Editing Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (section)

===By contemporaries===
The doctrines of Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab were criticized by a number of [[Ulama|Islamic scholars]] during his lifetime, accusing him of disregarding Islamic history, monuments, traditions and the sanctity of Muslim life.<ref name="ElFadl 2007">{{cite book |last=El Fadl |first=Khaled A. |author-link=Khaled Abou El Fadl |year=2007 |orig-date=2005 |title=The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists |chapter=The Rise of the Early Puritans |location=[[San Francisco]] |publisher=[[HarperOne]] |pages=56–57 |isbn=978-0-06-118903-6}}</ref> His critics were mainly ''[[ulama]]'' from his homeland, the [[Najd]] region of central Arabia, which was directly affected by the growth of the [[Wahhabism|Wahhabi movement]],<ref name="Traboulsi 2002"/> based in the cities of [[Basra]], [[Mecca]], and [[Medina]].<ref name="Traboulsi 2002"/> Some of the early opponents of Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab classified his doctrine as a "[[Kharijites|Kharijite]] [[Sectarianism|sectarian]] [[Heresy in Islam|heresy]]".{{sfn|Commins|2015|page=151}}

On the other hand, Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb and his supporters held that they were the victims of aggressive warfare; accusing their opponents of starting the pronouncements of ''[[Takfir]]'' (excommunication) and maintained that the military operations of [[Emirate of Diriyah|Emirate of Dirʿiyya]] were strictly defensive. The memory of the unprovoked military offensive launched by Dahhām ibn Dawwās (fl. 1187/1773), the powerful chieftain of [[Riyadh]], on Diriyya in 1746 was deeply engrained in the Wahhabi tradition.<ref>{{Cite book|last=M. Bunzel|first=Cole|title=Manifest Enmity: The Origins, Development, and Persistence of Classical Wahhabism (1153-1351/1741-1932)|publisher=Princeton University|year=2018|location=Princeton, New Jersey, USA|page=244}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Crawford|first=Michael|title=Makers of the Muslim World: Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab|publisher=One World Publications|year=2014|isbn=978-1-78074-589-3|location=London|page=72}}</ref> Early Wahhabi chronicler Ibn Ghannām states in his book ''Tarikh an-Najd'' (History of Najd) that Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb did not order the use of violence until his enemies excommunicated him and deemed his blood licit:<blockquote>"He gave no order to spill blood or to fight against the majority of the heretics and the misguided until they started ruling that he and his followers were to be killed and excommunicated."<ref>{{Cite book|last=M. Bunzel|first=Cole|title=Manifest Enmity: The Origins, Development, and Persistence of Classical Wahhabism (1153-1351/1741-1932)|publisher=Princeton University|year=2018|location=Princeton, New Jersey, USA|page=244}}</ref></blockquote>

By 1802, the [[Ottoman Empire]] had officially begun to wage religious campaigns against the Wahhabis, issuing tracts condemning them as ''Kharijites''.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Commins|first=David|title=The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi Arabia|publisher=I.B. Tauris|year=2006|isbn=1-84511-080-3|location=London |page=30|quote="By 1802, the Ottomans were mounting a doctrinal campaign, sending official tracts refuting Wahhabi positions and likening them to the Kharijites of early Islamic times."}}</ref> In contrast, Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab profoundly despised the "decorous, arty tobacco-smoking, music happy, drum pounding, [[Egypt Eyalet|Egyptian]] and [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman]] [[nobility]] who traveled across Arabia to pray at Mecca each year",<ref name="Aydinli 2018">{{cite book|last=Aydınlı|first=Ersel|title=Violent Non-State Actors: From Anarchists to Jihadists|publisher=[[Routledge]]|year=2018|isbn=978-1-315-56139-4|edition=1st|series=Routledge Studies on Challenges, Crises, and Dissent in World Politics|location=[[London]] and [[New York City|New York]]|page=66|chapter=The Jihadists pre-9/11|lccn=2015050373|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hq1TDAAAQBAJ&pg=PA66|orig-date=2016}}</ref> and intended to either subjugate them to his doctrine or overthrow them.<ref name="Aydinli 2018" /> A handful of [[Arabian Peninsula|Arabian]] [[Hanbali]]s participated on the [[Ottoman Empire|Ottoman side]] of the controversy. Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah ibn Humayd's 19th century biographical dictionary sheds light on those Hanbali scholars.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Weismann |last2=Zachs|first=Itzchak |first2=Fruma|url=|title=Ottoman Reform and Muslim Regeneration|publisher=I.B Taurus|year=2005|isbn=1-85043-757-2|location=New York|page=81}}</ref> However, the reliability of his biography itself is disputed for its inherent biases, which portrays Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab and his followers as [[Heresy in Islam|heretics]]. It also misrepresents many [[Emirate of Nejd|Najdi]] Hanbali scholars as on the side of Ottoman Hanbalis.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Weismann |last2=Zachs|first=Itzchak |first2=Fruma |title=Ottoman Reform and Muslim Regeneration|publisher=I.B Tauris|year=2005|isbn=1-85043-757-2|location=New York|pages=84–86}}</ref>

