AMERICAN FOREIGN POLICY COUNCIL

The Worldview (akida) of Wahhabism

Mullah Zakir
Hajji, Osh Mosque, Republic of Kyrgyzstan

Wahhabism as a religious and political movement in er layers,’ as it describes its mission, but had been
Sunni Islam emerged in Arabia during the middle of distorting them. The powerful alims always used to
18th century, based on the teachings of Muhammad say, ‘Wahhabis are wayward people who divert other
ibn Abd al-Wahhab. people.’”2
Monotheism (tawhid) is the main idea of Islam. It So, what kind of teaching is Wahhabism? This is
is the precept that Allah is the sole source of creation a very difficult question to answer. This religious and
and only He deserves to be worshipped by people. political movement spreads its influence using many
The Holy Qur’an says, “The Apostle believes in what skillful propaganda slogans – from the statement that
has been revealed to him from his Lord, and the be- Wahhabism per se does not exist to the declaration
lievers; they all believe in Allah and His angels and that Wahhabism represents true Islam.
His Books and His Apostles; We make no difference
between any of His Apostles; and they say: We hear Briefly, Wahhabism is Islamic religious and politi-
and obey, our Lord! Thy forgiveness (do we crave), cal extremism. As a doctrine, it represents the result
and to Thee is the eventual course.” (2:285). Allah of the selection and modification of some provisions
said, “Believe in Allah and His Apostle and the Book of the Qur’an and Sunnah to Wahhabi ideas and
which He has revealed to His Apostle and the Book concepts.
which He revealed before; and whoever disbelieves Wahhabism seeks to convince Muslims that tradi-
in Allah and His angels and His Apostles and the tional Islamic principles of belief have been lost and
Last Day, he indeed strays off into a remote error.” that it can show the way to supposedly revive the
(4:136). pure Islam of the times of Prophet (PBUH) and his
Wahhabis believe that Muslims have departed from companions (peace be upon them). The foreword to
the monotheistic principle by worshipping saints and the first edition of the book Let Us Be Muslims by
introducing various innovations (bid’ah)1 to Islam. Dr. Sayyid Abul A’la Maududi states:
Therefore, they believe it is necessary to purify Islam
and return to its original canons by spurning bid’ah, The Muslim community in the former Soviet Union
the cult of the saints, and so on. However, according in general, and in Central Asia in particular, played
to the opinion of Shaykh Sayyid Chirkeysky, “From a great role in developing Islamic culture, civiliza-
the very beginning, Wahhabism had nothing in com- tion, literature and intellectual legacy .… Due to
mon with ‘purification of Islamic ideals from the lat- a number of historical reasons and pressures on
 them, the Muslim communities of this large region
could not continue this tradition during the latest
period.3
Therefore, Maududi writes, a series of books on
Islamic literature have been published in order to re-
vive “a golden tradition of literature and scientific zhabs (schools of Islamic theology) and arbitrarily
research.”4
Maududi challenges Muslims to cast off the chains
of erroneous thinking and return to what he considers
to be true Islam: “You, Muslims, you are vegetating
in infamy! You, Muslims, have become slaves! Such
a situation is as senseless as if white were black.”5 “It
is inconceivable to have the word of God and suffer
from disgrace and infamy, to live subordinated and
humiliated, to carry the chains of slavery and allow
yourself to be led like an animal.”6
He writes:
You are many hundreds of millions, and if each of
you throws a stone, you will make a mountain. In
spite of the majority of Muslims and Muslim gov-
ernments, the contemporary world depends on
those who rebelled against God. You are in their
hands; they do what they want with you. Your
heads, which you should bow to Allah, bow to such
people as you. Your honor, which no one could dare
touch before, today it is trampled down in mud.
You used to keep your hands raised; now they are
bowed and stretched in front of your enemies. Ig-
norance, dependency, poverty and debts humiliate
you all over the world. Is this the mercy of Allah? If
it is not, but a sign of rage, then it is strange that He
raged at Muslims!7
Wahhabism can also be defined as distorted Is-
lam, as represented in the teachings of the religious
reformer Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, which
subsequently became virtually the official ideology
of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Ibn Abd al-Wah-
hab wrote Kita bat-Tauhid (The Book of Monothe-
ism), a primitive work that cannot be compared to
the works of true Islamic theologians – alims.
He also raised an anti-Ottoman revolt under
the banner of an Arabian “national liberation move-
ment.” When Egyptian Muslim soldiers came to pac-
ify the rebels, the Bedouins were afraid of fighting
against their religious brothers. But Ibn Abd al-Wah-
hab autocratically declared the Egyptians to be kaf-
irs (unbelievers) because, according to his personal
2 Central Asia Counterterorism Project
opinion, they conducted some religious ceremonies
improperly. He declared himself to be someone who
resembled a supreme priest or the Catholic Pope,
with the right to excommunicate people from the
religion.
Ibn Abd al-Wahhab did not recognize the ma-
commented upon ayahs of the Holy Qur’an and ha-
diths of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH), relying
only upon his personal understanding and rejecting
the opinions of other alims (Islamic experts) and the
Muslim ummah (community). The fatwa “Is it possi-
ble to call Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab an alim?”
relates to this. It was disseminated by the Religious
Department of Muslims in Dagestan and other re-
publics of the North Caucasus. It states:
Alims are those people who are knowledgeable
about the Muslim religion and strictly follow all the
prescriptions of Allah. The alims accept the Holy
Qur’an, hadiths and all four mazhabs... Muhammad
ibn Abd al-Wahhab criticized “ashabs” – the Com-
panions of the Prophet (peace be upon him) (peace
be upon them all) – and distorted their views. He
rejected the hadiths in which the ashabs were given
an honorable place. He looked down on the admo-
nition of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who
taught us, “Follow my ashabs (peace be upon them
all); they will guide you to the true path.”
A most profound delusion of Muhammad ibn Abd
al-Wahhab was that he labeled as kafirs (disbeliev-
ers) all those who refused to follow his ideology. In
doing so, he rejected the admonition of the Prophet
(PBUH), “Whoever calls a Muslim kafir, he ex-
presses by himself his disbelief toward Allah.” It
is absolutely obvious that Muhammad ibn Abd al-
Wahhab was not an alim; a true alim aims to help a
man find the right path, while Muhammad ibn Abd
al-Wahhab deluded his followers. His teachings,
which contradict the Holy Qur’an and the hadiths,
became the basis for dangerous tendencies in the
ummah, and caused enmity and animosity among
Muslims.”8
So, ulemas (Islamic pundits) have determined that
Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab was not a scholar.
As for ibn Abd al-Wahhab’s criticism of ashabs, it
should be noted that in doing so he ignored the ad-
monition of the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) who
taught Muslims, “Surely, whoever lives a (long) life
will become a witness of considerable feuds and
therefore, follow my Sunnah9 and the Sunnah of
the righteous Rashid caliphs10 – do not recede from
them, not one jot.”11 One should take into consider-
ation that the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) could
recommend that people follow the path of caliphs
who did not rule until after his death, because he
was the prophet; therefore he could prophesy. If
caliphs had ruled before the Prophet, it would
not have made any sense to recommend following
their way. The Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) also
predicted that after him four caliphs would rule
the Islamic world, and after that the feuds would
take place.
The main points of Wahhabi ideology
Wahhabi ideology, as it is represented in materi-
als disseminated in Central Asia, is based upon a
distorted interpretation of the provisions of Islam
regarding monotheism (tawhid), jihad and disbe-
lief (kufr). The main points of Wahhabi ideology
are as follows:
Tawhid
The pivotal point of the Islamic religion is “tawhid”
– belief in the one and single God – or monothe-
ism. According to Wahhabi ideology, the principle
of monotheism is incompatible with loyalty and
respect toward any other ideologies, including pa-
triotism, because all of them are human inventions
and therefore to follow them means following or-
ders from people, not God.
“A second reason of diverting from the Way is
a blind adherence to customs and conventions, be-
liefs and concepts, rituals and ceremonies of soci-
ety, as if all of them stand higher than God’s guid-
ance,” says Sayyid Maududi. “When they remind
such a person about God’s commandments, this
person insists that he will follow only the things
that are encouraged by society and that maintain
the traditions of his family or his country. How
can the person who is suffering from such a disease
be a servant of God? His Gods are society, family
and nation. How can he call himself a Muslim?”12
According to Wahhabism, Muslims must not
obey the rules, norms or orders of secular law be-
cause people created them. The Wahhabi ideolo-
gists claim in their booklets and brochures, such as
The Religion of Truth is Islam, that:
If a Muslim does not consider the polythe-
ists, Jews, atheists, magicians and others to be
disbelievers, then he himself becomes a dis-
believer; … the following behaviors as well
can be considered as crimes against Islam: to
think that some law or regime is better than
the Muslim one; … to support disbelievers or
to love them.13
The booklet also states:
Allah commanded Muslims to elect and appoint an
imam who will rule over them, call them to unite
and to create a united community. Allah com-
manded a believer who lived in a country where he
could not practice Islam and call others to do it,
to leave such a country for a Muslim country with
an Islamic regime, which was ruled by the imam.
Islam does not recognize any state borders or any
citizenship because a true Muslim has only one na-
tionality, which is Islam and all the people of the
world are servants of Allah, who possesses not only
the Earth but also the whole Universe. A Muslim
is free to move (to a Muslim country) if he follows
Shari’ah.14
From the times of the Prophet (PBUH), it was
established that a faithful Muslim must maintain re-
lations not only with Muslims and the People of the
Book (Christians and Jews) but also with polythe-
ists and disbelievers (kafirs). Moreover, it was recom-
mended that Muslims should maintain proper rela-
tions with them; if they do not declare war against
Muslims, they should be treated with respect.15 The
Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said, “Of all the peo-
ple in this world and in the everlasting world, I am
very close to Jesus, the son of Mary. The Prophets are
brothers (of one father); their mothers are different
but their religions are one.”16 (Al Bukhari).
According to Wahhabism, a faithful Muslim must
follow only Shari’ah, and not the laws of a state. So,
“belonging to atheistic movements like communist,
secular, democratic, capitalist or other communi-
ties of disbelievers is an apostasy regarding Islam.”17
The list of such ideological movements also includes
“anti-religious secularism, oppressive capitalism,
Marxist socialism and atheistic Free Masonry.”18
“Disbelief,” according to Wahhabis, occurs when any
form of socio-political establishment is not based en-
tirely, wholly and exclusively upon Shari’ah as the
Paper Title Would Go Here 3
Wahhabis interpret it.
Takfir
Another concept in Islam is the principle of “tak-
fir” (accusing a person of disbelief, kufr, or of being
a disbeliever, a kafir). All rulers who do not follow
Shari’ah are accused of being disbelievers. In addi-
tion, Wahhabis label as disbelievers all those who
obey rulers who are disbelievers, including those who
consider themselves to be good Muslims. In Wah-
habi ideology, a Muslim must not obey a disbeliever
under any circumstances.
Wahhabis declare to be “disbelievers” those who
participate in a social system that includes delega-
tion of powers, redistribution of social resources,
and an exchange of goods and services. According
to Wahhabis, “disbelief ” is “ruling and judging not
on the grounds provided by Allah” or “any human
legislative activity.”19 Disbelief “is an intention to is-
sue laws, to permit and to forbid.”20 The book Let Us
Be Muslims by Sayyid Maududi states, “No single
stone obeys another stone, no single tree obeys an-
other tree, and no single animal obeys another ani-
mal. Are you worse than animals, trees and stones,
which obey only God? But you obey people as if you
prefer them to God.”21
Wahhabis label as disbelievers (kafirs) all Muslims
who do not follow the interpretation of Islam that
Wahhabis claim is the only true one. They think that
“every true Muslim must express hostility and feel
hatred toward the pagans in an obligatory manner.”22
The Muslims that Wahhabis accuse of disbelief are
accorded the status of apostates (murtads), that is,
people who were Muslims but then abandoned Is-
lam. Abdul Aziz bin Baz, one of the main Wahhabi
ideologists, states: “One who violates openly or se-
cretly shall know that he becomes an infidel and shall
expect the possibility of murder or imprisonment.”23
However, according to Islamic law, it is necessary,
first of all, to carefully discover the true state of af-
fairs and then to offer an apostate three chances to
repent and to return to Islam.
The Wahhabis ignore this. They label as “tak-
fir” the officials of Islamic states as well as the law
enforcement bodies and security agencies of these
states. Wahhabis compose lists of rulers-apostates
and believe Muslims are subject to takfir if they re-
fuse to support Wahhabis. Bin Baz writes:
4 Central Asia Counterterorism Project
No one should rule others. All the people shall live
obeying only Allah. It is necessary to make such a
fundamental change in state governments all over
the world. Those who rule should not become lords,
but by recognizing Allah to be the only Lord, shall
rule as His entrusted representatives. They should
perform their duties with the awareness that finally
they will have to report to the King who manages
everything that is known and unknown. All the laws
shall be based upon the guidance of Allah, the All-
knowing and the Wisest. No one is able to change
the laws of Allah, correct or refuse them. Otherwise,
it is inevitable to have corruption as a consequence
of ignorance and egotism.24
Jihad
The next main point of Wahhabism is that holy
war, or “jihad,” should be waged against disbeliev-
ers. According to the Wahhabi interpretation, every
Muslim has the holy responsibility to fight against
disbelievers, to wage a jihad in order to establish Is-
lamic power. “The lesson is clear,” bin Baz writes.
“We must struggle until no power except of the one
of Allah is overthrown; until only Allah’s laws rule
the world; until the supremacy of the one and only
Allah is recognized; until we serve only Him.”25
Wahhabis defend violence and jihad and consider
them to be the main pillars of Muslim virtue. They
favor the legalized obedience of women to men.
They absolutely reject anything that they believe to
be modern, especially secularism and democracy, and
condemn all this for contradicting Islam.
The idea of holy war against pagans and Mus-
lims who have “betrayed their principles” occupies
an important place in Wahhabi doctrine. From the
very beginning, Wahhabism has taken an extremist
approach in its struggle against ideological and po-
litical opponents. Today, the followers of this move-
ment use it in an attempt to modify the existing so-
cio-political establishments in Muslim countries.
Traditionally, Islam looks at jihad not primarily as
waging war but as the peaceful and constructive ef-
forts of believers to achieve moral self-perfection. The
Messenger (PBUH) said, “The best jihad is (saying)
a just word in the presence of unjust ruler.”26 (Abu
Dawud, at-Tirmizi). He said, “The one who cares
about a widow and the poor is similar to a fighter on
the way of Allah.”27 One hadith recounts:
 Once I asked the Prophet (PBUH), “What kind of accepting certain identifying signs, including a spe-
affair does Allah love?” He said, “The prayer made cial appearance. For example, men do not shave their
in time.” I asked, “What else after this?” He said, beard, wear traditional Arab clothes, wear trousers or
“expressing respect to parents.” I asked, “What else sleeves that do not reach the foot or wrist, and so on.
after this?” He said, “Fighting for Allah.”28 In a word, “Wahhabis shall not copy disbelievers.”31
However, as Wahhabi sources attest, these special
signs and appearances are not enough to guarantee
According to this provision, “conducting a war is
that a person will not be accused of “disbelief ” or
recommended only against those who attack a Mus-
“polytheism,” because he may have doubts and hesi-
lim state or against those who impede preaching and
tations. On account of these doubts and hesitations,
the peaceful dissemination of Islam.”29
he may be accused of “hypocrisy” – that is, secret and
In contrast to these teachings, Wahhabi groups hidden “disbelief.” Wahhabis state that a “hypocrite
resort to jihad immediately, defining it exclusively as is a Muslim who shows adherence to Islam but hides
armed struggle. Secondly, they compel every Muslim disbelief.”32 If a person is judged to be a “hypocrite,”
to wage jihad. Thirdly, they consider kafirs – disbe- he is subject to “takfir,” which deprives him of im-
lievers – to be the targets of jihad. munity for his life and property, and he may become
the object of sanctions, up to and including murder.
Because all those who do not agree with Wahhabis
are declared to be disbelievers, the Wahhabis wage But the main condition for a Muslim who has
jihad primarily against Muslims and, in particular, accepted Wahhabism is that he must confirm his
against those who do not agree with their interpreta- monotheism by showing proper “hatred and en-
tion of jihad, as well as the followers of other confes- mity.” According to Wahhabis, a true monotheist
sions. should hate all those whom Wahhabis call “disbe-
lievers,” “polytheists,” and “hypocrites.” But hatred
The concepts of tawhid, kufr, takfir, and jihad are is an emotion that is difficult to control. Wahhabis
closely interrelated in Wahhabi ideology. pay special attention to how a person behaves. Thus,
How do Wahhabis determine if a person is what a show of hatred can save a Muslim from being ac-
they consider to be a monotheist? And how can a cused of “disbelief.” Otherwise, he may risk losing
person protect himself from being labeled a “disbe- immunity for his life and property. Moreover, hatred
liever” by Wahhabis and from being punished for his toward “disbelievers” must be constantly manifested.
