Najdi, Non najdi scholars and non Muslims clearing that Najdis are NOT khawarij And that they have a correct creed. A must read.
a) Ibn Abdul Wahaab
b) Shaikh Hamad bin Nasir bin Uthman al-Mu’amari al-Najdi [1225H] the student of Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd il-Wahhāb
c) Mahmud Shukri al Alusi
d) al Shawkani
e) Nawab Siddique Hassan Khan
f) Theodore Lothrop Stoddard
g) Sulaiman bin Abdil Wahaab the brother of Shaykh
h) Shaykh Imran ibn Ali ibn Ridwan ash-Shafiee (d 1280 h) (who was a Shi’i but Allaah guided him to the Sunnah.
i) Shaykh Basheer Sahsawani
j) The Egyptian, Azhari scholar and historian Abdur Rahman Jabarti.
k) Moroccan scholars and their Sayyid Sultan Molaa Ibrahim agreed with the aqaid of Ibn Saud.
l) Allama Iqbal
a) Ibn Abdul Wahaab
Extreme sufis claimed it is halal to kill Shaykh and his followers.
Ibn Abdul Wahaab said:
فهذا هو الذي أوجب الاختلاف بيننا و بين الناس حتى آل بهم الأمر إلى أن كفرونا و قاتلونا و استحلوا دماءنا و أموالنا
This (stopping from making domes over the graves etc) is the thing which made dispute between us and people until they started calling us a Kaafir, fought us, made our blood and money halal. [تصحيح خطأ تاريخي حول الوهابية 1/171]
b) Shaikh Ahmad bin Nasir bin Uthman al-Mu’amari al-Najdi [1225H] the student of Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd il-Wahhāb
The allegation that Muhammad bin Abdil Wahaab Rahimaullah massacred villages.
Shaikh Ahmad bin Nasir bin Uthman al-Mu’amari al-Najdi [1225H] the student of Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd il-Wahhāb — said:
“One of these fabrications is that the Sheikh al-Islām [Muḥammad ibn ‘Abd il-Wahhāb] sheds blood and plunders goods and has the audacity of killing people and calls all the Muslims of the world disbelievers…these are all lies.”
• Al-Fawakat al-Adhāb fī ’l-Radd ‘ala Man Lam Yahkam al-Sunnat wa ’l-Kitāb (p. 55
c) Mahmud Shukri al Alusi.
Mahmud Shukri al Alusi was Grandson of al Alusi Kabeer the author of Ruh al Ma`ani, He praised the scholars of Najd and their movement and refuted the claim that they violated the sanctity of Mecca and Madina.
He said while refuting Nabhani the sufi:
فإن الذين أطلق عليهم اسم الوهابية- إطلاقاً غلطأً- هم أهل نجد وهم حنابلة من خيار أهل السنة، وهم من أتباع الإمام أحمد في الفروع لا من أتباع ابن تيمية، وأما في العقائد والأصول فهم ليسوا بمقلّدين لأحد فيها، وهم لم يبتدعوا شيئاً في الدين يكونون به فرقة أخرى، ولم يتخذوا مع الله آلهة أخرى كما اتخذه الغلاة.
Those who are known as Wahabis which in itself is a wrong ascription – are in fact are the people of Najd and they are Hanbalis, and are the best people of approved path. They are followers of Imam Ahmad in fiqh and are not followers of Ibn Taymiyyah. As regards to Aqaid and Usul, they are not blind followers of any great Imam. And they have not innovated anything in the religion to make a separate sect of their own. They do not take anyone other than Allah for their deity to be worshiped as the extremists bigot do. [Ghayat al Amani 1/363]
He then said
:وما كان من الحروب في نجد بين رؤسائهم أي ذنب لهم فيه، وهم لم يبدأوا أحداً بحرب ولا ضرب حتى يبدأ الغير به، فحينئذ يدافعون عن أنفسهم، ودفع الصائل مأمور به، فلم يحصل منهم ضرر على الشريعة بل هم أكثر المسلمين محاماة عليها كما سبق. وأما سادساً: أن ما ينقل عن أهل نجد مما فعلوه بالحرمين لا أصل له كما لا يخفى على من طالع كتب تواريخهم، وفي كتاب (منهاج التأسيس في الرد على ابن جرجيس) وتتمته نبذة من ذلك، وجزيرة العرب تشمل الحرمين، بل هما الجزيرة بلسان الشرع، فلا وجه لعطف الجزيرة على الحرمين.
There had been no wars in the land of Najd among their chiefs which entailed sinfulness to them, except that they did not start any war. or come into clash till the other started in defence.
Sixthly Whatever is reported about the people of Najd that they violated the sanctity of Mecca and Madina. It is unfounded and has no basis. It will be evident to him who should care to study the books relating to the recent history of the land. The work entitled the “Minhaj al Tasees fe Radd al Ibn Jirjees” and the supplement thereto contain some glimpses into the history of the wahabi movement. The Peninsula of Arabia comprises the Two Harams, nay rather both of them are knows as “al Jazira” in the language of Shariya. [Ghayat al Amani 1/364]
d) Al Shawkani
al Shawkani refuted the notion that followers of Shaykh Muhammad bin Abdil Wahaab are Khawarij.
al Shawkani said:
وبعض الناس يزعم أنه يعتقد اعتقاد الخوارج وما أظن ذلك صحيحا فإن صاحب نجد وجميع أتباعه يعملون بما تعلموه من محمد بن عبد الوهاب وكان حنبليا ثم طلب الحديث بالمدينة المشرفة فعاد إلى نجد وصار يعمل باجتهادات جماعة من متأخرى الحنابلة كابن تيمية وابن القيم وأضرابهما وهما من أشد الناس على معتقدى الأموات.
“Some people believe that Sahib (ruler) of Najd (Ameer Abdul Aziz bin Muhammad bin Saud) upholds Khariji beliefs, but I do not believe it to be correct as these people (the followers of Ibn Abdil Wahaab) follow the way of Muhammad ibn AbdilWahab and he was from Hanbali Mazhab, he learned Hadith from Shuyukh of Madeenah and returned to Najd where he acted upon the Ijthadat of late Hanbalis scholars such as ibn Taymiyah, ibnul Qayim and others, and these people were among most severe against those who have (false) belief in dead.”
[al–Badr at-tali 1/500]
He did say they Najdis went to some extreme In takfeer but he praised their aqaid and that they are not khawarij.
e) Nawab Siddique Hassan Khan endorsed this view in AtTaj wal Mukallal p 334, He even responded Ibn Abideen who spoke against followers of Shaykh . ibn abideen didn’t even know the name of Muhammad bin Abdul Wahaab.
f) Theodore Lothrop Stoddard (June 29, 1883 – May 1, 1950) an American white supremacist historian, journalist, and political scientist wrote about Islam before Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab.
“As for religion, it was as decadent as everything else. The austere monotheism of Mohammed had become overlaid with a rank growth of superstition and puerile mysticism. The mosques stood unfrequented and ruinous, deserted by the ignorant multitude, which, decked out in amulets, charms, and rosaries, listened to squalid[Pg 21] fakirs or ecstatic dervishes, and went on pilgrimages to the tombs of “holy men,” worshipped as saints and “intercessors” with that Allah who had become too remote a being for the direct devotion of these benighted souls. As for the moral precepts of the Koran, they were ignored or defied. Wine-drinking and opium-eating were well-nigh universal, prostitution was rampant, and the most degrading vices flaunted naked and unashamed. Even the holy cities, Mecca and Medina, were sink-holes of iniquity, while the “Hajj,” or pilgrimage ordained by the Prophet, had become a scandal through its abuses. In fine: the life had apparently gone out of Islam, leaving naught but a dry husk of soulless ritual and degrading superstition behind. Could Mohammed have returned to earth, he would unquestionably have anathematized his followers as apostates and idolaters.”
[The new world of Islam by Theodore Lothrop Stoddard page 11]
Then he wrote about the revival of true teachings of Islam, He said:
“Yet, in this darkest hour, a voice came crying out of the vast Arabian desert, the cradle of Islam, calling the faithful back to the true path. This puritan reformer, the famous (Ibn) Abd-el-Wahab, kindled a fire which presently spread to the remotest corners of the Moslem world, purging Islam of its sloth and reviving the fervour of olden days. The great Mohammedan Revival had begun. Mahommed ibn Abd-el-Wahab was born about the year a.d. 1700 in the heart of the Arabian desert, the region known as the Nejd. The Nejd was the one clean spot in the decadent Moslem world.”
[The new world of Islam page 11]
He wrote about how was the the first sunni state.
“(Ibn) Abd-el-Wahab was, in truth, a faithful counterpart of the first caliphs, Abu Bekr and Omar. When he died in 1787 his disciple, Saud, proved a worthy successor. The new Wahabi state was a close counterpart of the Meccan caliphate. Though possessing great military power, Saud always considered himself responsible to public opinion and never encroached upon the legitimate freedom of his subjects. Government, though stern, was able and just. The Wahabi judges were competent and honest. Robbery,[Pg 23] became almost unknown, so well was the public peace maintained. Education was sedulously fostered. Every oasis had its school, while teachers were sent to the Bedouin tribes.”
[The new world of Islam page 12]
g) Sulaiman bin Abdul Wahaab the brother of Shaykh.
When Shaykh Suleman bin Abdul Wahaab left his refutations against his brother Muhammad bin Abdul Wahaab.
