Difference between revisions of "Ibn Taymiyyah" - New World Encyclopedia

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  birth            =  1263 C.E.  <ref name="atheism">http://atheism.about.com/library/FAQs/islam/blfaq_islam_taymiyyah.htm</ref> in Harran<ref>http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H039.htm</ref>|
 
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  death            =  1328 C.E. <ref name="atheism"/> in [[Damascus]]<ref>http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/ip/rep/H039.htm</ref>|
 
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  influenced      =  <small>Ibn al-Qayyim (d 751 AH) <ref>[http://www.answering-ansar.org/answers/mutah/en/chap4.php]</ref><br>[[Yusuf ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Mizzi|al-Mizzi]]  (d 742 AH), <br>al-Dhahabi (d 748 AH) <ref>"Mountains of Knowledge",Birmingham, England: Salafi Publications, 2000. 
 
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pg 222</ref> <br>[[Ibn Kathir]], <ref> "Mountains of Knowledge"</ref> [[Ibn Abi al-Izz]], [[Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab|Ibn Abd al-Wahhab]] (d 1792C.E.) <ref name="atheism"/>|
 
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  notable_ideas    =  |the duty to wage war against Muslims considered to be infidel
 
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'''Taqi al-Din Ahmad Ibn Taymiyyah''' ({{lang-ar|ابن تيمية}}), was a [[Sunni]] [[Islam]]ic scholar born in Harran, located in what is now [[Turkey]], close to the [[Syria|Syrian]] border. He lived during the troubled times of the [[Mongol]] invasions. As a member of the  school founded by [[Ibn Hanbal]], he sought the return of Islam to its sources: the [[Qur'an]] and the [[sunnah]] (the prophetic tradition of [[Muhammad]]). He did not consider the Mongols to be true Muslims, and encouraged war againt them.  He believed that legitimate Islam is based on the opinions of the earliest Muslims, the ''salafa''. He was critical of Shi'a and of Sufi Muslims for venerating their Imams and Sheikhs and for teaching that God dwelt within them.  He was also critical of venerating and visiting the shrines of dead saints.  He was intolerant of Christains, arguing that Christianity as practiced was a corruption of what Jesus has taught, which was the message of Islam. he was also critical of Islamic philosophy and accused [[Ibn Rushd]], [[Ibn Sina]] and [[al-Frabi]] of being unbelievrs for teaching that the world is eternal, which makes God redundant. At times employed by the authorities he was at other times imprisoned by the same authorities, who disagreed with his views.  However, he attracted a large following and about 100,000 people, including many women, are said to have attended his funeral.  He did much to revive the popularity of the Hanbali legal school.  He is cited with approval by Islamist Muslims. His concept that Muslims who did not live under the [[Shar'iah]] lived in ignorance (jahilia) was taken up by such twentieth century thinkers as [[Sayyid Qutb]] and [[Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi]].
 
'''Taqi al-Din Ahmad Ibn Taymiyyah''' ({{lang-ar|ابن تيمية}}), was a [[Sunni]] [[Islam]]ic scholar born in Harran, located in what is now [[Turkey]], close to the [[Syria|Syrian]] border. He lived during the troubled times of the [[Mongol]] invasions. As a member of the  school founded by [[Ibn Hanbal]], he sought the return of Islam to its sources: the [[Qur'an]] and the [[sunnah]] (the prophetic tradition of [[Muhammad]]). He did not consider the Mongols to be true Muslims, and encouraged war againt them.  He believed that legitimate Islam is based on the opinions of the earliest Muslims, the ''salafa''. He was critical of Shi'a and of Sufi Muslims for venerating their Imams and Sheikhs and for teaching that God dwelt within them.  He was also critical of venerating and visiting the shrines of dead saints.  He was intolerant of Christains, arguing that Christianity as practiced was a corruption of what Jesus has taught, which was the message of Islam. he was also critical of Islamic philosophy and accused [[Ibn Rushd]], [[Ibn Sina]] and [[al-Frabi]] of being unbelievrs for teaching that the world is eternal, which makes God redundant. At times employed by the authorities he was at other times imprisoned by the same authorities, who disagreed with his views.  However, he attracted a large following and about 100,000 people, including many women, are said to have attended his funeral.  He did much to revive the popularity of the Hanbali legal school.  He is cited with approval by Islamist Muslims. His concept that Muslims who did not live under the [[Shar'iah]] lived in ignorance (jahilia) was taken up by such twentieth century thinkers as [[Sayyid Qutb]] and [[Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi]].
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As for the religions sciences, he studied jurisprudence from his father and became a representative of the [[Hanbali]] school of law. Though he remained faithful throughout his life to that school, whose doctrines he had decisively mastered, he also acquired an extensive knowledge of the Islamic disciplines of the [[Qur'an]] and the [[Hadith]].  He also studied dogmatic theology ([[kalam]]), philosophy, and [[Sufism]] which he later heavily critiqued.
 