“disbelief?” For the Wahhabis, he must spurn any In the Wahhabis’ eyes, in order to become a Muslim
form of “disbelief ” and “plurality of gods,” ask for- a man must “treat polytheists and disbelievers with
giveness for his “disbelief ” and repent, and become enmity: “There are so many Muslims free of pagan-
a follower of Wahhabi-style monotheism. According ism (polytheism) but without enmity toward pagans
to Wahhabism, only full and absolute obedience to (polytheists)! In this case, a man cannot be Mus-
a Wahhabi group – and total hostility, including a lim… Any true Muslim shall express enmity and feel
readiness to kill, toward everyone who does not be- hatred toward pagans in an obligatory manner.”33
long to this group – allows a person to avoid sanc- Wahhabism forbids its followers to treat “disbeliev-
tions for “disbelief.” A decisive proof of monotheism, ers” positively or to undertake any good deed toward
especially for a Muslim, and a necessary condition for them: “Friendliness toward disbelievers and helping
the Wahhabis not to consider a Muslim a “disbeliev- them are not permitted.”34 The ultimate sanction for
er,” is honesty and sympathy toward Wahhabis and all “disbelievers” is taking their lives.
hostility toward all non-Wahhabis, against whom a In order to justify its violent methods, the Wah-
true Muslim-Wahhabi must conduct holy war – ji- habis have their own interpretations of the Holy
had. “This can be achieved only by love toward the
Qur’an and hadiths. As is accepted in Islam, the in-
adherents of the tawhid of Allah (monotheists, asterpretation of the Holy Qur’an and hadiths must be
Wahhabis call themselves), faithfulness to them and
done by ulemas, experts in Islamic theology who are
providing them with any help and also by hatred and
recognized and respected by the whole Islamic world.
enmity toward disbelievers and mushriks (polythe-The interpretation of the Holy Qur’an and hadiths
ists).”30 Thus, Wahhabi ideologists encourage Mus-
must be done in the process of discussion with other
lims to believe that unless a person is a Wahhabi, he
ulemas and alims. In this regard, Imam ash-Shafi’i,
will be accused of disbelief. founder of the Shafi’i mazhab (school of thought)
Adherence to a Wahhabi group is signaled by (peace be upon him) said, “Fight verbosity with the
Paper Title Would Go Here 5
help of silence and use reflection”35 in order to prop-
erly deduce.36 Muslim scholars, when dealing with a
problem, as a rule, refer to the fundamental sources
of knowledge in Islam. A “mu’min” is a Muslim who
believes and follows the knowledge that was revealed
by Allah via the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH).
This knowledge is revealed in the Holy Qur’an and
explained in hundreds of hadiths. The followers
(ashabs), having gained this knowledge directly from
the Prophet (PBUH), transmitted it to their follow-
ers – tabi’un. They, in turn passed it along to their
followers. The scholars of the first three generations
are called “as-salaf as-salih” (the noble ancestors).
The following generations commented differently on
the books of the previous scholars and added their
own ideas. The varying interpretations of the knowl-
edge given in the Qur’an and Sunnah resulted in the
emergence of various groups within Islam.
There were and still are people who distort the
conceptual meaning of even clear and obvious verses
of the Qur’an. Such wrongful interpreters are called
“mulhids.” A mulhid, as a rule, thinks that he is a
true follower of the Prophet (peace be upon him),
even though he is not. A munafiq (hypocrite) pre-
tends to be a Muslim, although he truly is not. There
is a number of so-called “scholars” who harm the
reputation of Islam because their “scientific works”
are full of conclusions that distort the very essence of
belief in Allah.
Wahhabis selectively choose Qur’anic surahs and
ayahs that relate to military actions and thereby in-
tentionally distort the meaning of the Holy Qur’an.
For example, they disseminate a leaflet with the
following appeal: “Allah commands to leave their
thrones those who have found a common language
with the enemies of Allah and who spill the blood of
Muslims, and to help the Palestinian brothers who
ask for your help.” To justify this appeal they refer to
the ayah from the surah “The Spoils of War” (8:72):
“If those who have your belief ask for your help, you
shall help.”38 Then, the leaflet directly states, “Allah
obliges you to liquidate all the Jews, revive the digni-
ty of Islam and revive the bright history of great lead-
ers.” As the Wahhabis state, “Allah said: The one who
committed this is a disbeliever who shall be killed if
he does not return to the Law of Allah and His Mes-
senger.”39 As a rule, their publications make no refer-
ence to the ayahs and surahs of the Holy Qur’an.
If a person who is uninformed about Islam is
exposed to such materials and other extremist lit-
erature, he can easily come to the wrong conclusion
6 Central Asia Counterterorism Project
that the Holy Qur’an really contains direct appeals
to take extreme measures toward non-Muslims.
Wahhabis distort the Sunnah of the Prophet (PBUH)
in a similar manner. If a hadith contradicts the tenets
of Wahhabism, they state that “it is an unauthentic
hadith.”40
Imam ash-Shafi’i states in his book Al-Risala:
Allah did not let anyone after the Messenger (PBUH) speak
except based upon the knowledge that had existed before.
The knowledge left after the Messenger (PBUH) is the
Qur’an, Sunnah, ijma (consensus of religious scholars), and
statements of followers and the types of qiyas (reasoning by
analogy) described by me. The qiyas can be undertaken only
by those who have the instrument required that is needed
to make a comparison. This instrument is knowledge of the
provisions of Qur’an: the obligations and ethics that it lays
out, general and concrete ayahs and admonitions.41
The modern Wahhabis strictly follow the legacy of
ibn Abd al-Wahhab. A famous imam from the city of
Andijan in Uzbekistan, Abduvali kori Mirzoev, stat-
ed in a sermon that Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (the
founder of the Hanbali school of thought) appealed
to his followers not to recognize the founders of the
other mazhabs (schools of thought) – Abu Hanifa,
Imam Malik and Imam ash-Shafi’i.42 The author of
the booklet The Religion of Truth is Islam also states
that, “a Muslim is not obliged to follow one of the
schools of thought in Islam.”43 Refusal to join a ma-
zhab is the most dangerous innovation facing Islamic
Shari’ah.
