the message of the school was the essential oneness of god ("tawhid"). the movement is therefore known by its adherents as "ad dawa lil tawhid" (the call to unity), and those who follow the call are known as "ahl at tawhid" (the people of unity) or "muwahhidun" (unitarians). the school puts an emphasis on following of the athari school of thought. ibn abd-al-wahhab, was influenced by the writings of ibn taymiyya and questioned the philosophical interpretations of islam within the ash'ari and maturidi schools, claiming to rely on the qur'an and the hadith without speculative philosophy so as to not transgress beyond the limits of the early muslims known as the salaf. ibn abd-al-wahhab attacked a "perceived moral decline and political weakness" in the arabian peninsula and condemned what he perceived as idolatry, the popular cult of saints, and shrine and tomb visitation.