The Life, Struggles, Works and Impact of Shaikh ul-Islam Ibn

Taymiyyah
Taken from As-Sunnah Newsletter - http://www.qsep.com

Contents:

 The state of the Muslim world at Shaikh ul-Islam's time

 Family and Early Life, Teachers and Students
 His Popularity
 False Allegations, Trials and Imprisonment
 Ibn Taymiyyah remained high-spirited and focused even in times of tribulation
 Encounter with the Tartars
 Victory Lies in Tawheed
 Ibn Taymiyyah's Battle against Innovators and Deviant Sects
 Ibn Taymiyyah, the Mujtahid
 Ibn Taymiyyah’s Writings
 His Legacy Lives on: Impacts of Ibn Taymiyyah's Dawah on reformation in
Arabia and India
 A Word of Caution

References: 'Dawah Shaikhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah wa-Athruha fi al-Harakat al-

Islamiyyah al-Mu'asirah' by Salahud-Din Maqbool Ahmad, Notes by Dr. Abdullah al-
Farsi (hafidhahullah) and Articles on the biography of Shaikhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah
by Abu Sufyan Farid Ibn Abdulwahid Ibn Haibatan, Aisha bint Muhammad and Abu
Rumaysah (May Allah reward them all)
 ‘This Ilm (Deen) will be carried by the trustworthy ones of each generation.
Negating from it the tahreef (alterations) of the ones going beyond bounds,
the false assumptions of the liars, and the ta'weel (false interpretations) of the ignorant.’
[Reported by al-Bayhaqee and authenticated by Shaikh al-Albanee in Mishkat (no. 248)]

'Allah will raise for this community at the end of every hundred years
one who will revive His religion.'
[Abu Dawood (3/4278), al-Hakim, at-Tabaranee in al-Ausat. Authenticated by al-Albanee in as-Saheehah
(2/150)]

Islamic history stands witness to a great number of scholars, reformers and callers to
the path of Allah; those who followed in the footsteps of the Salafus-Salih (the pious-
predecessors) in belief and action, in calling to Allah and in assigning priorities of
life; in valor and bravery, in perils and struggle and in devoting their lives
wholeheartedly towards the affairs that benefit in the Hereafter. Amongst these
outstanding and remarkable personalities is
al-Allamah, al-Imam, Shaikhul-Islam Taqi ud-Deen Ahmad Ibn Taymiyyah .
- whose memoirs adorn the pages of Islamic history with their perpetual achievements
and exceptional influences.

Ibn Taymiyyah was an outstanding scholar who mastered many fields of Islamic
learning and lived in an era of much political, social and religious upheaval. At his
time, the Muslim nation faced many threats; both from within and beyond - the most
crucial of which were:
1. The invasions of the crusaders from the west.
2. The treachery of the Fatimites in their alliance with the crusaders against the
Islamic state.
3. The Tartar oppression from the east, and their senseless massacres and destruction.
4. Corruption of kings and rulers, and their distance from Islam.
5. The spread of rigid blind-following of Madhhabs causing deep sectarian divides.
6. Spread of heretical beliefs and sorcery amongst the Muslims due to the efforts of
the people of innovation and desires from amongst the Shiites, the Rafidah, the Sufis
and the Baatinis.
It was in this time of tribulations that Allah ordained for Ibn Taymiyyah to confront
these challenges and to defend the pure Deen against the tidal wave of
misconceptions, deviations, innovations and heresies.

Family and Early Life, Teachers and Students196

Family and Early Life:

Ibn Taymiyyah was born in Harran (an old city between Sham and Iraq) on the 10th
of Rabi al-Awwal 661H. His family was renowned for their knowledge and
excellence. When he was six years old, his family fled to Damascus under the threat
of an imminent Mongol attack on their hometown. In Damascus, his father Shahabud-
Din Abu al-Mahasin Abd al-Halim established himself as a respectable scholar and
later became the professor of Hadeeth and the khateeb of the great Ummayyad
mosque.

Education and Teachers:

From an early age, Ibn Taymiyyah was noted for his memory, comprehension and
strict observance of time - qualities that would later cause the rest of his life to be
filled with actions such as teaching, commanding the good, forbidding the evil,
authoring books and refuting innovators. He memorized the Qur'aan and studied
Hadeeth with his father, who was a specialist in this field.
He learned the laws of Sharee'ah, Jurisprudence and studied the Hanbali system of
law under his own father. He had a particular liking for the Tafseer (explanation) of
the Qur'aan as Ibn Taymiyyah, himself mentions, 'Sometimes, I have gone through as
many as hundred commentaries of a single verse of the Qur'aan. After I have dipped
into these pages, I have supplicated to Allah to enlighten me about the true content
and significance of the verse. I pray to Allah thus on these occasions, 'You are the
Exalted Teacher of Adam and Ibraheem. Favor me with the essence of this verse.' [al-
Uqood ad-Durriyah (p. 24)]
In addition, Ibn Taymiyyah also studied secular sciences of his time like history,
calligraphy, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, dialect, logic, philosophy and
different Islamic sects. These early intellectual pursuits contributed a great deal to his
future lectures and writings. Any subject, Ibn Taymiyyah tackled and wrote about, left
the reader under the impression that this was his specific field of expertise. The total
number of scholars from whom he took knowledge exceeds two hundred including
four female teachers.
Ibn Taymiyyah started issuing legal verdicts at the age of nineteen and after his
father's death assumed the respected teaching position formerly held by his father in
Dar al Hadeeth as-Sukriyyah at the age of 22.
Kamalud-Din al-Zamalkaani (d.727), whom Shaikhul-Islam debated a number of
times says accepting his merits, 'Whenever Shaikhul-Islam was asked any question
concerning any field of knowledge, he replied in a way which caused the audience to
conclude that he had no knowledge of any other field (i.e., he had spent his whole life
in learning that particular branch of knowledge) and acknowledged him as the greatest
authority on the subject. Scholars subscribing to different groups attended his
discourses and each one of them learnt something that he had not known earlier. It
never happened that he debated any point whereby the discussion came to a standstill.
Whatever be the subject he spoke about, whether religious or discursive, he excelled
all the authorities of that subject….' [Quoted from the book, 'Dawah Shaikhul-Islam
Ibn Taymiyyah wa-Athruha fi al-Harakat al-Islamiyyah al-Mu'asirah' by Salahud-Din
Maqbool Ahmad]

Students:
Shaikhul-Islam had many direct students and multitudes were influenced by his
teachings. He nurtured a strong and educated generation that escorted him in good
times and in ordeals, whether it was in fighting the Tartars, or actions that forwarded
the correct teachings of the religion like, the authoring of beneficial books, giving
legal ruling and in commanding the good and forbidding evil. From the most
prominent of his students were; Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, Muhammad Ibn Abee
Bakr (d. 751H), a close student of Shaikhul-Islam, who authored monumental books
like Madarij as-Salikeen, Zaad al-M'aad, A'laam al-Mu'aqqieen, and others. Hafidh
Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani (d.852) the author of Fath al-Baree says, 'If there was no other
virtue of Shaikhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah other than his famous student Shaikh Shams
ad-Deen Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah author of beneficial books, from which have
benefited friends and opponents - then it would have been enough to establish his
noble status…' [Ar-Radd al-Waafir (pg. 231)]

Ibn Katheer, Imad al-Din Ismaa'eel (d. 774), who is considered one of the greatest
historians and is the author of the renowned book, al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah, and the
famous most-authentic Tafseer of the Qur'aan; Tafseer Ibn Katheer.

