Ibn Taymiyyah’s Funeral
May 30, 2018 § Leave a comment
Al-Haafidh Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali said about Shaikhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah’s death, “And the funeral prayer in absentia was performed over him in most of the Muslim lands, both near and far, even up to Yemen and China. And travellers related that the call for his funeral prayer was hailed in the remotest corners of China on the day of Jumu’ah [proclaiming]: ‘The funeral prayer for the Interpreter of the Quraan!’”
Dhail Tabaqaat al-Hanaabilah, vol. 2, p. 407.
Happiness
September 18, 2016 § Leave a comment
The Shaikh of Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “A person’s happiness lies in doing what he has been ordered, refraining from what he has been forbidden and submitting to what has been decreed.”
Al-Fataawa, vol. 8, p. 453.
Ibn Taymiyyah on, “Thee (alone) we worship and Thee (alone) we ask for help.”
December 5, 2015 § Leave a comment
The Shaikh of Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, said, “Because worship and tawakkul encompass the religion in its entirety, and that is why one of the Salaf said, ‘Indeed Allaah brought [all] the revealed Books together in the Quraan, and He combined the knowledge of the Quraan in the mufassal Surahs, and He gathered the knowledge of the mufassal Surahs in al-Faatihah, and He combined the knowledge of al-Faatihah in His Saying, ‘Thee (alone) we worship and Thee (alone) we ask for help.’’”
At-Tuhfah al-’Iraaqiyyah, p. 315.
The Verses of Tranquillity—Ibn Taymiyyah Asking for Them to be Recited When He was Sick and Attacked by Devils
December 4, 2015 § Leave a comment
Ibn al-Qayyim said, “And Allaah has mentioned tranquility in six places in His Book:
وَقَالَ لَهُمۡ نَبِيُّهُمۡ إِنَّ ءَايَةَ مُلۡكِهِۦٓ أَن يَأۡتِيَكُمُ ٱلتَّابُوتُ فِيهِ سَكِينَةٞ مِّن رَّبِّكُمۡ وَبَقِيَّةٞ مِّمَّا تَرَكَ ءَالُ مُوسَىٰ وَءَالُ هَٰرُونَ تَحۡمِلُهُ ٱلۡمَلَٰٓئِكَةُۚ إِنَّ فِي ذَٰلِكَ لَأٓيَةٗ لَّكُمۡ إِن كُنتُم مُّؤۡمِنِينَ
1) “And their Prophet said to them, ‘Indeed, a sign of his kingship is that the chest will come to you in which is assurance [sakinah] from your Lord and a remnant of what the family of Moses and the family of Aaron had left, carried by the angels. Indeed in that is a sign for you, if you are believers.’” [2:248]
ثُمَّ أَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُۥ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِۦ وَعَلَى ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَأَنزَلَ جُنُودٗا لَّمۡ تَرَوۡهَا وَعَذَّبَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْۚ وَذَٰلِكَ جَزَآءُ ٱلۡكَٰفِرِينَ
2) “Then Allaah sent down His tranquillity upon His Messenger and upon the believers and sent down hosts whom you did not see and punished those who disbelieved. And that is the recompense of the disbelievers.” [9:26]
إِلَّا تَنصُرُوهُ فَقَدۡ نَصَرَهُ ٱللَّهُ إِذۡ أَخۡرَجَهُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ ثَانِيَ ٱثۡنَيۡنِ إِذۡ هُمَا فِي ٱلۡغَارِ إِذۡ يَقُولُ لِصَٰحِبِهِۦ لَا تَحۡزَنۡ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ مَعَنَاۖ فَأَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُۥ عَلَيۡهِ وَأَيَّدَهُۥ بِجُنُودٖ لَّمۡ تَرَوۡهَا وَجَعَلَ كَلِمَةَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ ٱلسُّفۡلَىٰۗ وَكَلِمَةُ ٱللَّهِ هِيَ ٱلۡعُلۡيَاۗ وَٱللَّهُ عَزِيزٌ حَكِيمٌ