As for the religions sciences, he studied jurisprudence from his father and became a representative of the [[Hanbali]] school of law. Though he remained faithful throughout his life to that school, whose doctrines he had decisively mastered, he also acquired an extensive knowledge of the Islamic disciplines of the [[Qur'an]] and the [[Hadith]].  He also studied dogmatic theology ([[kalam]]), philosophy, and [[Sufism]] which he later heavily critiqued.
  
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=== Persecution ===
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In 1282 he was appointed professor of Hanbali jurisprudence, also preaching in the Grand Mosque.  He started to denounce boith Sufis and the Mongols, whose Islam he did not accept as genuine.  The Mongol's preference for their own ''Yasa'' code over the ''Shariah'' meant that they lived in ignorance (''jahilia'') and it was a Muslim's duty to wage a jihad of the sword against them. Following the Mongol defeat of the [[Abbasids]] in 1258, the Muslim world had disintegrated into smaller political units.  Ibn Taymiya wanted to re-unite Islam. In 1299, he was dismissed from his post following a ''fatwa'', or legal opinion that annoyed other jurists. However, the following year he was again employed by the Sultan, this time to recruit support for an anti-Mongol campaign in Cairo, a task for which he was well suited.  However, no soon had he reached Cairo than he fell foul of the authorities there because of his literal understanding of verses in the Qur'an that describe God as possessing body-parts, and he was imprisoned. Released in 1308, he was quickly re-imprisoned for denouncing Sufi prayers to saints. He spent time in jails in Cairo and in Alexandria. In 1313 he was allowed to resume teaching in Damascus. In 1318, the Sultan forbade him from issuing any opinions on the subject of divorce, since he disagreed with the popular opinion that a divorce with only one repudiation was valid. When he continued to pronounce of this subject, he was imprisoned.  Released again in 1321 he was re-imprisoned in 1326 but carried on writing until pen and paper were denied him. His arrest in 1326 was earned by his condemnation of Shi'a Islam at a time when the political authorities were trying to build bridges with the Shi'a community. In 1328 he died while still in prison. Thousands, including many women, are said to have attended his funeral.
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Due to Ibn Taymiya's outspokenness, puritanical views, and literalism, he was imprisoned several times for conflicting with the opinions of prominent jurists and theologians of his day.  
 
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As early as 1293 Ibn Taymiya came into conflict with local authorities for protesting a religious ruling against a [[Christian]] accused of insulting [[Muhammad]]. In 1298 he was accused of [[anthropomorphism]] and for having questioned the legitimacy of dogmatic theology ([[kalam]]).
 
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He led the resistance of the Mongol invasion of Damascus in 1300. In the years that followed, Ibn Taymiyah was engaged in intensive polemic activity against: (1) the Kasrawan [[Shi'a]] in the Lebanon, (2) the [[Rifa'i]] Sufi order, and (3) the ''ittihadiyah'' school, a school that grew out of the teaching of [[Ibn 'Arabi]] (d. 1240), whose views he denounced as heretical.
 
  
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In 1306 Ibn Taymiya was imprisoned in the citadel of Cairo for 18 months on the charge of anthropomorphism. He was incarcerated again in 1308 for several months in the prison of the qadis (Muslim judges).
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Ibn Taymiya was an activist as well as a scholar: in 1300 he was part of the resistance against the Mongol attack on Damascus and personally went to the camp of the Mongol general to negotiate release of captives, insisting that Christians as “protected people” as well as Muslims be released. In 1305, he took part in the anti-Mongol Battle of Shakhab and fought various Shi’a groups in Syria.
  
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Ibn Taymiya spent his last 15 years in Damascus where a circle of disciples formed around him from every social class. The most famous of these, [[Ibn Qayyim]] (d. 1350), was to share in Ibn Taymiya's renewed persecutions. From August 1320 to February 1321 Ibn Taymiya was imprisoned on orders from Cairo in the citadel of Damascus for supporting a doctrine that would curtail the ease with which a Muslim man could traditionally divorce his wife.
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=== Polemics===
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Ibn Taymiya engaged in intensive polemic activity against: (1) the Kasrawan [[Shi'a]] in the Lebanon, (2) the [[Rifa'i]] Sufi order, and (3) the ''ittihadiyah'' school, a school that grew out of the teaching of [[Ibn 'Arabi]] (d. 1240), whose views he denounced as heretical and against Christianity.
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In July 1326 the government in Cairo again ordered him confined to the citadel for having continued his condemnation of popular visitations of saints' tombs despite the prohibition forbidding him to do so. He died in confinement in Damascus on the night of Sunday-Monday 20th Dhul-Qa'dah 728 A.H./26-27 September 1328 C.E. at the age of 67, and was buried at the Sufi cemetery in Damascus, where his mother was also buried.  
 
