Albani On Ibn Abdul-Wahab

Albani’s criticism of Muhammad Ibn Abdul-Wahab
الألباني: محمد بن عبدالوهاب فيه غلو وشده

Albani considered Muhammad Ibn Abdul-Wahab a reformer and praised his Da’wah, but he also criticised them for their excessive Takfir.

Albani says about Muhammad Ibn Abdul-Wahab:

– He had exaggeration and harshness
– His followers inherited that from his teachings
– He could not differentiate between authentic [صحيح] and weak [ضعيف] Ahadith
– He had no high level of care in following Salafi Fiqh
– I am one of the harshest critics of the Wahabiyah

1- Albani said (“Silsilah huda wa Noor”, 297):

الحقيقة محمد بن عبدالوهاب فضله كبير على الأمة الإسلامية ؛ لكن فيه شيء من الغلو والشدة
الجماعة كان عندهم شيء من الشدة؛ أخذوها طبعاً من بعض نصوص محمد بن عبدالوهاب رحمه الله، واستمر الأتباع إلى هذا العهد موصومون بهذه الشدة، وكنا نسمع نحن قديماً أن هؤلاء النجديين يكفرون عامة المسلمين، أو يقولون عنهم خوارج

“The truth regarding Muhammad Ibn Abdul-Wahhab is that he has done a great favour upon the Islamic nation, but he had some level of exaggeration and harshness.

… This group has inherited some of this harshness, which they of course took from the writings of Mohammad Ibn Abdul-Wahab, may God be merciful to him. They are stigmatised with this harshness.

And we used to hear from long time ago that these Najdis make Takfir on the general masses of the Muslims, and they used to be accused of being Khawarij.”

2- Albani said after he mentioned some good qualities of Ibn Taymiyah:

, بخلاف الشيخ محمد بن عبد الوهاب, فلم تكن له هذه العناية, لا في الحديث ولا في الفقه السلفي, فهو من الناحية المذهبية حنبلي, ومن الناحية الحديثية كغيره, فليس له آثار في الفقه تدلنا على أنه كابن تيمية سلفي المنهج في التفقه في الدين, لعل له في ذلك عذرا كما ألمحنا إليه آنفا.وكذلك في الأحاديث فهو كغيره مع الأسف الشديد, لا معرفة عنده بالحديث الصحيح والضعيف

“Contrary to Sheikh Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab – who did not have this level of care in hadith nor in Salafi fiqh. He is a Hanbali from the side of the madhhab and in Hadith, he is like others.

He has left no traces in Fiqh which would indicate to us that he was like Ibn Taymiyah a Salafi in manhaj in terms of his understanding of religion. Perhaps he has an excuse in this which we have already hinted at.

And also in the hadith, he, like the others, unfortunately, has no knowledge of authentic or weak hadiths.”

3- Albani also said (“Silsilah huda wa Noor”, 713):

أما الوهابية: فما لي ولها ؛ فأنا أنقضها ؛ ربما أشد من غيري ، وربما الحاضرون يعلمون ذلك

“As for al-Wahabiyah – what have I got to do with it?!
I criticise it – sometimes even more than others!
Those who are present know this.”