3) “If you do not aid the Prophet—Allaah has already aided him when those who disbelieved had driven him out [of Makkah] as one of two, when they were in the cave and he said to his companion, ‘Do not grieve, indeed Allaah is with us.’ And Allaah sent down his tranquillity upon him and supported him with angels you did not see and made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of Allaah—that is the highest. And Allaah is Mighty, Wise.” [9:40]
هُوَ ٱلَّذِيٓ أَنزَلَ ٱلسَّكِينَةَ فِي قُلُوبِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ لِيَزۡدَادُوٓاْ إِيمَٰنٗا مَّعَ إِيمَٰنِهِمۡۗ وَلِلَّهِ جُنُودُ ٱلسَّمَٰوَٰتِ وَٱلۡأَرۡضِۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ عَلِيمًا حَكِيمٗا
4) “It is He who sent down tranquillity into the hearts of the believers that they would increase in faith along with their [present] faith. And to Allaah belong the hosts of the heavens and the earth, and ever is Allah Knowing and Wise.” [48:4]
لَّقَدۡ رَضِيَ ٱللَّهُ عَنِ ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ إِذۡ يُبَايِعُونَكَ تَحۡتَ ٱلشَّجَرَةِ فَعَلِمَ مَا فِي قُلُوبِهِمۡ فَأَنزَلَ ٱلسَّكِينَةَ عَلَيۡهِمۡ وَأَثَٰبَهُمۡ فَتۡحٗا قَرِيبٗا
5) “Certainly was Allaah pleased with the believers when they pledged allegiance to you, [O Muhammad], under the tree, and He knew what was in their hearts, so He sent down tranquillity upon them and rewarded them with a near victory.” [48:18]
إِذۡ جَعَلَ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ فِي قُلُوبِهِمُ ٱلۡحَمِيَّةَ حَمِيَّةَ ٱلۡجَٰهِلِيَّةِ فَأَنزَلَ ٱللَّهُ سَكِينَتَهُۥ عَلَىٰ رَسُولِهِۦ وَعَلَى ٱلۡمُؤۡمِنِينَ وَأَلۡزَمَهُمۡ كَلِمَةَ ٱلتَّقۡوَىٰ وَكَانُوٓاْ أَحَقَّ بِهَا وَأَهۡلَهَاۚ وَكَانَ ٱللَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيۡءٍ عَلِيمٗا
6) “When those who disbelieved had put into their hearts chauvinism, the chauvinism of the time of ignorance. But Allaah sent down His tranquillity upon His Messenger and upon the believers and imposed upon them the word of righteousness, and they were more deserving of it and worthy of it. And ever is Allaah, of all things, Knowing.” [48:26]
And when things would become severe against the Shaikh of Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah have mercy on him, he would recite the Verses of Tranquillity [listed above].
And during a formidable calamity which he faced when he was sick and which [was so severe that both] intellects and [a person’s] strength are unable to bear it—and which saw him battling Satanic spirits which appeared before him at that time of being in a state of weakened strength—he said, ‘And so when the situation become most severe against me I said to my relatives and those around me, ‘Recite the Verses of Tranquillity,’ and thus did that state cease and I sat up having no ailment.’
And I [i.e., Ibn al-Qayyim] too have tried reciting these verses during times when the heart is uneasy/disturbed/agitated due to what it faces, and I saw them to have a tremendous effect in bringing it tranquillity and repose.”
Madaarijus-Saalikeen, vol. 3, pp. 391-392, verses quoted in part in the book, quoted in full here in the article.
He Memorised the Quraan in Six Months and then Helped Produce the Fataawa of Ibn Taymiyyah
November 24, 2015 § Leave a comment
Shaikh Muhammad bin Qaasim, may Allaah have mercy on him, said that when, at a young age, he wanted to help his father, Shaikh ’Abdur-Rahmaan bin Qaasim رحمه الله collect and arrange the fatwaas and writings of Shaikhul-Islaam Ibn Taimiyyah, his father made it a condition that in order for him to be allowed to help he must firstly memorise the Quraan, he said, “So I finished memorising the entire Quraan in six months and then began helping him produce this formidable collection.” [In the end it came to 37 volumes].
