. To examine the factor that shapes their thought in explaining tawÍÊd.

4. To analyze whether their views conform to the framework of the Qur’Én

and Sunnah.

5. To clarify both views pertaining to the fundamental issues in the field of

tawÍÊd.

6. To identify their contributions in upholding tawÍÊd.

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1.4 JUSTIFICATION OF THE PROBLEM The understanding of tawÍÊd is very important in the daily lives of Muslims,

particularly as practiced in its true form. This understanding must be based on the

Qur’Én and Sunnah and elaborated in their true forms as the original source in

comprehending the concept of tawÍÊd. Views of particular thinkers, and schools of

thought, on the subject of tawÍÊd may be found in their varied literature, which have

been expressed and shaped in different forms through various methodologies. In other

words, the concept of tawÍÊd has been given a new spirit and will lead to a new

understanding of tawÍÊd that might be different from the original one. For example,

the concept of tawÍÊd in the view of Sufism is different to the mutakallimËn’s view

and both differ from the Salaf viewpoint. This was due to their dichotomy in

interpreting tawÍÊd and because of their diffuse methodologies. This study exposes the

differences between the views of tawÍÊd as represented by MuÍammad ÑAbduh and

MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb. Hopefully it will give a clear picture of the concept

of tawÍÊd in its original form. Moreover, a false concept of tawÍÊd can lead to shirk

(polytheism).

1.5 SCOPE AND LIMITATION OF STUDY This study seeks to highlight the concept of tawÍÊd according to MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd

al-WahhÉb and MuÍammad ÑAbduh and the similarities and differences in their

concepts and methodologies pertaining to tawÍÊd. They were two great reformers in

Muslim history. MuÍammad ÑAbduh was an example of the mutakallimËn and

philosopher who used the methodology of the AshÉÑirah and the MuÑtazilah, whereas

MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb used the Salaf method that was utilized by the

×anbalÊ school of thought. Therefore, this study moves around the methodologies and

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understanding that have been well presented and elaborated on by both thinkers in

their own ways. The second aspect of this study focuses on how far that their

explanations on tawÍÊd work as the doctrine in denying polytheism and at the same

time can work for the preservation of tawÍÊd.

1.6 METHODOLOGY

This study is qualitative and as such it uses library research. It also uses the

descriptive methodology in explaining the concept of tawÍÊd according to both

scholars. A comparative and analytical methodology is also employed to identify their

similarities and differences in their viewpoints. Then, it will be evaluated according to

their basis of argument and how they manipulate them.

1.7 LITERATURE REVIEW The literature review was selected from relevant writings pertaining to the life,

methodologies and the concept of tawÍÊd of MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb and

MuÍammad ÑAbduh.

For comprehensive information on MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb’s life

which is crucial in shaping his thoughts, methodologies and his concept of tawÍÊd can

be found in BuÍËth Nadwah DaÑwah al-Shaykh MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb.2

The book was actually a compilation of several articles by the University of

MuÍammad SaÑËd which discussed MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb, particularly his

early life that mainly influenced his thought and shaping of his concept of tawÍÊd in

two volumes.

2 ________, BuÍËth Nadwah DaÑwah al-Shaykh MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb (Riyad: al-JÉmiÑah al-ImÉm MuÍammad SaÑËd, 2edn., 1991).

6

Beginning with his family which held firmly to the teaching of the ×anbalÊ

madhhab and the thought of the Salaf, MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb prevailed as a

Salaf revivalist until the end of his life. The book also comprehensively presents

MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb’s work and effort particularly in overcoming the

superstition and bidÑah that was spread in the Muslim community in Saudi Arabia

during his time. In this book, some articles tried to clarify the concept brought about

by MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb which had been misunderstood including which

was spread by the West, and by the Muslim themselves who viewed that he was a

radical thinker of IslÉm in bad sense. Several authors support him by explaining how

his life experiences influenced and forced him to implement his thought in such a way

which was viewed by some Muslims as a very radical approach to Islamic belief. For

example, the author did mention about the superstitions that had spread in Najd,

southwest Saudi Arabia, where many Muslims were influenced by the public

taÎawwuf’s doctrine which taught the followers to pray at graveyards of saints to

achieve guidance. This is certainly an act of shirk. So, MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-

WahhÉb defined tawÍÊd in this most deep meaning, where it seemed very radical to

Muslims who were weak in their faith and for that reason, MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-

WahhÉb rejected taÎawwuf in general. There are other several articles mentioning

MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb’s work in explaining tawÍÊd through his treatises

and books, which signifies that he focused the discussion on tawÍÊd al-UlËhiyyah as

the reflection to the Muslims’ problem in this are. Before exploring MuÍammad ibn