Recently, the brochure “Is a Muslim obliged to
follow one of the four mazhabs?” has been circulated
widely. Muhammad Sa’id Ramadan al-Buti, a famous
Islamic scholar, says it was written by Muhammad
Sultan al-Masumi al-Hodjandi al-Makki, a teacher at
the Sacred Mosque in Mecca. Al-Buti states:
This brochure considers as disbelievers those who
follow one of the four mazhabs. The followers of
the four imams are called foolish, ignorant and lost.
It says that they have divided their religion and
formed groups and they are the ones to whom the
following words of Allah refer: “They accepted their
sofers [scribes] and priests as their masters instead
of Allah.” They have incurred losses in their activi-
ties and their aspirations are useless in this life, but
they think that they create good.44
 Those who do not follow one of the four Sunni
schools of thought are called “gair ul-mukallidin”
(non-followers, or those without mazhabs). They
(scholars without mazhabs) usually say in order to
justify themselves, “Allah and His Messenger (PBUH)
did not request us to follow any simple mortals or
follow any mazhab.” In response to them one should
point out the following ayahs of the Holy Qur’an:
“O, you who believe! be careful of (your duty to)
Allah and seek means of nearness to Him and strive
hard in His way that you may be successful” (5:35);
“… so ask the followers of the reminder if you do not
know.” (21:7)
Many hadiths about the founders of four schools
of thought are given in the book Ashab-i Kiram by
Ahmad Faruk (died 1624). As has been previously
said, the founders of this school are scholars of the
highest caliber. The most famous collection of Al-
Djami’ as-Sahih by Imam al-Bukhari (died in 870)
contains the well-known hadith, “Scholars – succes-
sors of prophets.” The Messenger (PBUH) said, “Al-
lah makes the road to Paradise easy for one who goes
on the road in search of knowledge;”45 and “Truly,
the knowing ones are the successors of the prophets,
and the prophets left as a legacy neither dinars, nor
dirhams, but only knowledge.”46
The Wahhabis believe that the reason for all
the problems in the Middle East is colonialism and
American, Zionist, Jewish and Christian occupa-
tions of Muslim territory, and that occupiers and
colonialists are trying to create enmity and intoler-
ance between the Sunnis and Shi’as and also between
Muslims and Christians. They also claim that those
people who harm Islam “are Christian and Jewish
missionaries and their successors, who hate Islam as
they are irritated by the perfection, nobleness and
breadth of dissemination of Islam – because Islam
is a religion man is born with. All the non-Muslims
live in trouble and fear because no belief but Islam is
compatible with human nature.”47
In reality, the extremist doctrine of al-Wahhab
contradicts the main principles and provisions of
traditional Islam. Wahhabism always has been and
continues to be a weapon of political struggle. One
of the main postulates of Wahhabism states that
Muslims who do not believe in the main dogmas of
the Wahhabi doctrine are disbelievers and apostates,
against whom the use of violence and jihad (holy
war) is not only permitted but is an obligation of
each of the “faithful.” This postulate violates two of
the fundamental provisions of the Qur’an – the pro-
hibition against declaring jihad against brothers in
faith and the prohibition to doubt the sincerity of
belief on the part of a Muslim until Allah, on the
Day of Judgment, makes His decision on the genu-
ineness of a person’s faith.
Allah said, “The believers are but brethren, there-
fore, make peace between your brethren ….” (49:10).
Among the statements of God retold by the Prophet
(PBUH) was the following: “O, My servants, I have
forbidden Myself and also you to oppress, therefore,
do not oppress each other.”48 The Prophet (PBUH)
said, “Speaking evil of a Muslim is (an expression
of ) dishonesty and fighting with him is (witness of )
disbelief.”49 (Al-Bukhari; Muslim). The Messenger
(PBUH) said, “The life, honesty and property of
(other) Muslims shall be inviolable for every Mus-
lim.”50
All the ayahs of the Holy Qur’an and the hadiths
show that the adherents of Wahhabism are wrong in
their interpretation of the basics of the Islamic reli-
gion.
Wahhabism has consistently been used for military-
political purposes, such as the religious justification
of military campaigns and the use of violence against
Muslim neighbors of the Saudi dynasty. As early as
1746, only two years after Wahhabism became the
official religion of the Saudi dynasty, the new Saudi
state declared jihad against all neighboring Muslim
tribes that refused to follow this doctrine. Until the
1920s, the history of the Saudi dynasty was a his-
tory of violent acts with the purpose of forcing other
Muslims to accept political and theological obedi-
ence. This led to the breach of another fundamental
norm of the Qur’an, namely, the prohibition against
using violent measures in religion. The Holy Qur’an
says: “Let there be no compulsion in religion. Truth
stands out clear from Error .…” (2:256). Islam be-
lieves that conversion must be done on the basis of
conviction.
Wahhabi ideology contains a number of convic-
tions and requirements that contradict the interests
of most Muslims in the world, without even mention-
ing the interests of non-Muslims. The Sunni Muslims
of the mazhabs that are not related to Wahhabism
are considered in the best case as inferior; Wahhabis
hate Shi’as and label Shi’a Islam as a Jewish or Eng-
lish invention against Islam. Wahhabis state, “There
is a large group of Shi’a, who are beyond of frames
of Islam, although they call themselves Muslims…
They all serve only the enemies of Allah.”51
Paper Title Would Go Here 7
 Wahhabis are intolerant toward non-conformity,
idealize the past and demonstrate antagonism to-
ward the present. Materials disseminated by Hizb
ut-Tahrir claim, “It is indisputable that an Islamic
state will emerge, being strong, sustainable and ca-
pable of war. Its akida (worldview) is a doctrine for
all humankind, and therefore it is a global system of
life. Because of this, naturally, the Islamic state will
conquer other countries. The system of Islam oblig-
es it to invade other countries.”52 Wahhabis do not
trouble themselves with whether they have the moral
right to threaten the life and security of many thou-
sands or even millions of people in order to achieve
their goals.