  
 
Ibn Taymiya was known for his prodigious memory and encyclopedic knowledge.
 
Ibn Taymiya was known for his prodigious memory and encyclopedic knowledge.
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==Quote==
 
==Quote==
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He is known for this saying: “What can my enemies possibly do to me? My paradise is in my heart; wherever I go it goes with me, insepa­rable from me. For me, prison is a place of (religious) retreat; ex­ecution is my opportunity for [[martyr]]dom; and exile from my town is but a chance to travel.” <ref>[http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/it/itya.htm]</ref>
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He is known for this saying: “What can my enemies possibly do to me? My paradise is in my heart; wherever I go it goes with me, insepa­rable from me. For me, prison is a place of (religious) retreat; ex­ecution is my opportunity for [[martyr]]dom; and exile from my town is but a chance to travel.” <ref>"Ibn Taymiyyah" at MuslimPhilosophy.com [http://www.muslimphilosophy.com/it/itya.htm Ibn Taymiyyah] retrieved 17 June 2007</ref>
 +
 
 +
==On Christianity==
  
 
==Legacy==
 
==Legacy==
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*[[Ibn Kathir]] (1301 C.E. - 1372 C.E.)
 
*[[Ibn Kathir]] (1301 C.E. - 1372 C.E.)
 
*[[Ibn al-Qayyim]] (1292 C.E. - 1350 C.E.)
 
*[[Ibn al-Qayyim]] (1292 C.E. - 1350 C.E.)
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*[[al-Dhahabi]] (1274 C.E. - 1348 C.E.) (see [http://en.wikisource.org/wiki/Letter_from_al-Dhahabi_to_Ibn_Taymiya] for further information)
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*[[al-Dhahabi]] (1274 C.E. - 1348 C.E.) for further information)
 
*[[Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab]] (1703 C.E. - 1792 C.E.)
 
*[[Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab]] (1703 C.E. - 1792 C.E.)
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*[[Sayyid Qutb]] (1906  C.E. – 1966 C.E.){{Fact|date=April 2007}} <!--  Qutub is not one of the heirs. I am looking fo how to add citation needed tag --->
 
  
 
al-Aqeedah Al-Waasittiyah, one his famous book, was written in response a request from one judge from Wasith. He asked ibn Taymiya to write his views about theology in Islam. This book contains several chapters. In the first chapter ibn Taymiya defines one group that's called ''Al Firq An-Najiyah'' (the group of survival). He quoted one hadith that Muhammad promised that there will be one group of his followers to stay on the truth until the day of Resurrection. This chapter also contains the definition of [[jamaah]] and states that only one sect from  the seventy-three Muslim sects will enter jannah (heaven).
 
al-Aqeedah Al-Waasittiyah, one his famous book, was written in response a request from one judge from Wasith. He asked ibn Taymiya to write his views about theology in Islam. This book contains several chapters. In the first chapter ibn Taymiya defines one group that's called ''Al Firq An-Najiyah'' (the group of survival). He quoted one hadith that Muhammad promised that there will be one group of his followers to stay on the truth until the day of Resurrection. This chapter also contains the definition of [[jamaah]] and states that only one sect from  the seventy-three Muslim sects will enter jannah (heaven).
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===Shi'a view===
 
===Shi'a view===
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Ibn Taymiyyah holds Shi'as in a negative light, which makes Shi'as have an extremely negative view of him, and are known for labeling him a [[nasibi]], for example "Imam of the Nasibis, Ibn Taymiyya" <ref>http://www.answering-ansar.org/wahabis/en/chap13.php</ref>.
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Ibn Taymiyyah holds Shi'as in a negative light, which makes Shi'as have an extremely negative view of him, and are known for labeling him a [[nasibi]], for example "Imam of the Nasibis, Ibn Taymiyya" <ref>"Placing the Hanifa Imam of the Deobandis Nasibs under the microscope", ''Revealing the Truth'' [http://www.answering-ansar.org/wahabis/en/chap13.php Placing the Hanifa Imam of the Deobandis Nasibs under the microscope] retrieved 17 June 2007</ref>.
  
