Editing Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (section)

== Travels ==

=== Pilgrimage to Mecca ===
{{See also|Hajj}}

After leaving 'Uyayna around the age of twenty, Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab performed the [[Hajj|Greater Pilgrimage]] in [[Mecca]], where the scholars appear to have held opinions and espoused teachings that were unpalatable to him.<ref name="ReferenceB"/> After this, he went to [[Medina]], the stay at which seems to have been "decisive in shaping the later direction of his thought."<ref name="ReferenceB"/> In Medina, he met a Hanbali theologian from Najd named ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ibrāhīm al-Najdī, who had been a supporter of the works of [[Ibn Taymiyyah]] (d. 1328), who holds an exceptionally high position in Islamic history.<ref>Ajhar A. Hakim: "In Islamic history, Ibn Taymiyya holds an exceptionally high position as an intellect in regard to his theories" ''The Forgotten Rational Thinking in the Ḥanbalite Thought With Special Reference to Ibn Taymiyya'' Khalifa University of Science, Technology and Research, Sharjah, U.A.E p.152</ref> Many Sunni Muslim scholars who adhere to a scripture-focused orthodox methodology praise Ibn Taymiyyah to be a [[Mujaddid|mujadid]] of the authentic [[Sunnah]],<ref> Rebecca Skreslet Hernandez, ''The Legal Thought of Jalāl Al-Din Al-Suyūṭī: Authority and Legacy'', p.133</ref> taking pride in the proliferation of his strict adherence to the Qur'an, Sunnah<ref>Muhammad (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him) said "Every innovation is going astray, and every going astray will be in the Fire." ''Narrated by Muslim (867) an-Nasaa'i (1578)''</ref> and way of the companions of Muhammad,<ref>[[Jalal Abualrub]]: "Ibn Taymiyya only followed Prophetic statements and statements of the Prophet's companions and Muslim imams that prohibit innovating in the religion." (September 2013). ''Biography and Mission of Muhammad Ibn AbdulWahhab'' p.31</ref><ref>Ibn Mas'ood said: "Follow (the Sunnah) and do not innovate, because you have been sufficed." ''Ad-Darimi'' and he also said: "Practicing a little of the Sunnah is far better than practicing many innovations." ''Al-Hakim''</ref> though his teachings had been considered heterodox and misguided by some Sunni Muslim scholars who ascribed to the [[Sufism|Sufis]] of their time.<ref>Taqi al-Din al-Hisni referred to Ibn Taymiyyah as a "heretic from Harran"; see Rapoport, Yossef; Ahmed, Shahab (1 January 2010). ''Ibn Taymiyya and His Times''. Oxford University Press. p. 271.</ref>

=== Tutelage under Al-Sindhi ===
{{Further|Muhammad Hayyat ibn Ibrahim al-Sindhi|label1=Muhammād Hayyat ibn Ibrāhim al-Sindhi}}

Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab's teacher, 'Abdallah ibn Ibrahim ibn Sayf, introduced the relatively young man to [[Mohammad Hayya Al-Sindhi]] in [[Medina]], who belonged to the [[Naqshbandi]] order (''[[tariqa]]'') of [[Sufism]],<ref>John L. Esposito (ed.), ''The Oxford Dictionary of Islam'', Oxford University Press (2004), p. 296.</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nE1DAQAAIAAJ|title=Islamic Law and Society|year= 2006|publisher=E.J. Brill|page=216|language=en}}</ref> and recommended him as a student.<ref name="Voll" /><ref>[[#Haj|ibn 'Hajar]]: 17–19.</ref><ref>Official sources on Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab's life put his visits to these cities in different chronological orders, and the full extent of such travels remains disputed among historians. As well, dates are missing in a great many cases, making it difficult to reconstruct a chronology of his life up until his return to 'Uyayna in 1740.</ref> Muhammad Ibn ʿAbd-al-Wahhab and al-Sindhi became very close, and Ibn ʿAbd-al-Wahhab stayed with him for some time.<ref name="Voll">[[#Vol75|Voll 1975]]: 32–39 "Scholars have described Muhammad Hayya as having an important influence on Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, encouraging him in his developing determination to denounce rigid imitation of medieval commentaries and to utilize informed individual analysis (ijtihad). Muhammad Hayya also taught Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab a rejection of popular religious practices associated with 'saints' and their tombs that is similar to later Wahhdbi teachings".</ref> Muhammad Hayya taught Muhammad Ibn ʿAbd-al-Wahhab to reject popular religious practices associated with [[wali]]s and their tombs. He also encouraged him to reject rigid imitation (''[[Taqlid]]'') of medieval legal commentaries and develop individual research of scriptures (''[[Ijtihad]]'').<ref name="Voll" /> Influenced by Al-Sindi's teachings, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab became critical of the established ''[[Madhhab|Madh'hab]]'' system, prompting him to disregard the instruments of ''[[Principles of Islamic jurisprudence|Usul al-Fiqh]]'' in his intellectual approach. Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab rarely made use of ''[[Fiqh]]'' (Islamic jurisprudence) and various legal opinions in his writings, by and large forming views based on his direct understanding of Scriptures.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=M. Naf'i|first=Basheer|date=2006|title=A Teacher of Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhāb: Muḥammad Ḥayāt al-Sindī and the Revival of Asḥāb al-Ḥadīth's Methodology|journal=Islamic Law and Society|publisher=Brill Publishers|volume=13|issue=2|pages=208, 240|doi=10.1163/156851906776917552|jstor=40377907|quote=}}</ref>