Shaykh Badi al Din Shah al Rashidi said:
The brother of shaykh, Suleman bin Abdul Wahab (d 1208 h) who was staunch against him rather he wrote a risalah against him by the name of “Al Sawaiq Al Ilahia Fi Al Radd Ala Al Wahabiyya”. But he was Saleem ul Qalb and his refutations were not based on Hasad, Bughz and Anaad. At the end he understood the truth and left his false aqaid (I.e. accusations because his aqaid were same the difference was on udhr on shirk) and accepted the truth. This is mentioned by Allama Husayn bin Ghanaam Ahsai d 1225 h in his book Rawdhatul Afkaar page 66 vol 1 under the things happened in 1190 h. This is also mentioned by Shaykh Suleman bin Sahman in his book “al Diya al Shariq” page 60.
[Aqida e Tawheed aur Ullema e Salaf ki khidmat page 73]
h) Shaykh Imran ibn Ali ibn Ridwan ash-Shafiee (d 1280 h) (who was a Shi’i but Allaah guided him to the Sunnah.
When Shaykh Imran ibn Ali ibn Rizwan ash-Shafiee (d 1280 h) (who was a Shi’i but Allaah guided him to the Sunnah.) came to know about the accusations of people against Muhammad ibn Abdul wahab, He responded.
إن كان تابـــع أحمـــد متوهبـــــــا فأنا المقـــرّ بأنني وهــّــــابي
If the follower of Ahmad (peace be upon him) is called a Wahabi? Then I accept that I am a Wahabi as well. [الهدية السنية والتحفة الوهابية النجدية ص110]
i) Shaikh Basheer Sahsawani said:
أن الشيخ وأتباعه لم يكفروا أحداً من المسلمين ولم يعتقدوا أنهم هم المسلمون وأن من خالفهم هم مشركون، ولم يستبيحوا قتل أهل السنة وسبي نسائهم، ولم يقولوا إن تقليد أحد الأئمة الأربعة شرك، ولقد لقيت غير واحد من أهل العلم من أتباع الشيخ، وطالعت كثيراً من كتبهم فما وجدت لهذه الأمور أصلاً وأثراً بل كان هذا بهتان وافتراء
The shaykh and his followers do not make takfeer of anyone among the Muslims, they do not believe that they are the only Muslims and all others against them are mushriks, they do not say it is allowed to kill the followers of sunnah, their children and their women, they do not say that following the four Imams is shirk. I met more than one scholar of the followers of ibn Abdul-Wahhaab and read many of their books and I did not find any evidence for the false claim. Rather this is Buhtaan and Iftiraa. [صيانة الإنسان عن وسوسة الشيخ دحلان 1/510]
j) The great Azhari historian on aqaid of Muhammad bin Abdul Wahaab and his movement.
The pride of Egyptian historians, Abdul Rahman al Jabarti (1753–1825) who trained as a Sheikh at the Al-Azhar University in Cairo regarding the beliefs of Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab.
He said, after quoting the letter of Imam Saud to the Ameer of Morocco. Where Imam Saud mentioned the beliefs of Ahlus sunnah regarding:
1. Shaf`at
2. Fitna of extreme veneration of the graves
3. Vows for the dead.
4. Amr bil Maruf
5. Finding false tawassul to reach Allah.
إن كان كذلك فهذا ما ندين الله به ونحن أيضا وهو خلاصة لباب التوحيد وما علينا من المارقين والمتعصبين
وقد بسط الكلام في ذلك ابن القيم في كتابه اغاثة اللهفان والحافظ المقريزى في تجريد التوحيد والإمام اليوسي في شرح الكبرى وشرح الحكم لابن عباد وكتاب جمع الفضائل وقمع الرذائل وكتاب مصايد يد الشيطان وغير ذلك
If this is the case than I say the same, this is the khulasa of the chapter of tauheed. We don’t care of those who find faults (in them) and those of fanatics.
Same has been propagated by Ibn al Qayyim in ighathat al lahfan, Hafidh al Maqraizi in Tajreed at Tauheed, Imam al Alusi in Sharah al Kubra, Sharah al Hakam by Ibn Ibaad, And the book “Jama al Fadail wa Qam`a al Radaail, the book Masa`id yad al Shaitan and others like these.[Ajaib al athaar fe tarajim wal akhbar 2/591]
k) Moroccan scholars and their Sayyid Sultan Molaa Ibrahim agreed with the aqaid of Ibn Saud.
Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Khalid al-Nasiri al-Salawi (1835-1897) who was one of the best Moroccan historian said:
حدثنا جماعة وافرة من حج المولى إبراهيم في تلك السنة أنهم ما رأوا من ذلك السلطان – يعني ابن سعود – ما يخالف ما عرفوه من ظاهر الشريعة وإنما شاهدوا منه ومن أتباعه غاية الاستقامة والقيام بشعائر الإسلام من صلاة وطهارة وصيام ونهي عن المنكر الحرام وتنقية الحرمين الشريفين من القاذورات والآثام التي كانت تفعل بع من غير نكير وأنه لما اجتمع بالشريف المولى إبراهيم أظهر له التعظيم الواجب آل البيت الكريم وجلس معه كجلوس أحد أصحابه وحاشيته وكان الذي تولى الكلام معه الفقيه القاضي أبو إسحاق إبراهيم الزرعي فكان من جملة ما قال ابن سعود لهم: إن الناس يزعمون أننا مخالفون للسنة المحمدية فأي شئ رأيتمونا خالفنا من السنة وأي شئ سمعتموه عنا قبل اجتماعكم بنا؟ فقال له القاضي: بلغنا أنكم تقولون بالاستواء الذاتي المستلزم لجسمية المستوى. فقال له: معاذ الله إنما نقول كما قال الإمام مالك: الاستواء معلوم والكيف مجهول والسؤال عنه بدعة والإيمان به واجب فهل في هذا مخالفة؟ قالوا: لا وبمثل هذا نقول أيضاً.
ثم قال له القاضي: وبلغنا عنكم أنكم تقولون بعدم حياة النبي صل الله عليه وسلم وحياة إخوانه من الأنبياء عليهم الصلاة والسلام في قبورهم فلما سمع ذكر النبي صل الله عليه وسلم ارتعد ورفع صوته بالصلاة عليه. وقال: معاذ الله إنما نقول: إنه صل الله عليه وسلم حي في قبره وكذا غيره من الأنبياء حياة فوق حياة الشهداء.
This year A Group who went for hajj with (Sultan) Mola Ibraheem (of Morocco) informed me that they have not seen any thing against the knowledge of shariya they had in the court of Sultan Ibn Saud.
What we saw in him and his followers was that these people stick to shiaar of Islaam like Salah, Taharah and Fast. They stop from all the prohibited and munkir things. They have cleaned Haramayn from all the dirty things. When Mola Ibraheem (who was Alwi sayyed and Sultan) met them, they respected him like it is the right of ahl ul bayt….
Qaadi and Faqeeh Abu Ishaq Ibraheem az-Zar`ee spoke to him (Ibn Saud). While talking Ibn Saud said:
People accuse us that we are against the sunnah of Muhammadi, could you let us know if you saw something against sunnah here?…
Qadhi said: It has reached us that you have aqeeda of Istiwa Dhaati due to which it is must to believe that the Mustawi (Allah tala) has a body.
He replied: Ma`az Allah, rather we saw what Imam Maalik said: “Istiwa is known and how is unknown, questioning regarding it is an innovation and Iman on it is wajib.” Do you say against that?
They said: No, rather we also say that.
Qaadi said: It has reached us that you do not believe in the life of the Prophet peace be upon him and other Prophets in their grave?
When Ibn Saud heard the name of Prophet peace be upon him, he shivered and sent durood with a loud voice and said:
Ma`az Allah, Rather we are on the opinion that Prophet peace be upon him and other Anbiya are alive in their graves (i.e. the life of barzakh unlike the life of this world) and their lives are even better than Martyrs. [الاستقصاء للناصري ج 8 ص 121 / 122.]
Then the shaykh said that they heard you stop from visiting the grave of Prophet peace be upon him and others and Ibn Saud responded by saying we don’t stop from shar`ee ziyarah rather we stop from all the innovations on the grave. In the end, an-Naasiri wrote:
وأقول أن المولى السلطان سليمان رحمه الله ، كان يرى شيئاً من ذلك ، ولأجله كتب رسالته المشهورة ، التي تكلم فيها عن حال متفقّرة الوقت – يعني بهم رهبنة الصوفية – وحذر فيها رضي الله عنه من الخروج على السنة ، والتّغالي في البدعة ، وبيّن فيها آداب زيارة الأولياء ، وحذّر من غلو العامة في ذلك ، وأغلظ فيها مبالغة في النصح للمسلمين ، جزاه الله خيراً
“Sultan Suleman (father of Ibraheem who went to meet Ibn Saud) also spoke like this (as said by Ibn Saud), He wrote a famous risalah and wrote about sufis… and wrote about adaab of ziyarah of qaboor and strongly went against the extremism which the common people had”
الاستقصاء للناصري ج 8 ص 123
l) Allama Iqbal on Najdi movement.
He said:
We are, however, not concerned with the political career of this movement which was terminated by the armies of Mohammad Ali Pasha. The essential thing to note is the spirit of freedom manifested in it: though inwardly this movement, too, is conservative in its own fashion. While it rises in revolt against the finality of schools, and vigorously asserts the right of private judgement, its vision of the past is wholly uncritical, and in matters of law IT MAINLY FALLS BACK ON THE TRADITIONS OF THE PROPHET”.
[The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam by Allama Iqbal page 109