Adh-Dhahabee, Muhammad Ibn Ahmad, (d.748H) he was a master in the science

of Hadeeth and a great historian. He authored nearly a hundred works, some of them
of considerable size, like his twenty-three volume Siyar a`lam an-nubula (The Lives
of Noble Figures), his thirty-six volume Tareekh al-Islam al-kabir (Major History of
Islam).

Intelligence, Vastness and Commitment to Knowledge:

Al-Hafidh Ibn Katheer says about Ibn Taymiyyah, 'It was rare for him to hear
something and not memorize it and he occupied himself with the sciences. He was
intelligent, had committed much to memory, and thus, became an Imam in Tafseer
and what pertained to it. He had (comprehensive) knowledge of Fiqh, it was said that
he had more knowledge of Fiqh of the madhhabs than the followers of those very
same madhhabs in his time and other times. He was fully aware of the different
opinions of scholars. He was a scholar in Usool, the branches of the religion, grammar
and language and other textual and intellectual sciences. He was never overcome in a
sitting and no noble (scholar) would speak to him on a particular science except that
he thought that this science was the specialty of Ibn Taymiyyah and he would see him
as being well versed in it and having perfected it… As for hadeeth, then he was the
carrier of its flag, a Hafidh in hadeeth and able to distinguish the weak from the
strong, fully acquainted with the narrators and being proficient in this…' [See,
Bidayah wan-Nihayah (14/157)]
Al-Hafidh Badr ad-Deen al-Aynee al-Hanafee said, 'He is the Imam, the noble, the
masterful, the pious, the pure, the devout, the proficient in the two sciences of
Hadeeth and Tafseer, Fiqh and the two fundamentals (i.e., the Book and the Sunnah)
with determination and precision. He is the sharp sword against the innovators, the
authority, who established the matters of the religion and the great commander of the
good and forbidder of evil. He possessed (noble) concern, bravery and embarked upon
that which frightened and deterred. He was of much remembrance, fasting, prayer and
worship.' [Ar-Radd al-Waafir, (pg. 159)]
Al-Hafidh al-Bazzaar said, ‘I have not seen him mention any of the pleasures and
attractions of this world, he did not delve into worldly conversations and he never
asked for any of its livelihood. Instead, he directed his attentions and conversations to
seeking the Hereafter and what could get him closer to Allah.’ [Al-A'laam al-Uliyyah
(pg.52) of al-Bazzaar]

His Popularity196

Popularity:

Ibn Taymiyyah's comprehensive knowledge and the strength of his argument, won
him the respect of the scholars and the common folk alike. Whenever he gave a
lecture, delivered a sermon, gave a legal ruling, wrote a letter or authored a book in
any field, he would produce a level of knowledge that far excelled the other scholars
of his time. This is why Ibn Taymiyyah became a reference point among the people,
and many of his writings are in fact, responses to people's questions from far and
near.Al-Aqeedah al-Wasitiyyah was a response to Qadi Radiuddin al-Wasiti ash-
Shafiee, who asked the Shaikh to write down the Aqeedah that would be best for him
and his family. [Majmoo al-Fatawa Shaikhul-Islam (3/129)] Ar-Risaalah al-
Hamawiyyah was for the people of Hamat. [Majmoo al-Fatawa Shaikhul-Islam (5/5)]
As-Safdiyyah was a reply to a letter from the city of Safad in PalestineAl-
Marakishiyyah to the people of Morocco and Al-Balbakiyah to the people of
Balbak.The love and respect, which Shaikhul-Islam received from the people was due
to his efforts towards that which was advantageous for the people. Ibn Rajab said,
'The scholars and righteous, soldiers and rulers, business men and the common
masses loved him because he exerted efforts night and day with his tongue and
actions for their benefit.' [Shadharat adh-Dhaha, (6/47)]

Amongst his notable accomplishments in this regard was his saving the people of
Damascus from the imminent attack of the Tatars, whose trait was to unleash a reign
of massacres and destruction on the city they captured, without any constraint towards
the killing of women, children or the elderly.
At times, Ibn Taymiyyah had good relations with the rulers and he exhorted them
towards establishing the good in the society and forbidding the evil. An example of
this is when bribery became widespread and an influencing factor in holding offices
and even in abolishing capital punishment in the year 712H. An official decree was
sent to Damascus, from the Sultan, citing that no one should be granted a post through
money or bribery and that the killer is to be punished by the law of the Sharee'ah; this
decree emanated through advice and consultation of Ibn Taymiyyah. [See, al-Bidayah
wan-Nihayah (14/66)]

False Allegations, Trials and Imprisonment196

False Allegations, Trials and Imprisonment:

Ibn Taymiyyah's popularity caused him to be a target of envy from various jurist and
scholars who could not reach his level in knowledge, nor could they equal the love
and respect that Ibn Taymiyyah enjoyed with the common masses. In addition to this,
his bold stances against various innovative and heretical practices put him in direct
conflict with many innovators, who repeatedly devised plots against him. The enviers
and deviants found common cause in spreading lies or misinterpreting the writings of
Ibn Taymiyyah.Ibn Katheer writes, 'A group of the theologians was jealous of Shaikh
Taqi ud-Din Ibn Taymiyyah because of his position in the court of the governor and
also for his acting as a public censor who had taken upon himself the responsibility of
enforcing what was lawful and preventing what was prohibited. They were envious of
his growing popularity and of the love and respect accorded to him as well as of his
learning and zeal for religion.' [Ibn Katheer, p. 37] Al-Hafidh al-Bazzaar said
depicting the opponents of Ibn Taymiyyah, 'You would not see a scholar opposing him
(Ibn Taymiyyah), dissuading from him, filled with hatred for him, except that he was
the most greedy of them in gathering the worldly goods, the most cunning of them in
acquiring them, the most ostentatious of them, the most desirous for reputation…and
the most prolific of them in having lies on his tongue.' [Al-A`laam al-Uliyyah (pg.
82)]Some false beliefs that were attributed to Ibn Taymiyyah were those that he,
himself refuted in his books. His fatawa and Ijtihads were misinterpreted and given
conclusions that were far away from the truth. Ibn Taymiyyah's enemies also
succeeded occasionally in inciting the rulers against him, leading to his imprisonment
several times between 693H-728H and he passed away while in prison in the year
728H.
Ibn Taymiyyah was first arrested after he took a stance against a Christian who cursed
the Prophet (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) and violated his honor. Ibn Taymiyyah's
enemies accused him with disturbing the peace, and complained to the sultan. This
incident shows the extent of their aversion for Ibn Taymiyyah, that they gave priority
to harming him over defending the right and honor of Allah's Messenger. It was in
response to this incident that Ibn Taymiyyah wrote his book, 'Al-Saarim al-Maslool
'ala Shaatim al-Rasool' [see. Al-Bidaayah wan-Nihaayah 14/335] Among the other
charges fabricated or exaggerated against Ibn Taymiyyah were the following;

