THREAD: The Deviant Takfiri Ideology of Muhammad Ibn Abd al-Wahhab
The modern Salafi movement is heterogeneous. It is shaped by three key figures: Ibn Hanbal, Ibn Taymiyya, and Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab (1703–1792) .
Most Salafis actually focus on Ibn Hanbal and Ibn Taymiyya but know little about the teachings of Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab. Indeed, constant efforts are made to conceal these teachings because they are so deviant and so shocking.
In reality, people like Jake, Proving Islam, Wajdi, and Rabbi Faris are either heavily influenced by Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab or allied with others who are heavily influenced by Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab.
When these individuals talk about teaching Tawhid and Aqida, what they really mean is teaching the deviant takfiri views of Ibn Abd al-Wahhab, which are contained in texts like Kitab al-Tawhid and Kashf al-Shubuhat.
Consider the following basic facts about Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's life.
(1) He declared that he discovered the meaning of Tawhid and that no one else in his era understood its meaning.
(2) He declared that the people of the entire Muslim world - including Makka, Madina, Egypt, and Syria - had become kafir mushriks because they did not understand his ideas about Tawhid.
(3) He declared that the Muslims of his era were farther from Islam, and worse mushriks than the pre-Islamic pagans who had explicitly rejected Islam made war against the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.
(4) He claimed that he an an Islamic duty to fight all the mushriks in Muslims lands, kill them, and take their wealth in a jihad.
(5) He denied that mushriks claiming to be Muslim had any kind of excuse for their ignorance of Tawhid (al-'Udhr bi-l-Jahl). (Although this fact is commonly concealed by apologists using incomplete and misleading quotations from Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab's writings).
Let us look at some key quotes from Ibn 'Abd al-Wahhab.

Only He Understands Tawhid
Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab says:
I will tell you about myself – I swear by Allah, the One besides whom there is no deity worthy of worship - I sought knowledge, and those who knew me thought that I had understanding. But at that time, I did not know the meaning of “La ilaha illa Allah”, nor did I know the religion of Islam before this blessing that Allah bestowed on me. Likewise, none of my teachers knew it.
Whoever among the scholars of Al-'Arid claims that they knew the meaning of “La ilaha illa Allah” or understood the meaning of Islam before this time, or whoever claims that one of their teachers knew it, has lied, fabricated, deceived the people, and praised themselves for something they do not possess.
وأنا أخبركم عن نفسي والله الذي لا إله إلا هو، لقد طلبت العلم، واعتقد من عرفني أن لي معرفة، وأنا ذلك الوقت، لا أعرف معنى لا إله إلا الله، ولا أعرف دين الإسلام، قبل هذا الخير الذي من الله به؛ وكذلك مشايخي، ما منهم رجل عرف ذلك.
فمن زعم من علماء العارض: أنه عرف معنى لا إله إلا الله، أو عرف معنى الإسلام قبل هذا الوقت، أو زعم من مشايخه أن أحدا عرف ذلك، فقد كذب وافترى، ولبس على الناس، ومدح نفسه بما ليس فيه
Al-Durar al-Saniyya (vol. 10, p.71)

The Entire Muslim World has Fallen into Shirk
Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab says:
Do not neglect seeking and learning about Tawhid, using the Book of Allah, and reflecting deeply upon it. You have heard in the Book of Allah what provides lessons, such as their saying: "We are monotheists; we know that Allah is the One who gives benefit and harm, and that the prophets and others have no power to bring benefit or harm. But we only seek intercession." And you have heard how Allah has clarified the response to this in His Book, as well as what the scholars of tafsir and knowledge have said.
You have also heard the polytheists say: "Shirk is the worship of idols, but not the worship of the righteous." And you have heard their claim: "We seek only from Allah, but we use their status [as intermediaries]." You have also heard what Allah has mentioned in response to all of this.
Allah has blessed you with the acknowledgment of the scholars of the polytheists regarding all of this. You have heard their admission that the practices taking place in the Two Holy Sanctuaries [Makka and Madina], Basra, Iraq, and Yemen are acts of shirk [i.e., associating] with [Allah]. They have admitted to you that the religion whose people they support -- and who they claim are the great majority – they have admitted to you that their religion is [in fact] shirk.
They have also admitted to you that the Tawhid they strive to extinguish, and strive to kill and imprison its adherents, is the religion of Allah and His Messenger. This admission from them against themselves is one of the greatest signs of Allah and one of His greatest blessings upon you. No doubt remains with this, except for a dead heart upon which Allah has placed a seal. And for such a heart, there is no way out.
