Question:

What is Wahhabism? Is it a fifth madhhab (school of thought), or does it follow one of the four madhhab?

Answer:

This term is applied by many people to the call of the Sheikh, the Imam, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab ibn Sulayman al-Tamimi al-Hanbali—may Allah have mercy on him—and they call him and his followers ‘Wahhabis.’

Anyone with the slightest insight into the movement and call of Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab—may Allah have mercy on him—knows that he stood to spread the call of pure monotheism (Tawhid) and to warn against polytheism (Shirk) in all its forms, such as attachment to the dead and other things like trees, stones, and the like.

In creed (Aqidah), he followed the path of the Salaf al-Salih (Pious Predecessors), and in subsidiary matters of jurisprudence, he followed the school (madhhab) of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal al-Shaybani—may Allah have mercy on him—as evidenced by his books, fatwas, and the writings of his followers among his children, grandchildren, and others, all of which have been printed and distributed among the people.

Imam Muhammad—may Allah have mercy on him—arose at a time when the estrangement of Islam had become entrenched, and the clouds of ignorance had cast a shadow over the Arabian Peninsula and elsewhere, except for what Allah willed. The worship of rivals and idols had spread across it. Thus, the Sheikh—may Allah have mercy on him—rolled up his sleeves with utmost resolve, struggled, strove, and dedicated his efforts to eliminating the paths of misguidance, utilizing various means capable of spreading pure monotheism, free from superstitions, among the people. It was from the blessings of Allah, the Glorified, that He guided Imam Muhammad ibn Saud, the Emir of Diriyah at that time, to accept this call. He, his children, those under his command, and those who followed him in this goodness stood by his side in this path—may Allah reward them with all goodness, forgive them, and grant success to all their descendants in achieving what pleases Him and rectifies His servants. The regions of the Arabian Peninsula continue to live under the shade of this blessed call to this day. His call—may Allah have mercy on him—was in accordance with the Book of Allah (the Qur’an) and the Sunnah of His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him.

‘Wahhabism’ is not a fifth school of thought (madhhab) as claimed by the ignorant and the biased; rather, it is a call to the Salafi creed and a revival of the landmarks of Islam and monotheism that had eroded in the Arabian Peninsula, as previously mentioned.