Accusation 1: Tajseem/Tashbih: The allegation that Ibn Taymiyyah's writings

approved of Allah having a body with parts. In truth, Ibn Taymiyyah's writings show
the contrary, as he says, ‘Indeed the term al-Jism (body), al-Arad (organs), al-
Mutahayyiz (extent) are newly invented terminologies. We have mentioned many a
time before that the Salaf and the Imaams have not spoken about such things - neither
by way of negation, nor by way of affirmation. Rather they declared those who spoke
about such matter to be innovators, and went to great lengths to censure them.’ [See,
Sharh Hadeeth an-Nuzool (pg. 69-76), Majmoo al-Fatawa Shaikhul-Islam (3/306-310,
13/304-305), Minhaj as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah (2/134-135, 192, 198-200, 527)]In
'Sharh Hadeeth an-Nuzool', Shaikhul-Islam said that ascribing Allah with the term
jism (meaning body) is, ‘an innovation in the Sharee'ah, a corruption of the language,
and a contradiction to the [sound] intellect. Rather, it is repudiated by the Sharee'ah,
the language and the [sound] intellect.’Shaikhul-Islam's belief concerning the Names
and Attributes of Allah is the same as that of the Salafus-Saleh as he writes in Al-
Aqeedatil-Waastiyyah, p. 3, 'From Eeman in Allah is Eeman in what He has described
Himself with and what His Messenger Muhammad (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) has
described Him with without alteration/distortions (in words/meaning) and denial, and
without description and comparison…’
It is an obligation to believe in the Names and Attributes of Allah according to their
literal meaning and to affirm their reality for Allah in a manner that suits Him, and
that is for two reasons:(i) Changing its literal meaning would be in contradiction to
the way of the Prophet Muhammad (salallahu alaihe wa-sallam) and his companions.
(ii) Changing it to a figurative meaning would be speaking about Allah without
knowledge and that is prohibited. [Notes on Aqeedah al-Wasitiyah by Allamah Ibn
Uthaimeen (eng. trans. pg.63)]For example, Allah says in the Qur'aan, '(Allah) said,
'O Iblees! What prevents you from prostrating yourself to one whom I have created
with both My Hands? Are you too proud (to fall prostrate to Adam) or are you one of
the highly exalted?' [Soorah Saad (38): 75]
This verse mentions the 'Hands of Allah', so we must believe in and affirm 'Hands' for
Allah without describing them or comparing them with the Hands of the creation or
doing Taweel (i.e. giving them a meaning other than their apparent meaning like
saying that the 'Hands' mean 'Power'). Affirming Hands for Allah does not amount to
Tashbeeh (resembling Allah to His creation). Those who levied the charge of
anthropomorphism on Ibn Taymiyyah did so because they found him opposed to their
innovative way of Taweel in understanding the Attributes of Allah. Whereas, the
soundness of Ibn Taymiyyah's views and their conformity with Ahlus-Sunnah were
well established even during his life-time. Ibn Katheer mentioned that when the
scholars of his time gathered for a sitting with Ibn Taymiyyah to discuss his work
'Aqeedah al-Hamawiyyah' (in 698H) that his replies to their accusations could not be
rebutted. [Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah' (14/5)] The council concluded that al-
Hamawiyyah contained nothing contrary to the Qur’aan or the Sunnah and therefore,
vindicated him of any wrongdoing. [See. The Political Thought of Ibn Taymiyyah by
Qamar-ud-deen Khan, p.3-4] Similarly Ibn Katheer mentioned that when the scholars
sat to argue with him with regards to his Aqeedah al-Wasitiyyah (in 705H) the
argument ended with them accepting all that was contained in the book. [Al-Bidayah
wan-Nihayah (vol. 14 under the heading 'Aqd al-Majaalis ath-Thalaatha)]
Yet, despite being vindicated, Ibn Taymiyyah was summoned again, but this time by
the authorities in Egypt. A council, headed by one of the fiercest opponents of Ibn
Taymiyyah, Qadhi Ibn Mukhluk Maliki, met him and Ibn Taymiyyah was not allowed
to defend himself. A decree issued by the council resulted in his imprisonment
(705H). Many pleaded incessantly for his release until, after a year had passed and he
was offered to be set free if he renounced his creed. The offer was made to him as
many as six times, but he always refused saying, 'The prison is dearer to me than what
I am asked to affirm.' [Ibn Katheer, (14/42)]

Accusation 2: Ibn Taymiyyah forbids visiting the Prophet's Grave. The reality of this
accusation is that Shaikhul-Islam held the view that one should not travel specifically
to visit a certain place or grave intending worship with it. This opinion of Ibn
Taymiyyah was based upon the Hadeeth of Allah's Messenger, 'Do not travel except to
three Masjids, al-Masjid al-Haraam (in Mecca), the Prophet's (salallahu alaihe wa-
sallam) Masjid and Masjid al-Aqsa.' [Saheeh al-Bukharee (Eng. Trans.) vol.2, p.157,
no.281, Saheeh Muslim (Eng. Trans.) vol.2, p.699, no.3218), Sunan Abu Dawood
(Eng. Trans.) vol.2, p.540, no.2028, Sunan at-Tirmidhee, Sunan an-Nisaee and Sunan
Ibn Majah]
Ibn Taymiyyah writes, 'Whoever travels to al-Masjid al-Haraam (in Makkah), al-
Masjid al-Aqsa (in Jerusalem), or the Messenger's masjid and at Masjid Qiba (close to
Medina) and visits grave in that vincity will be performing righteous acts that
conform to established the Prophetic Sunnah… As for whosoever travels for the sole
purpose of visiting the Prophet's grave, not for the purpose of praying at his Masjid…
so he visits the grave and then goes back home, then he is a deviant Mubtadi
(innovator) who stands in defiance of the Prophet's Sunnah and the consensus of his
companions and the scholars of this Ummah (Muslim nation)… This action was
rejected by Imam Malik and other Imams and it is not recommended by any scholar…
When the companions traveled to the Prophet's Masjid (after his death), they used to
pray in it and meet the Prophet's successors, Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthmaan and then Ali.
They recited the Salaam (Islamic greeting) and the Salaat (invoking Allah to honor
and bless his Prophet) on the Prophet in the prayer (during the Tashahhud sitting) and
upon entering and leaving the Masjid (as the Sunnah legislates); but they did not go
near his grave. This practice is so widely reported from them that nothing to the
contrary was reported of any of them.' [Majmoo al-Fatawa, vol.27, pg. 343]
There is a difference between visiting a grave and journeying to them. The first one is
allowed, while the latter is prohibited. Ibn Taymiyyah's treatise regarding the visiting
of graves was misinterpreted and led to his imprisonment in Shabaan 726H.

Accusation 3: Disrespect for the Prophets and the righteous. He was accused as such
because he did not agree with the views of those who allowed tawassul by the person
and status of the Prophets and the righteous. If a person takes the dead righteous
people as intercessors between him and Allah, calling upon them to gain Allah's favor,
then he has mimicked the way of Abu Jahl and Abu Lahb and his action is major kufr
(disbelief). If one calls upon Allah directly and asks Allah 'by the right of so and so,'
then this is an innovation. [Refer to The Rulings and Manners of Visiting the Prophet's
Mosque by Shaikh Abdul-Aziz Ibn Baz (rahimahullah) published in As-Sunnah Issue
no. 2 with explanatory footnotes]

Accusation 4: Making one's own Ijtihad instead of adhering to one particular

Madhhab. In opposition to the general practice, Ibn Taymiyyah did not show
prejudice towards a particular Madhhab and believed in the permissibility of Ijtihad
when necessary. His Ijtihad on considering any number of divorce pronounced in one
sitting to be counted as one, put him at odds with the position of all the four
Madhhabs. He was imprisoned on account of this Ijtihad towards the end of his life.

Ibn Taymiyyah remained high-spirited and focused even in times of tribulation196

Ibn Taymiyyah remained high-spirited and focused even in times of tribulation

Ibnul-Qayyim says, ‘He (Ibn Taymiyyah) said to me once,

'The one who is (truly) imprisoned is
the one whose heart is imprisoned from Allah
and the captivated one is
the one whose desires have enslaved him.'
[Al-Wabil as-Sayyib, p.61]
Prison was never a hurdle for Shaikhul-Islam, who always continued writing and
calling to the good even in confinement. Ibn Katheer mentions that whilst Ibn
Taymiyyah was in prison in Cairo, 'difficult legal questions used to be sent to him
from governors and specific people, which the Jurists could not deal with, and he
would respond from the Book and the Sunnah in a way that would bewilder the
minds. [Al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah (14/46)]
While in prison, he wrote several books and treatises. He completed a 40-volume
Tafseer called al-Bahr al-Muheet. He wrote in total over five hundred books
according to Imam adh-Dhahabi, most of them in prison. When the authorities
confiscated paper and writing materials from him, he wrote with charcoal on any
loose sheets of paper he could find. While his enemies succeeded in containing his
person, they could not contain his mind, wisdom and scholarship and while they
thought that they were harming him, he had a different perception. He writes in a
letter, 'Thanks to Allah that we are now engaged in a fight in the Way of Allah. The
battle we are fighting here is not a bit lower in order than our previous warfare against
Qazaan, the heretics of the hills and the propagators of pantheistic monism (Wahdat
al-Wajood). This is undoubtedly a blessing of Allah on us, although most of the
people are unaware of it.'[Ibn Taymiyyah: Hayatuh wa Usuruhu wa Arauhu wa
Fiqhuhu, Abu Zahrah] Injustices suffered in the cause of defending the truth, did not
cause Ibn Taymiyyah to be vengeful and bitter, rather he truly forgave his enemies
while he had the opportunity to take revenge. In a letter, sent to Syria soon after his
release, he says,
'...I do not want that anyone should be avenged for my suffering or for leveling false
allegations against me, for I have already forgiven every one of them. I desire the
well-being of every Muslim -- the same as I desire for myself. All those persons who
discredited me or deposed false evidence against me or caused trouble to me are not
the least accountable so far as I am concerned; no responsibility lies upon them on my
score.' [Abu Zahrah, Ibn Taymiyyah: Hayatuh wa Usuruhu wa Arauhu wa Fiqhuhu,
p.62] This was only the first of the many times he was imprisoned and in every case,
he forgave the perpetrators of the injustice against him and was patient with his fate.
One of his opponents, Ibn al-Makhloof, the Maliki judge, said, 'We did not see the
likes of Ibn Taymiyyah; we incited against him but were not able to overpower him,
when he was able to over-power us, he instead pardoned us and pleaded on out
behalf.'His reliance upon Allah caused him to focus upon his goal, and to leave
retribution to Allah from those who unjustly harmed him, as he said, 'Allah is the
Accomplisher of His Promises in secret and in open and He takes revenge from the
party of Shaytaan on behalf of the slaves of Allah. However, His Wisdom necessitates
and it has been His Sunnah with regards to tests and trials that He purifies through it
the people of truth and Eeman from the people of hypocrisy and falsehood. His Book
(the Qur'aan) highlights that every caller to Eeman will surely face trials and for every
person with evil and oppression is punishment. Allah says, 'Do people think that they
will be left alone because they say, 'We believe,' and will not be tested. And We
indeed tested those who were before them. And Allah will certainly make (it) known
(the truth of) those who are true, and will certainly make (it) known (the falsehood of)
those who are liars, (although Allah knows all that before putting them to test). Or
those who do evil deeds think that they can outstrip Us (i.e. escape Our Punishment)?
Evil is that which they judge!' [Soorah al-Ankabut (29): 1-4]' [Majmoo al-Fatawa
(3/212). Quoted from the book, 'Dawah Shaikhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah wa-Athruha fi
al-Harakat al-Islamiyyah al-Mu'asirah' by Salahud-Din Maqbool Ahmad]Ibn
Taymiyyah responded to those who believed they could intimidate him by the loss of
possessions, saying: '… do I have anything to fear about? If I were to be killed, I
would be from the best of the martyrs! And upon me will be mercy and pleasure (of
Allah) on the Day of Judgment! And upon him who kills me will be everlasting curse
in this world and punishment in the Hereafter! And let everyone who believes in Allah
and His Messenger know, that if I were to be killed for the Deen of Allah, and if I
were to be imprisoned then the imprisonment will be a blessing of Allah for me. And
by Allah, I will always thank Allah for his blessing on me for this imprisonment, and I
do not have anything to fear for from the people! Not my feudatory! Not my
institution! Nor my wealth, nor my estate, nor my prestige. Verily the fear is for you,
if what you have from the estate and wealth, and the corruption in your religion from
which you seek the happiness of this world and the Hereafter may be lost.’ [Majmoo
al-Fatawa (3/215-216) Quoted from the book, 'Dawah Shaikhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah
wa-Athruha fi al-Harakat al-Islamiyyah al-Mu'asirah' by Salahud-Din Maqbool
Ahmad]

Allah's Messenger said, 'Those who are afflicted the most among the people are the
Prophets, then the best, then the (next) best. One is afflicted in accordance with (the
strength of) his Deen (faith). If his Deen (faith) is firm, his affliction is hard, and if his
Deen (faith) is weak, his affliction is light. Indeed, one would be so much subjected to
adversity until he walks among the people without any sin.' [(Saheeh) by Shaikh al-
Albanee in Saheeh al-Jamee (993) Musnad Ahmad and at-Tirmidhee]

