Shaykh Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab after the death of his father...

Shaykh Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab after the death of his father After the death of his father, Shaykh Muhammad enjoyed great freedom in propagating his doctrines and views. As such, he went to other places and become acquainted with 'Uthman ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad, who was then the emir of 'Ayniyyah, and married his daughter Jawharah. Although it is said that the people there accepted some of his beliefs, because he went to extremes in opposing their customs, they expelled him from the region.

For instance, he had ordered the destruction of a dome belonging to Zayd ibn al-Khattab, brother of 'Umar. He had also issued a decree for an old tree, which was venerated by the people of the region, to be uprooted. In sum, on account of his peculiar doctrines, among which was his disregard for the leaders of the Ahl as-Sunnah, the Shaykh lost his esteem in the people's sight and earned their wrath. From there he went to the region of Dar'iyyah.

Nowadays, pilgrims—Iranian and non-Iranian—can still see the relics related to the rule of 'Uthman in Arabia such as the holy shrine of the Holy Prophet (s) and the graves surrounding it, the lanterns of Masjid an-Nabi, and the inscriptions on that sacred mosque. The children and students of Shaykh Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab Shaykh Muhammad had a number of sons and daughters and married one of his daughters to Muhammad ibn Sa'ud, the tribal chief.

His sons, Husayn, 'Abd Allah and Ibrahim, became judges after their father. Even now, his sons, one after another, hold religious positions in Saudi Arabia. During his lifetime, apart from training students, the Shaykh wrote some books which nowadays have caught the attention of 'ulama ' and students of the region.

These books are as follows: Kitab at-Tawhid ; a collection of his doctrines; Kitab Kashf ash-Shubahat , which is written in defense of his doctrines vis-à-vis Sunni 'ulama '; The merits and issues of some stories in the Qur'an; Kitab al-Kaba'ir , which has been written about the major sins; Masa'il al-Jahiliyyah , in which he compares the pre-Islamic period of ignorance of Arabia with his own time; Fawa'id as-Sirah an-Nabawiyyah , which is well-known as Sirat ar-Rasul .

This book examines the entire course of the lives of some of the Prophet (s), his battles and the prevalent beliefs during that time; Ikhtisar ash-Sharh al-Kabir ; and Adab al-Mashyi ila's-Salah (These two books have been written about issues related to jurisprudence and the branches of religion).