 
=== Sunni view===
 
=== Sunni view===
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Throughout history, [[Sunni]] scholars and thinkers have praised Ibn Taymiyyah for his works, they include:   
 
Throughout history, [[Sunni]] scholars and thinkers have praised Ibn Taymiyyah for his works, they include:   
  
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*  Ibn Taymiyyah's student, [[Ibn Kathir]], who stated:{{cquote|He ([[Ibn Taymiyyah]]) was knowledgeable in [[fiqh]].  And it was said that he was more knowledgeable of [[fiqh]] of the [[madhab]]s than the followers of those very same madhabs, (both) in his time and other than his time.  He was a scholar of the fundamental issues, the subsidary issues, of grammar, language, and other textual and intellectual sciences.  And no scholar of a science would speak to him except that he thought the science was of speciality of Ibn Taymiyyah.  As for [[hadeeth]], then he was the carrier of its flag, a [[hafidh]], able to distinguish the weak from the strong and fully acquainted with the narrators.<ref>"Mountains of Knowledge", Brimingham, England: Salafi Publications, 2000,pg. 220, OCLC: 81125924. Retrieved 15 June 2007 quoting Al-Bidaayah wan-Nihaayah'(14/118-119)</ref>}}  
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*  Ibn Taymiyyah's student, [[Ibn Kathir]], who stated:{{cquote|He ([[Ibn Taymiyyah]]) was knowledgeable in [[fiqh]].  And it was said that he was more knowledgeable of [[fiqh]] of the [[madhab]]s than the followers of those very same madhabs, (both) in his time and other than his time.  He was a scholar of the fundamental issues, the subsidary issues, of grammar, language, and other textual and intellectual sciences.  And no scholar of a science would speak to him except that he thought the science was of speciality of Ibn Taymiyyah.  As for [[hadeeth]], then he was the carrier of its flag, a [[hafidh]], able to distinguish the weak from the strong and fully acquainted with the narrators.<ref>"Mountains of Knowledge", (14/118-119)</ref>}}  
  
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*  Ibn Taymiyyah's other student, [[Al-Dhahabi]], stated:{{cquote|Ibn Taymiyyah...the matchless individual of the time with respect to knowledge, cognizance, intelligence, memorisation, generosity, [[asceticism]], excessive braveness and abundancy of (written) works.  May [[Allah]] rectify and direct him.  And we, by the praise of Allah, are not amongst those who exagerrate about him and nor are we of those who are harsh and rough with him.  No one with perfection like that of the [[Imam]]s and [[Tabieen]] and their successors has been seen and I did not see him ([[Ibn Taymiyyah]]) except engrossed in a book.<ref>"Mountains of Knowledge", Brimingham, England: Salafi Publications, 2000,pg. 222-223.OCLC: 81125924. Retrieved 15 June 2007 </ref>}}
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*  Ibn Taymiyyah's other student, [[Al-Dhahabi]], stated:{{cquote|Ibn Taymiyyah...the matchless individual of the time with respect to knowledge, cognizance, intelligence, memorisation, generosity, [[asceticism]], excessive braveness and abundancy of (written) works.  May [[Allah]] rectify and direct him.  And we, by the praise of Allah, are not amongst those who exagerrate about him and nor are we of those who are harsh and rough with him.  No one with perfection like that of the [[Imam]]s and [[Tabieen]] and their successors has been seen and I did not see him ([[Ibn Taymiyyah]]) except engrossed in a book.<ref>"Mountains of Knowledge" </ref>}}
  
 
More modern Sunni thinkers include the 18th century Arab reformer, [[Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab]], who studied the works of Ibn Taymiya and aimed to revive his teachings. Disciples of al-Wahhab took control of what became Saudi Arabia in 1926, where only Ibn Hanbal's school of law is recognized. Ibn Taymiya's works became the basis of the contemporary [[Salafi]]. He has been cited by Osmama bin Laden <ref> see Laden, Bin "Declaration of War Against the Americans Occupying the Two Holy Places", 1996 [http://www.kimsoft.com/2001/binladenwar.htm Declaration of War Against the Americans Occupying the Two Holy Places] retrieved 16 June 2007</ref>.
 
More modern Sunni thinkers include the 18th century Arab reformer, [[Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab]], who studied the works of Ibn Taymiya and aimed to revive his teachings. Disciples of al-Wahhab took control of what became Saudi Arabia in 1926, where only Ibn Hanbal's school of law is recognized. Ibn Taymiya's works became the basis of the contemporary [[Salafi]]. He has been cited by Osmama bin Laden <ref> see Laden, Bin "Declaration of War Against the Americans Occupying the Two Holy Places", 1996 [http://www.kimsoft.com/2001/binladenwar.htm Declaration of War Against the Americans Occupying the Two Holy Places] retrieved 16 June 2007</ref>.
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*[[Notable Hanbali Scholars]]
 
*[[Notable Hanbali Scholars]]
  
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== References ==
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== Nptes==
 
<References/>
 
<References/>
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==References==
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Also:
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* Kepel, Gilles ''Muslim extremism in Egypt: The Prophet and pharaoh''. With a new preface for 2003. Translated from French by Jon Rothschild. Berkeley & Los Angeles: ''University of California Press'', 2003 ISBN 9780520056879. Retrieved 15 June 2007
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* Kepel, Gilles — "Muslim extremism in Egypt: The Prophet and pharaoh". With a new preface for 2003. Translated from French by Jon Rothschild. Berkeley & Los Angeles: ''University of California Press'', 2003. p. 194-199.ISBN:9780520056879. Retrieved 15 June 2007
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* Little, Donald P. ''Did Ibn Taymiyya have a screw loose?,'' Studia Islamica, 1975, Number 41, pp. 93-111.
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* Little, Donald P. — "Did Ibn Taymiyya have a screw loose?", Studia Islamica, 1975, Number 41, pp. 93-111.
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* Makdisi, G. ''Ibn Taymiyya: A Sufi of the Qadiriya Order'', ''American Journal of Arabic Studies'', 1973
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* Makdisi, G. — "Ibn Taymiyya: A Sufi of the Qadiriya Order", ''American Journal of Arabic Studies'', 1973
+
* Michel, Thomas F. A Muslim Theologian's Response to Christianity: Ibn Taymiyya's Al-Jawab Al-Sahih (Studies in Islamic Philosophy and Science)'' Delmar, NY: Caravan Books, 1985 ISBN 978-0882060583
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* Sivan, Emmanuel — "Radical Islam: Medieval theology and modern politics". Enlarged edition. New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 1990. See p. 94-107.
+
* Sivan, Emmanuel ''Radical Islam: Medieval theology and modern politics''. Enlarged edition. New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 1990. See p. 94-107. ISBN 978-0300038880
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+
* Sivan, Emmanuel ''Radical Islam: Medieval theology and modern politics'', New Haven, CT: Yale University Press', 1985 ISBN 9780300032635
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Sivan, Emmanuel — "Radical Islam: Medieval theology and modern politics", New Haven : ''Yale University Press'', 1985.ISBN:9780300032635
 
  
 
==External links==
 
==External links==

Revision as of 16:59, 17 June 2007


Taqi al-Din Ahmad Ibn Taymiyyah (Arabic: ابن تيمية), was a Sunni Islamic scholar born in Harran, located in what is now Turkey, close to the Syrian border. He lived during the troubled times of the Mongol invasions. As a member of the school founded by Ibn Hanbal, he sought the return of Islam to its sources: the Qur'an and the sunnah (the prophetic tradition of Muhammad). He did not consider the Mongols to be true Muslims, and encouraged war againt them. He believed that legitimate Islam is based on the opinions of the earliest Muslims, the salafa. He was critical of Shi'a and of Sufi Muslims for venerating their Imams and Sheikhs and for teaching that God dwelt within them. He was also critical of venerating and visiting the shrines of dead saints. He was intolerant of Christains, arguing that Christianity as practiced was a corruption of what Jesus has taught, which was the message of Islam. he was also critical of Islamic philosophy and accused Ibn Rushd, Ibn Sina and al-Frabi of being unbelievrs for teaching that the world is eternal, which makes God redundant. At times employed by the authorities he was at other times imprisoned by the same authorities, who disagreed with his views. However, he attracted a large following and about 100,000 people, including many women, are said to have attended his funeral. He did much to revive the popularity of the Hanbali legal school. He is cited with approval by Islamist Muslims. His concept that Muslims who did not live under the Shar'iah lived in ignorance (jahilia) was taken up by such twentieth century thinkers as Sayyid Qutb and Sayyid Abul A'la Maududi.

Full name

Taqī ad-Dīn Abu 'Abbās Ahmad bin 'Abd as-Salām bin 'Abd Allāh Ibn Taymiya al-Harrānī (Arabic: أبو عباس تقي الدين أحمد بن عبد السلام بن عبد الله ابن تيمية الحراني)

Biography

Ibn Taymiya was born in 1263 at Harran into a well known family of theologians. His grandfather, Abu al-Barkat Majd-ud-deen ibn Taymiya Al-Hanbali (d. 1255) was a reputed teacher of the Hanbali School of Fiqh. Likewise, the scholarly achievements of Ibn Taymiya's father, Shihabuddeen 'Abdul-Haleem Ibn Taymiya (d. 1284) were well-known.

Because of the Mongol invasion, Ibn Taymiya's family moved to Damascus in 1268, which was then ruled by the Mamluks of Egypt. It was here that his father delivered sermons from the pulpit of the Umayyad Mosque, and Ibn Taymiya followed in his footsteps by studying with the great scholars of his time, among them a woman scholar by the name Zaynab bint Makki from whom he learned hadith.

Ibn Taymiya was an industrious student and acquainted himself with the secular and religious sciences of his time. He devoted special attention to Arabic literature and gained mastery over grammar and lexicography as well as studying mathematics and calligraphy.

As for the religions sciences, he studied jurisprudence from his father and became a representative of the Hanbali school of law. Though he remained faithful throughout his life to that school, whose doctrines he had decisively mastered, he also acquired an extensive knowledge of the Islamic disciplines of the Qur'an and the Hadith. He also studied dogmatic theology (kalam), philosophy, and Sufism which he later heavily critiqued.

In 1282 he was appointed professor of Hanbali jurisprudence, also preaching in the Grand Mosque. He started to denounce boith Sufis and the Mongols, whose Islam he did not accept as genuine. The Mongol's preference for their own Yasa code over the Shariah meant that they lived in ignorance (jahilia) and it was a Muslim's duty to wage a jihad of the sword against them. Following the Mongol defeat of the Abbasids in 1258, the Muslim world had disintegrated into smaller political units. Ibn Taymiya wanted to re-unite Islam. In 1299, he was dismissed from his post following a fatwa, or legal opinion that annoyed other jurists. However, the following year he was again employed by the Sultan, this time to recruit support for an anti-Mongol campaign in Cairo, a task for which he was well suited. However, no soon had he reached Cairo than he fell foul of the authorities there because of his literal understanding of verses in the Qur'an that describe God as possessing body-parts, and he was imprisoned. Released in 1308, he was quickly re-imprisoned for denouncing Sufi prayers to saints. He spent time in jails in Cairo and in Alexandria. In 1313 he was allowed to resume teaching in Damascus. In 1318, the Sultan forbade him from issuing any opinions on the subject of divorce, since he disagreed with the popular opinion that a divorce with only one repudiation was valid. When he continued to pronounce of this subject, he was imprisoned. Released again in 1321 he was re-imprisoned in 1326 but carried on writing until pen and paper were denied him. His arrest in 1326 was earned by his condemnation of Shi'a Islam at a time when the political authorities were trying to build bridges with the Shi'a community. In 1328 he died while still in prison. Thousands, including many women, are said to have attended his funeral.

Ibn Taymiya was an activist as well as a scholar: in 1300 he was part of the resistance against the Mongol attack on Damascus and personally went to the camp of the Mongol general to negotiate release of captives, insisting that Christians as “protected people” as well as Muslims be released. In 1305, he took part in the anti-Mongol Battle of Shakhab and fought various Shi’a groups in Syria.

Polemics

Ibn Taymiya engaged in intensive polemic activity against: (1) the Kasrawan Shi'a in the Lebanon, (2) the Rifa'i Sufi order, and (3) the ittihadiyah school, a school that grew out of the teaching of Ibn 'Arabi (d. 1240), whose views he denounced as heretical and against Christianity.

Ibn Taymiya was known for his prodigious memory and encyclopedic knowledge.

Views

Madh'hab

Ibn Taymiya held that much of the Islamic scholarship of his time had declined into modes that were inherently against the proper understanding of the Qur'an and the Prophetic example (sunna). He strove to:

  1. revive the Islamic faith's understanding of "true" adherence to "Tawhid" (oneness of God),
  2. eradicate beliefs and customs that he held to be foreign to Islam, and
  3. to rejuvenate correct Islamic thought and its related sciences.

Ibn Taymiya believed that the first three generations of Islam Template:Istr — Muhammad, his companions, and the followers of the companions from the earliest generations of Muslims — were the best role models for Islamic life. Their Sunnah, or practice, together with the Qur'an, constituted a seemingly infallible guide to life. Any deviation from their practice was viewed as bidah, or innovation, and to be forbidden.

Qur'anic literalism

Ibn Taymiya favored an extremely literal interpretation of the Qur'an. His opponents charged that he taught anthropomorphism — that is, that he took metaphorical reference's to Allah's hand, foot, shin, and face as being literally true — even though he insisted that Allah's "hand" was nothing comparable to hands found in creation. He is known to have famously remarked once, "Allah will descend from the heavens on the Day of Judgement just like I descend from the pulpit." Some of his Islamic critics contend that this violates the Islamic concept of tawhid, divine unity.

Sufism

Ibn Taymiya was a stern critic of antinomian interpretations of Islamic mysticism (Sufism). He believed that Islamic law (sharia) applied to ordinary Muslim and mystic alike.