ÑAbd al-WahhÉb’s concept of tawÍÊd, it is appropriate to discuss his methodology

because it will help to comprehend his concept. A book written by Óminah

MuÍammad NÉÎir entitled MuÍammad bin ÑAbd al-WahhÉb wa Manhajuhu fÊ

7

MabÉhith al-ÑAqÊdah3 presented deeply the methodology of MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-

WahhÉb in dealing with tawÍÊd. It includes the dealing with ÑaqÊdah that moulded his

position on Sufism, the prophecy, the hereafter and even the method of how he deals

with worldly affairs, such as the Muslim sociological science. For that, this book does

not confine to his methodology in tawÍÊd alone, but it also includes his methodology

in almost all aspects that should be discussed pertaining to him. The book also shows

that MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb holds on to the position of Salaf al-ØÉliÍ, where

every issue discussed by him is substantiated by the quotation of Qur’Énic verses and

the Prophet’s ÍadÊth. The author also strengthens her arguments to support

MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb’s methodology and thought in all matters with the

quotations of some Qur’Énic verses and the ÍadÊth and she also defines the false

concepts which were disagreed by MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb in taÎawwuf and

in all matters pertaining to ÑaqÊdah. This shows that the author is one of MuÍammad

ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb’s supporters in his methodology and position.

From the methodology of MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb, it is clear that the

concept of tawÍÊd according to him is also in line with the earlier ×anbalÊ madhhab

scholars such as Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah. Like them,

MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb also focused his discussion on tawÍÊd al-UlËhiyyah

that is clearly presented through all his treatises and books.

Some were compiled by BassÉm ÑAbd al-WahhÉb al-JÉbÊ in MajmËÑah RasÉ’il

fÊ al-TawÍÊd wa al-ÔmÉn li al-Shaykh MuÍammad bin ÑAbd al-WahhÉb.4 This small

book contains thirteen treatises of MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb which clarify the

scope of tawÍÊd al-UlËhiyyah. This book shows that the scope of tawÍÊd al-UlËhiyyah 3 Óminah MuÍammad NÉÎir, MuÍammad bin ÑAbd al-WahhÉb wa Manhajuhu fÊ MabÉhith al-ÑAqÊdah (Cairo: DÉr al-ShËrËq, 1st edn., 1983). 4 BassÉm ÑAbd al-WahhÉb Al-JÉbÊ, MajmËÑah RasÉ’il fi al-TawÍÊd wa al-ÔmÉn li al-Shaykh MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb (Beirut: DÉr al-BashÉ‘ir al-IslÉmiyyah, 1994).

8

is very wide. It cannot be confined only to devotion; rather it must be practiced in all

aspects of life, including politics and social matters. For example, MuÍammad ibn

ÑAbd al-WahhÉb asserts that only the laws of Allah should be utilized in reshaping the

society. Whoever adopts laws other than what have been revealed by Allah as their

life guidance will be considered as an infidel. Through the treatises, he also stresses

the danger of shirk and explained several issues that might lead to matters such as the

duÑÉ’ by meditating it with the angels and the waliyy (saints) which they viewed as a

good platform to devote to Allah. With some verses from the Qur’Én, the author

explained that this is one kind of action that might drag them into the territory of

shirk. Although this is a simple and short book, it contains the most important issues

to be fixed in the light of preserving the true meaning of tawÍÊd.

Ibn GhannÉm also presents a few of MuÍammad ibnÑAbd al-WahhÉb’s letters

in TÉrÊkh al-Najd.5 He reproduces the treatises of MuÍammad ibnÑAbd al-WahhÉb and

clarifies that the Prophet (pbuh) stresses on this tawÍÊd. For example, the Prophet

(pbuh) prohibited the erection of statues on his grave and the graves of waliyy because

this will lead to shirk. This shows that tawÍÊd al-UlËhiyyah is very crucial. The

author also highlighted the important point from treatises that acts of shirk started

through the ignorance of tawÍÊd al-UlËhiyyah when five statues of waliyy were built

as a devotion to them during the time of Prophet NËÍ (pbuh). This led to shirk among

the people of that particular time and hence building statues during the Prophet’s

(pbuh) time was prohibited and therefore, the same action must be prohibited at any

time due to the same reason. This argument shows that the author gave full supports to

the concept of MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb.

5 ×ussayn ibn GhannÉm, TÉrÊkh Najd, ed. NÉÎir al-DÊn al-Asad (Cairo: DÉr ShurËq, 2nd edn., 1985).