Ibn Humayd's maternal lineage, Al-Turki, was of some local renown for its religious scholars, including two men who opposed the Wahhabi movement. One of them, named Ibn Muhammad, compared Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab with [[Musaylimah]].<ref name="Ottoman83">{{Cite book|last1=Mannah|first1=Buṭrus Abū|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U7loMhnI5S8C&q=Zayni+Dahlan+ibn+Abdul+Wahhab&pg=PA91|title=Ottoman Reform and Muslim Regeneration|last2=Weismann|first2=Itzchak|last3=Zachs|first3=Fruma|year=2005|publisher=I.B. Tauris|isbn=978-1-85043-757-4|location=|page=83|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701045121/https://books.google.com/books?id=U7loMhnI5S8C&pg=PA91&dq=Zayni+Dahlan+ibn+Abdul+Wahhab&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiK4e36re_QAhXML8AKHURQC2oQ6AEINjAF#v=onepage&q=Zayni%20Dahlan%20ibn%20Abdul%20Wahhab&f=false|archive-date=1 July 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> He also accused Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab of wrongly [[Takfir|declaring fellow Muslims to be infidels]] based on a misguided reading of [[Quran|Quranic passages]] and prophetic traditions (''[[Hadith]]''),<ref name="Ottoman83" /> and of wrongly declaring all scholars as infidels who did not agree with his "deviant innovation".<ref name="Ottoman83" /> In contrast to this anti-Wahhabi family tradition, Ibn Humayd's early education included extensive studies under two Wahhabi Shaykhs, both praised in his biographical dictionary. He then travelled to [[Damascus]] and [[Mecca]], wherein he attended lessons of men known for strong anti-Wahhabi convictions. Ibn Humayd's compatibility with Ottoman religious outlook made him eligible for the post of Ottoman [[Mufti]] in Mecca.<ref name="Ottoman83" />

Another Hanbali scholar whom Ibn Humayd portrays as a central figure in rejecting Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab's doctrine was Ibn Fayruz Al-Tamimi al-Ahsai (1729/30 – 1801/02). Ibn Fayruz publicly repudiated Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab's teachings when he sent an envoy to him. Ibn Fayruz then wrote to [[Abdul Hamid I|Sultan Abdul Hamid I]] and requested Ottoman assistance to subjugate Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab's followers, whom he referred to as the "seditious [[Kharijites]]" of [[Najd]]. The Wahhabis, in turn, came to view him as one of their worst enemies and an exemplar of idolatry.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Mannah|first1=Buṭrus Abū|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U7loMhnI5S8C&q=Zayni+Dahlan+ibn+Abdul+Wahhab&pg=PA91|title=Ottoman Reform and Muslim Regeneration|last2=Weismann|first2=Itzchak|last3=Zachs|first3=Fruma|date= 2005|publisher=I.B. Tauris|isbn=978-1-85043-757-4|location=|pages=86–87|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701045121/https://books.google.com/books?id=U7loMhnI5S8C&pg=PA91&dq=Zayni+Dahlan+ibn+Abdul+Wahhab&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiK4e36re_QAhXML8AKHURQC2oQ6AEINjAF#v=onepage&q=Zayni%20Dahlan%20ibn%20Abdul%20Wahhab&f=false|archive-date=1 July 2020|url-status=live}}</ref>