فلا تغفلوا عن طلب التوحيد وتعلمه، واستعمال كتاب الله وإجالة الفكر فيه; وقد سمعتم من كتاب الله ما فيه عبرة، مثل قولهم: نحن موحدون، نعلم أن الله هو النافع الضار، وأن الأنبياء وغيرهم لا يملكون نفعا ولا ضرا، لكن نريد الشفاعة، وسمعتم ما بين الله في كتابه، في جواب هذا، وما ذكر أهل التفسير وأهل العلم، وسمعتم قول المشركين: الشرك عبادة الأصنام، وأما الصالحون فلا، وسمعتم قولهم: لا نريد إلا من الله، لكن نريد بجاههم; وسمعتم ما ذكر الله في جواب هذا كله.
وقد منّ الله عليكم بإقرار علماء المشركين بهذا كله، سمعتم إقرارهم أن هذا الذي يفعل في الحرمين، والبصرة، والعراق، واليمن، أن هذا شرك بالله، فأقروا لكم أن هذا الدين الذي ينصرون أهله، ويزعمون أنهم
السواد الأعظم، أقروا لكم أن دينهم هو الشرك.
وأقروا لكم أيضا أن التوحيد الذي يسعون في إطفائه، وفي قتل أهله وحبسهم، أنه دين الله ورسوله؛ وهذا الإقرار منهم على أنفسهم، من أعظم آيات الله، ومن أعظم نعم الله عليكم، ولا يبقى شبهة مع هذا إلا للقلب الميت، الذي طبع الله عليه، وذلك لا حيلة فيه.
Al-Durar al-Saniyya (vol.10, p.7)

The Shirk of Apparent Muslims at the time of Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab is worse than the Shirk of the pre-Islamic Quraysh
Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab says:
Proving that the shirk of the earlier generations is less severe than the shirk of our time - in two ways:
If you understand that what the adherents of shirk of our time call “belief” (itiqad) [i.e., apparent Muslims] is actually the same polytheism that the Qur'an was revealed about and for which the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) fought against the people, then you should know that the polytheism of the earlier generations is lighter than the polytheism of our time in two ways:
The First Way:
The earlier generations associated others with Allah and invoked angels, saints (awliya), and idols alongside Allah in times of ease, but in times of hardship, they would devote their prayers exclusively to Allah. As Allah said:
“And when adversity touches you at sea, lost are all those you invoke except for Him. But when He delivers you to the land, you turn away. And ever is man ungrateful.” [Quran 17:67]
And His saying:
“Say, 'Have you considered: if the punishment of Allah should come to you or the Hour should come, is it other than Allah you would invoke, if you should be truthful? No, it is Him alone you would invoke, and He would remove that for which you invoked Him if He willed, and you would forget what you associate with Him.'” [Quran 6:40-41]
And His saying:
“When man suffers some affliction, he prays to his Lord and turns to Him.” [Quran 39:8]
Until His saying:
“Say, ‘Enjoy your kufr for a little while: you will be one of the inhabitants of the Fire.’” [Quran 39:8]
And His saying:
“When the waves loom over those on board like giant shadows they call out to God, devoting their religion entirely to Him.” [Quran 31:32]
Whoever understands this issue, which Allah has clarified in His Book—that the polytheists whom the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) fought would invoke Allah and others besides Him in times of ease, but in times of hardship and adversity, they would only invoke Allah alone without any partners and would forget their lords—this person will understand the difference between the polytheism of our time and the polytheism of the earlier generations. However, where is the one whose heart truly understands this matter firmly? Allah is the Helper.
The Second Way:
The earlier generations would invoke, alongside Allah, individuals who were close to Allah - either prophets, saints (awliya), or angels - or they would invoke trees or stones that were obedient to Allah and not disobedient to Him.
However, the people of our time invoke, alongside Allah, some of the most corrupt individuals [i.e., dead men who did evil in their lives]. Those whom they invoke are known for their immoral acts, such as adultery, theft, abandoning prayer, and other sins.
Belief in the righteous or in things that do not disobey - like wood or stone - is less blameworthy than belief in those whose corruption and immorality are witnessed and testified to.
إثبات أن شرك الأولين أخف من شرك أهل زماننا (بأمرين) فإذا عرفت أن هذا الذي يسميه المشركون في زماننا (الاعتقاد) هو الشرك الذي نزل فيه القرآن وقاتل رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - الناس عليه، فاعلم أن شرك الأولين أخف من شرك أهل زماننا بأمرين:
أحدهما: أن الأولين يشركون ويدعون الملائكة والأولياء والأوثان مع الله في الرخاء، وأما في الشدة فيخلصون لله الدعاء. كما قال تعالى: {وَإِذَا مَسَّكُمُ الضُّرُّ فِي الْبَحْرِ ضَلَّ مَنْ تَدْعُونَ إِلَّا إِيَّاهُ فَلَمَّا نَجَّاكُمْ إِلَى الْبَرِّ أَعْرَضْتُمْ وَكَانَ الْإِنْسَانُ كَفُورًا} [الإسراء: ٦٧]
وقوله:
{قُلْ أَرَأَيْتَكُمْ إِنْ أَتَاكُمْ عَذَابُ اللَّهِ أَوْ أَتَتْكُمُ السَّاعَةُ أَغَيْرَ اللَّهِ تَدْعُونَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ صَادِقِينَ - بَلْ إِيَّاهُ تَدْعُونَ فَيَكْشِفُ مَا تَدْعُونَ إِلَيْهِ إِنْ شَاءَ وَتَنْسَوْنَ مَا تُشْرِكُونَ} [الأنعام: ٤٠ - ٤١]
وقوله: {وَإِذَا مَسَّ الْإِنْسَانَ ضُرٌّ دَعَا رَبَّهُ مُنِيبًا إِلَيْهِ} [الزمر: ٨] إلى قوله: {قُلْ تَمَتَّعْ بِكُفْرِكَ قَلِيلًا إِنَّكَ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ النَّارِ} [الزمر: ٨] وقوله: {وَإِذَا غَشِيَهُمْ مَوْجٌ كَالظُّلَلِ دَعَوُا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ} [لقمان: ٣٢]
فمن فهم هذه المسألة التي وضحها الله في كتابه، وهي أن المشركين الذين قاتلهم رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - يدعون الله ويدعون غيره في الرخاء، وأما في الضراء والشدة فلا يدعون إلا الله وحده لا شريك له وينسون ساداتهم، تبين له الفرق بين شرك أهل زماننا وشرك الأولين، ولكن أين من يفهم قلبه هذه المسألة فهما راسخا، والله المستعان.
الأمر الثاني: أن الأولين يدعون مع الله أناسا مقربين عند الله. إما أنبياء، وإما أولياء، وإما ملائكة، أو يدعون أشجارا أو أحجارا مطيعة لله ليست عاصية.
وأهل زماننا يدعون مع الله أناسا من أفسق الناس، والذين يدعونهم هم الذين يحكون عنهم الفجور من الزنا والسرقة وترك الصلاة وغير ذلك.
والذي يعتقد في الصالح أو الذي لا يعصي مثل الخشب والحجر أهون ممن يعتقد فيمن يشاهد فسقه وفساده ويشهد به
Kashf al-Shubuhat of Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab

There is no al-‘Udhr bi-l-Jahl
Ibn ‘Abd al-Wahhab says:
[Doubt Regarding the Takfir of a Specific Person for Whom the Proof Has Been Established]
…
In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
To the brothers, peace be upon you and the mercy and blessings of Allah.
To proceed: What you mentioned regarding the statement of the Shaykh, "Whoever denies such-and-such, and the proof has been established for him," and your doubt concerning whether the proof has been established for these taghuts and their followers, this is indeed surprising. How can you doubt this when I have clarified it to you repeatedly?!
The one for whom the proof has not been established is the one who is new to Islam, or the one who was raised in a distant desert, or if it is concerning a subtle matter, such as issues related to sarf [a form of sorcery] and ‘atf [another form of sorcery], then such a person is not declared a disbeliever until they are made aware of it.
As for the fundamentals of the religion (usul al-din), which Allah has clarified and made firm in His Book, Allah’s proof is the Qur'an. Whoever the Qur'an reaches, the proof has reached him. However, the root of the confusion lies in your failure to distinguish between the establishment of the proof (qiyam al-hujjah) and the understanding of the proof (fahm al-hujjah).
Most disbelievers and hypocrites among the Muslims have not understood Allah’s proof, even though it has been established for them, as Allah, the Most High, said:
"Or do you think that most of them hear or understand? They are like cattle; rather, they are even more astray in their way." [Quran 25:44].
The establishment of the proof is one matter, and its reaching someone is another matter. It has been established for them, but their understanding of it is a separate matter. Their disbelief occurs due to the proof reaching them, even if they do not understand it.
If this remains unclear to you, consider the Prophet’s ﷺ statement about the Khawarij: “Wherever you meet them, kill them,” and his saying: “They are the worst of those killed under the heavens.” This was despite them existing during the era of the Companions. One would belittle the actions of the Companions in comparison to theirs, and it was agreed that what expelled them from the religion was their extremism and interpretation (ijtihad), even though they thought they were obeying Allah. The proof had reached them, but they did not understand it.
Similarly, Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) killed those who believed in his divinity and burned them with fire, even though they were students of the Companions. Despite their acts of worship, prayer, and fasting, they thought they were upon the truth.
The same applies to the consensus of the Salaf regarding the takfir of the extreme Qadariyyah and others, despite their knowledge, intense worship, and belief that they were doing good. None of the Salaf hesitated to declare them disbelievers just because they did not understand, for indeed, none of these individuals understood.
If you know this, then what you are dealing with is disbelief: people worshipping taghuts, opposing the religion of Islam, and claiming that it is not apostasy because they might not have understood the proof. All of this is clear.
Even more evident than the aforementioned is the example of those whom Ali burned, for it is similar to this. As for sending the statements of the Shafi'is and others, it is not to be imagined that anything more [definitive] will come to you than what has already reached you. If some confusion still remains with you, then turn to Allah, the Most High, and ask Him to remove it from you.
And peace.
[الشك في تكفير المعين الذي قامت عليه الحجة]
وله أيضا، أسكنه الله الفردوس الأعلى:
بسم الله الرحمن الر حيم
إلى الإخوان، سلام عليكم ورحمة الله وبركاته.
وبعد: ما ذكرتم من قول الشيخ: كل من جحد كذا وكذا، وقامت عليه الحجة، وأنكم شاكون في هؤلاء الطواغيت وأتباعهم، هل قامت عليهم الحجة؟ فهذا من العجب، كيف تشكون في هذا وقد أوضحته لكم مرارا؟! فإن الذي لم تقم عليه الحجة، هو الذي حديث عهد بالإسلام، والذي نشأ ببادية بعيدة، أو يكون ذلك في مسألة خفية، مثل الصرف والعطف، فلا يكفر حتى يعرف.
وأما أصول الدين التي أوضحها الله وأحكمها في كتابه، فإن حجة الله هو القرآن، فمن بلغه القرآن فقد بلغته الحجة؛ ولكن أصل الإشكال، أنكم لم تفرقوا بين قيام الحجة، وبين فهم الحجة، فإن أكثر الكفار والمنافقين من
المسلمين، لم يفهموا حجة الله مع قيامها عليهم، كما قال تعالى: {أَمْ تَحْسَبُ أَنَّ أَكْثَرَهُمْ يَسْمَعُونَ أَوْ يَعْقِلُونَ إِنْ هُمْ إِلَّا كَالْأَنْعَامِ بَلْ هُمْ أَضَلُّ سَبِيلاً} ١.
وقيام الحجة نوع، وبلوغها نوع، وقد قامت عليهم، وفهمهم إياها نوع آخر; وكفرهم ببلوغها إياهم، وإن لم يفهموها. إن أشكل عليكم ذلك، فانظروا قوله صلى الله عليه وسلم في الخوارج: " أينما لقيتموهم فاقتلوهم " ٢،وقوله: " شر قتلى تحت أديم السماء " ٣، مع كونهم في عصر الصحابة، ويحقر الإنسان عمل الصحابة معهم، ومع إجماع الناس أن الذي أخرجهم من الدين هو التشدد والغلو والاجتهاد؛ وهم يظنون أنهم يطيعون الله، وقد بلغتهم الحجة، ولكن لم يفهموها.
وكذلك قتل علي رضي الله عنه الذين اعتقدوا فيه، وتحريقهم بالنار، مع كونهم تلاميذ الصحابة، ومع عبادتهم وصلاتهم وصيامهم، وهم يظنون أنهم على حق.
وكذلك إجماع السلف: على تكفير غلاة القدرية وغيرهم، مع علمهم وشدة عبادتهم، وكونهم يحسبون أنهم يحسنون صنعا؛ ولم يتوقف أحد من السلف في تكفيرهم لأجل كونهم لم يفهموا، فإن هؤلاء كلهم لم يفهموا. إذا علمتم ذلك، فإن هذا الذي أنتم فيه كفر: الناس يعبدون الطواغيت، ويعادون دين الإسلام، فيزعمون أنه ليس ردة
، لعلهم ما فهموا الحجة، كل هذا بين.
وأظهر مما تقدم: الذين حرقهم علي، فإنه يشابه هذا. وأما إرسال كلام الشافعية وغيرهم، فلا يتصور يأتيكم أكثر مما أتاكم، فإن كان معكم بعض الإشكال، فارغبوا إلى الله تعالى أن يزيله عنكم، والسلام.
Al-Durar al-Saniyya (vol.10, p.93)

Do Jake, Proving Islam, Wajdi, and Rabbi Faris share these deviant beliefs with their imam?
They should stop hiding their aqida and make it clear which of these deviant beliefs they accept and which they reject.
If they fail to clarify, we should assume that they secretly accept all of these deviant beliefs.
After all, this is the type of "aqida checking" standard they apply to other Muslims. Let's see if they accept the same standards for themselves, or they think their standards only apply to others, i.e., the vast majority of the Ummah who they secretly deem to be kafir mushriks.