Most scholars (including Salafis) believe that he rejected the creed used by most Sufis entirely (the Ash`ari creed). This seems supported by some of his works, especially al-Aqeedat Al-Waasittiyah wherein he refuted the Asha'ira, the Jahmiyya and the Mu'tazila - the methodology of whom latter day Sufi's have adopted with regards to affirming the Attributes of Allah.

Some Non-Muslim academics, however, have contested this point. In 1973, George Makdisi published an article, “Ibn Taymiya: A Sufi of the Qadiriya Order,” in the American Journal of Arabic Studies, which argued that Ibn Taymiya was a Qadiri Sufi himself, and only opposed antinomian versions of Sufism. In support of their views, these Ibn Taymiya scholars cite his work Sharh Futuh al-Ghayb, which is a commentary on the famous Sufi Shaykh Abdul Qadir Jilani’s work, Futuh al-Ghayb “Revelations of the Unseen.” Ibn Taymiya is cited in the literature of the Qadiriyyah order as a link in their chain of spiritual transmission. He himself said, in his Al-Mas'ala at-Tabraziyya, "I wore the blessed Sufi cloak of Shaikh Abdul Qadir Jilani, there being between him and me two Sufi shaikhs."

Shrines

Since he was a strong proponent of Tawheed, Ibn Taymiya was highly skeptical of giving any undue religious honors to shrines (even that of Jerusalem, Al-Aqsa), to approach or rival in any way the Islamic sanctity of the two most holy mosques within Islam, Mecca (Masjid al Haram) and Medina (Masjid al-Nabawi).[1]

Quote

He is known for this saying: “What can my enemies possibly do to me? My paradise is in my heart; wherever I go it goes with me, insepa­rable from me. For me, prison is a place of (religious) retreat; ex­ecution is my opportunity for martyrdom; and exile from my town is but a chance to travel.” [2]

On Christianity

Legacy

Works written by Ibn Taymiyyah

Ibn Taymiya left a considerable body of work that has been republished extensively in Syria, Egypt, Arabia, and India. His work extended and justified his religious and political involvements and was characterized by its rich content, sobriety, and skillful polemical style. Extant books and essays written by ibn Taymiya include:

  • A Great Compilation of Fatwa — (Majmu al-Fatwa al-Kubra)
  • Minhaj as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah - (The Pathway of as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah) - Volumes 1-4
  • Majmoo' al-Fatawa - (Compilation of Fatawa) Volumes 1-36
  • al-Aqeedah Al-Hamawiyyah - (The Creed to the People of Hamawiyyah)
  • al-Aqeedah Al-Waasittiyah - (The Creed to the People of Waasittiyah)
  • al-Asma wa's-Sifaat - (Allah's Names and Attributes) Volumes 1-2
  • 'al-Iman - (Faith)
  • al-Uboodiyyah - (Subjection to Allah)
  • Iqtida' as-Sirat al-Mustaqim' - (Following The Straight Path)
  • at-Tawassul wal-Waseela
  • Sharh Futuh al-Ghayb - (Commentary on Revelations of the Unseen by Abdul Qadir Jilani)

All of his books are now available in Arabic online at: http://arabic.islamicweb.com/Books/taimiya.asp

Students and intellectual heirs

  • Ibn Kathir (1301 C.E. - 1372 C.E.)
  • Ibn al-Qayyim (1292 C.E. - 1350 C.E.)
  • al-Dhahabi (1274 C.E. - 1348 C.E.) for further information)
  • Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab (1703 C.E. - 1792 C.E.)

al-Aqeedah Al-Waasittiyah, one his famous book, was written in response a request from one judge from Wasith. He asked ibn Taymiya to write his views about theology in Islam. This book contains several chapters. In the first chapter ibn Taymiya defines one group that's called Al Firq An-Najiyah (the group of survival). He quoted one hadith that Muhammad promised that there will be one group of his followers to stay on the truth until the day of Resurrection. This chapter also contains the definition of jamaah and states that only one sect from the seventy-three Muslim sects will enter jannah (heaven).

Chapter two contains the view of Ahlus-Sunnah wa'l Jamaah regarding the attributes of Allah based on the Qur'an and Sunnah without ta'teel (rejection), tamtsil (anthropomorphism), tahreef (changes His Attribute), and takyif (questioned His Attribute).

This book also contains the six parts of faith for Muslims, namely believing in Allah, His Angels, His Messengers, His Books, the Day of Resurrection, and the Predecree.

Shi'a view

Ibn Taymiyyah holds Shi'as in a negative light, which makes Shi'as have an extremely negative view of him, and are known for labeling him a nasibi, for example "Imam of the Nasibis, Ibn Taymiyya" [3].