According to Ibn Humayd, Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab's father criticized his son for his unwillingness to specialize in jurisprudence and disagreed with his doctrine and declared that he would be the cause of wickedness.<ref name=Ottoman89>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U7loMhnI5S8C&q=Zayni+Dahlan+ibn+Abdul+Wahhab&pg=PA91|title=Ottoman Reform and Muslim Regeneration|last1=Mannah|first1=Buṭrus Abū|last2=Weismann|first2=Itzchak|last3=Zachs|first3=Fruma|year= 2005|publisher=I.B. Tauris|isbn=978-1-85043-757-4|page=89|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701045121/https://books.google.com/books?id=U7loMhnI5S8C&pg=PA91&dq=Zayni+Dahlan+ibn+Abdul+Wahhab&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiK4e36re_QAhXML8AKHURQC2oQ6AEINjAF#v=onepage&q=Zayni%20Dahlan%20ibn%20Abdul%20Wahhab&f=false|archive-date=1 July 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> Similarly his brother, [[Sulayman ibn Abd al-Wahhab]], wrote one of the first treatises refuting the Wahhabi doctrine,{{sfn|Gaye|2021|page=212}}<ref name="Wahhābiyya"/><ref name=Ottoman89/> ''The Divine Thunderbolts in Refutation of Wahhabism'' (''Al-Šawā'iq Al-Ilāhiyya fī Al-radd 'alā Al-Wahhābiyya''),{{sfn|Gaye|2021|page=212}}<ref name="Wahhābiyya"/> alleging that Muhammad was ill-educated and intolerant, and classing his views as fringe and fanatical.<ref name="ElFadl 2007"/>{{sfn|Gaye|2021|page=212}} Sulayman's first anti-Wahhabi treatise was followed by a second book, ''The Unmistakable Judgment in the Refutation of Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab'' (''Faṣl al-Ḫiṭāb fī Al-radd 'alā Muḥammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhāb'').{{sfn|Gaye|2021|page=212}} Later ''Muwahhidun'' scholarly figures like [[Abd Allah ibn Abd al-Latif Al ash-Sheikh|Abdullah ibn Abd al-Latif Aal al-Shaykh]] (d. 1921 C.E) would respond to these accusations by asserting that Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab refrained from making ''Takfir'': <blockquote>" Shaykh Muhammad (May God have Mercy on him) never made takfeer of the people in the beginning; except via establishing the proofs and the da'wah, because at that time there was a dearth of knowledge of the message (of Islām) and for that reason he said 'due to their ignorance and the lack of anyone who makes them aware'. However, as for those on whom the proofs are established, then there is nothing to prevent ''takfeer'' being made on such people"<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://archive.org/details/1_20191031/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AF%D8%B1%D8%B1_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%86%D9%8A%D8%A9_%D9%81%D9%8A_%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D8%AC%D9%88%D8%A8%D8%A9_%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%86%D8%AC%D8%AF%D9%8A%D8%A9_10/page/n433/mode/2up |title=الدرر السنية في الأجوبة النجدية |publisher=[[Imam Mohammad Ibn Saud Islamic University]] |year=1996 |editor-last=ibn Muhammad ibn Qasim Al-Najdi |editor-first='Abd al-Rahman |volume=10 |pages=434–435 |language=Arabic |trans-title=Al-Durar Al-Sunniyya Fil Ajwabatil Najdiyya (Sunni Pearls from Najdi Answers)}}</ref></blockquote>

Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab was known to have had disagreements with both his father and his brother [[Sulayman ibn Abd al-Wahhab|Sulayman]].{{sfn|Brown|2009|page=245}}<ref name="ReferenceB"/>
{{sfn|Khatab|2011|pages=56–76}}<ref name="Traboulsi 2002"/> 
{{sfn|Gaye|2021|page=212}} Sulayman, his brother, disputed many of his doctrinal statements and was one of his staunch opponents during a certain time-period. Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's father disagreed with his son's metholodolgy in implementing reforms.{{sfn|Khatab|2011|pages=63–75}} According to historical records, Sulayman declared his repentance and started to support his brother during later life, after understanding the doctrines and objectives of Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's revivalist movement.<ref>{{Cite web |title=ص146 - أرشيف ملتقى أهل الحديث - سليمان بن عبد الوهاب تاب ورجع فهل راجعون - المكتبة الشاملة الحديثة |url=https://al-maktaba.org/book/31616/25648 |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=al-maktaba.org}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Rattibha |url=https://en.rattibha.com/thread/1692585234599141848 |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=en.rattibha.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=2008-10-28 |title=الشيخ سليمان بن عبدالوهاب تاب ورجع، فهل أنتم راجعون؟ (1 /2) |url=http://www.alukah.net/sharia/0/3891/%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B4%D9%8A%D8%AE-%D8%B3%D9%84%D9%8A%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%86-%D8%A8%D9%86-%D8%B9%D8%A8%D8%AF%D8%A7%D9%84%D9%88%D9%87%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%A8-%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%AC%D8%B9%D8%8C-%D9%81%D9%87%D9%84-%D8%A3%D9%86%D8%AA%D9%85-%D8%B1%D8%A7%D8%AC%D8%B9%D9%88%D9%86%D8%9F-1-2/ |access-date=2023-10-04 |website=www.alukah.net |language=ar}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |title=الشيخ صالح الفوزان: توبة الشيخ سليمان بن عبد الوهاب من ذم دعوة أخيه الإمام المجدد محمد |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BcwobV-pfs0 |access-date=2023-10-04 |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Commins |first=David |title=The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi Arabia |publisher=I.B Tauris |year=2006 |isbn=1-84511-080-3 |location=London |page=22 |language=English}}</ref>