Today, Wahhabism has become the ideological
prototype of all the extremist and terrorist Islamic
groups, even those who hate the Saudi dynasty.
The question arises: how could this pseudo-Is-
lamic religious movement become the dominant ide-
ology and “common language” for Islamic extrem-
ists and a certain segment of Muslims? The answer
is clear: money. Money, primarily, oil and drug dol-
lars, has been the decisive factor in the revitalization
of Islamic radicalism. Wahhabis do not treat Islam
as a religious system but rather as a socio-political
concept that will supposedly solve virtually all the
problems of man and society. All other ideologies,
especially secular ones, are rejected as “non-Islamic,”
against which one should wage jihad.
The Main Political Goals of Wahhabis
Wahhabis aim to achieve three main goals. First, in
any society, they seek to dismiss all moral rules and
legislation that contradicts what they consider to be
Islamic morality and the norms of a “true” Islamic
state. Wahhabis label existing Muslim governments
as “secular ones” because they follow mostly West-
ern-style laws and a Western-style legal code. They
consider almost all present ruling regimes in Muslim
countries as “barbarian” or “pseudo-Islamic.” These
leaders are accused of apostasy, bribery and corrup-
tion; of unacceptably close relations to the West, in
particular, the United States; the dissemination and
transplantation of Western culture and, consequent-
ly, the destruction of decency and moral decay. As
Sayyid Maududi wrote:
Governments have access to power and means. They
dictate the laws, rule and have instruments of pres-
sure like the police and army. Evil prospers in a soci-
8 Central Asia Counterterorism Project
ety because the government disseminates it or close
its eyes to it. Obviously, the authority to do things
in this or in that manner belongs to the government.
For instance, why is adultery practiced openly; why
does prostitution operate in the open? Only because
this is not a crime in the eyes of the wealthy. They
are stuck in this and let others do the same. If they
wished to stop this, everything would be different.
Why do special interests prosper? Why do the rich
exploit the poor? Because the government becomes
rich through special interests and helps others do
the same. Big credit houses and banks prosper only
because the government supports them. You also see
how immorality and permissiveness increase. Why?
Only because the government educates and teaches
people in this very manner. Even if you want to
educate a man in another way, you do not have ac-
cess to the means of education. Even if you educate
several people, where will they find a job? All the
means of life and work are controlled by the cor-
rupted government.53
Secondly, Wahhabis seek to introduce Shari’ah,
which dictates the principles and the rules of conduct
in the religious life and actions of Muslims. Wahhabis
reject any modernization and revision of the provi-
sions of Shari’ah and aim to apply its norms, which
were formulated in the seventh and eighth centuries,
under modern conditions. As Sayyid Maududi said:
True believers are distinguished due to only one
thing – all of them do their best to eliminate the
false din (official state religion). Because every offi-
cial state religion that does not originate from Allah
is a false one, true believers fight to convert it into
a true din. They live, suffer and die for the sake of
this goal. It does not matter whether they succeed
or not. And vice versa, if they tolerate a wrong way
of life or enable it, then they lie if they say that they
have an iman (belief ).54
The third goal of Wahhabis is to establish an Is-
lamic caliphate. In view of the fact that, according to
Wahhabi doctrine, the majority of existing regimes
in Arab and Muslim countries are illegal, the Wah-
habis believe that they have all the “legitimate justifi-
cations” necessary to overthrow them. Non-Muslim
countries must also be the subject of violent Islam-
ization. For this reason, advocates of Wahhabism de-
clare Christianity and Judaism to be their enemies.
According to Sayyid Maududi:

“Monarchy” means that there is a supreme power in
a country that belongs to a king and also there is a
din (an official state religion). Everybody obeys the
king and only his law is established in this country.
If this is not so, there is no sense to declare that the
king is your master and supreme ruler, and that his
law is the supreme law.55
Wahhabis appeal to many because tens of millions
of poor Muslims yearn for a revival of the golden
years of the caliphate, when Islam was powerful and
ascendant. According to the Wahhabi plan, a revived
caliphate would include northern Africa, the Arabi-
an peninsula, the countries of the Near and Middle
East, the western part of India, Central Asia, and the
northern Caucasus. The Wahhabis denigrate the be-
liefs of Muslims who are skeptical about the idea of
reviving the caliphate, and accuse them of blasphemy
and sabotage. As one Wahhabi tract states:
The Islamic community should be linked through-
out the entire world because of its responsibility to
disseminate Islam all over the world. An Islamic
state should also use Islamic tactics to disseminate
Islam all over the world and to establish contacts
with all people to inform them about this mission.
That is why every Islamic state is obliged to com-
mit “fatkh,” which means to gather the non-Mus-
lim countries, or the world of the unfaithful (dar
ul-kufr), into the world of Islam (dar ul-Islam). It
is the duty of Muslims to implement the fatkh in
front of Allah and humanity. This duty of Muslims
means that by establishing Islamic laws over people,
they are bringing them to the true religion. Because
of such a mission, some say that Islamic fatkh aims
to exploit and colonize non-Muslim nations or rob
their wealth. On the contrary, Islamic fatkh intends
to accomplish only one goal – to liberate these na-
tions from their unhappy life and corrupt godless
ruling systems. This can be achieved by the emer-
gence of an Islamic state, and obligatory fatkh for
da’wah (missionary work) and jihad.56
The Wahhabi material continues:
The caliphate introduced fatkh with only one goal –
to spread Islam. This requires Islamic states to con-
quer every country no matter how rich or poor it is,
whether it obeys or opposes …. Jihad and da’wah in
Islam do not pay attention to the wealth or poverty
of nations and whether those nations accept Islam
or not. There is only one thing that is important
– using Islam as an intellectual guide so that its laws
are directed to all humankind regardless of any dif-
ferences in color of skin, nation or traditions.57
The essence of Islamic doctrine is an aspiration
to peace and reconciliation, not only among people
but also among animals and plants. But Wahhabis
consider it wrong when Muslims reconcile with ag-
gressors; instead, they call for revenge, which is not
correct. Wahhabis wish to destabilize the political
and economical situation in those countries that they
consider to be their main enemies. The Wahhabis be-
lieve that a search for reconciliation with their main
enemies is the same as capitulation. They ignore that
Allah said, “…if they desist, then there should be no
hostility except against the oppressors.” (2:193).
