Normative Spirituality in Wahhābī Prophetology: Saʿīd b. Wahf al-Qaḥṭānī’s (d. 2018) Raḥmatan li-l-ʿĀlamīn as Reparatory Theology

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

The paper tackles the much-debated issue of the existence of Salafi/Wahhabi spirituality as compared to Sufi spirituality (rūḥānīyya). For this reason, the author examines the recent work of al-Qaḥṭānī on 'Mercy to the Worlds: Muhammad Messenger of God’. 

This work that builds upon the tradition of Ibn Taymīyya and his student Ibn al-Qayyim has rich ethical and moral claims placing Muhammad, the prophet of Islam, on the rank of the perfect man (insān kāmil) who should be emulated. His life and deeds are the ultimate example and ideal for the believers, and the only way to get closer to God is by the meticulous imitation of the prophet. 

The author argues that the imitation of the Prophet results in self-purification, which 'connects the heart to God' (line 184). This means that both early Wahhabism and the work of al-Qaḥṭanī contain a spiritual side and offer a guide for the believer to feel closer to God.   

I think the article is well-written and very well-researched and the author makes a valid point by saying that Wahhabism offers more than mere orthopraxy or a ‘black-and-white’ puritanic, highly legalized form of Islam.

However, can this be considered as spirituality? How can we define spirituality?

It would be wonderful to see more theoretical considerations about this issue, since 1) it has an immense literature both in Islamic and Westerns academic literature; 2) I assume that we can formulate different definitions of spirituality depending on whether we take in consideration the towering Sufi authors (e.g. Ibn ʿArabī or Al-Ghazālī) or we concentrate solely on Wahhabi works and try to shed light on their spiritual background, or non-legalistic elements.        

Thus, if we attempt to define the notion of spirituality based on the works of the above mentioned ‘classical’ Sufi sources generally accepted in Sunni Islam, we will see the establishment of an equilibrium between the ‘external’ legal practice (ẓāhir) and the ‘internal’, invisible, spiritual qualities of the soul (bāṭin). Life means a constant journey for the soul and this trip is supposed to culminate in a union of the soul and the Divine (fanā’, baqā’). The substance of the soul becomes more and more refined at every stage of the spiritual journey and finally through an act of illumination a union with God is achieved. At this point the soul discovers that not only God is One (tawḥīd) but the whole existence is ultimately One as well (waḥdat al-wujūd).  

If we look at Wahhabi spirituality from the vantage point proposed by the classical works of Sufism, we find that this equilibrium between ‘outside’ and ‘inside’ is highly asymmetrical. Apart from the emulation of the life of Prophet Muhammad, the believer does not get any guidance for the purification of her/his soul and the ultimate union with God is not mentioned.  

However, we might have an impressive counterargument for this from the Wahhabi/Salafi side: Just because the sources are not vocal about the spiritual transformations of the believers while trying to ‘give up their own selves’ and emulate the Prophet, does this mean that these invisible changes are non-existent or ignored? (Another enormous issue would be the question of the abundance of non-Islamic, mostly Christian, and older Iranian elements in Sufi spirituality that is missing from Wahhabi thought.)

Thus, should we consider Islamic spirituality as a glorious confluence and cross-fertilization of the rich spiritual cultures of the Middle East, or can it be defined as the ineffable experience of the receptive purity of the soul of the Prophet when the Qur’an was revealed to him?  

I think that in this well-written and well-researched article the author should highlight a bit more these fundamental difficulties concerning the definability of the concept of spirituality.   

Author Response

Please see the attachment.

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf

Reviewer 2 Report

The article delves into the Wahhābī movement within Sunni Islam and argues that Wahhābī texts, particularly those influenced by scholars like Ibn Taymīya and Ibn Qayyim, contain themes of spiritual transformation akin to broader Islamic ideals. Focusing on al-Qaḥṭānī's work, the article highlights how Wahhābī spirituality, depicted as 'normative spirituality,' seeks prophetic imitation and ethical transformation.

I believe this article holds significant relevance in several ways: By examining Wahhābī texts and their spiritual dimensions, the article challenges the common portrayal of Wahhābism solely in terms of legalism. Furthermore, the article highlights how Wahhābī texts integrate legalistic interpretations with spiritual ideals, demonstrating that the dichotomy between legalism and spirituality is not inherent in Islam. This challenges the popular Christonormative approach in 'western' academia, which reproduces the Christian separation between religious belief and practice. Also, in the context of ongoing debates and discussions surrounding Wahhābism and its influence in contemporary Islam, this article can provides nuanced insights that are pertinent for scholars, policymakers, and practitioners seeking a better understanding of Islamic movements.

