Scholarly Review of the Hadiths on Najd and the Status of Shaykh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab
Source: Fatāwā al-Deen al-Khālis, Vol. 1, p. 74
Question:
Were Shaykh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab from Najd an evil person, as claimed by Mawlānā Anwar Shah Kashmiri in Fayḍ al-Bārī (1/121), where he called him “slow-witted” and “hasty in declaring takfīr (disbelief)”?
And are there authentic Hadiths condemning Najd, as some claim?
Answer:
Alḥamdulillāh, and peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. To proceed:
We ask Allah ﷻ for justice, fairness, and truthfulness. It is not permissible to issue judgments without proper research.
❖ The Hadiths Regarding Najd and Their Correct Interpretation
Some narrations mention the condemnation of Najd, but the “Najd” referenced in those Hadiths refers to Iraq, not the region in which Shaykh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab was born.
📖 First Hadith:
“O Allah! Bless our Madinah, our weights and measures, our Shām and our Yemen.”
Someone asked, “And our Iraq?”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“From there will emerge the horn of Satan, and tribulations will arise from there; harshness is in the East.”
(Reported by Ṭabarānī, al-Targhīb wa al-Tarhīb, Majma‘ al-Zawā’id – Authentic Hadith)
This Hadith indicates that tribulations will arise from Iraq, and indeed, history has proven this with the emergence of sects such as Qadariyyah, Jahmiyyah, Rāfiḍah (Shia), and Khawārij—all from Iraq.
📖 Second Hadith:
“O Allah! Bless our Shām. O Allah! Bless our Yemen.”
The Companions said: “And our Najd?”
The Prophet ﷺ said:
“There will be earthquakes and trials there, and from there will emerge the horn of Satan.”
(Saḥīḥ al-Bukhārī: 7094, al-Tirmidhī: 3937, Musnad Aḥmad: 576)
In this Hadith as well, “Najd” refers to Iraq, as clarified by various Hadith scholars and commentators.
In the time of the Prophet ﷺ, the term Najd referred to the elevated lands toward Iraq.
📚 Imām Ṭaḥāwī (رحمه الله) wrote in Sharḥ Ma‘āni al-Āthār (1/175):
“Ibn ʿUmar (رضي الله عنه) was asked about Qunūt (supplication in prayer), and he said: ‘I never saw anyone doing it. In my view, it is a practice of the Iraqis.’”
This confirms that “Najd” in the Prophetic Hadiths refers to Iraq, not to Najd in the central Arabian Peninsula, the birthplace of Shaykh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab.
📚 Imām Mālik (رحمه الله) said:
“Najd refers to elevated lands of the Arabs, and this points toward Iraq.”
(al-Nihāyah fī Gharīb al-Ḥadīth, Vol. 5, p. 55)
❖ The Reality of Shaykh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab
Shaykh Muḥammad bin ʿAbd al-Wahhāb (رحمه الله) was a major scholar and caller to Tawḥīd and Sunnah.
He was praised by many scholars of his time and later generations, and his critics were largely the supporters of innovation and grave worship.
Those who criticized him were mostly supporters of shirk, grave worship, and un-Islamic innovations, as he strongly refuted such practices.
📖 Mawlānā Rashīd Aḥmad Gangohī (Deobandi) wrote in Fatāwā Rashīdiyyah:
“Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab was of sound creed, a follower of Hadith, and a good man who refuted shirk and innovation. However, he did possess a strict temperament.”
📖 Imām al-Ṣanʿānī (رحمه الله) said in his poetry:
“Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab called to following the Sunnah and refuted shirk.”
📖 ʿAllāmah Maḥmūd Shukrī Ālūsī (رحمه الله) wrote in Tārīkh Najd:
“Shaykh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab came from a scholarly family, was well-versed in Hadith and Fiqh, and held a firm stance against shirk and innovations.”
📖 Shaykh Aḥmad bin Ḥajar Āl Būṭāmī (رحمه الله) wrote in his book “Muḥammad bin ʿAbd al-Wahhāb” (pp. 65–70):
“He was a sincere scholar and true caller to Islam. Those who make baseless accusations against him are generally from deviant sects or grave-worshippers.”
His contributions were also praised by Imām al-Shawkānī, Shaykh Ḥusayn bin Ghannām, and other scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah.
❖ Response to the Criticism of Mawlānā Anwar Shāh Kashmīrī
Mawlānā Anwar Shah Kashmīrī (رحمه الله) criticized Shaykh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab in Fayḍ al-Bārī (1/121), calling him “dull-minded” and “hasty in issuing takfīr.”
However, this criticism lacks thorough research and verification. It appears he based his view on the writings of opponents of the Shaykh rather than studying the original works of the Shaykh himself.
Even within Deobandi scholarship, there are differing views about Shaykh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab.
In reality, his call was based on the Qur’an and Sunnah, and those who opposed him were mostly engaged in grave worship, seeking help from others besides Allah, and practicing innovations.
The people of innovation created propaganda against him to prevent others from studying his books or following his legacy.
But Allah spread his call far and wide, and truth always prevails.
It is Allah’s way that the call of the people of truth remains alive, while the opposition of the ignorant fades into obscurity.
❖ Conclusion
✔ The “Najd” mentioned in the Hadiths refers to Iraq, not the Najd of central Arabia.
✔ Applying these Hadiths to Shaykh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab is intellectually dishonest.
✔ Shaykh Muhammad bin Abdul Wahhab (رحمه الله) was a prominent scholar and caller to Tawḥīd and Sunnah.
✔ The accusations against him are largely propaganda by the people of innovation and grave worship.
✔ Many scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah have praised his efforts and legacy.
✔ It is not permissible to pass verdicts about scholars without proper research, and it is the duty of the learned to assess issues in light of the Qur’an and Sunnah with neutrality.
📚 References:
Saḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, Saḥīḥ Muslim, Musnad Aḥmad, Tārīkh Najd, Fatāwā Rashīdiyyah, Fayḍ al-Bārī, Tārīkh Ālūsī, Muḥammad bin ʿAbd al-Wahhāb by Aḥmad bin Ḥajar Āl Būṭāmī
