Wahhabi Islam: From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad

Natana J. DeLong-Bas here writes the definitive book on the life and worldview of Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab. What did Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab do which made him both feared and admired during his lifetime and so misunderstood now? Arguably, the 18th century scholar's most controversial achievement was to remind Muslims that "the Prophet Muhammad himself had expressly forbidden people to make graves places of celebration, or to venerate tombs and that prayer should never be conducted in a shrine, mausoleum or cemetery." It's hard to imagine, but when this rural Arabian scholar recalled this simple truth it sparked a firestorm that still rages to this day. Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab also believed in leading by example. In the city of al-Ayaynah a number of trees grew upon which the local Muslim populace would hang things in order to request the trees' blessing or intercession on their behalf. As was his way, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab talked to people about it first. He even pointed out how the act contradicted what was taught in the Quran. After a while he cut the largest "sacred" tree down. This practical application of Quranic philosophy desperately frightened and infuriated the people in power (in what is now Saudi Arabia) even though they claimed to be monotheistic. Some other highlights of Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's career that critics don't mention: -Suggested that all Muslims read the Quran (surprisingly revolutionary at the time and angered the religious elite) -Never promoted martyrdom -Believed that literal rather than contextual interpretations of the Quran could be dangerous. -Illuminated how archaic and unjust tribal laws governing things like property and the rights of women had subtly been woven into Islamic jurisprudence -Denounced manipulation of religious authority for personal gain -Spoke publicly about how land owners and the powerful manipulated the system under the guise of Islam to generate wealth and crush opposition. -Advocated that the works of early Islamic scholar's be open to critique and criticism -Believed that individual Muslims are responsible not only for his or her own faith but also the effects of his or her behavior on others -Insisted that Muslims support one another and take serious what the Quran said about helping the poor. -Taught that Muslims should evaluate the content of a Hadith (testimonies by Muhammad's companions and wives) with the teachings of the Quran and not merely rely on the interpretations of "experts". -Rejected the notion that any person possessed secret, special or hidden knowledge of the Quran, even if they could trace their lineage back to the prophet Muhammad. -Emphasized comprehension of the Quran over its memorization. -Preferred conversion through education and dialogue and not violence -Taught that fighting and war should only be used as a last resort. -Showed that corruption and nepotism among the wealthy, political and religious hierarchy had a very real impact on every day people

An important and well-executed work about the thought of Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, and not specifically about what is now called "wahhabism". Contrary to the way he is presented in current public and scholarly discourse, the author's Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab emerges as a moderate, enormously well read, progressive expounder and interpreter of Islamic doctrine. The founder of the Wahhabis was anything but the wild-eyed, puritanical naïf hailing from some remote sand-locked province of Muslimdom he is painted to be. Author Delong-Bas has accomplished what no western critics of Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab--and eastern ones too for that matter--have ever attempted: she has actually read his work, all fourteen of his books along with his legal opinions. The weight of the evidence, then, is on her side. She has simply read her subject's own works and the historical record of his passing and reported what she found there. In so doing, she has rendered an invaluable service by distilling the works of Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, which are difficult to obtain outside of Saudi Arabia, for readers who may in any case not be able to read the Arabic. To convince doubters, of whom there will be many, the author embarks upon a detailed and methodical examination of the views of Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab as recorded in his own voice and not as imputed to him by others. Her emphasis throughout is on the hot-button issues so dear to critics of all stripes, notably the principles of interpretation of the sacred texts, the rights of women, and the place of violence and jihad. According to his own words and deeds, Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab preached and practiced flexibility in interpretation of Islamic doctrine, tolerance of different creeds alternative to it, and forbearance toward those who disagreed with his views or who apostatised. Accused of rigid literalism, Ibn Abd al-Wahhab to the contrary openly broke with exegetes, doctors of law, and compliers of Prophetic traditions whenever and wherever he found their pronouncements to be lacking in principled reasoning, based upon faulty interpretation, or displaying outright ignorance or dishonesty. He urged his followers and indeed all believers to practice these same principles to the furthest extent to which they were able. Where it came to matters concerning relations between the sexes, Ibn Abd al-Wahhab's inclination was always to assert the rights of women, according them more rights and less stricture in the conduct of their own affairs than he accorded to men. So too was he insistent upon women's right to participation in public life and access to public space. Underlying any of his judgments was his keen preoccupation with protecting and preserving human life and dignity. His written record demonstrates a consistent concern for such things. This hardly conforms to the image of Wahhabism that is bandied about nowadays, in which Wahhabis are portrayed as vicious misogynists. While there may

First, this book is not about modern politics of terrorism or jihadi war or whatever, but it is about Ibn al-Wahhab and his writings. Although the previous reviewer makes some very important points that call into doubt some of the author's choices of sources, I still feel that this is a very dynamic and thorough brush on this topic. First, the book does not pretend to discuss the merits of those extremists who think they are or are labeled "Wahhabists" in the modern world, nor does it discuss what others currently view or percieve "Wahhabism" to be. Thankfully, such topics are not considered as they are highly political. What is considered is the views, rulings, and opinions of the man who founded what is today, in my opinion, not "Wahhabism", but simply a more unifying and simplistic view of Islamic belief. The books demonstrates that the term "Wahhabism" is a complex term, and that the ideas of Ibn al-Wahhab were quite well developed. He was not an extremist or fundamentalists or zealot, but simply a religious interpreter who's views are often misunderstood. The books also shows, through its in-depth discussion of Wahhab's views, that the extremist and militant movements of today often labeled or known as "Wahhabism" should be called, and the author has firmly convinced me of this, Tamiyaism, who was a medieval islamic scholar that is cited by extremists as much as Wahhab. I do not pretend to be a scholar on Islamic theology and thought, but this book is a great source for understanding the foundation beliefs of Islam and the interpreting view of Ibn al-Wahhab. He was a man that was principly concerned with "shirk", which was considered falsely believing in something. This was a concern similar to the iconoclast in Eastern Byzantine Orthodox in the middle ages. Here an example that concerned Wahhab was muslims praying to a certain tree, which he regarded as praying to something other than god. The author writes very fluidly and does cite from Wahhab's works extensively and also does an analysis of Wahhab's own citations of preceeding islamic scholars in his original works, highlighting who he most often agreed/disagreed with. I highly recommend this book for people with at least a basic understanding of Islamic thought such as Hadiths, Surahs, Fiqh, and the doctrine of Tawhid and even Sufiism and its veils. I encourage the other reviewer to at least suggest some more books on the topic that can further clarify this topic.