Encounter with the Tartars196

Encounter with the Tartars:

Narrated Abu Hurayrah (radiallahuanhu), 'The Prophet (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam)

said, 'The Hour will not be established till you fight a nation wearing hairy shoes, and
till you fight the Turks, who will have small eyes, red faces and flat noses; and their
faces will be like flat shields…' [Saheeh al-Bukharee, vol.4, p.508, no.787] This
prophesy came true, and the Muslim nation found itself in battle with the fierce and
barbaric Mongols and Tartars, collectively referred to as Turks. The Tartars committed
great massacres and plundered Baghdad, which was one of the greatest centers of
learning of its time. In the year 699H, when the Tartar ruler, Qazaan, was about to
attack Damascus, Ibn Taymiyyah boldly confronted him while others trembled in his
presence. He reminded Qazaan of the Tartar infringements on the sanctities of the
Muslims and was able to convince him not to attack the city, he said, 'You claim to be
a Muslim. I have been told that you have with you a Qadhi and an Imam, a Shaikh
and a mu'adhdhin; yet, you have deemed it proper to march upon Muslims. Your fore-
fathers were heathens, but they always abstained from breaking the promise once
made by them. They redeemed the pledges they made, but you violate the word of
honor given by you. You trample underfoot your solemn declarations in order to lay a
hand on the servants of Allah!' [Al-Kawakib ud-Durriyah, p. 25, also see, al-Bidayah
wan-Nihayah (14/122-123)] Ibn Taymiyyah's courage impressed Qazaan who left
Damascus unharmed and freed those whom he held captive.Though some of the
Tartar rulers claimed to be Muslims, they had little regard for following the religion of
Islam or for the sanctity of life. Ibn Katheer says, 'during the time of Jahiliyah, the
people used to abide by the misguidance and ignorance that they invented by sheer
opinion and lusts. The Tatar (Mongols) abided by the law that they inherited from
their king Genghis Khan who wrote al-Yasiq, for them. This book contains some
rulings that were derived from various religions, such as Judaism, Christianity and
Islam. Many of these rulings were derived from his own opinion and desires. Later
on, these rulings became the followed law among his children, preferring them to the
Law of the Book of Allah and the Sunnah of His Messenger. Therefore, whoever does
this, he is a disbeliever who deserves to be fought against, until he reverts to Allah's
and His Messenger's decisions, so that no law, minor or major, is referred to except by
His Law.’

In the year, 702H, the Tartars attacked again and this time they found Shaikhul-Islam
in the ranks of the soldiers. Since it was Ramadaan, Ibn Taymiyyah issued a fatawa
for the breaking of the fasts for the soldiers. His presence in the battlefield had a great
influence in defeating the Tartars and conquering Shaqaab, and this was the last ever
battle between the Tartars and Muslims. Shaikhul-Islam says, 'This was a magnificent
victory, the like of which the Muslims had not seen [in that age]: the imposing edifice
of the Tatar kingdom, that had humiliated the people of Islam, was never routed or
defeated the way it was defeated at the gate of Damascus in the great battle [of
Shaqaab] during which Allah showered upon us so many of His Favors that we cannot
enumerate them, neither generally nor specifically.' [Manaqib ash-Sham wa-Ahlih
(Virtues of al-Sham and Its People)]

Victory Lies in Tawheed

Ibn Taymiyyah said, 'They do it (i.e., call upon the dead) at many occasions as a habit
and self-imposed hardship until when an enemy outside of the Muslim Sharee'ah
approached Damascus - they went out invoking the dead near the graves, whom they
anticipated to dispel their hardships and some of the poets said, 'O you, who fear the
Tartars, seek refuge with the grave of Abu Umar.' Or he said, 'Seek refuge with the
grave of Abu Umar, he will relieve you from harms.' I told them, 'These whom you
invoke for help, even if they were with you in fighting, they would be defeated, just
like those who were defeated in the battle of Uhud for, it had been decreed that the
army would loose because of the reasons that lead to the defeat and due to the
Wisdom of Allah in it. Therefore, the people of religion and understanding did not
fight at that time because it was not a legal fighting legislated by Allah and His
Messenger.
And when there results evil and corruption and the absence of the desired type of
victory from the fighting, then there is neither any reward of the world nor of the
Hereafter for the one who knows this. (However) Many of those who deemed that this
was a legislated fighting will be rewarded for their intention.
It was after this that we began ordering the people with sincerity of the Religion for
Allah and invoking Him alone and not invoking a near Angel or a Prophet that was
sent. Allah said on the Day of Badr, 'When you sought aid from your Lord and He
responded to you.' And Allah's Messenger (sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam) used to say on
the Day of Badr, 'O Eternal (Hayy), O Maintainer (Qayyoom), there is none worthy of
worship except You, I invoke you by your Mercy' and in another words, '…rectify my
affair, all of it, and do not leave me to depend upon myself for even the blinking of an
eye, and nor to depend upon anyone from your creation.'
So, when the people's affairs were corrected and they were truthful in their seeking
victory over the enemy from their Lord, then the Tartars were never defeated in such a
matter before that. So when the Tawheed of Allah and obedience to His Messenger is
established, Allah gives victory to His Messenger and the believers in the worldly life
and on the Day when the witnesses wills stand (i.e. the Day of Judgment)…' [Ar-Rad
ala al-Bakri]

Ibn Taymiyyah's Battle against Innovators and Deviant Sects:

Shaikhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah dedicated a lot of effort towards refuting various

innovative sects. He even physically challenged some individuals from the heretical
Sufi sect, known as the Bataa'ihiyyah that indulged in feats like walking over fire to
amaze the common masses. He proposed that he would walk on fire with them on the
condition that they wash themselves first with vinegar and hot water. Their refusal
exposed their folly, and Ibn Taymiyyah thus exposed the charlatans of the
Bataa'ihiyyah sect. [See, Majmoo al-Fatawa (11/456-457) and al-Bidayah wan-
Nihayah (14/36)] He also refuted Muhiyyuddin Ibn Arabi and the heresy of Wahdat
al-Wajood. Ibn Hajr said, '… From the astonishing qualities of this man (i.e. Ibn
Taymiyyah) was that he was the strongest amongst men against the people of
innovation, the Rawaafidah, the Hululiyyah, and the Ittihaadiyyah, and his works on
this are many and famous, and his fatawa on them cannot be counted… It is
obligatory upon the one, who has donned the robe of knowledge and possesses
intelligence that he consider the words of a man based upon his well-known books or
from the tongues of those who are trusted to accurately convey his words - then to
isolate from all of this what is rejected and warn from them with the intention of
giving sincere advice and to praise him for his excellent qualities and for what he was
correct in as is the way of the scholars. If there were no virtues of Shaykh Taqi ad-
Deen except for his famous student Shaykh Shams ad-Deen ibn al-Qayyim al-
Jawziyyah, writer of many works, from which both his opponents and supporters
benefited from then this would be a sufficient indication of his (ibn Taymiyyah's)
great position. And how could it be otherwise when the Shafa'ee Imams and others,
not to speak of the Hanbalees, of his time testified to his prominence in the (Islamic)
sciences…' [From Ibn Hajr's endorsement of 'Radd al-Waafir' contained at the
end]With regards refuting the people of innovation and the danger they pose to the
Muslims Ibn Taymiyyah said, 'When some people asked Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal
that they felt uneasy about criticizing people, he replied, 'If I were to remain silent,
how would the ignorant masses know the truth from falsehood?' Those who introduce
heretical writings which oppose the Qur'aan and the Sunnah and those who innovate
in matters of worship, then it is obligatory that they be exposed and that the Muslims
be warned against them - by unanimous agreement of the Muslims scholars. In fact,
when Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal was asked about a person who fasted, prayed and
secluded himself in the mosque for worship; if he was dearer to him than a person
who spoke out against the innovators? He replied, 'When he fasts and prays and
secludes himself, then he does so for the benefit of his own self. However, when he
speaks out against the innovators, he does so for the benefit of the Muslims in general,
and this is more virtuous.'

