The students of the books of Shaykh al-Islam Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him) also differed on this issue
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner : The students of the books of Shaykh al-Islam Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (may Allah have mercy on him) also differed on this issue, and I tried to understand it, and Allah made it easy for me to find some light citations that I will present to you so that the matter becomes clear and more evident. Some of the Shaykh's students (may Allah have mercy on him) held that the Shaykh does not condition the establishment of the proof on understanding it, and they cited from him some citations, among which is: "So the proof of Allah is the Qur'an, so whoever the Qur'an reaches, the proof has reached him, and the establishment of the proof and its reaching is one type, and it has been established against them, namely: the disbelievers and the hypocrites, and their understanding of it is another type".
Then I found another text from the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) in a letter to the Sharif, in which he says: "And even though we do not declare as disbelievers the one who worships the idol on the dome of 'Abd al-Qadir, and the idol on Ahmad al-Badawi, and the like of them, because of their ignorance and the absence of one to alert them—and in another narration—the absence of one to make them understand", and then in another statement: "So if the specific person is declared a disbeliever when the proof is established against him, then it is known that its establishment does not mean that he understands the words of Allah and His Messenger like the understanding of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), but rather when the words of Allah and His Messenger reach him and he is free from anything that excuses him, then he is a disbeliever".
And the last is what was found of a statement by the Shaykh, which Muhammad Rashid Rida extracted in the edition of the Najdi Letters: "And what is not meant by the establishment of the proof is that a person understands it with a clear understanding, as one whom Allah has guided and granted success and submitted to His command understands it":
So we hope for clarification, may Allah preserve you?
The Shaykh : What we see is that the proof is not established unless it reaches the one obligated in a way that he understands it, but we know that people's understandings differ. Some people understand from this text a clear meaning like the sun, and a meaning that does not admit any doubt in their view, and some people understand the text with a preliminary understanding with the possibility of doubt in their heart. So the first is at the peak of knowledge and science, and the second is at the beginning of knowledge, and the second has the proof established against him without doubt because he understood from it what is intended, but not with the complete understanding that the first group understood, like Abu Bakr and 'Umar.
And as for the one to whom the text reached but he did not know any meaning from it, like a non-Arab who understood the text or the text reached him in the Arabic language but he does not know what the meaning of this text is, then the proof has not been established against him without doubt, and the evidence for this is the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He:[Ibrahim 14:4] meaning: after the clarification in this language that they understand, Allah misguides whom He wills so he does not accept, and He guides whom He wills so he accepts.
And what benefit is there for a non-Arab who is read the Qur'an in the Arabic language and he does not know what it is?
If a non-Arab came to you now and you are an Arab who does not understand the non-Arab language, and then he spoke to you with a sermon of five pages or more and you do not understand anything from it at all, so it is the same for the non-Arabs regarding the Arabs. So what we see is that it is necessary for the proof to reach and its meaning to be understood in a way that the truth becomes clear to him.
And as for His saying, Exalted is He:[Al-An'am 6:19] there is no doubt that the Qur'an was revealed with wording and meaning, so what is intended is the one to whom its wording and meaning reached, or the one from the people of this language against whom the proof is established when the Qur'an reaches them by its mere arrival to them.
And this statement is what the specific evidences indicate, and other evidences indicate it in general, such as His saying, Exalted is He:[Al-Baqarah 2:286] and His saying: [At-Taghabun 64:16], and it is known that the one who does not know the meaning is not able to accept it, but it is obligatory upon the one to whom it reached that the Messenger Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) has been sent and that his religion abrogated all religions, he must search, and here he may be negligent in the search so he is not excused for his negligence, yes.
Then I found another text from the Shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) in a letter to the Sharif, in which he says: "And even though we do not declare as disbelievers the one who worships the idol on the dome of 'Abd al-Qadir, and the idol on Ahmad al-Badawi, and the like of them, because of their ignorance and the absence of one to alert them—and in another narration—the absence of one to make them understand", and then in another statement: "So if the specific person is declared a disbeliever when the proof is established against him, then it is known that its establishment does not mean that he understands the words of Allah and His Messenger like the understanding of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him), but rather when the words of Allah and His Messenger reach him and he is free from anything that excuses him, then he is a disbeliever".
And the last is what was found of a statement by the Shaykh, which Muhammad Rashid Rida extracted in the edition of the Najdi Letters: "And what is not meant by the establishment of the proof is that a person understands it with a clear understanding, as one whom Allah has guided and granted success and submitted to His command understands it":
So we hope for clarification, may Allah preserve you?
The Shaykh : What we see is that the proof is not established unless it reaches the one obligated in a way that he understands it, but we know that people's understandings differ. Some people understand from this text a clear meaning like the sun, and a meaning that does not admit any doubt in their view, and some people understand the text with a preliminary understanding with the possibility of doubt in their heart. So the first is at the peak of knowledge and science, and the second is at the beginning of knowledge, and the second has the proof established against him without doubt because he understood from it what is intended, but not with the complete understanding that the first group understood, like Abu Bakr and 'Umar.
And as for the one to whom the text reached but he did not know any meaning from it, like a non-Arab who understood the text or the text reached him in the Arabic language but he does not know what the meaning of this text is, then the proof has not been established against him without doubt, and the evidence for this is the saying of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He:
And We did not send any messenger except [speaking] in the language of his people to state clearly for them, and Allah sends astray [thereby] whom He wills and guides whom He wills
وما أرسلنا من رسول إلاّ بلسان قومه ليبيّن لهم فيضلّ الله من يشاء ويهدي من يشاءAnd what benefit is there for a non-Arab who is read the Qur'an in the Arabic language and he does not know what it is?
If a non-Arab came to you now and you are an Arab who does not understand the non-Arab language, and then he spoke to you with a sermon of five pages or more and you do not understand anything from it at all, so it is the same for the non-Arabs regarding the Arabs. So what we see is that it is necessary for the proof to reach and its meaning to be understood in a way that the truth becomes clear to him.
And as for His saying, Exalted is He:
that I may warn you thereby and whomever it reaches
لأنذركم به ومن بلغAnd this statement is what the specific evidences indicate, and other evidences indicate it in general, such as His saying, Exalted is He: