Clarification that the Najdi Wahhabis agree with the rest of the Muslims in following a school of jurisprudence, but they differ from the rest of the Muslims in their understanding of tawhid (the oneness of Allah), which is a correct understanding.
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The Shaykh : What they deny... all the believers, but they deny what happens from some of the ignorant people regarding visiting graves. And the truth is that this is an error. There is no blame on you; you may be angry and a transmitter of disbelief, but a transmitter of disbelief is not a disbeliever, and a transmitter of error is not one who errs. But this error is recorded; that is, we have read in many letters that these people, whom people call Wahhabis, deny visiting graves. Perhaps you all know that these people do not say about themselves, "We are Wahhabis," but rather people are the ones who say about them that they are Wahhabis. Their history does not go back more than two hundred years, because they are the followers of Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab. This is what Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab and his group, known today as the Najdis or the Saudis, did. They came after Ibn Taymiyyah by approximately four hundred or five hundred years.
Ibn Taymiyyah says what they say; to be more precise, they say what Ibn Taymiyyah said. Was Ibn Taymiyyah a Wahhabi? He existed three or four centuries before Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab. Of course, no.
The questioner : ... Wahhabi
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : On the basis that he is the founder of a school of jurisprudence with them, because it appears... Wahhabism with them, but their teachings... up to now, on the basis that it is the correct Sunnah, they believe that it is the correct Sunnah.
The Shaykh : Correct, we agree with you, but may Allah reward you.
The questioner : ... the naming, as you mentioned, is taken from Ibn Taymiyyah.
The Shaykh : And so it is. Yes, I believe the Wahhabis differ from the rest of the Muslims in one thing: we follow the name, but we do not believe in this word. In fact, one of their poets said: "If following Ahmad is Wahhabism, *** Then I affirm that I am a Wahhabi" This is on the scale of what was narrated from Imam al-Shafi'i, who said: "If loving the family of Muhammad is Rafidah, then I am a Rafidi"
Another questioner: The one who affirms
The Shaykh : Is there a poet among you who can correct the meter for us? This is: "If loving the family of Muhammad is Rafidah, let the two heavyweights bear witness that I am a Rafidi" He quoted from them and said: "If following Ahmad is Wahhabism, *** Then I affirm that I am a Wahhabi". These are the Najdi people.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Those who are called Wahhabis agree with the Muslims in the fundamentals of following a school of jurisprudence, just as most Muslims today are either Hanafis, Malikis, Shafi'is, or Hanbalis. These Najdis are Hanbalis, so they are exactly like the rest of the Muslims in following a school of jurisprudence. They differ from the rest of the Muslims in a very important aspect, which is their understanding of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) in a correct way, their understanding of the phrase "La ilaha illa Allah" (There is no god but Allah) in a way that saves its speaker from eternal abode in the Fire... because, as we all know, it came in the Noble Qur'an:[An-Nisa 4:48] [An-Nisa 4:48] Today, most Muslims do not know the types of shirk (associating partners with Allah) that invalidate the belief in "La ilaha illa Allah," unlike the Najdis, who have studied this belief very precisely. Their small children know this belief better than the elders among us know it. Their truth in the matter of tawhid is a model for all people. But from the jurisprudential perspective, they are followers of a school. We agree with them in tawhid, but we differ from them in following a school of jurisprudence.
Ibn Taymiyyah says what they say; to be more precise, they say what Ibn Taymiyyah said. Was Ibn Taymiyyah a Wahhabi? He existed three or four centuries before Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab. Of course, no.
The questioner : ... Wahhabi
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : On the basis that he is the founder of a school of jurisprudence with them, because it appears... Wahhabism with them, but their teachings... up to now, on the basis that it is the correct Sunnah, they believe that it is the correct Sunnah.
The Shaykh : Correct, we agree with you, but may Allah reward you.
The questioner : ... the naming, as you mentioned, is taken from Ibn Taymiyyah.
The Shaykh : And so it is. Yes, I believe the Wahhabis differ from the rest of the Muslims in one thing: we follow the name, but we do not believe in this word. In fact, one of their poets said: "If following Ahmad is Wahhabism, *** Then I affirm that I am a Wahhabi" This is on the scale of what was narrated from Imam al-Shafi'i, who said: "If loving the family of Muhammad is Rafidah, then I am a Rafidi"
Another questioner: The one who affirms
The Shaykh : Is there a poet among you who can correct the meter for us? This is: "If loving the family of Muhammad is Rafidah, let the two heavyweights bear witness that I am a Rafidi" He quoted from them and said: "If following Ahmad is Wahhabism, *** Then I affirm that I am a Wahhabi". These are the Najdi people.
The questioner : ... .
The Shaykh : Those who are called Wahhabis agree with the Muslims in the fundamentals of following a school of jurisprudence, just as most Muslims today are either Hanafis, Malikis, Shafi'is, or Hanbalis. These Najdis are Hanbalis, so they are exactly like the rest of the Muslims in following a school of jurisprudence. They differ from the rest of the Muslims in a very important aspect, which is their understanding of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) in a correct way, their understanding of the phrase "La ilaha illa Allah" (There is no god but Allah) in a way that saves its speaker from eternal abode in the Fire... because, as we all know, it came in the Noble Qur'an: