Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab

Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab was a prominent Arab Muslim scholar and theologian born in 1703 in Najd, a region in the Arabian Peninsula. He is best known as the founder of the Wahhabi movement, although his followers do not identify with this label. Coming from a family of jurists, his early education was rooted in the Hanbali school of jurisprudence, which was prevalent in his homeland.

Throughout his life, Ibn Abd al-Wahhab advocated for a strict adherence to Islamic law, emphasizing the importance of returning to the Quran and Hadith. He encouraged all Muslims, regardless of gender, to engage directly with these texts, opposing the practice of blind taqlid and promoting ijtihad, or independent legal reasoning. His teachings challenged traditional interpretations and sought to reform various religious practices that he deemed heretical, particularly the veneration of saints and their shrines.

His religious training included exposure to various Sunni scholars during his travels to Hejaz and Basra, which shaped his critical views on certain rituals. Although he identified as a Hanbali, he distanced himself from medieval legal manuals, opting instead for direct scriptural interpretation. His reformist ideas were influenced by earlier scholars like Ibn Taymiyya and Ibn Qayyim, yet they faced significant opposition from mainstream Hanbali scholars of his time.

Despite the resistance he encountered, Ibn Abd al-Wahhab formed a crucial alliance with Muhammad bin Saud, which led to the establishment of the Emirate of Diriyah, the first Saudi state. This partnership initiated a dynastic alliance that continues to influence the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia today. The Al ash-Sheikh family, descendants of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, have historically played a leading role in the religious landscape of Saudi Arabia, guiding the ulama and shaping the clerical institutions of the state.