|
Ibn Taymiya () (January 22, 1263 - 1328), was an 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 Pietist 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 is also a primary intellectual source of the Wahhabi movement. Full name Taqī ad-Dīn Abu 'Abbās Ahmad bin 'Abd as-Salām bin 'Abd Allāh Ibn Taymiyyah 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, the Hadith (sayings attributed to the Prophet Muhammad), dogmatic theology (kalam), philosophy, and Sufism. Persecutions Because of 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. As early as 1293 Ibn Taymiya came into conflict with local authorities for protesting a religious ruling against a Christian accused of having insulted the Prophet. In 1298 he was accused of anthropomorphism and for having questioned the legitimacy of dogmatic theology (kalam). He led the resistance of the Mongol invasion of Damascus in 1300, and denounced the Islamic faith of the Muslim invaders, which would prove to be a controversial decision for later scholars. 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, which taught that the Creator and the created were one, a school that grew out of the teaching of Ibn 'Arabi (d. 1240), whose views he denounced as heretical. 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) for having denounced popular worship at the tombs of saints. 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. 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. It is reported that thousands of people attended his burial and his tomb is much venerated today. Views Ibn Taymiya was known for his prodigious memory and encyclopedic knowledge. Aqeeda 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. He strove to: Ibn Taymiya believed that the first three generations of Islam -- Muhammad and his Companions, and the children and grandchildren of the first Muslims -- were the best role models for Islamic life. Their example, together with the Qur'an, constituted a seemingly infallible guide to life. Any deviation from their practice was viewed as innovation, and to be forbidden. Quranic 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 God's hand, foot, shin, and face as being literally true -- even though he insisted that God's "hand" was nothing comparable to hands found in creation. Some of his Islamic critics contend that this violates the Islamic concept of tawhid, divine unity. Shrines 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). Sufism Ibn Taymiya was a stern critic of antinomian interpretations of Islamic mysticism (Sufism). He believed that Islamic law applied to ordinary Muslim and mystic alike. Most scholars 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 Allaah. 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." Quote He is known for this saying: 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: Contemporary movements An 18th century Arabian cleric named Muhammad ibn Abd al Wahhab studied the works of Ibn Taymiya and aimed to revive his teachings. Abd Al-Wahhab acquired a large following. Ibn Taymiya's works became the basis of the contemporary Wahhabi school of thought, which is the dominant form of Islam in Saudi Arabia. The Islamist thinker Sayyid Qutb also used Ibn Taymiyyah's writings to justify rebellion against a Muslim ruler and society (see below: Sivan; Kepel). Ibn Taymiya is now revered as an intellectual and spiritual exemplar by many Salafis. Students and intellectual heirs 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 Prophet 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. Bibliography See also Academic links Pro-Salafi links Criticism His views on Sufism | |||||||
|
| ||||||||
 |
|
| |