Warathatul-Anbiyaa, p. 14.
When the Act of Supplicating Becomes More Precious than the Actual Need You Were Supplicating For
September 13, 2015 § Leave a comment
The Shaikh of Islaam, Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah grant him a place in Firdous, said, “… and its equivalent in this world is like someone who is facing a most severe calamity, or acute poverty or disquieting fear and so starts to supplicate to Allaah and implore Him humbly until Allaah then bestows upon him such pleasure in conversing with Him that it becomes more beloved to him than the original need he had been supplicating for—but he could not have known that initially so as to seek and yearn for it.”
Al-Fataawaa, vol. 1, p. 28.
“Many People Have the Same Extremism Towards Their Shaikhs that the Shee’ah Have Towards Their Imaams.”
November 16, 2014 § Leave a comment
The Shaikh of Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah said, “And many people have the same extremism towards their Shaikhs that the Shee’ah have towards their Imaams.”
Minhaaj as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah, vol. 6, p. 430.
Ibn Taymiyyah on Blind-Following, Compelling and Forcing People to Follow the Opinion of an Imaam and to Show Loyalty and Enmity Based Upon It
February 18, 2014 § Leave a comment
The Shaikh of Islaam, the Remnant of the Salaf, Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “… and for this reason one of the distinguishing marks of the people of innovation is to make up a statement or action and then compel the people to take it up and force them to adopt it, and to show loyalty based upon it and enmity for leaving it.
Just as the Khawaarij innovated their opinion and compelled the people to follow it and showed loyalty and enmity based upon it.
And the Raafidah innovated their opinion and compelled the people to follow it and showed loyalty and enmity based upon it.
And the Jahmiyyah innovated their opinion and compelled the people to follow it and showed loyalty and enmity based upon it …
So whoever punishes [someone] for doing an act or leaving it without an order from Allaah or His Messenger and legislates that as part of religion then he has set up a peer to Allaah and has set up an equal to the Messenger just like the polytheists who set up partners with Allaah, or like the apostates who believed in Musailamah the Liar, and he is from those about whom it was said, “Or have they partners with Allaah, who have instituted for them a religion which Allaah has not allowed?” [Shuraa 42:21]
And for this reason the Imaams of Ahlus-Sunnah wal-Jamaa’ah would not compel the people with what they would say in issues of ijtihaad, and they would not force a single person.
And for this reason when Haaroon ar-Rasheed consulted [Imaam] Maalik ibn Anas about making the people follow his [book] Al-Muwatta, he said to him, ‘Don’t do that, O Chief of the Believers, for verily the Companions of Allaah’s Messenger ﷺ have spread out throughout the lands, and each nation [to which they went] has taken from those [Companions] who were among it, and I have only collected the knowledge of the people of my land,’ or words to that effect, and he also said, ‘I am only a man, I am correct and make mistakes, so refer my statements back to the Book and the Sunnah.’
And Imaam Ahmad said, ‘It does not befit a faqeeh that he forces the people to follow his madhhab or that he insists on them [complying],’ and he said, ‘Don’t blindly-follow any men concerning your religion, for indeed they will not be safe from making a mistake.’
So if these are their statements about the fundamentals [usool] of knowledge and subsidiary issues [furoo’] of the religion, [i.e.,] that they do not permit forcing the people to follow their madhhabs even though they deduced the [rulings of their] madhhabs with legislated proofs—then what is the case about compelling people and forcing statements upon them which are not found in the Book of Allaah, or a hadith from Allaah’s Messenger ﷺ, and nor have they been transmitted from the Companions or the Taabi’een, and nor from a single one of the Imaams of the Muslims?”
Al-Fataawaa al-Kubraa, vol. 6, p. 340, summarised.