The 19th century anti-Wahhabi critic and historian [[Ahmad Zayni Dahlan|Ahmad ibn al-Zayni Dahlan]], Ottoman empire's [[Grand Mufti]] of the [[Shafi'i]] [[madhab]] in Mecca,<ref>{{cite book|author=[[Eric Tagliacozzo]]|title=Southeast Asia and the Middle East: Islam, Movement, and the Longue Durée|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=S3nlvRJyjUEC|date=2009|publisher=[[NUS Press]]|isbn=978-9971-69-424-1|page=125}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|title=Countering Suicide Terrorism: An International Conference|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zri2IRX9sIEC|date=2001|publisher=[[International Institute for Counter-Terrorism]] (ICT)|isbn=978-1-4128-4487-1|page=72}}</ref> recorded the account of the dispute between Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab and his brother Sulayman, reporting that:
{{blockquote |text=Sulayman [ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab] once asked his brother Muhammad [ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab], "How many are the [[pillars of Islam]]?" "Five," he answered. Sulayman replied, "No, you have added a sixth one: He who does not follow you is not a Muslim. This, to you, is the sixth pillar of Islam."{{sfn|Khatab|2011|page=71}}}}

According to various historical records, Sulayman repented and joined the religious mission of his brother.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Commins|first=David|title=The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi Arabia|publisher=I.B Tauris|year=2006|isbn=1-84511-080-3|location= London |page=22|quote="Later reports claim that Sulayman eventually repented his errors, but those may well represent efforts to smooth over the historical record"}}</ref> However, there is a disagreement regarding his repentance. While earlier Najdi chroniclers like Ibn Ghannam reported he repented and embraced Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's cause in [[Diriyah]], later historians like Ibn Bishr simply mentions his departure to Diriyah with his family and his last years under the protection of Diriyah, while being allowed by state-allotted stipend. A letter attributed to Sulayman also mentions his public repentance.<ref>{{Cite book|last=al-Din M. Zarabozo|first=Jamaal|title=The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab|publisher=The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Dawah and Guidance The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia|year=2005|isbn=9960-29-500-1|location=Riyadh|page=209|quote="There is a difference of opinion concerning whether Sulaimaan eventually gave up his opposition and joined the call of his brother Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab. Ibn Ghannaam, the earliest chronicler, specifically states that he repented from his previous position and joined his brother in al-Diriyyah. Ibn Bishr simply states that he moved to al-Diriyyah with his family and remained there while receiving a stipend, which may or may not be a sign that he had changed his views. There is actually a letter that was supposedly written by Sulaimaan in which he stated that he repented from his earlier views. Al-Bassaam in Ulamaa Najd presents logical evidence to show that that letter is false and Sulaimaan actually never changed his position"}}</ref>

The Ottoman [[Grand Mufti]] of Mecca, [[Ahmad Zayni Dahlan]] (d. 1886), wrote an anti-Wahhabi treatise, in which he listed the religious practices that the Najdi Hanbalis considered idolatrous: visiting the [[tomb of Muhammad]], seeking the intercession of saints, venerating Muhammad and obtaining the blessings of saints.<ref name=Ottoman91>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U7loMhnI5S8C&q=Zayni+Dahlan+ibn+Abdul+Wahhab&pg=PA91|title=Ottoman Reform and Muslim Regeneration|last1=Mannah|first1=Buṭrus Abū|last2=Weismann|first2=Itzchak|last3=Zachs|first3=Fruma|date=2005|publisher=I.B. Tauris|isbn=978-1-85043-757-4|page=91|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200701045121/https://books.google.com/books?id=U7loMhnI5S8C&pg=PA91&dq=Zayni+Dahlan+ibn+Abdul+Wahhab&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiK4e36re_QAhXML8AKHURQC2oQ6AEINjAF#v=onepage&q=Zayni%20Dahlan%20ibn%20Abdul%20Wahhab&f=false|archive-date=1 July 2020|url-status=live}}</ref> He also accused Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab of not adhering to the Hanbali school and that he was deficient in learning.<ref name=Ottoman91/> However, Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab had believed that visiting the tomb of Muhammad was a righteous deed, referring to it as "among the best of deeds" while condemning its excesses.<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=67|chapter=The Theology and Worldview of Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab|quote="Consequently, 'Abd al-Wahhab noted that although visiting Muhammad's grave was a worthy act it must not be done in a spirit or intent that compromises monotheism. Finally, prayer should never be conducted in a cemetery"}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=ibn Abdul Wahhab|first=Muhammad|url=https://www.missionislam.com/knowledge/books/tawheed.pdf|title=Kitab At-Tauhid|publisher=Dar us Salam Publications|chapter=Chapter 22 The protectiveness of Al-Mustafa (May Allah be pleased with him) of Tawhid and his blockading every path leading to Shirk|quote="4) The Prophet (May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) forbade visiting his grave in a certain manner, though visiting his grave is among the best of deeds. 5) The Prophet (May the peace and blessing of Allah be upon him) forbade us making excessive visits to his grave"}}</ref> The medieval theologians [[Ibn Taymiyyah]] and [[Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya|Ibn Qayyim]], who inspired Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab, had issued ''[[Fatwa]]s'' declaring the visitations to the tomb of Muhammad to be ''[[haram]]'' (forbidden); which would lead to their imprisonment.<ref>{{Cite journal|author1=Beranek, Tupek|author2=Ondrej, Pavel|date=2009|title=From Visiting Graves to Their Destruction The Question of Ziyara through the Eyes of Salafis|url=https://www.brandeis.edu/crown/publications/papers/pdfs/cp2.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwjBwt2g5dzuAhVQbSsKHWcrDEQQFjADegQICBAB&usg=AOvVaw2lXzewNZVV3LJMgJ2J7SA6|journal=Brandeis University Crown Center for Middle East Studies|pages=2, 12, 15|quote="Ibn Taymiyya spent a large portion of his life in prison for his teachings; his last imprisonment was caused by his issuance of a legal opinion reportedly denouncing the visitation of the Prophet's grave... He was arrested, imprisoned without trial, and by a decree of the sultan, which was read out in the Umayyad Mosque, deprived of the right to issue legal opinions (ifta'). The reason for this was the discovery of Ibn Taymiyya's fatwa on grave visitation, authored by him seventeen years earlier and exploited by Ibn Taymiyya's adversaries. This event was connected with yet another incident. After Ibn al-Qayyim, in full accordance with his master's teaching, had preached in Jerusalem about the intercession of the prophets and denied that one could set out to visit the Prophet's grave without first going to the Prophet's mosque, a group of Ibn Taymiyya's sympathizers was arrested. Ibn al Qayyim, after he had been beaten and paraded on a donkey, was imprisoned along with Ibn Taymiyya.. Ibn Taymiyya prohibits traveling exclusively for the purpose of visiting the Prophet's grave, but it is customary (sunna) to visit it after praying in his mosque, because it was the way of the sahaba... Ibn Taymiyya criticizes hadiths encouraging visitation of the Prophet's grave, pronouncing them all forgeries (mawdu') and lies (kidhb)..."|via=Brandeis University}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Travel Towards Prophet's Resting Place|url=https://www.islamieducation.com/travel-towards-prophets-resting-place/|website=Islami Education|date=17 October 2008}}</ref>

In response, the [[British Raj|British Indian]] ''[[Ahl-i Hadith]]'' scholar Muhammad Bashir Sahsawani (1834-1908 C.E) wrote the treatise ''Sayaanah al-Insaan an Waswaswah al-Shaikh Dahlaan'' in order to refute Dahlan. Sahsawani asserted that after his correspondence with various scholars of the ''Muwahhidun'' movement and study of their creedal works; he came to the conclusion that the allegation that they excommunicated "non-Wahhabis" were false and slanderous.<ref>{{Cite book|last=al-Din M. Zarabozo|first=Jamaal|title=The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab|publisher=The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Dawah and Guidance The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia|year=2005|isbn=9960-29-500-1|location=Riyadh|pages=218, 234|quote="Muhammad Basheer ibn Muhammad al-Sahsawaani from India (1250–1326 A.H.). He was a scholar from India who went to Makkah and met with and debated Dahlaan. Later he wrote a large volume refuting the false claims and misinterpretations of Dahlaan, entitled Sayaanah al-Insaan an Waswasah al-Shaikh Dahlaan.".. "Similarly, al-Sahsawaani stated that he met more than one scholar of the followers of ibn Abdul-Wahhaab and he read many of their books and he did not find any evidence for the false claim that they declared "non-Wahhabis" disbelievers"}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=[Biography] – Allamah Muhammad Bashir Sehsawani [1326H]|url=http://www.salafiri.com/biography-allamah-muhammad-bashir-sehsawani-1326h/|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190125065757/http://www.salafiri.com/biography-allamah-muhammad-bashir-sehsawani-1326h/|archive-date=25 January 2019|website=Salafi Research Institute|date=August 2015}}</ref>

The Islamic scholar [[Rashid Rida|Muhammad Rashid Rida]] (d. 1935 C.E/ 1354 A.H) in his introduction to al-Sahsawani's refutation of Dahlan, described Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab as a ''[[mujaddid]]'' repelling the innovations and deviations in Muslim life. Through his ''[[Al-Manar (magazine)|Al-Manar]]'' magazine, Rashid Rida greatly contributed to the spread of Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab's teachings in the [[Muslim world|Islamic world]]. He was a strong supporter of Ibn Taymiyyah and scholars of Najd, publishing works in his magazine entitled ''Majmooah al-Rasaail wa al-Masaail al-Najdiyyah'' and ''al-Wahhaabiyoon wa al-Hijaaz.''<ref>{{Cite book|last=al-Din M. Zarabozo|first=Jamaal|title=The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab|publisher=The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Dawah and Guidance The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia|year=2005|isbn=9960-29-500-1|location=Riyadh|pages=172–73|quote="He was a strong supporter of ibn Taimiyyah—publishing his works—as well as of the scholars of Najd—publishing their works in his magazine and in a separate anthology entitled Majmooah al-Rasaail wa al-Masaail al-Najdiyyah. In his introduction to al-Sahwasaani's refutation of Dahlaan, Ridha, in a lengthy passage, described ibn Abdul-Wahhaab as a mujaddid ("religious revivalist"), repelling the innovations and deviations in Muslim life. Through his magazine, al-Manaar, Muhammad Rasheed Ridha greatly contributed to the spread of ibn Abdul-Wahhaab's teachings in the whole Muslim world. In fact, he published some of his articles from that magazine in a work entitled al-Wahhaabiyoon wa al-Hijaaz ("The Wahhabis and the Hijaz"). His magazine was unique in its thought and popularity."}}</ref> Rida notes that given Dahlan's position in [[Mecca]], and availability there of the works of Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab, he must have simply chosen to write otherwise. Rida also argued that Dahlan simply wrote what he heard from people, and criticised him for not verifying reports and seeking out the writings of Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab. He condemned Dahlan for his ignorance and his sanctioning of acts of ''kufr'' and ''shirk''; based on his reinterpretation of Islamic texts.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Al Din M.Zarabazo|first=Jamal|title=The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab|publisher=The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Dawah and Guidance The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia|year=2005|isbn=9960-29-500-1|location=Riyadh|pages=213, 242–43|quote="Muhammad Rasheed Ridha notes that given Dahlaan's position in Makkah and the availability there of works about the call, it is hard to believe that Dahlaan was not aware of the truth about the teachings of ibn Abdul Wahhab and his followers. He must have simply chosen to write otherwise. He further argues that even if he did not see such writings and he relied simply on what he heard from people, it would have been incumbent upon him to verify those reports and to seek out ibn Abdul Wahhab's writings to see if such reports could possibly have been true." ... "Muhammad Rasheed Ridha described the situation best when he wrote, "From the amazing aspects of the ignorance of Dahlaan and others similar to him is that they think that what Allah describes concerning the falsehood of the shirk of the polytheists applies only to them [that is, the polytheists at the time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)]. They think that such are not proofs against anyone who does similar to what they did. It is as if it is permissible for a Muslim to commit shirk due to his Islamic citizenship, even if he commits every type of associating of partners with Allah enumerated in the Quran. Based on that, he cannot conceive of any kind of apostasy from Islam because anyone who is called a Muslim must also have his kufr and shirk called Islamic [kufr and shirk]. Or it is considered permissible for him or, at the very least, forbidden. Indeed, they considered it sanctioned based on a reinterpretation of the texts." Rasheed Ridha, footnotes to Siyaanah al-Insaan, pp. 479–80}}</ref>