So it is clear that openly opposing the innovators is of general benefit to the Muslims
and is considered one of the types of struggles in the path of Allah. Since purifying
the religion of Allah and defending it from their attacks is a collective obligation - as
is agreed upon by the scholars. For, Allah did not raise up some people to oppose the
innovators, then the religion would suffer harm, corruption and deviation. Indeed, this
type of corruption is even greater then the corruption resulting from the disbelievers
conquering the Muslims. Since when the disbelievers conquer the Muslims, they do
not corrupt their hearts, or their religion, except after some time. Whereas, the
innovators corrupt the hearts from the very beginning.' [Majmoo al-Fatawa (28/231-
232) Quoted from al-Istiqamah Magazine]

Ibn Taymiyyah, the Mujtahid:

'The scholars of this period (i.e. During Ibn Taymiyyah's era) left all forms of Ijtihad
and unanimously issued a legal ruling which was intended to close the door of Ijtihad
permanently. They reasoned that all possible issues had already been raised and
addressed, and there was therefore, no need for further Ijtihad. With that step, a new
concept of Madhhab arose, namely that one of the four Madhhabs had to be followed
for one's Islam to be valid. In time, this concept became firmly embedded among the
masses as well as the scholars of Fiqh. Thus, the religion of Islam itself became
restricted within the confines of the four existing Madhhabs; Hanafee, Malikee,
Shafa'ee and Hambalee. These schools of law came to be considered as divinely
ordained manifestations of Islam. All of them were supposed to be completely correct,
equal and representative of true Islam, yet there were innumerable differences among
them. In fact, there were scholars in this period who interpreted some Ahadeeth in
such a way as to prove that the Prophet himself had predicted the appearance of the
Imams and their Madhhabs. Consequently, any attempt to go beyond these canonical
Madhhabs was considered heretical and anyone who refused to follow one of these
Madhhabs was classified as an apostate. The hyper-conservative scholars of this stage
even went so far as to rule that whoever was caught transferring from one Madhhab to
another was liable to punishment at the discretion of the local judge. A ruling was also
made in the Hanafee Madhhab prohibiting the marriage of a Hanafee to a Shafa'ee.
And even the second most important pillar of Islam, Salaat was not spared the effects
of Madhhab fanaticism. The followers of the various Madhhabs began to refuse to
pray behind the Imams from other Madhhabs.' [Evolution of Fiqh by Bilal Philips, pg.
107]'The factors, which led to Taqleed, also caused scholars to confine their creative
activity to merely editing and revising previous works. The Fiqh books of earlier
scholars were condensed and abridgements of them were made. These abridgements
were later shortened in order to make them easy to memorize, and many of them were
actually put to rhyme. This process of condensing continued until the summaries,
which resulted became virtual riddles to the students of the day. The following
generation of scholars began to write explanations of the summaries and poems. Later
scholars wrote commentaries on the explanations and other added footnotes to the
commentaries.' [Evolution of Fiqh by Dr. Bilal Philips, pg. 110]Therefore, in
Shaikhul-Islam's time, a degenerative trend resulted in abandoning all forms of
Ijtihad, and Madhhabs of Fiqh emerged as independent separate entities closely
resembling sects. Though Ibn Taymiyyah studied the Usool (principles) of the
Hambali Fiqh, he did not show prejudice towards a particular Madhhab. He
explained, 'In all my life until this hour, I have never called anyone ever in the
principles of religion to the Hanbali madhhab or any other madhhab, and I do not
support it and I do not mention it in my talk, I don't mention anything except what the
Salaf and the scholars of the Ummah have agreed upon. And I have told them more
than once, I give respite to him who disagreed with me for three years if he brings me
one word from the scholars of the first three generations that contradicts what I have
said then I will accept it. What I mention I quote from the first three generations
word-for-word and I quote their renowned Ijma.' [Majmoo al-Fatawa (3/229). Quoted
from the book, 'Dawah Shaikhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah wa-Athruha fi al-Harakat al-
Islamiyyah al-Mu'asirah' by Salahud-din Maqbool Ahmad]

Ibn Taymiyyah called for a return to the original state of affairs whereby the common
people took the knowledge of the Deen without prejudice towards individuals of a
specific Madhhab. He said, 'If what was destined befalls a Muslim, then he should
seek a verdict from someone whom he believes that he will reply according to the
Sharee'ah of Allah and His Messenger from whichever Madhhab he may be, and it is
not obligatory upon any Muslim to make Taqleed of (blindly-follow) one specific
person from the scholars in everything he says, and it is not required from any Muslim
to adhere to the madhhab of one specific person in everything that he necessitates and
informs about. Rather, every person's word is taken and left except Allah's Messenger
(sallallahu alaihe wa-sallam). One's following a specific madhhab due to the excuse of
his inability to know the Sharee'ah except through it (i.e., the person), then such is
permissible for him. It is not from what is required from every person, even if he is
able to know the Sharee'ah through a different path, rather every person should fear
Allah in accordance with his ability, and seek knowledge of what Allah and His
Messenger has commanded, so he carries out the prescribed and leaves the forbidden.'
[Majmoo al-Fatawa (vol. 20)]