Shaikh Bakr Abu Zaid on Extreme Blind Following: Obeying Everything that is Said Without Asking for Proof for Both What Is Said or the Fatwas Issued
January 31, 2014 § Leave a comment
The great scholar of Saudi Arabia, Shaikh Bakr Abu Zaid, may Allaah have mercy on him said, “The Shaikh of Islaam, Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah have mercy on him said, “Whoever props up a person—whoever that person may be—and then bases his loyalty and enmity upon what that person says or does, then he is from those, “who split up their religion and became sects.” [Room 30:32]
And this is the condition of many of the jamaa’ahs and Islamic sects today where they appoint people as their leaders and show loyalty to those leader’s allies and enmity to their enemies and obey them in every fatwa they give them without referring back to the Book and the Sunnah and without asking them for their proofs for what they say or the fatwas they give.”
Hukmul-Intimaa ilaa al-Firaq wal-Ahzaab wal-Jamaa’aat al-Islaamiyyah, pp. 104-105.
Ibn Taymiyyah in Prison
December 11, 2013 § Leave a comment
The student of Ibn Taymiyyah, Imaam Ibn ’Abdul-Haadi, said, “He is the Shaikh, the Rabbaani Imaam, the Imaam of the Imaams, the Mufti of the Ummah, the Scholar of Multiple Fields of Knowledge, the Chief of the Memorisers, the Peerless [Scholar] of His Time, the Master of His Era, the Shaikh of Islaam, the Blessing of Mankind, the Sign of the Time, the Explainer of the Quraan, the Chief of the Ascetics, the Matchless Worshipper, the Subduer of Innovations, the Last of the Mujtahids—Taqiyud-Deen Abul-’Abbaas Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah, ‘He finished reciting the Quraan eighty or eighty one times during the time he was in prison … everyday he would recite three Juzz, finishing [the Quraan] every ten days, thus did his brother Zainud-Deen inform me.’”
Al-’Uqood ad-Durriyah min Manaaqib Shaikhil-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, pp. 3 and 290.
Umm Faatimah Zainab: Teacher of Ibn Kathir’s Mother-In-Law and His Wife, and the One Whose Questions Ibn Taymiyyah Would Prepare For
February 22, 2013 § Leave a comment
The great explainer of the Quraan, Imaam Ibn Kathir, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “And on the Day of ’Arafah did pass away the Shaikhah, the righteous one, the worshipper, the pious one: Umm Zainab Faatimah the daughter of ’Abbaas ibn Abil-Fath ibn Muhammad al-Baghdaadiyyah on the outskirts of Cairo, a huge number of people attended her funeral, and she was from the virtuous scholars, enjoining the good and forbidding the evil and standing against the Ahmadiyyah [a Sufi sect] and their association with women and boys, and she would refute their condition and the foundations of the people of innovations and others, and of that she would do what men were not able to.
And she used to attend the gatherings of the Shaikh [of Islaam] Taqiyuddin Ibn Taimiyyah and benefitted from him and others, and I heard Shaikh Taqiyuddin [i.e., Ibn Taymiyyah] praise her and describe her as having nobility and knowledge and he mentioned that she was able to recall [i.e., had memorised] much or most of Al-Mughni and that he [i.e., the Shaikh of Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah himself] would prepare for her due to the numerous matters [that she would discuss] and the excellent nature of her questions and the speed of her understanding, and she was the one who caused many women to finish memorising the Quraan, from them was my mother-in-law ’Aaishah bint Siddeeq the wife of the Shaikh Jamaalud-Deen al-Mizzee, and she is the one who taught her daughter, my wife, Amatur-Raheem Zainab, how to recite the Quraan, may Allaah have mercy on them all and be bountiful to them with His Mercy and His Paradise, Aameen.”
