Does Shaykh Muhammad b. Abdul Wahhab's Takfeer Extend to the Majority of Later Scholars?
The below is a translation of a section from Ustadh Alaa' Hasan's article, Naqḍ as-Shubuhat al-‘Ashar ‘an ash-Shaykh Muhammad b. Abdul Wahhab.
Why did Ibn Abdul Wahhab declare those who practiced grave worship in his time as unbelievers, while we find that Taqi al-Din al-Subki advocated for istighatha, along with many later scholars, and yet Ibn Taymiyyah refuted them without declaring them unbelievers?
This question contains a common fallacy found among both opponents and many supporters as well. It involves considering al-Subki, al-Haytami, al-Suyuti, and many other later scholars who spoke of istighatha or mentioned it in their poems, as part of the group of grave worshipers intended by Shaykh Muhammad b. Abdul Wahhab.
This is not a correct assumption. Even al-Busiri, whom Ibn Taymiyyah described as extreme in his poetry,[1] was not declared an unbeliever by Shaykh Muhammad b. Abdul Wahhab for his istighatha-related statements in his "Burda." In his letter to the people of al-Qasim, he wrote:
بلغني أنَّ رسالة سليمان بن سحيم قد وصلت إليكم، وأنه قبِلها وصدَّقها بعض المنتمين للعلم في جهتكم، والله يعلمُ أنَّ الرجل افترى عليَّ أمورًا لم أقلْها، ولم يأت أكثرها على بالي، فمنها: قوله أني أكفّر البوصيري لقوله: يا أكرم الخلق. جوابي عن هذه المسائل أن أقول: سبحانك هذا بهتان عظيم! وقبله من بهت محمدًا صلى الله عليه وسلم أنه يسبُّ عيسى ابن مريم ويسب الصالحين، فتشابهت قلوبهم بافتراء الكذب وقول الزور
"I have been informed that Sulayman ibn Suhaim's letter has reached you and that some of those claiming knowledge in your region have accepted and believed it. God knows that the man has fabricated things about me that I never said, most of which never even crossed my mind. Among these fabrications is his claim that I declare al-Busiri an unbeliever for saying: 'O most noble of creation.' My response to these allegations is to say: 'Glory be to You, this is a great slander!' This slander is akin to the lies fabricated against Muhammad (peace be upon him) that he insulted Jesus, son of Mary, and the righteous. Their hearts have been united in fabricating lies and speaking falsehoods."[2]
If you know that al-Busiri was considered an extremist by Ibn Taymiyyah, yet Shaykh Muhammad b. Abdul Wahhab did not declare him an unbeliever for his istighatha with the Prophet, then what about later scholars like al-Subki and al-Haytami?!
Abdullah b. Muhammad b. Abdul Wahhab states:
ونحن كذلك لا نقول بكفر من صحت ديانته، واشتهر صلاحه وعلمه وورعه وزهده، وحسنت سيرته، وبلغ من نصحه الأمة، ببذل نفسه لتدريس العلوم النافعة والتأليف فيها، وإن كان مخطئًا في هذه المسألة -أي: الاستغاثة بالرسول- كابن حجر الهيتمي، فإنا نعرف كلامه في الدر المنظم، ولا ننكر سِمة علمه، ولهذا نعتني بكتبه، كشرح الأربعين والزواجر وغيرها، ونعتمد على نقله إذا نقل لأنه من جملة علماء المسلمين
"Likewise, we do not declare as unbelievers those whose religion is sound, whose righteousness, knowledge, piety, and asceticism are well known, whose conduct is commendable, and who have dedicated themselves to teaching beneficial sciences and authoring works, even if they are mistaken in this matter of istighatha with the Messenger, such as Ibn Hajar al-Haytami. We are aware of his statements in al-Durr al-Munazzam, and we do not deny his scholarly status. For this reason, we pay attention to his works, such as Sharh al-Arba'in and al-Zawajir, among others, and we rely on his narrations because he is among the scholars of Islam."[3]
It is important to note that the view held by some later scholars regarding istighatha from the Prophet—meaning requesting his intercession and prayers—is not the same as the pure grave worshipers' stance. This perspective on seeking intercession with the Prophet became widespread among later scholars. For instance, the scholar al-Alusi discussed this matter in "Jala' al-'Aynayn," presenting the arguments of both those who prohibit and those who permit it. Similarly, the scholar al-Suwaidi, in "al-'Aqd al-Thamin," provided the evidence of the prohibitors and prayed for mercy for both sides, treating it as one of the many scholarly issues that contain both truth and falsehood. Although al-Alusi favored the evidence of the prohibiting side, al-Suwaidi did not express a preference, although his apparent inclination was towards prohibition. Both scholars refuted grave worshipers.