Rashid Rida contended that Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab was a victim of persecution by the combined oppression of three forces: i) the power of state and its rulers ii) power of hypocritical scholars and iii) power of tyrannical commoners.<ref name="Abu alrub 2013 412">{{Cite book|last=Abu alrub|first=Jalal|title=Biography and Mission of Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab: Second Edition|publisher=Madinah Punlishers and Distributors|year=2013|isbn=978-0-9856326-9-4|editor-last=Mencke|editor-first=Alaa|page=412}}</ref> Fiercely rebuking his opponents, Rashid Rida declared:<blockquote> "The best weapon they brandished against him was that he contradicted the majority of Muslims. Who were the majority of Muslims Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab contradicted in his ''Da'wah''? They were Bedouins of the desert, worse than the people of ''[[Jahiliyyah]]'', intent on looting and theft. They allowed shedding the blood of Muslims and non-Muslims, just to earn a living. They took their tyrants as judges in every matter and denied many aspects of Islam on which there is [[Ijma|consensus]] [especially among scholars], matters in which no Muslim can claim ignorance."<ref name="Abu alrub 2013 412"/></blockquote>

[[Ali Bey el Abbassi]], a [[Spanish Empire|Spanish]] explorer who was in Mecca in 1803, shortly after the Wahhabi conquest of Hejaz, presented a starkly different view of the Wahhabis. He was surprised to find that they were fairly "moderate, reasonable and civilized". He further observed that, rather than engaging in rampant violence and destruction, the Wahhabis were pleasant and well-organized. According to Ali Bey, there were major differences in the political approach of [[Muhammad bin Saud Al Muqrin|Muhammad ibn Saud Al Muqrin]], and that of his son, [[Abdulaziz bin Muhammad Al Saud]], during whose [[reign]] Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab was retired from active public life. Ali Bey asserts that unlike the fair-minded Muhammad Ibn Saud; his son 'Abd Al-Azeez began employing a "convert or die" approach for the acquirment of wealth and stabilising the state.<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|pages=244–45}}</ref> Ali Bey writes in his ''Travels'': <blockquote>"I discovered much reason and moderation among the Wehhabites to whom I spoke, and from whom I obtained the greater part of the information which I have given concerning their nation..... The reformer Abdoulwehhab did not invest himself with any honour or public character: he was only the chief of the sect, and did not require any personal distinction. After his death, his son, who succeeded him, preserved the same simplicity."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Bey |first=Ali |url=https://archive.org/details/travelsalibeyps01beygoog |title=Travels of Ali Bey, In Morocco, Tripoli, Cyprus, Egypt, Arabia, Syria and Turkey Vol.II |publisher=The New York Public Library |year=1816 |location=Philadelphia |pages=79, 157}}</ref></blockquote>[[British Empire|British]] diplomat [[Harford Jones-Brydges]], who was stationed in [[Basra Vilayet|Basra]] in 1784 attributed the popular hysteria about the Wahhabis to a different cause. Unlike Ottoman depictions, Brydges believed that Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab's doctrine was in keeping with the teachings of Quran, was "perfectly orthodox", "consonant to the purest and best interpretations of that volume", and that Ottomans feared its spread precisely on that basis.<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|pages=245–46}}</ref>