Apart from his emphasis on [[hadith studies]], aversion for the ''madhhab'' system and disregard for technical juristic discussions involving legal principles, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhāb's views on ''[[Ziyarat|ziyārah]]'' (visitations to the shrines of ''[[Wali|Awliyaa]]'') were also shaped by Al-Sindhi. Sindi encouraged his student to reject folk practices associated with graves and saints.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Cameron|first=Zargar|date=2017|title=Origins of Wahhabism from Hanbali Fiqh|url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6rp796h4|journal=UCLA Journal of Islamic and Near Eastern Law|publisher=University of California|volume=16|issue=1|pages=96–97|doi=10.5070/N4161038736|doi-access=free}}</ref> Various themes in Al-Sindi's writings, such as his opposition to erecting tombs and [[Aniconism in Islam|drawing human images]], would be revived later by the [[Wahhabism|Wahhabi]] movement.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=M. Naf'i|first=Basheer|date=2006|title=A Teacher of Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhāb: Muḥammad Ḥayāt al-Sindī and the Revival of Asḥāb al-Ḥadīth's Methodology|journal=Islamic Law and Society|publisher=Brill Publishers|volume=13|issue=2|page=217|jstor=40377907|quote="Certain themes that Hayat al-Sindl discussed in his writings, such as his opposition to erecting tombs and drawing human images, would soon resurface in the teachings of Muhammad b. 'Abd al-Wahhab."}}</ref> Sindi instilled in Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab the belief that practices like beseeching the dead saints constituted [[Apostasy in Islam|apostasy]] and resembled the customs of the people of ''[[Jahiliyyah|Jahiliyya]]'' (pre-Islamic era).<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Cameron|first=Zargar|date=2017|title=Origins of Wahhabism from Hanbali Fiqh|url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6rp796h4|journal=UCLA Journal of Islamic and Near Eastern Law|publisher=University of California|volume=16|issue=1|page=97}}</ref> In a significant encounter between a young Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab and Al-Sindhi reported by the Najdi historian 'Uthman Ibn Bishr (d. 1288 A.H./ 1871/2 C.E.):<blockquote>"... one day Shaykh Muḥammad [Ibn 'Abdi'l-Wahhāb] stood by the chamber of the Prophet where people were calling [upon him or supplicating] and seeking help by the Prophet's chamber, blessings and peace be upon him. He then saw Muḥammad Ḥayāt [al Sindī] and came to him. The shaykh [Ibn 'Abdi'l-Wahhāb] asked, "What do you say about them?" He [al-Sindī] said, "Verily that in which they are engaged shall be destroyed and their acts are invalid.""<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Cameron|first=Zargar|date=2017|title=Origins of Wahhabism from Hanbali Fiqh|url=https://escholarship.org/uc/item/6rp796h4|journal=UCLA Journal of Islamic and Near Eastern Law|publisher=University of California|volume=16|issue=1|page=96}}</ref></blockquote>

=== Journey to Basra ===
Following his early education in Medina, Ibn ʿAbd-al-Wahhab traveled outside of the [[Arabian Peninsula]], venturing first to [[Basra]]<ref name="Gha" /><ref>[[#Bis|ibn Bishr]]: 7–8.</ref> which was still an active center of Islamic culture.<ref name="ReferenceB" /> During his stay in Basra, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab studied Hadith and Fiqh under the Islamic scholar Muhammad al-Majmu'i. In Basra, Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab came into contact with [[Shi'is]] and would write a treatise repudiating the theological doctrines of ''[[Rafidah]]'', an extreme sect of Shiism. He also became influenced by the writings of Hanbali theologian [[Ibn Rajab]] (d. 1393 C.E/ 795 A.H) such as "''Kalimat al-Ikhlas''" which inspired Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's seminal treatise "''Kitab al-Tawhid''".<ref>{{Cite book|last=J. Delong-Bas|first=Natana|title=Wahhabi Islam:From Revival and Reform to Global Jihad|publisher=Oxford University Press|year=2004|isbn=0-19-516991-3|location=New York|page=22|quote="Ibn Abd al-Wahhab set out for Basra (located in modern Iraq), where he pursued additional studies in hadith and fiqh with an important scholar and madrasa (Islamic school) teacher, Muhammad al-Majmu'i... It is believed that Ibn Abd al-Wahhab came into contact with Shiis during this stay in Basra,... he specifically targeted only one particular extremist sect, the Rafidah, in only one treatise."}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Bradford |first=Joe |url= |title=Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World: Digital Collection |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2022 |isbn=978-0-19-766941-9 |editor-last=L. Esposito |editor-first=John |chapter=IbnʿAbd al-Wahhāb, Muḥammad |doi=10.1093/acref/9780197669419.001.0001 }}</ref>