The
negation of reasoning {ta‘aqqul} in the Wahhabi school and its consequence
A kind of
intellectual negation can be observed in the school of Wahhabism. Although
Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab regarded himself an enlightened person,
criticizing the four Suuni schools of thought, some Shi`ah beliefs, and
reproaching them for speculatively interpreting the verses of the Qur'an, he
used to resort to secondary issues concerning the teachings about God, the
Exalted. He believed in a sort of anthropomorphism for God and in this regard
he used to content himself with the outward purport of the verses.
His
supporters also reject reflection and reasoning about the verses of the Qur'an
and the Prophetic traditions, negating the rational sciences, philosophy and
mysticism {'irfan}. They are afflicted with a close-mindedness and
intellectual frigidity to the extent that they are incapable of applying the
precepts of the school {madrasah}, the Qur'anic verses and the
traditions to the demands of time. It was for this reason that they initially
declared the telephone, mass communication devices and others as religiously
unlawful, and strongly resisted them, but later they finally relented.
Since they
are incapable of applying the concepts such as intercession {shafa'ah},
tawassul and infallibility {'ismah} of the Prophet (s) in the
light of contemporary thinking their viewpoint concerning the prophets, the
Holy Prophet (s) in particular, and the saints is narrow. They treat the
spiritual station of the prophets and the saints as identical with the rest of
people, thinking them as being annihilated and nonexistent after death, while
the Shi`ah and other Islamic schools of thought consider them to be present and
watching over us. In a result, the Wahhabis consider tawassul to the
prophets and awliya', entreating them and asking for their shafa'ah
an innovation in religion {bid'ah} and polytheism.
A few words from Martyr Professor Murtada Mutahhari
Martyr
Professor Murtada Mutahhari says:
The
Wahhabis believe that God has two realms. One is related to His Essence and no
one has the right to enter into this realm. Worship {'ibadah} and tawassul
pertain to God and are exclusive to this axis. The other realm is related to
the natural affairs of the world in which the will and discretion of man have a
role and it has nothing to do with God.[15]
He also
says:
According
to us, however, conceiving of two realms for the creation; thinking of God as
belonging to one realm and the creatures, man in particular, to be in the other
realm; and considering these two as distinctly separated is unacceptable and
itself as a kind of polytheism. We should not separate God from His acts and
His creatures; for, we believe that:
﴿أَنَّ
الْقُوَّةَ
لِلَّهِ
جَمِيعًا.﴾
That power, altogether, belongs to Allah,[16]
And:
لاَ
حَوْلَ وَلاَ
قُوَّةَ
إلاَّ
بِاللهِ العَلِيِّ
العَظِيمِ.
“There is
no might and power except from Allah, the Exalted and Great.”[17]
Then, he
says:
Contrary
to common notions, Wahhabism is not only an anti-Imamate theory but rather,
before being anti-Imamate, it is anti-tawhid and anti-human. It is
anti-tawhid because it advocates the division of work between the
Creator {khaliq} and the creature {makhluq}. In addition, it
upholds a sort of hidden polytheism in Essence {shirk-e dhati}. It is
anti-human because it fails to comprehend the talent of man that makes him
superior to the angels, and according to the text of the Qur'an, elevates him
to the status of vicegerency of Allah {khilafat Allah} who ordered the
angels to prostrate before him. It reduces him into a mere natural animal.”[18]
Tawhid according to the Shi`ah philosophers and
scholastic theologians {mutakallimun}
In the
light of the blessed Surah at-Tawhid (or al-Ikhlas), the
following headings about the cognition of the Essence and Attributes of God can
be deduced:
Tawhid of Essence {Tawhid-e dhati}
God has a
Perfect Essence and the Attributes of Perfection and Beauty. Thus, this Essence
must be regarded as One and Unique. That is, whatever we say concerning His
Oneness and Unity, we have to believe also with respect to His Essence. Those
who acknowledge such Essence also believe in the Tawhid of Essence.
Shirk {polytheism} in Essence
This means
that we believe in two or more essences for God, the Exalted. This type of
polytheism is called “polytheism in Essence”. God is One in Essence and has no
partner. So, those who maintain that God has a son or equal, or that He has
been begotten profess polytheism in Essence. The Holy Qur'an strongly condemns
this type of belief.
Tawhid in Attributes
The
Essence of God has Attributes which we can understand through Their effects,
such as the Knowledgeable {al-'Alim}, the Living {al-Hayy},
the Wise {al-Hakim}, and the Ever-Living {al-Qayyum}. We
relate these Attributes to the Essence, saying that God, the Blessed and
Exalted, is One in Essence and Attributes. Since all these Attributes relate
back to the Essence, there is no multiplicity in the Attributes and all
Attributes are one. Every Attribute is identical with the other Attribute. For
example, His Knowledge {'Ilm} is His Power {Qudrah}.
Therefore, the plurality of Attributes according to our understanding is
related to the effects of the Single Essence. As such, His Attributes and
Essence are One and not that He has One Essence and many Attributes.
Tawhid in Actions
Tawhid
in Actions is also like Tawhid in Essence in the sense that the origin
of every action in the world of being is the Divine Sacred Essence, and will
finally relate to Him. We should know that every Action that we ascribe to Him
will be the same as His other Action, and there is no difference and
distinction among the Actions of God, and the apparent duplicity in the Actions
of God is caused by our perception:
﴿وَلاَ
تَقُولَنَّ
لِشَيْءٍ
إِنِّي
فَاعِلٌ
ذَلِكَ غَدًا
إِلاَّ أَنْ
يَشَاءَ
اللَّهُ
وَاذْكُرْ
رَبَّكَ
إِذَا
نَسِيتَ.﴾
Do not say about anything, 'I will indeed
do it tomorrow,' without {adding}, 'if Allah wishes.' And when you forget,
remember your Lord.[19]
So, all
our wishes are within the domain of His will and all the actions of God are
one:
لاَ
حَوْلَ وَلاَ
قُوَّةَ
إلاَّ
بِاللهِ العَلِيِّ
العَظِيمِ.
“There is
no might and power except from Allah, the Exalted and Great.”
Those who
have such belief, attributing all actions to God have the belief in Tawhid
in Action.
Polytheism in Action {shirk-e af‘ali}
Polytheism
in Action {shirk-e af'ali} means to believe that a creature has a
divine will independent of the will of God in the sense that whatever the said
creature does is outside the domain of God's will. This is contrary to what God
has attributed to Himself as stated in the Holy Qur'an, thus:
﴿وَمَا
رَمَيْتَ
إِذْ
رَمَيْتَ
وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ
رَمَى.﴾
And you did not throw when you threw,
rather it was Allah who threw.[20]
While we
all know that the Prophet (s) threw earth and stones toward the enemy during
the Battle of Badr.
Tawhid in worship
Having
attributed the Tawhid of Essence, Attributes and actions to God, Tawhid
in worship is confirmed for Him in the sense that only His Essence is worthy of
worship, and if we consider anyone as His partner in worship, as the idol-worshippers
and others do, it means that we are afflicted with polytheism in worship. The
following verses of the Qur'an express this Tawhid in worship:
﴿إِيَّاكَ
نَعْبُدُ
وَإِيَّاكَ
نَسْتَعِينُ.﴾
You {alone} do we worship, and to You
{alone} do we turn for help.[21]
And along
this line, another verse states:
﴿قُلْ
إِنَّ
صَلاَتِي
وَنُسُكِي
وَمَحْيَاي
وَمَمَاتِي
لِلَّهِ
رَبِّ
الْعَالَمِينَ.﴾
Say, 'Indeed my prayer and my worship, my
life and my death are all for the sake of Allah, the Lord of all the worlds'.[22]
Tawhid
in worship is understood from the phrase, “indeed my prayer and my worship”
while Tawhid in Lordship {rububiyyahi} is discerned from the
phrase, “my life and my death”.
The foundations of Tawhid according to the Wahhabis
The
Wahhabis regard Tawhid as having three parts: (1) Tawhid in
Lordship {rububi}, (2) Tawhid in Divinity {uluhi},
and (3) Tawhid in the Names and Attributes {asma' wa sifat}.
Tawhid in Lordship {rububi}
It means
that only the Essence of God has all the absolute and perfect Attributes. In
other words, Tawhid in Lordship is the Tawhid in recognizing
and proving God whose proofs are the verses of Surah al-Kafirun,[23]
the verse,
﴿قُلْ
يَا أَهْلَ
الْكِتَابِ
تَعَالَوْا
إِلَى
كَلِمَةٍ…﴾
Say, 'O People of the Book! Come to a word
common…[24]
and other
verses.
Tawhid in Divinity {uluhi or uluhiyyah}
It is the
belief in the fact that only God is worthy of worship and praise, and there is
not other that god worshipped being beside Him.
Tawhid in the Names and Attributes
The
Attributes and Names of God are pre-eternal {qadim}.[25]
The Wahhabis consider this aspect of Tawhid in the place of the Tawhid
in Attributes, worship and actions. This belief is traceable from the belief of
the Ash'arites {asha'irah}, a group of scholastic theologians {mutakallimun}
during the 2nd century AH. The Ash'arites also believed in the “pre-eternality”
{qidmah} of the Divine Names and Attributes. Anchored on this belief,
the Wahhabis reckon the Qur'an as pre-eternal and the attribute of an act of
God. They also consider the dotted Arabic letters {huruf al-mu'jam} as
pre-eternal.
They
regard as Attributes of the Essence those attributes such the Eye {'ayn};
Soul {nafs}; Knowledge {'ilm}; Life {hayah}; Hearer
{sami'}; Seer {basir}; Face {wajh}; Speech or Word {kalam};
Pre-existence {qidam}; Hand {yad}; Foot {rijl} (The
Wahhabis believe that God—God forbid—has hands and feet!), Dominion {mulk};
Grandeur {'azamah}; Greatness {kibriya'}; Eminence {'uluww};
Richness {ghina}; Mercy {rahmah}; Power {qudrah};
Wisdom {hikmah}; etc.
They
consider as Attributes of Act the attributes such as surprise {ta'ajjub};
laughing {dahik}; satisfaction {rida}; anger {ghadab};
aversion {karahah}; equality {istiwa'}; coming {maji'}
(the alleged appearance of God on the Day of Resurrection); coming down {nuzul}
(it refers to the belief of the Wahhabis that God is sitting on the Throne and
He descends from heaven at the dawn!); disagreement; and gladness.[26]
After
stating the parts and examples of Tawhid from the point of view of
Wahhabism, it is now proper to examine polytheism {shirk} according to
this sect. Thereafter, we shall compare it with Shi`ah monotheistic thought.
Shirk {polytheism} and its limits according to the
Wahhabis
Shirk {polytheism}
from the viewpoint of Wahhabism means associating partner with God and
considering other beings as independent from Him. Wahhabism also regards
turning for help to the prophets and seeking the intermediation {tawassul}
of the saints as acts of polytheism.
According
to this viewpoint, kissing and visiting the graves of the infallible Imams ('a)
and the Prophet (s) are all acts of polytheism, unlawful and religious
innovation {bid'ah}. According to the Wahhabis, the Shi`ah are
polytheists or at least their beliefs have elements of polytheism.
The socio-political consequences of Tawhid and shirk
{polytheism} according to the Wahhabis
The late
Muhammad Jawad Mughniyyah thus writes:
Based on
the Wahhabi creed, mere utterance of ”La ilaha illallah wa ashhadu anna
Muhammadan rasul Allah” {There is no god but Allah and Muhammad is the
Messenger of Allah} is not enough for the acceptance of Islam. After uttering
it, one should rather not seek the intermediation of other than God; not have
the intention of paying homage to the Prophet (s); not touch and kiss his
grave; not swear by the Prophet (s); and not call on him and addressing him,
thus: “O the Messenger of Allah!” and “O my master!”