And As-Safadi said, “Faatimah the Daughter of ’Abbaas ibn Abil-Fath: the Shaikhah, the Female Scholar Capable of Giving Religious Verdicts [Muftiyyah], the Scholar of Fiqh [al-Faqeehah], the One Who Abstained from the Dunya [az-Zaahidah], the [Devoted] Worshipper [al-’Aabidah], Umm Zainab al-Baghdaadiyyah, al-Hanbaliyyah, the Admonisher.
She would ascend the minbar and exhort the women, and thus would they return [to righteousness] due to her admonition and leave off evil, groups of women benefitted from her exhortations and, after having been hard, their hearts softened towards obedience … and Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah have mercy on him, would be amazed at her actions and would praise her intelligence, her devoutness [khushoo] and her crying.
More than one person related to me that Shaikh Taqiyuddin Ibn Taymiyyah said, ‘I remained concerned about an issue related to her for she ascends the minbar [to exhort the women] and I wanted to prevent her, so I fell asleep one night and I saw the Prophet صلى الله عليه وسلم in a dream and so I asked him about her, and he replied, ‘A righteous woman,’ or he said something similar …’
And she, may Allaah the Most High have mercy on her, passed away on the Day of ’Arafah in the year 714 ah [1314ce].”
Al-Bidaayah wan-Nihaayah of Ibn Kathir, vol. 14, p. 82 and A’yaanul-Asr wa A’waanun-Nasr of as-Safadi, vol. 4, p. 28.
Ibn Taymiyyah on How to Acquire Knowledge
September 7, 2012 § Leave a comment
The Shaikh of Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah have mercy on him, said, “Purifying the soul, acting upon knowledge, and fearing Allaah have a tremendous effect on obtaining knowledge.”
Mowqif Ibn Taymiyyah minas-Soofiyyah, vol. 1, p. 357.
What at-Tilimsaani Said on His Deathbed
September 6, 2012 § 1 Comment
Talking about the Sufi at-Tilimsaani who was referred to in this post, the Shaikh of Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah have mercy on him, said:
“As for the open/wicked sinner [faajir] at-Tilimsaani, he is the filthiest of the people and the deepest of them in disbelief [kufr] …”
“A trustworthy person told me that the faajir at-Tilimsaani used to say, ‘All of the Quraan is shirk, there is no tawhid in it—tawhid is only found in what we say.’”
“And likewise one of our companions told me from someone I know who has a connection with these people that at the time of his death, the faajir at-Tilimsaani changed and became confused/perturbed. [The person relating what happened] said, ‘I entered [the place where he was] when he was dying and found that he was moaning/wailing, so I said to him, ‘What are you wailing over?’ So he said, ‘The fear of time elapsing [without having done what one should have].’ So I said, ‘Subhaanallaah! And do people like you fear time elapsing [without having done what you should have] when you make the faqir enter seclusion and then make him reach Allaah in three days?’ So he said words to the effect:
‘All of that has vanished. I have not found any of that to be real.’”
Majmoo’atur-Rasaa’il of Ibn Taymiyyah, vol. 1, p. 11, vol. 4, p. 45 and vol. 4, p. 91.
The Sufi Abdullaah at-Tilimsaani and the Most Vile Things He Said About Allaah
September 3, 2012 § 2 Comments
Sulaimaan bin Ali bin Abdullah at-Tilimsaani d. 690AH. He is highly revered among Sufis. The Shaikh of Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah said about him, “He used to make all forbidden things lawful. To such an extent that some of the reliable people reported that he said:
‘The daughter, the mother, all (foreign) women – all of them are one and the same – there is nothing forbidden in that for us. It is only the ones who are veiled that say that that is haraam. So we in reply say to them: ‘It is haraam for you (not us).'”
Majmoo’atur-Rasaa’il , 1/184.
This Sufi at-Tilimsaani once passed by a mangy, scabby dead dog on the street whilst he was talking to his companion about Wahdatul-Wujood [the Sufi belief that everything is Allaah and Allaah is everything]. So his companion said to him:
“Is this also the Essence (Dhaat) of Allaah?” pointing to the dead dog.