9

The discussion of tawÍÊd by MuÍammad ibn ÑAbdul al-WahhÉb can be

detected in his writings, such as KitÉb al-TawÍÊd and Kashf al-ShubuhÉt. After

MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb’s death, his KitÉb al-TawÍÊd was elaborated on by

his grandson, ÑAbd al-RaÍmÉn ibn ×asan. The book FatÍ al-MajÊd bi SharÍ KitÉb al-

TawÍÊd6 is both an explanation of KitÉb al-TawÍÊd and an extension of this to solve

the problems not clearly explained in his grandfather’s book. ÑAbd al-RaÍmÉn’s

thought was also as staunch as his grandfather’s. After he criticized the mutakallimÊn,

he then explained the true purpose of tawÍÊd as revealed to the Prophet (pbuh). He

also explained several problems pertaining to tawÍÊd that had not been discussed by

his grandfather. Like his grandfather, ÑAbd al-RaÍmÉn viewed that tawÍÊd al-

UlËhiyyah, or tawÍÊd al-ÑIbÉdah, was the main purpose of tawÍÊd. So, he focused on

solving many problems in tawÍÊd al-UlËhiyyah in this book. Overall, this is a good

book to deal with due to its deep explanation on tawÍÊd al-UlËhiyyah.

ÑAbd al-RaÍmÉn ibn MuÍammad al-JaÏÊlÊ wrote IfÉdah al-MustafÊd bi SharÍ

KitÉb al-TawÍÊd7 to provide further explanation on KitÉb al-TawÍÊd and FatÍ al-

MajÊd. In this book, he explained KitÉb al-TawÍÊd according to his understanding and

related it to the environment that MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb lived in. He also

added some Qur’Énic verses and extracted some important points to be highlighted of

what MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb wanted to propagate. This book is an extension

of the explanation in FatÍ al-MajÊd which tried to elaborate, in the light of tafsÊr, the

thoughts of scholars who previously presented the same kind of ideas, such as Ibn

KathÊr, ImÉm al-ShawkÉnÊ and Ibn Taymiyyah. The explanation was completely done

where ÑAbd al-RaÍmÉn ibn MuÍammad al-JaÏÊlÊ arranged the issues accordingly to

6 ÑAbd al-RaÍmÉn ibn ×asan, Fath al-MajÊd (Cairo: MaÏbaÑah al-Sunnah al-Muhammadiyyah, 1957). 7 ÑAbd al-RaÍmÉn ibn MuÍammad al-JaÏÊlÊ, IfÉdah al-MustafÊd bi Sharh KitÉb al-TawÍÊd (Riyad: DÉr al-LiwÉ’ li al-Nashr wa al-TawzÊÑ, 1st edn., 1980).

10

KitÉb al-TawÍÊd and explained the meanings of the crucial words in the Qur’Énic

verses and also the ÍadÊth in the argumentation. Finally, he posed several questions to

be answered by the readers to strengthen their understanding.

For the information on the tawÍÊd movement of MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-

WahhÉb, a book written by ÑAbd al-ÑAzÊz Sayyid al-AÍd entitled DÉÑiyah al-TawÍÊd

MuÍammad bin ÑAbd al-WahhÉb8 explains on the life, thought and movement of

MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb in the light of tawÍÊd as if he wants to say that

MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb is one of the greatest scholars in the tawÍÊd field.

The way of writing in this book tells us that the author is in line with the thought of

MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb in tawÍÊd where he supports MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd

al-WahhÉb’s statements, and his act in classifying tawÍÊd into three categories.

Although the author does not condemn al-AshÑarÊ and al-GhazÉlÊ, he does point out

that the understanding of tawÍÊd is well defined by MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb

in terms of its originality, as in the time of the Prophet (pbuh). He approves

MuÍammad ibn ÑAbd al-WahhÉb as a great reformist and thinker of the Salaf

movement after Ibn Taymiyyah. However, the author does not state any Qur’Énic

verses to support his understanding in this book.

Meanwhile MuÍammad ÑAbduh’s concept of tawÍÊd was presented in different

views by different books. Many scholars posed opinions on MuÍammad ÑAbduh’s

thought and they compared his ideas to the ideas of various schools of thought such as

the AshÉÑirah and the MuÑtazilah. They viewed that both schools did have a great

impact on MuÍammad ÑAbduh’s thought in elaborating the concept of tawÍÊd.

It is obvious that the environment during his lifetime, in one way or another,

did play an important role in shaping his thought. Because of that, the life of 8 ÑAbd al-ÑAzÊz Sayyid al-AÍd, DÉÑiyah al-TawhÊd MuÍammad ÑAbd al-WahhÉb (Beirut: DÉr al-ÑIlm li al-MalÉyÊn, 3rd edn., 1986).