I think the article is already well-written, but have a few suggestions on how to make it more appropriate for publication:

p. 1. Include years of birth. For some reason, the authors always include the years of death, but never the years of birth, even though it is known in many cases, as it is the case with the text's protagonist al-Qahtani (see. e.g  " كلمات مؤثرة في رثاء سعيد بن وهف القحطاني" in Al-Mowaten, where his year of birth is marked as 1952)

p. 1. I'd include the century and geographic location for Ibn Taymiya and Ibn al-Qayyim when they're first mentioned in the introduction (e.g. you could say "13th-century Damascus-based scholar Ibn Taymiya")

p. 1-2. Where is your definition for Muslim prophetology from? Cite secondary source.

p. 2 "well-known locus" include a few references to show that this is "well-known"

p. 2. "silencing" or maybe better: theological confirmation bias. If you stick with "silencing", I'd use that term throughout the text. Instead, later on you're using the term "omission" instead of "silencing"

p. 3. I'd elaborate on Karamustafa's argument regarding euro-centric ideas of spirituality because that's really a core problem when talking about "Islamic spirituality". Look into sources on Christonormativity, how the Christonormative civilization separates belief from practice, "spirituality" from "legalism". This separation, of course, does not exist in normative Islam. The Orientalist 'Western' fascination with Sufism might further deepened this idea that only Sufi Islam embraces spirituality while other forms of Islam are "stuck" in legalism.

p.3. year and page number missing from Mouline reference

p.4. give some examples for "early Wahhabis" and "later Wahhabi scholars" you're mentioning

p. 4 what year is al-Sa'di's book from? In general, I would recommend including the years of publication for every book mentioned in the article, even if they're not cited. Also, what's Al-Sa'di's year of birth, since you included his year of death?

p. 5 put the book title Mercy in italics

p. 5 don't define prophetology again, you have already done that in the introduction

p. 5 "is not surprising that scholars who have been concerned with the exploration of this theme in western academia have been those interested in the study of Sufism " - I'd add that this is based on the false assumption that spirituality is restricted to Sufism and doesn't occur in other forms of Islam - isn't that the key point of the article? Also, I'd put 'western' in quotation marks, to emphasize the problematic assumptions behind the western-eastern divide

p. 5 omission or silencing? or theological confirmation bias? (see my comment before)

p. 6 Christ is not a religiously neutral term; it's a Christian title meaning "anointed one". For a publication in a religious studies journal I'd recommend using the term Jesus or Jesus of Nazareth

p. 6 I'd like to learn more about what you mean by "secularization of the image of the Prophet". You bring a few examples for authors that do this, but don't give examples in how this secularization is manifesting in their works.

p. 7 when was he born? see previous comment.

Some 80 texts? What's the exact number? What do you mean by texts? Are these books, and/or articles, and/or pamphlets?

"texts he authored...emphasize" where? Give page numbers. Even better, bring a few quotes from the book! Your article promises an analysis of al-Qahtani's work but we don't actually get to read any quotes from him. The article would be stronger if you provided a few relevant quotes from al-Qahtani, especially from his books Fortress and Mercy, as you refer to them a lot. You know: show, don't just tell!

p. 7 Immediately after we learn about al-Qahtani, you start talking in the second paragraph about Ibn Qayyim - for two paragraphs. I'd put the first Ibn Qayyim paragraph in the previous chapter, when you're discussing prophetology. Then write a sentence connecting al-Qahtani to Ibn Qayyim and keep the second paragraph on Ibn Qayyim's work, as it seems to be more pertinent to your conversion on al-Qahtani.

p. 8 "we are told in a hadith" which one?

Also, I'm not sure if "spirit" is the most adequate translation for jinn. Maybe say "invisible creature"?

p. 9. "al-Qaḥṭānī’s work are meant to be normative, to entice a certain reaction of the reader, with the desire to encourage an active engagement of self-making in the model of the Prophet" - is this what al-Qahtani says or is this the author's theory? Make it clear.

"one prophetic hadith" - which one?

"another hadith" - which one?

p. 10 regarding the conclusion, I wonder if you can say a few words about al-Qahtani's influence on Wahhabis today, if you know about his students, adherents, etc. It would strengthen your argument to show that he was not on his known with this theological approach within Wahhabism.

Author Response

Please see the attachment

Author Response File: Author Response.pdf