It would be a big mistake to regard Wah-
habism as a relatively harmless, inoffensive ideology.
In Afghanistan, the Taliban movement, which fought
against Muslims, established an “Islamic Emirate”
in the country. From there, militants were sent to
Central Asia and other parts of the world. One of
them, the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan, adopted
violent measures in the Fergana Valley in its efforts
to create an “Islamic Emirate of Fergana,” which it
envisioned as a part of a future world Islamic caliph-
ate.
Wahhabism in Central Asia
Wahhabis are gradually penetrating Central Asia.
They find backers among local Muslims. Acting
through them, the Wahhabis are establishing their
own rule in Muslim organizations by penetrating
mosques and Islamic cultural and educational insti-
tutions. Having built a local mosque, they propose
to select the imam for it from among their support-
ers. They provide financial assistance only to those
mosques and madrassahs in which mostly their sup-
porters rule and study. This method of spreading
their influence can be called the “peaceful infiltra-
tion” of Wahhabism.
It is worth remembering that taking control of
mosques means more than just creating the perfect
opportunity to spread the Wahhabi version of Islam.
All Wahhabi organizations in Central Asia began
their activities in legal or underground mosques such
as “Gumbez” and “Djami masjidi.” The headquarters
Paper Title Would Go Here 9
of Wahhabis who follow Juma Namangani, who was partment of Muslims in Dagestan, issued the fatwa,
one of the leaders of the Islamic Movement of Uz- “Can Muslims use the word ‘Wahhabi?’” In it, he
bekistan, was the mosque “Ata Vali khan tura.” states, “Muslims can use the word ‘Wahhabi,’ which
implies a follower of the teaching of Muhammad ibn
The imam and the management department of Abd al-Wahhab.” Some scholars call the followers of
mosques are responsible for the collection of the “za- Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab the wayward; oth-
kat” (an obligatory religious tax for a Muslim in an ers incorrectly refer to them as salafis (adherents of
amount of 2.5% of annual income). This offers an original Islam). Very often the term “Wahhabi” is
excellent opportunity for a Wahhabi manager to use used in scientific literature.
these taxes to support extremist organizations.
A Muslim should not relate the word “Wahhabism”
The activities of Wahhabis in recent decades have to one of the Names of Allah – Al-Wahhab (All-giv-
substantially contributed to the radicalization of Is- ing). Similarly, the words “shafi’ite” and “malikite”
lam and the destabilization of a number of countries do not have a direct link with glorious names of Al-
in Central Asia. Saudi Arabia plays a special, if not lah – Al-Malik (Possessor) and Ash-Shafi’i (Curing).
the central, role in the dissemination of Wahhabism They originated from the names of the founders of
all over the world, and in Central Asia in particular. the religious schools of thought of Imams Malik and
It is difficult to estimate exactly how much the Saudis Shafi’i. There is not and there should not be any-
contribute to these activities, but they are certainly thing in common between Wahhabis and a wonder-
huge amounts. Numerous Central Asian non-govern- ful name of Allah. The activities of these people con-
mental organizations receive financial support from tradict the principles and dogmas of Islam.
Saudi Arabia, including substantial annual subsidies
from Riyadh, in exchange for their acquiescence to It should be noted that Islamic tradition allows
Wahhabi influence or control over their activities. referring to special schools in Islam (schools of law,
theological movements, Sufism tarikats, sects, and
so on) by the name of their founder, irrespective of
Actions against Wahhabism in any evaluation of their theological, religious or le-
Central Asia gal content. However, those who consider Muham-
mad ibn Abd al-Wahhab their religious leader do not
The Kyrgyz General Public Prosecutor’s Office and call themselves Wahhabis and even are offended to
the Kyrgyz Supreme Court have decreed that ex- be referred to by such a name. They refer to them-
tremist and terrorist organizations and their activi- selves simply as Muslims (muslimun), monotheists
ties are forbidden on the territory of the Republic (muwahhidun), or “followers of the beneficent an-
of Kyrgyzstan. In April 2003, the General Public cestors” (salafiyun). They do not refer to the teach-
Prosecutor’s Office issued a decree stipulating that ing of Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab or ideological
the Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami organization is an ex- movements that disseminate Wahhabi teachings and
tremist group, and that the Organization for the advocate Wahhabi positions as Wahhabism.
Liberation of Turkestan (Sharki Azat Turkestan),
the Eastern Turkestan Islamic Party (Sharki Turkes- The main reason why Wahhabis do not wish to be
tan Islam Party), and the Islamic Party of Turkestan called as such is that although practically all Muslims
are terrorist organizations. This created a legal basis are aware of the existence of heresy (bid’ah), not all
for suppressing the activities of international radical are aware of whom an author and promoter of heresy
and/or terrorist organizations whose members have might be. If the supporters of Wahhabism admit that
committed terrorist acts and other grave crimes, and they are Wahhabis, then logically they have to agree
disseminated publications appealing for a change of with accusations raised by Muslims against them
the constitutional order. The Kyrgyz Supreme Court – that within the framework of Islam Wahhabis are
upheld the decision of the General Public Prosecu- heretics. Muslims accuse Wahhabis of heresy because
tor’s Office and sanctioned its prohibition on the ac- they do not follow the admonitions of the Prophet
tivities of these organizations. (PBUH) but rather are a religious school developed
in the 18th century (more than one thousand years
A number of Muslim religious departments in after the death of the Prophet (PBUH)) by someone
the newly-independent states of the former Soviet who was a simple man, not a recognized expert in
Union have issued fatwas regarding the use of the the teaching of the Prophet (PBUH).
word “Wahhabi.” For example, Muhammad-Rasul
Saaduev, the Council Chairman of the Religious De- In spite of the many statements on a conflict of
10 Central Asia Counterterorism Project
civilizations between Muslims and Christians, Wah-
habism represents a threat primarily not for Chris-
tians but for Muslims. Wahhabis fight primarily
against Muslim rulers, whom they declare apostates.
