Wahabism-Anti-Prophet Face of Islam?

Dr.Mazhar Naqvi

“There is no such thing as Wahabi. We are not ignorant”. A new viewer Karan AC has thus commented in response to my post titled “Why Wahabi Call Themselves to be Sunnis?”. As she has claimed to be not ignorant, I would like to tell her as to Wahabism not only exists but also poses threat to world peace. Because of its adherents, Islam has turned into a synonym of terrorism instead of peace. The wave of radical movements can be attributed to Wahabi movement. Traditional Islam views religion as a pact between man and God .It rejects, use of compulsion or force in religion. From the time of the Prophet Muhammad (saw), peace and tolerance were practiced among different religious groups with respect to distinctions in belief. Contrary to this, the "Wahabi" ideology is built on the concept of political enforcement of religious beliefs. The movement permits no differences in faith whatsoever. In "Wahabi" belief, faith is not necessarily an option, rather it is mandated by force, if required.
The Wahabi ideology developed in the 18th and 19th centuries in tribal areas of the eastern Arabian Peninsula. The source was a Muhammad ibn Abd-al Wahab. The premise of this new Islamic ideology was to reject traditional scholars, scholarship and practices under the guise of "reviving the true tenets of Islam" to stop many traditionally accepted acts of worship, reverence of the person of the Prophet Muhammad (saw),and the pious saints. The followers of Ibn Wahab also burnt books containing traditional prayers, interpretations of law and commentaries on the Quran and Hadith. He encouraged his followers to interpret the holy books for themselves and to act on their interpretations in light of their own understanding, regardless of their understanding of fundamental principles or lack thereof. Anyone who did not profess to the new ideology was considered an apostate, disbeliever and shedding of his blood and confiscation of his wealth permitted. Wahabis also invalidated the four schools of Islamic thoughts and issued declarations of unbelief for those who disagreed.
In the beginning, they conquered a few local communities and imposed their rule over them. (The conquered inhabitants were given a limited choice: conversion to Wahabism or death.) By 1790, the Alliance controlled most of the Arabian Peninsula and repeatedly raided Medina, Syria and Iraq. In 1801, the Allies attacked the Holy City of Karbala in Iraq. They massacred thousands of Shiites, including women and children. Many Shiite shrines were destroyed, including the shrine of Imam Hussain.

A British official, Lieutenant Francis Warden, observing the situation at the time, wrote: "They pillaged the whole of it [Karbala], and plundered the Tomb of Hussein... slaying in the course of the day, with circumstances of peculiar cruelty, above five thousand of the inhabitants ..."
Osman Ibn Bishr Najdi, the historian of the first Saudi state, wrote that Ibn Saud committed a massacre in Karbala in 1801. He proudly documented that massacre saying, "we took Karbala and slaughtered and took its people (as slaves), then praise be to Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and we do not apologize for that and say: 'And to the unbelievers: the same treatment.'

Unfortunately, this narrow ideology has appeared and flourished in Islam, but not because of Islam. Previously, Islam always presented a peaceful, tolerant manner. The Prophet Muhammad (saw) used to present his non-Muslim neighbors or friends gifts and flowers. He never brandished a sword against them, or ever instigated a fight. There are many events in Muslim history where the Prophet made peace treaties with non-Muslims. Islam, despite its rapid spread in its first three centuries, never imposed its beliefs on anyone, as attested by the scrolls of history. Under this modern ideological extremism, Islam's essential principle of tolerance has been abolished. Wahabis selectively apply verses of the Holy Quran to support their ideology to impose their beliefs upon everyone, Muslim and non-Muslim alike. Their strategy -- like that of ISIS today -- is to bring the people into submission by instilling fear. The extremists who have turned militant declare war against anyone with beliefs contrary to their and they declare war against a government.  Egypt, Jordan,  Syria, Pakistan,Iraq, Algeria, and many other countries are example  in this context. Their approach  is to infiltrate mosques, Islamic teaching centers, and charitable organizations from where they indoctrinate religiously oriented people with their ideas and methods. They forcefully impose their views on weak societies, in hopes of conquering one and establishing a base for further control. They justify their militant acts and illegal means of financing their cause by claiming to wage a "jihad" for the preservation of Islam. In the process, they contradict the explicit teaching of the Prophet Muhammad SAW not to oppose a ruler as long as he does not prevent the performance of prayer, even if he commits injustice. Thus, Wahabis use Islam when it suits them and  contravene it too  at their convenience.(References available on request)