So at-Tilimsaani replied:
“Yes. Everything is His Essence. There is nothing that is outside His Essence (Dhaat).”
High is Allaah above what the Sufis ascribe to Him!
Majmoo’atur-Rasaa’il of Ibn Taymiyyah, 145.
It is You we worship and You we ask for help
December 28, 2011 § 2 Comments
Ibn al-Qayyim said, “How many times I would hear the Shaikh of Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allaah sanctify his soul, saying, “You [Alone] do we worship …” [Faatihah 1:5] repels ostentation, and, “You [Alone] do we ask for help …” repels grandeur/pride [kibriyaa].”
Madaarijus-Saalikeen, vol. 1, p. 54.
The Young Ibn Taymiyyah
December 14, 2011 § 1 Comment
Ibn Abdul-Haadi, Shaikhul-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah’s student wrote:
“And it so happened that a Shaikh from Aleppo came to Damascus,
saying, “I have heard that in this city there is a boy who goes by the
name of Ahmad the son of Taymiyyah and that he is extremely quick in
memorising. I have come perchance I may see him.”
So a tailor said to him, “This is his route to school and he has not
yet come, so sit with us. Anytime now he will pass us on his way to the
school.”
So the Aleppan Shaikh sat down for a short while. Then two young boys
walked by, so the tailor said to the Shaikh, “The young boy carrying
that large tablet—he is Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah.”
So the Shaikh called him and he came to him. Then the
Shaikh took the tablet and looked at what was written therein. Then he
said, “O my son! Wipe this out so that I can dictate something to you
which you can write.”
So Ibn Taymiyyah did so. Then the Shaikh dictated eleven or thirteen sayings of the Prophet (sallallaahu alaihi wa sallaam) to him. Then the Shaikh said to him, “Read this.”
So Ibn Taymiyyah looked over it once after he had written it and then
gave the tablet back to the Shaikh. So he said, “Read it to me.”
So he read it back to him in the best way possible. Then the Shaikh said to him, “O my son! Wipe this out.”
So he wiped it out and the Shaikh dictated a number of chains of narrations that he had chosen and said, “Read this.”
Ibn Taymiyyah looked at it and he did as he had done the first time.
So the Shaikh stood up, saying, “If this young boy lives long he will
have a great standing and rank—since the like of this has not been seen
before.”
Ibn Naasirud-Deen narrated the saying of Abul-Muzaffar As-Sarmari,
“And from the amazing matters regarding memorisation in our time is the
Shaikh of Islaam Abul-Abbaas Ahmad bin Abdul-Haleem bin Taymiyyah. Since
he would come across a book and would look over it once only after
which it would be inscribed in his mind. He would be able to discuss it
thereafter, narrating from it in his written works with its precise
wording and meaning.
And from the most amazing of what I have heard about him is what some of his companions narrated to me.
They said that in the start of his affair when he was a young boy his
father wanted to take his sons for an outing to a garden. So he said to
Ibn Taymiyyah, “O Ahmad! Go out with your brothers and relax.”
So he excused himself from that however his father persisted. But the
young Ibn Taymiyyah strongly declined, saying, “I would like you to
excuse me from going out.”
So his father let him stay and left with his other sons. They spent
their day in the garden and returned at the end of the day whereupon his
father said to him, “O Ahmad! You deserted your brothers today! And you
annoyed them because of your absence from them. So what is this?”
So he replied, “O father! Today I memorised this book,” alluding to a
book with him. So his father replied, “You memorised it?!” In denial,
shocked and amazed at what his son had just said. So he said to him,
“Read it to me.”
So he did.
He had indeed memorised the entire book. Then his father held him and
kissed him between his eyes and said, “O my son! Do not tell anyone
about what you have done,” fearful lest the Evil Eye should befall him.”
Taken from Ibn Abdul-Haadi’s Al-‘Uqood Al-Durriyah min Manaaqib Shaikhil-Islaam Ibn Taymiyyah, p. 7
Gifts of Knowledge 