Is it true that Muhammad Abdul Wahab, Ibn Taymiyyah and their followers were the misguided group (not belonging to the Ahl Sunnah Wal Jama'ah), because many of the scholars, Muslim writer even the mufti in my country said so?

All perfect praise be to Allah, The Lord of the Worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah, and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

1.The great scholar Ibn Taymiyyah and Shaykh Mohammed ibn Abdul-Wahaab are among the well-known Muslim scholars who followed the path of Ahlus-Sunnah Wal-Jamaa'ah. They were widely known for their knowledge and their righteousness.

The eminent Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah resisted the innovations and fought the stagnation and imitation that were common in his day (7th and early 8th century after Hijrah). He struggled against the secular philosophers, the deviated Sufis and all other divisive groups that did not accept the sound and clear evidence from Quran and Sunnah. He even took his sword and fought against the Tatars. He united the Muslims for this purpose and participated in the battle himself. While doing all these good acts, he did not try to enrich his own standard of living. He, rather, tried to please Allah and everything he did was for the sake of Allah.

So, any such Imam is undoubtedly envied by many people, and hence, he has many enemies. This Shaykh never compromised with any person when it came to making the truth clear. He, rather, spoke the truth and stood with the right before friend or foe and regardless of the status and strength of the opponent. For this reason, he encountered many trials and difficulties. In fact, his opponents continued to cause him hardship and problems till his death. He died oppressed in prison.

Ibn Taymiyyah and his disciples were among the most eminent Muslim scholars who worked to clarify and teach the true religion to the Ummah. They did not leave any branch of the Sharee’ah without explaining it in detail. Among Ibn Taymiyyah's disciples are: Imams Ath-Thahabi, Ibn Katheer, Al-Muzay, Ibn Abdul-Haadi, Ibn Al Qayyim, …. etc.

His opponents and competitors did not bear him and tried, consequently, to cause him as much harm as they could using his Fataawa against him, trying to interpret them in the wrong way, and for any mistake, he was immediately punished severely and accused of Kufr.

All the scholars of the Ummah regardless of their School of jurisprudence praised Ibn Taymiyyah .

Imam Ath-Thahabi (follower of Imam Ash-Shafi’i School of Fiqh) said about him: “He is greater than I can describe. If I had to swear between the Rukn (corner of the Kaaba) and the Maqam (Ibrahim's Maqam near the Kaaba) I would swear that I have never seen anyone like him, and he has never seen anyone like himself.” He also added, speaking of his knowledge of Sunnah, “It could be said truly that any Hadeeth that is not known by Ibn Taymiyyah is not a Hadeeth.”

Imam Al-Haafidh Al-Muzay (who also follows Imam Ash-Shafi’i School of Fiqh) said about him: “I have never seen like him and he has not seen like himself. I have not seen a person who knows Quran and Sunnah and applies them better than he.”
Ibn Daqeeq Al-‘Eed (follower of Imam Ash-Shafi’i School of Fiqh) also said about him: “When I sat with Ibn Taymiyyah, I found a man who has all fields of knowledge before his eyes, he takes from them what he wants and leaves what he wants.”

Ibn Abdul-Haadi (who follows Imam Ahmad School of Fiqh) said about him: “He was – – a sword ready to cut into pieces all those who do not apply the true religion and those who innovate in Islam what is not from it. He was a good example of a good and pious person. He was known everywhere, and he was, in his way, very rare.”

Many other scholars, such as Ibn an-Nahaas and Ibn al-Hareeri (who follows Imam Abu Haneefah school of Fiqh), and many others, praised this great eminent scholar.

For more benefit, please refer to Fatwa 81191.

2. As for Shaykh Mohammed ibn Abdul-Wahaab, please refer to Fatwa 81463.

We add some of what some scholars said about him.

Shaykh Mohammed Rasheed Ridha (an eminent scholar from Egypt) said about him: “Shaykh Mohammed ibn Abdul-Wahaab was one of the pious and just reformers. He spared no effort calling to the true religion, the religion based on Quran and Sunnah, the religion that is free of innovations. He called for the re-establishment of the Islamic rituals that people stopped performing and for the demolition of all innovative acts.”

Allah knows best.