Abdel Wahab was born in Bani Muhammad Al Shihabiyya, Asyut Governorate, in 1889.[1][2] He was educated in Cairo and London.[2]
Following his graduation Abdel Wahab worked as a lecturer at the Higher School of Commerce in Cairo.[3] He was given the title Bey and headed a group of the Egyptian young technocrats called Thirty Club.[3] In 1929 he was appointed undersecretary of state at the ministry of finance.[3] In 1930 he was made a Pasha.[3] He was a member of the Egyptian delegation to the World Economic Conference held in London between 12 June to 27 July 1933.[4] On 15 November 1934 he was appointed minister of finance to the cabinet led by Prime Minister Mohamed Tawfik Naseem Pasha, replacing Hassan Sabry Pasha in the post.[5] His term ended on 22 January 1936 when the cabinet resigned.[5] In mid-January 1936 he was made the vice chairman of the newly founded Anglo-Egyptian Union of which Edward Cook, governor of the National Bank, was chairman.[6]
Abdel Wahap was appointed the minister of finance for a second time to the cabinet of Prime Minister Aly Maher Pasha which was formed on 31 January 1936.[7] He remained in office until the resignation of the cabinet in May 1936.[5] His successor as finance minister was Makram Ebeid.[5] In March 1937 he was named as the board member of the National Bank of Egypt.[8] Abdel Wahab died of pneumonitis on 16 April 1938 in Cairo at age 49.[1]