All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds, and peace and blessings be upon His Servant, Messenger, and chosen one amongst His creatures, our master and Imam Muhammad ibn `Abdullah, and upon his family, Companions, and all those who supported him!

Dear brothers and sons, this brief lecture aims at enlightening your ideas, clarifying facts, and offering sincere advice to Allah's Servants for the Sake of Allah. By this lecture, we are trying to give some of the rights due to the person whom the lecture is about. This lecture is about Shaykh Muhammad ibn `Abdul­Wahhab, His Da`wah and Biography.

Definitely, it is interesting to hear about reformers, Du`ah (callers to Islam), and revivalists and to be reminded of their conditions, good traits, and righteous deeds, and to learn about their biographies, which serve as a testimony of their sincerity and honesty in Da`wah (calling to Islam) and reform, and about their manners and deeds. This topic, which makes the hearts feel at ease, is a favorite subject of every person who takes pride in Islam and desires reform and calling to the way of Al­Haqq (the Truth). That is why I thought of talking to you about a great man, an excellent reformer, and a devout Da`y (caller to Islam), namely, the revivalist of Islam in the Arabian Peninsula during the twelfth century of Hijrah (Prophet's migration to Madinah), Imam Muhammad Ibn `Abdul­Wahhab ibn Sulayman ibn `Aly Al­Tamimy Al­Hanbaly.

This Imam acquired great fame among Muslims, particularly among scholars and influential people, both inside and outside the Arabian Peninsula. There are copious writings about him, both brief and detailed. Many people compiled his writings, even Orientalists made

him the theme of many of their works. Others mentioned him in their writings about reformers and history. Unbiased writers described him as a great reformer, a revivalist of Islam, a guided person, in addition to too many other descriptions to numerate.

Among those writers was the great author Abu Bakr Al­Shaykh Husayn ibn Ghannam Al­Ahsa'y, who wrote elaborately about the Shaykh and mentioned his biography and missions, giving him his due right. He quoted many of the Shaykh's treatises and deductions from the Qur'an. Also, Shaykh `Uthman ibn Bishr wrote in a book entitled A l­Majd (The Glory) about Shaykh Ibn `Abdul­Wahhab, his Da`wah, biography, conquests, and Jihad (fighting in the Cause of Allah). Examples of other writers from outside the Arabian Peninsula were Dr. Ahmad Amin in his book Zu`ama' Al­Islah (The Leaders of Reform), who fairly wrote about Shaykh Ibn `Abdul­Wahhab; Shaykh Mas`ud Al­Nadwi who called him "the wronged reformer" and wrote carefully about his biography; and the outstanding Shaykh Prince Muhammad ibn Isma`il Al­San`any who was almost contemporary to the Shaykh and followed his call when he learnt about it, and praised Allah for it.

Also, the great knowledgeable Shaykh Muhammad ibn `Ali Al­Shawkany, the author of Nayl Al­Awtar book, wrote about Ibn `Abdul­Wahhab and elegized him, in addition to many other renowned authors. Since many people do not know the true nature of this man, his life, and Da`wah, I thought of contributing to clarifying these facts and explaining his good biography, righteous Da`wah, and sincere struggle. I also thought of explaining a little of what I know about this Imam, so that anyone who has questions or doubts about this person or his Da`wah may know the truth.

He was born in 1115 A.H; as was known about his date of birth ­ may Allah have mercy on him. It is said that he was born in 1111 A.H, but the preponderant opinion is that he was born in 1115 A.H.

He was educated by his father in his homeland Al­`Uyaynah, a village

i n Al­Yamamah, Najd, northwest of Riyadh. The distance between it and Riyadh is 70 kilometers. He (may Allah be merciful with him) was brought up righteously. He learned to recite the Qur'an at a very early age and applied himself to his studies and acquired Islamic knowledge at the hands of his father, Shaykh `Abdul­ Wahhab ibn Sulayman, who was a great Faqih (Muslim jurist), an outstanding scholar, and the judge of Al­ `Uyaynah. Having attained puberty, the Shaykh traveled to Makkah where he learned from some of the scholars of the Haram (the Sacred Mosque in Makkah). He, then, headed for Madinah where he met the scholars and stayed there for some time. He was taught by two famous scholars in Madinah at the time; Shaykh `Abdullah ibn Ibrahim ibn Sayf Al­Najdy, who was born in Al­Mujamma`ah and who was the father of Shaykh Ibrahim ibn `Abdullah, the author of Al­`Adhb Al­Fa'id fi `Ilm Al­Fara'id; and revered Shaykh Muhammad Hayat Al­Sanady. Ibn `Abdul­ Wahhab was known for being a student of these two scholars in Madinah. There might have been other scholars unknown to us.