Ibn Taymiyyah’s Writings196

The books of Shaikhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah cover varied fields of learning. They are
an invaluable source of knowledge because of the strength of argument in them in
conveying the beliefs, explaining the principles and defending the way of the pious
predecessors. Ibn Taymiyyah's comprehensive knowledge of the different opinions of
various sects and scholars, and his enumerating of proofs from the Qur'aan and the
Sunnah and the sayings of the Salaf as-Salih qualify his books to be highly
authoritative works. And despite the fact that a proportion of his writings have
perished, we find a great number of his writings still in existence. Some of his works
are: Dar Ta'aarud al-'Aql wa an-Naql (Repulsion of the conflict of intellect and the
text - a reply on the people of Kalaam) al-lstiqaamah Iqtidaa' as-Siraat al-Mustaqeem
Li Mukhaalafah As-haab al-Jaheem Naqd Maraatib al-ljmaa' as-Saarim al-Maslool
'alaa Shaatim ar-Rasool al-Jawaab as-Saheeh li man baddala Deen al-Maseeh (an
answer to the criticism against Islaam by the Christians). ar-Raad 'alaa al-
Mantiqiyyeen (a refutation of the philosopher). ar-Raad 'alaa al-'Akhnan'ee Minhaaj
as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah (a refutation of Shiite beliefs written in response to Minhaj
al-Karanmah of Ibn al-Mutahhir al-Hillee). Ziyarah al-Quboor (a criticism of saint-
workshop, intercession, superstitious beliefs). an-Nuboowaat There are so many other
works that have been included in Majmoo al-Fataawa, which is a compilation of his
writings and verdicts put together by Ibn Qaasim and his son. These include: Qaa'idah
fee Tawheed al-Uloohiyyah al-Waasitah bayna al-Haqq wa al-Khalq Qaa'idah Jaleelah
fee at-Tawassul wa al-Waseelah ar-Radd al-Aqwan 'alaa maa fee Fusoos al-Hikam ar-
Risaalah at-Tadmuriyyah al-'Aqeedah al-Waasitiyyah al-Wasiyyah al-Kubraa al-
Hamawiyyah al-Kubraa Sharh Hadeeth an-Nuzool Kitaab al-Eemaan Amraad al-
Quloob wa Shifaa' uhaa al-'Uboodiyyah al-Wasiyyah as-Sughraa al-Furqaan bayna
Awliyaa' ar-Rahmaan wa Awliyaa' ash-Shaytaan al-Furqaan bayna al-Haqq wa al-
Baatil Muqaddimah fee Usool at-Tafseer Tafseer Soorah al-Ikhlaas Raf' al-Malaam 'an
al-A'immah al-A'laam al-Hisbah al-Amr bi al-Ma'roof wa an-Nahy 'an al-Munkar
Kitaab as-Siyaasah ash-Shar'iyyah (deals with political theory and government in
Islaam). al-Madhaalim al-Mushtarakah. Ibn Taymiyyah's Books Translated to English
1. Sharah Al-Aqeedat il-Wasitiyah. Commentary by Dr. Muhammed Khalil Harras.
Published by Darussalaam Publications. 2. Kitaab al-Iman (Book of Faith) -
Translated by Salman Hassan al-Ani and Shadia Ahmed Tel, Iman Publishng House,
Indiana. 3. Ibn Taymeeyah's Essay on the Jinn by Dr. Bilal Philips. (IIPH) 4. The
Right Way. (A summarized translation of Iqtidaa As-Siraat al-Mustaqeem) by
Darussalaam 5. Ibn Taymiyyah's Essay on Servitude (Al-Hidaayah Publications) 6.
Prayer Behind the Innovators - Questions and Answers from the Fatwas of Ibn
Taymiyyah. 7. Shaykh Muhammad Salih al-'Uthaymin's Notes on al-'Aqidah al-
Wasitiyah. Translated by Shakiel Humayun (PAD Publications) 8. The Criterion
between the allies of the Merciful and the allies of the devil (Idara Ihya us-Sunnah) 9.
Enjoining Good and Forbidding Evil (Al- Firdous Publishing) 10. Diseases of the
Hearts and Their Cures (Compiled from the Fatwawa of Ibn Taymiyah) Al-Hidaayah
Publications 11. Kitaab al-Wasilah by sheikh ul-islam ibn taimeeyah (translated under
the guidance of Allama Ehsan Ilaahi Zaheer) Idarah Tarjuman as-Sunnah 12. Al-
Kalim al-Tayyib (The Goodly Word) By Ibn Taymiyah (translation of Authentic
Duaa) 13. Al-'Ubudiyyah: Being a True Slave to Allah : Ibn Taymiyyah (Translated by
Nasiruddin al-Khattab) Taha Publishers 14. Answering Those Who Altered The
Religion of Jesus. (abridged version published by Umm Al-Qura, Al-Mansura, Egypt)
15. Fatwas of Muslim Women By Ibn Taymyah [Dar Al-Manarah, egypt] 16. The
Nature of Fasting By Ibn Taymiyyah, Shaikhul-Islam [Darussalam Publications] 17.
Ibn Taymiyyah's Letters from Prison by Muhammad al-Abdah (published by Message
of Islam) 18. Introduction to the Principles of Tafseer. Translated by Muhammad
Abdul Haq Ansari. Al-Hidaayah Publishing & Distribution

Death and Funeral:

Ibn Taymiyyah passed away while in prison in the year 728H. His funeral was one of
the rare funerals like that of Imam Ahmed Ibn Hambal, who used to say, 'Say to the
people of bidah, 'Between us and between you are the funerals.’
Al-Bazzar says, 'Once the people had heard of his death, not a single person in
Damascus who was able to attend the prayer and wanted to, remained until he
appeared and took time out for it. As a result, the markets in Damascus were closed
and all transactions of livelihood were stopped. Governors, heads, scholars, jurists
came out. They say that none of the majority of the people failed to turn up, according
to my knowledge - except three individuals; they were well known for their enmity
for Ibn Taymiyyah and thus, hid away from the people out of fear for their lives.' [Al-
A'lam al-'Aliyyah, p.82-83]

His Legacy Lives on: Impacts of Ibn Taymiyyah's Dawah on reformation in Arabia
and India196
His Legacy Lives on:

Ibn Taymiyyah's efforts and reformist endeavors energized the call towards returning
to the pure religion, and the impact of his Dawah were seen much beyond Egypt and
Syria, where he resided. After his death, the value and appreciation of his writings
grew, while his opponents sank into oblivion. Ibn Taymiyyah's legacy lives on in the
Dawah of the scholars, movements and institutions that forward the call to Tawheed
and Ittiba. They benefited greatly from Shaikhul-Islam's works and appreciated his
wisdom and strong comprehension of the religion. The essence of Ibn Taymiyyah's
Dawah can be seen in these scholars or institutions, in that they …1. Give priority to
establishing the pure worship of Allah, and warn against all manifestations of Shirk.2.
They promote the correct understanding of the Deen and clarify the doubts and
distortions of the innovative sects.3. They appreciate and refer to the teachings of all
the scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah but refrain from bigoted partisanship towards particular
individuals thus opposing the destructive blind-following. 4. They call for the
practical implementation of Islamic teachings whether in one's personal behavior, in
transactions or in the society, and in taking Allah's Legislation to be the most
supreme.The most notable impact of Ibn Taymiyyah's teachings in the modern era can
be seen by the effect on the most prominent reformer of the eighteenth century,
Shaikh Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab (rahimahullah). He raised the banner of
Tawheed in the Arabian Peninsula at a time when practices like veneration and
invoking graves, trees and stones for help, making vows to them and believing that
they can harm or benefit were rampant. Arabia was seen largely as lawless and
plunged in anarchy. The efforts of Shaikh Muhammad Ibn Abdul Wahhab's dawah
eradicated all the open forms of Shirk including the many tombs that had become
places of worship for other than Allah. It made Qur'aan and Sunnah to be the law of
the land. It became a stepping-stone for the Dawah of Tawheed to spread to places far
and wide like Sudan, Indonesia and most notably to India. Like other parts of the
Islamic world, during the sixteenth century, India too was plagued by various heretical
groups that spread deviant practices amongst the people like saint worship, grave
worship, innovations in worship, exaggeration in the status of the Ahlul-Bayt and the
righteous, superstitions and sorcery. In addition to this, the people were away from the
actual sources of Islam the Qur'aan and the Sunnah. The curriculum that was used in
Islamic institutions included over 40 books on subjects like, logic and philosophy that
had little to do with the actual religion. The study of Tafseer was limited to the
starting two and half portions of the Qur'aan, and al-Mishkaat was the only book used
to study hadeeth and that too, just for blessing and not for knowledge. It was well
accepted amongst the scholars that the conclusions of the Madhhabs of Fiqh took
precedence over the hadeeth. As the biography of many scholars shows, their contact
with students of Sheikh Muhammad ibn Abdul Wahhab during Hajj and Umrah, was a
reason for their change in perspective and attitude towards the Hadeeth. Shah
Waliullah Muhaddith Dehelvi (1703-62) was from the first and most prominent
scholars who believed in the permissibility of Ijtihad when necessary and encouraged
the study of Hadeeth. He recognized the dangers and divisions caused by blind-
adherence to Madhhabs and called for greater understanding and openness between
the Madhhabs. He emphasized monotheism and called upon the deviation of Sufism
to be kept in bounds - though he did not shun Sufism entirely.Shah Waliullah's
successors continues with his reformation ideas, until his grandson Shah Ismael
Shaheed, openly called towards the way of the Salafus-Saleh and overtly called to
Tawheed, rejected Shirk (as seen in his book, 'Taqwiyatul-Eeman') and vehemently
opposed the fanatic blind-following of Madhhabs that results in giving the ruling of a
Madhhab authority over the Qur'aan and the Sunnah. Shah Ismaeel strengthened the
dawah that calls towards a return to the way of the Salaf and the revival of the study
of Tafseer and Hadeeth. As a result, the study of Hadeeth flourished and the
subsequent generation of Indian scholars contributed greatly to the science of Hadeeth
by authoring books on the explanation of hadeeth and publishing Hadeeth
compilations that were only found as manuscripts.

Amongst the most prominent Ahlul-Hadeeth scholars in India were Shaikh ul-Qul
Mia Syed Nazeer Hussain Dehelwi (1320H) - He taught hadeeth for over 60 years and
anyone related to the study of hadeeth in the India subcontinent was either his student
or the student of his students - Nawaab Siddiq Hassan Khan Kanoojee (1307H),
Imamul-Mufassireen Abul-Wafaa Thanaaullaah Amritsari (1367H), Abdullaah
Rauparee (1384H), Moulana Muhammad Junaghadi (1360H), Ubaidullah
Mubarakpuri, Abdur Rahman Mubarakpuri (1353H) the author of Tuhfatul Ahwazee
the explanation of Sunan At-Tirmidhee, Shams ul-Haqq Azeemabadi - (author of Aun
al-Mabood, the explanation of Sunan Abu Dawood), Muhammad Hussain Batalwee,
Abdul-Azeez Rahimabadi (1320H), Moulana Ismaeel Salafi, Allama Muhammed
Daood Ghaznawi, Moulana Muhammad Dawood Raaz, Shaikh Badee ud-Deen Shah
Sindhi, Shaikh Muhammad Saadiq Sialkoti, Allama Ehsan Ilaahi Zaheer, and many
others.

A Word of Caution196

A Word of Caution:

Many reform movements and thinkers were influenced by Shaikhul-Islam Ibn

Taymiyyah, and they praised and openly expressed appreciation for his works. Many
have in some ways attributed their understanding or the basis of their movement to the
reformation ideas set forth by Ibn Taymiyyah. Yet, they cannot truly claim to be on
the way of Shaikhul-Islam because even though, these movements/thinkers find
common cause with Shaikhul-Islam in some aspects of his life and ways, they differ
with him in his fundamental approach.The focus of Ibn Taymiyyah's Dawah and
efforts was towards the establishment of Tawheed and negation of worship to other
than Allah. While he wrote extensively on a large array of subjects, all of this was
secondary to establishing the worship of Allah. Therefore, political movements of
today that make the establishment of their version of 'Islamic state' as the primary
goal, while they consider the call to establishing the pure worship of Allah as an
hindrance can never claim affiliation to the way of Ibn Taymiyyah.Ibn Taymiyyah did
call for openness in reviewing the positions of the Madhhahib and on the validity of
resorting to Ijtihad where needed. This was so that blind-following of madhhabs
would not be an obstacle in returning back to the original state of affairs and
following that which is closest to the proofs. His Dawah strives to refer back to the
understanding of the Salaf, the guided Muslims at a time when Islam was free of
deviations and innovations. If a new age thinker finds common cause with Ibn
Taymiyyah in his opposition to the blind-prejudice towards Madhhabs, but then
wishes to replace this with something worst like his own interpretations or modernist
ideas or the like; then he cannot claim affiliation to the way of Shaikhul-Islam Ibn
Taymiyyah whose fundamental call was returning back to the understanding of the
Salaf.Likewise, Shaikhul-Islam followed the way of the Salaf in his approach to the
Muslim rulers even if they were sinful. When the Tartars attacked Shaam (Syria and
neighboring areas), Ibn Taymiyyah called upon the rulers of his time and the Muslims
in general to rise to the occasion and fight them. Even though the Tartars outwardly
professed the shahadah, Ibn Taymiyyah considered them disbelievers because of their
complete adherence to the laws of Genghis Khan al-Yasiq, and absolute disregard for
both the Islamic Sharee'ah and the sanctity of life.

If someone today draws parallels between the Tartars and some Muslim rulers these
days without taking into account the various factors and conditions and does actions
that cause corruption in the land and shedding of blood then such a person acts
contrary to the teachings of Shaikhul-Islam and cannot attribute his way to the way of
Ibn Taymiyyah.

Shaikhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah rose the flag of belief and understanding of Ahlus-
Sunnah in his lifetime, in an era when innovation, misguidance, and corruption was
widespread and had the upper hand. His courage in face of adversity, his standing up
for the truth, his patience under trial and his positive outlook to the end has a lot of
lessons in it for every student of knowledge and caller to the way of Allah. May Allah
increase the rewards of Shaikhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and enter him into Jannah al-
Firdaus and may He cause those who came after him to benefit from his knowledge.
Ameen

Taken from As-Sunnah Newsletter - http://www.qsep.com