Other “natural enemies” of Wahhabis are democrats
and liberals, Christians and secular politicians of any
trend (including those who are Muslim from birth).
NOTES:
1. The Arabic word bid’ah originates from the root bada’a
– to introduce the new, and means a condemned and re-
jected innovation, a heresy.
2. Sayyid Afandi Chirkeysky, Who Are The Wahhabis?
(Makhachkala: Mazhmatul Favvid, 1997), http://www.is-
lam.ru.
3. Sayyid Abul A’la Maududi, Let Us Be Muslims (Jeddah:
IQRA charitable organization, 1997), 3.
4. Ibid.
5. Ibidem, 56.
6. Ibidem, 64.
7. Ibidem, 58-59.
8. The fatwa is published on the Web site Islam.ru by Mu-
hammad-rasul Saaduev, Expert Council Chairman of the
Spiritual Department of the Muslims in Dagestan.
9. The original meaning of this word is “way.” It is now used
to mean the acts and decisions of the Prophet (PBUH).
10. The title al-Hulafa ar-Rashidun is given to first four ca-
liphs of Islam.
11. Forty Hadiths of An-Nawawi (Riyadh: International Is-
lamic Publishing House, 1992), chapter 45.
12. Maududi, Let Us Be Muslims, 98.
13. Abdul Rahman bin Hammad al-Omar, The Religion of
Truth is Islam (Tashkent: publisher unknown, 1993), 45.
14. Ibid., 41.
15. The Book of Morality for the Children of Muslims
(Bishkek, publisher unknown, 2002).
16. Imam al-Bukhari, Sahih Bukhari (Umma Publishing
House, 2003), “The Book of Stories about Prophets,” ha-
dith 1371, 541.
17. Salih ibn Fawzan al-Fawzan, The Book of Monotheism
(Mahachkala: Badr, 1997), 64.
18. Muhammad ibn Dzhamil Zinu, Islamic Akida Accord-
ing to the Holy Qur’an and Authentic Sunnah (Moscow:
Badr, 2003), 131.
19. al-Fawzan, The Book of Monotheism, 58.
20. Ibid., 60.
21. Maududi, Let Us Be Muslims, 96.
22. Zinu, Islamic Akida According to the Holy Qur’an and
Authentic Sunnah, 31-32.
23. Abdul Aziz bin Baz, The Necessity of Obeying the Sun-
nah of Allah’s Messenger and Declaring Those who Deny it
to be Apostates (Riyadh: General Department of Printing of
the Waqf Ministry, 2000), 35.
24. Ibid., 286-287.
25. Ibidem, 131.
26. An-Nawawi, The Gardens of the Righteous (Moscow:
Badr, 2001), chapter 3, hadith 194, 121.
27. Ibid., hadith 265.
28. Ibidem, hadith 312.
29. Forty Hadiths of An-Nawawi, 21.
30. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab (M. S. Tamimi), The
Book of Monotheism (Moscow: Badr, 1998), 70.
31. Programs on Studies in Shari’ah Sciences (Moscow: Joint
edition of the Ministry on Islamic Affairs, Waqfs, Call and
Orientation of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Ibra-
him Bin Abdul Aziz Al Ibrahim Foundation, 1999), 88.
32. Ibid., 7, 53-61.
33. Zinu, Islamic Akida, 31-32.
34. Ibid., 101.
35. Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, Revival of the Theological Sci-
ences (Moscow: Ibrahim Bin Abdul Aziz Al Ibrahim Foun-
dation, 2003), 474.
36. In Islamic jurisprudence, “deduction” (istinbat) refers to
the process of extracting from Qur’anic ayahs and hadiths
rules and guidelines that are not directly envisaged in the
Qur’an and Sunnah.
37. “Kill them (who fight you) where you find them and
drive them out from the place where you were driven out
from.” Leaflet dated March 13, 2002.
38. Ibid.
39. M. A. Ibrahim, Establishing the Laws of Allah (Ma-
hachkala: Badr, 1997), 10.
40. Interview with staff of the Department for Fatwas of the
Paper Title Would Go Here 11
Religious Administration of Muslims of the Kyrgyz Repub- 49. Ibid., chapter 266, hadith 1559.
lic, August 2005.
50. Ibidem, chapter 274, hadith 1577.
41. Muhammad Sa’id Ramadan al-Buti, The Way is Marked
51. al-Omar, The Religion of Truth is Islam, 55.
(location unknown: Ansar, 2005), 31.
52. Found online at http://www.islam-ru.com/
42. Interview with mudaris of the Islamic University
04UBEJDENIE/STATYI/tavkhid_st_003.htm.
DUMK, July 2005.
53. Maududi, Let Us Be Muslims, 282.
43. al-Omar, The Religion of Truth is Islam, 56.
54. Ibid., 299.
44. al-Buti, The Way is Marked, 23.
55. Ibidem, 294.
45. al-Ghazali, Revival of the Theological Sciences, 55.
56. Found online at http://www.islam-ru.com/
46. Ibid., 10.
04UBEJDENIE/STATYI/tavkhid_st_003.htm.
47. al-Omar, The Religion of Truth is Islam, 53.
57. Ibid.
48. Forty Hadiths of An-Nawawi, 38.

12 Central Asia Counterterorism Project