If the opinion of those who permit it was the same as that of the grave worshipers, they would not have presented both viewpoints together. For instance, Abu Zur'ah al-'Iraqi, a student of al-Subki, mentioned in his fatwas that asking anything from the saints is forbidden and called it a reprehensible act.[4] At the same time, he praised al-Subki's book "Shifa' al-Siqam," stating:
وما أبشع مسألتَي ابن تيمية في الطلاق والزيارة، وقد ردّ عليه فيهما معا الشيخ تقي الدين السبكي، وأفرد ذلك بالتصنيف، فأجاد وأحسن
"And how appalling are Ibn Taymiyyah's two positions on divorce and visitation. Shaykh Taqi al-Din al-Subki refuted him on both counts, dedicating a work to it, and he excelled and did well."[5]
He also said:
وللشيخ تقي الدين ابن تيمية كلام بشع يتضمّن منع شدّ الرحل للزيارة، وأنه ليس من القرب بل بضدّ ذلك، ورد عليه الشيخ تقي الدين السبكي في شفاء السقام، فشفى صدور قوم مؤمنين
"Shaykh Taqi al-Din Ibn Taymiyyah has an appalling statement that prohibits traveling for the purpose of visitation, claiming it is not an act of piety but the opposite. Shaykh Taqi al-Din al-Subki refuted him in 'Shifa' al-Siqam,' thus relieving the hearts of believing people."[6]
In the previous quotes, al-'Iraqi praises al-Subki's book without mentioning any disagreement regarding istighatha, on which al-Subki elaborated extensively. Despite this, you will find that al-'Iraqi, in his fatwas, denounces those who seek help from saints at graves. This indicates that al-'Iraqi considered the two views to be distinct.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah reported that al-Bakri sought the approval of scholars for his stance on seeking help from saints, but they disagreed with him. Ibn Taymiyyah stated:
وقد طاف بجوابه على علماء مصر ليوافقه واحد منهم فما وافقوه، وطلب منهم أن يخالفوا الجواب الذي كتبته فما خالفوه، وقد كان بعض الناس يوافقه على جواز التوسل بالنبي الميت؛ لكنهم لم يوافقوه على تسميته استغاثة، ولا على كفر من أنكر الاستغاثة به، ولا جعلوا هذا السبب، بل عامتهم وافقوا على منع الاستغاثة به بمعنى أن يطلب منه ما لا يقدر عليه
"He presented his response to the scholars of Egypt, hoping one of them would agree with him, but they did not. He asked them to oppose my written response, but they did not. Some people agreed with him on the permissibility of seeking the Prophet's intercession (tawassul) after his death; however, they did not agree to call it istighatha, nor did they consider those who denied it as unbelievers. Rather, most of them agreed on prohibiting seeking help (istighatha) from the Prophet in a manner that involves requesting something beyond human capability."[7]
What Ibn Taymiyyah reported about the Ash'ari scholars of Egypt, some of whom disagreed with him on intercession from the Prophet, indicates that their views differed from those of al-Bakri and the pure grave worshipers. This contradicts what many students of knowledge, both opponents and supporters, might think[8].
The intention is to highlight that Shaykh Muhammad b. Abdul Wahhab's stance aligns with Ibn Taymiyyah's in not declaring later scholars who erred in seeking the Prophet's intercession as unbelievers. Instead, he intended to denounce those who believed in saints, frequented their graves, and invoked them on land and sea. The Shaykh, may Allah have mercy on him, aimed to address this category of people.
Recommending Reading:
Shaykh Muhammad b. Abdul Wahhab Discourse
[1] Translator’s note: See Non-Najdi Scholars Who Were Critical of Qasida al-Burda
[2] Ar-Rasa’il ash-Shaykhsiyyah, vol. 6, p. 12
[3] Risalat ad-Dukhul ila Makkah, p. 30. And see: ad-Dorar as-Saniyyah, vol. 1, p. 236
[4] Fatawa al-Faqih Wali ad-Deen Abi Zar’ah al-Iraqi, pp. 166-168
[5] Al-Ajwiba al-Marḍiyyah ‘an al-As’ila al-Makkiyyah, pp. 96-97
[6] Ṭarh al-Tathreeb, vol. 6, p. 43
[7] al-Isitighatha wal-Radd ‘ala al-Bakri, p. 284
[8] Translator’s note: see: Clarifying the Stances of Taqi ad-Din as-Subki and Ibn Hajar al-Haytami on Istighatha