I do NOT recommend this book for anyone who is a beginner at understanding Islam and aqeedah. Only read this if you have at least a basic grounding on the history of different creeds within the Sunni school, and have a teacher to clarify things for you. Otherwise you might fall into a lot of confusion. If you are not a Muslim, this book will not benefit you. Instead, please learn about this way of life from your local Muslim community. I invite you with open arms into the path of the Creator, the path of the Prophets (like Adam, Noah, Moses, Jesus [peace be upon them all] ), so you can fulfill your purpose in your life and worship the Most Merciful alone with no partners, and you achieve true happiness/peace in this life and the next. Feel free to message me if you'd like to know more about Islam
As someone who has studied under several "Wahhabi" teachers and basically been exposed to the "Wahhabi" understanding of Islam for most of my life, I found this book extremely fascinating. It is certainly a very unique take on the dawah of Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab (I'll refer to him as Miaw in the rest of the review) compared to what is normally taught within either the Salafi circles or the anti Salafi circles. As anybody who is familiar with the Salafi dawah knows, Miaw's books and aqeedah are very commonly taught and explained in many major Islamic institutes and mosques. His books are very straightforward, and rely on basic evidences from Quran and Sunnah. Very easy for any beginning student to understand and swallow. However, Miaw's and his follower's histories are full of controversy and several scholars disagreed with their understandings and methodologies. His own brother is one of those scholars
The book is originally authored by Sulaiman ibn Abdul Wahhab (Siaw from here on), the elder brother of Miaw. He's a Hanbali scholar who had studies under several well known ulema. He takes major issues with Miaw's understanding of iman, shirk, kufr, takfeer, the status of certain bidaat and many other topics that were plaguing the ummah at their time (and still are, to be brutally honest). He brings forth evidences from the Quran, Sunnah, and even the same classical scholars that Miaw appeals to. Much of the times he turns the evidence that Miaw brings in his books on their heads to make a completely opposing point. He gives clear examples from the Seerah of the Prophet saw, and how he dealt with similar situations. He gives examples from the previous ulema and their dealings with the extreme Ahl ul Bidah. His argument is much more holistic and nuanced than what Miaw has provided in his writings, which overall makes this book an excellent and engaging read. It is an Athari critique of "Wahhabism" which honestly isn't that easy to find in either modern times or history, particularly in the English language.
Now did it change my mind on everything? No, I can't say that it did. I did not find some of the arguments as strong as others; for example it is very difficult for me to swallow that invoking the dead is at worst "minor shirk" or maybe even "just a bidah". Another thing that was a downgrade for me is the extreme bias of this book's translator. He really spares no attack on the Salafi movement and it's adherents, and completely disregards all the good that his own brothers in Islam have done, e.g. the preservation of hadith, or the elimination of severe bidat, the emphasis on knowledge compared to other sects, the resistance to modern ideologies up to a large extent etc. etc. It's a very unfair assessment on the translator's part and I skipped much of his footnotes because of that. However, the translation is done well, and the original Siaw writing is easy to access in the book.
Overall, this is an excellent book to read if you are interested in a Hanbali Athari's opposition to Najdi or "Wahhabi" Islam. Definitely gives great context to the dawah of Miaw, and shows how even the most revered scholars have their (knowledgable and well read) opponents