Sunni view

Throughout history, Sunni scholars and thinkers have praised Ibn Taymiyyah for his works, they include:

  • Ibn Taymiyyah's student, Ibn Kathir, who stated:
“ He (Ibn Taymiyyah) was knowledgeable in fiqh. And it was said that he was more knowledgeable of fiqh of the madhabs than the followers of those very same madhabs, (both) in his time and other than his time. He was a scholar of the fundamental issues, the subsidary issues, of grammar, language, and other textual and intellectual sciences. And no scholar of a science would speak to him except that he thought the science was of speciality of Ibn Taymiyyah. As for hadeeth, then he was the carrier of its flag, a hafidh, able to distinguish the weak from the strong and fully acquainted with the narrators.[4] ”
  • Ibn Taymiyyah's other student, Al-Dhahabi, stated:
“ Ibn Taymiyyah...the matchless individual of the time with respect to knowledge, cognizance, intelligence, memorisation, generosity, asceticism, excessive braveness and abundancy of (written) works. May Allah rectify and direct him. And we, by the praise of Allah, are not amongst those who exagerrate about him and nor are we of those who are harsh and rough with him. No one with perfection like that of the Imams and Tabieen and their successors has been seen and I did not see him (Ibn Taymiyyah) except engrossed in a book.[5] ”

More modern Sunni thinkers include the 18th century Arab reformer, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Wahhab, who studied the works of Ibn Taymiya and aimed to revive his teachings. Disciples of al-Wahhab took control of what became Saudi Arabia in 1926, where only Ibn Hanbal's school of law is recognized. Ibn Taymiya's works became the basis of the contemporary Salafi. He has been cited by Osmama bin Laden [6].

Others include the Islamist thinker Sayyid Qutb, who used some of Ibn Taymiyyah's writings to justify rebellion against a Muslim ruler and society (see below: Sivan; Kepel).

Ibn Taymiya is revered as an intellectual and spiritual exemplar by many Salafis.

[1] [2]

See also

  • Ibahah
  • Islamic scholars
  • Notable Hanbali Scholars

Nptes

  1. ↑ Matthews, Charles D., "A Muslim Iconoclast (Ibn Taymiyyeh) on the 'Merits' of Jerusalem and Palestine", New Haven, American Oriental Society, 1936, OCLC: 46350100. Retrieved 15 June 2007 "A Muslim Iconoclast (Ibn Taymiyyeh) on the 'Merits' of Jerusalem and Palestine", by Charles D. Matthews, Journal of the American Oriental Society, volume 56 (1935), pp. 1-21. [Includes Arabic text of manuscript of Ibn Taymiyya's short work Qa'ida fi Ziyarat Bayt-il-Maqdis قاعدة في زيارة بيت المقدس]
  2. ↑ "Ibn Taymiyyah" at MuslimPhilosophy.com Ibn Taymiyyah retrieved 17 June 2007
  3. ↑ "Placing the Hanifa Imam of the Deobandis Nasibs under the microscope", Revealing the Truth Placing the Hanifa Imam of the Deobandis Nasibs under the microscope retrieved 17 June 2007
  4. ↑ "Mountains of Knowledge", (14/118-119)
  5. ↑ "Mountains of Knowledge"
  6. ↑ see Laden, Bin "Declaration of War Against the Americans Occupying the Two Holy Places", 1996 Declaration of War Against the Americans Occupying the Two Holy Places retrieved 16 June 2007

References
ISBN links support NWE through referral fees

  • Kepel, Gilles Muslim extremism in Egypt: The Prophet and pharaoh. With a new preface for 2003. Translated from French by Jon Rothschild. Berkeley & Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2003 ISBN 9780520056879. Retrieved 15 June 2007
  • Little, Donald P. Did Ibn Taymiyya have a screw loose?, Studia Islamica, 1975, Number 41, pp. 93-111.
  • Makdisi, G. Ibn Taymiyya: A Sufi of the Qadiriya Order, American Journal of Arabic Studies, 1973
  • Michel, Thomas F. A Muslim Theologian's Response to Christianity: Ibn Taymiyya's Al-Jawab Al-Sahih (Studies in Islamic Philosophy and Science) Delmar, NY: Caravan Books, 1985 ISBN 978-0882060583
  • Sivan, Emmanuel Radical Islam: Medieval theology and modern politics. Enlarged edition. New Haven & London: Yale University Press, 1990. See p. 94-107. ISBN 978-0300038880
  • Sivan, Emmanuel Radical Islam: Medieval theology and modern politics, New Haven, CT: Yale University Press', 1985 ISBN 9780300032635

External links

Academic links

Pro-Salafi links

Criticism

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