During his
control of Mecca, Muhammad ibn Sa'ud (one of the rulers of Saudi Arabia) had
said in his speech that with the exception of the Wahhabis, all Muslims are
polytheists and must be reformed at the point of the sword so as to embrace
Wahhabism. Contrary to his statement, however, King Faisal, the king of the
Wahhabis, in his message issued in 1342 AH, says while addressing the Wahhabis:
“And all Muslims, from Egypt, India, etc. are your brothers.”
This means
that, “You should not be pessimistic with respect to the Muslims and you are
not supposed to act according to this creed of Shaykh Muhammad ibn 'Abd
al-Wahhab.”
Maintaining
this belief by the Wahhabis would have such socio-political consequences as
considering all Muslims as polytheists and spreading sedition {fitnah}
and chaos, for such a belief is an imperialist and anti-Islamic one.
The Wahhabi-Shi`ah difference of perspective on
Tawhid
As stated
earlier, there are qualitative and quantitative differences between the
Wahhabis and the Shi`ah about Tawhid.
We shall
find out later on that this classification from the perspective of Wahhabism
has significant political implications.
It can
probably be argued that there is no problem with the classification of the
Wahhabis. In addition, this issue is only an intellectual limitation, and
difference of opinion between Muslim philosophers and mystics {'urafa'}
concerning this issue can also be observed. But that which cannot be ignored is
the difference in understanding.
Shi`ah 'ulama'
have divided Tawhid into (Tawhid in) Essence, Attributes,
acts and worship while the Wahhabi 'ulama' have divided it into (Tawhid
in) Lordship, Divinity and the Names and Attributes.[27]
If we compare them, and pair Tawhid in Essence with that of Lordship
and Tawhid in Divinity with that of Tawhid in acts and
worship, nothing remains to compare with Tawhid in the Names and
Attributes. Meanwhile, to believe in the pre-eternity {qidmah} of the
Names and Attributes demands the acceptance of “the multiplicity of
pre-eternals”, and this is an Ash'arite belief which is false.
Shi`ah 'ulama'
believe that the Names of God can be divided into two: particular and general.
The particular aspect pertains specifically to the Essence of God, the Exalted,
such as “Allah”. The general aspect relates to the Attributes of God which can
also be applied to His servants such as rahman {All-beneficent}, rahim
{All-merciful} and karim {All-kind}. The intellect of man has
separated this aspect of Attributes and ascribed it to God.
If this
difference merely had an ideological dimension, it would not then be so acute
and sensitive, but since they are utilizing it for a political end, it ought to
be analyzed.
The
Wahhabis have taken this way of dividing the levels of Tawhid from Ibn
Taymiyyah who, in turn, had adopted it from Ahmad ibn Hanbal.
Similarly,
by dividing the Attributes into Acts and Essence, the Wahhabis have ended up
believing that God has an actual hand and foot and that He can physically come
and have an appearance. They have contented with the literal meaning of the
verses in this regard while rejecting rational understanding and analysis. They
reject as ”mu'awwilun” {allegorical interpreters} those who oppose
this creed, particularly the Shi`ah who, by taking inspiration from the lofty
teachings of the Prophet (s) and the infallible Imams ('a), interpret
the verses related to God's seeing, hearing, His having a hand, foot and His
coming on the Day of Resurrection as allegorical. For instance, the Shi`ah
regard the verse,
﴿الرَّحْمَانُ
عَلَى
الْعَرْشِ
اسْتَوَى.﴾
to mean
the sovereignty and authority of God on the Throne and not in the sense of God's
actual sitting on the Throne.
Notes:
[23] Surat
al-Kafirun 109:1-6: “O faithless ones! I do not worship what you
worship, not do you worship what I worship; nor will I worship what you have
worshipped nor will you worship what I worship. To you your religion, and to me
my religion.”
[24] Surat Al
‘Imran 3:64: “Say, ‘O People of the Book! Come to a word common between us and you:
that we will worship no one but Allah, and that we will not ascribe any partner
to Him, and that we will not take each other as lords besides Allah’.”
[25] Here, the
word “pre-eternal” [qadim] is not in contrast to the notion of “new” [jadid].
It is rather the opposite of “created” [hadith]; that is, to have existed from
the very beginning and not to have come into being sometime in the past.
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