The [[Egyptians|Egyptian]] historian and [[Al-Azhar University|Azhari]] Islamic scholar [[Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti]] (1753–1825 C.E) was a great admirer of Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab and his movement. He defended his doctrines in [[Egypt]] and held the movement in high regard, viewing its doctrines as having a great prospective to spearhead future [[Islamic revival]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=al-Din M. Zarabozo|first=Jamaal|title=The Life, Teachings and Influence of Muhammad ibn Abdul-Wahhaab|publisher=The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Endowments, Dawah and Guidance: The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia|year=2003|isbn=9960-29-500-1|location=Riyadh|page=171|quote="The historian and Azhari scholar Abdul-Rahmaan al-Jabarti (1167–1237 A.H.) was very influenced and impressed by the followers of ibn Abdul-Wahhaab and he spread their thoughts in Egypt. He saw in them the greatest potential to revive the Muslim world."}}</ref> Al-Jabarti had the chance to personally meet with various Wahhabi scholars in Egypt in 1814. Finding them to be friendly and knowledgeable, Al-Jabarti stated that the Wahhabis were "modest men of good morals, well trained in oratory, in the principles of religion, the branches of fiqh, and the disagreements of the Schools of Law. In all this they were extraordinary."<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=245|quote="The Egyptian historian Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti, who encountered Wahhabis in Egypt ten years later, in 1814, was similarly impressed by the knowledge of the Wahhabi scholars he encountered, despite all of the negative things he had heard about them. The two Wahhabis with whom al-Jabarti met had come to Egypt in search of hadith collections and Hanbali exegetical discussions of the Quran (tafsir) and jurisprudence (fiqh): "I myself met with the two Wahhabis twice and found them to be friendly and articulate, knowledgeable and well versed in historical events and curiosities. They were modest men of good morals, well trained in oratory, in the principles of religion, the branches of fiqh, and the disagreements of the Schools of Law. In all this they were extraordinary."}}</ref> He described Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab as a man who "summoned men to ''[[Quran|Qur'an]]'' and the Prophet's ''[[Sunni Islam|Sunna]]'', bidding them to abandon [[Bidʻah|innovations]] in worship". Through his writings, Al-Jabarti repeatedly stressed that the beliefs and doctrines championed by Ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhab were nothing other than orthodox [[Sunni Islam]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Commins|first=David|title=The Wahhabi Mission and Saudi Arabia|publisher=I.B Tauris|year=2006|isbn=1-84511-080-3|location=London|page=31|quote="Whereas Ottoman writers disparaged Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, the Egyptian author described him as a man who summoned men to God's book and the Prophet's Sunna, bidding them to abandon innovations in worship. To the Wahhabis' discredit, al-Jabarti reported the 1803 massacre at Ta'if, where Wahhabi forces slaughtered the men and enslaved the women and children. But when it came to doctrinal matters, he reproduced an epistle that the Wahhabis had sent to the religious leader of a Moroccan pilgrim caravan. The epistle set forth their views on idolatry, intercession, festooning the graves of holy men and adhering to the Sunni mainstream. It emphasized that the Wahhabis did not bring anything new but followed classical authorities"}}</ref>

[[Morocco|Moroccan]] military leader [[Abd el-Krim|'Abd al-Karim al-Khattabi]] (1882-1963 C.E) praised Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's reform endeavour as a "promising voice" that sparked spiritual and intellectual Awakening across the [[Muslim world|Islamic World]].<ref>{{Cite book|last=Abu alrub|first=Jalal|title=Biography and Mission of Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab: Second Edition|publisher=Madinah Punlishers and Distributors|year=2013|isbn=978-0-9856326-9-4|editor-last=Mencke|editor-first=Alaa|page=419}}</ref>

Prominent [[Syrians|Syrian]] [[Hanbali]] scholar 'Abd al-Qadir ibn Badran (1864-1927 C.E/ 1280-1346 A.H) praised the efforts of Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab in his treatise ''Al-Madkhal ila Madhhab il-Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal'' (An Introduction to the Madhab of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal), writing: <blockquote>"When he [i.e, Ibn 'Abd al Wahhab] learned the narrations and the ''[[Sunnah]]'' and became expertised in the ''[[Madhhab|madhab]]'' of [[Ahmad]]; he began supporting the Truth, fighting ''[[Bidʻah|bid'ah]]'' and resisting what illiterates have made part of this monotheistic religion and ''[[Sharia]]'' of moderation''.'' Some people supported him and made their worship solely to The One God following his path, which was to establish pure ''Tawhid'', call sincerely to monotheism and direct worship in all of its forms solely to The Creator of creation alone. Some people resisted him; they were used to rigidity in following what their forefathers did and they armoured themselves with laziness instead of seeking the truth."<ref>{{Cite book|last=Ibn Badran al-Dimashqi|first='Abd al-Qadir|url=https://archive.org/details/20210304_20210304_0304/page/n233/mode/2up|title=المدخل الى مذهب احمد بن حنبل|publisher=Columbia University in City of New York: Libraries|year=1920|isbn=|location=New York|pages=229–230|language=Arabic|trans-title=al-Madkhal ila Madhhab al-Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (An Introduction to the Madhab of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal) }}</ref> </blockquote>