Refutation of Accusations Against Ibn Taymiyyah Part 5

Refutation of Accusations Against Ibn Taymiyyah Part 5




- This contradicts the
madhab of ibn Taymiyyah concerning the Attributes of Allaah - the Most High
- which was the same as the madhab of the Salaf, being built upon the
saying of Allaah, ‘there is nothing like Him, He is the Hearing and the
Seeing’.


- Ibn Taymiyyah says in
‘at-Tadmuriyyah’ (pg. 20), "It is a must to affirm that which Allaah affirms for
himself, whilst negating any likeness to Him with His creation…Whosoever says:
His Knowledge is like my knowledge, His Power is like my power, or Love like my
love, or Pleasure like my pleasure, or Hand like my hand, or Ascending like my
ascending, or His Nuzool (descent) is like my descent, then he has resembled and
likened Allaah to the creation. Rather it is a must to affirm (Allaah’s
Attributes) without resemblance, and to negate (what Allaah negates for
Himself), without ta`teel (divesting Allaah of His Attributes)."


- Likewise he said in
‘Majmoo` al-Fataawaa’ (5/262), "whosoever considers the Attributes to be like
the attributes of the creation - such that Istawaa of Allaah is like the
ascending of the creation, or His Nuzool is like the descending of the creation,
or other than that - then he is a deviated innovator." And he repeats this
principle over and over again in his works.


- It is not possible that
ibn Batuta witnessed ibn Taymiyyah deliver this speech, since ibn Batuta clearly
states in his ‘Rihla’ (1/102) that he entered Damascus on the 9th of
Ramadhaan in the year 728H. However Shaykh al-Islaam was - before, during and
after that time - in prison. Ibn Katheer states in ‘al-Bidaayah wan Nihaayah’
(14/135) that ibn Taymiyyah was imprisoned on the 6th of Sha’baan in
the year 728H and remained there until his death on the 20th of Dhul
Qa’dah 728H [These dates are endorsed in ‘al-A`laam al-Uliyyah’ (pg.84) of al-Bazzaar,
and ‘Sahdharaat adh-Dhahab’ (6/80) of ibn al-Amaad.]


- Ibn Batuta, may Allaah
have mercy upon him, did not write the book ‘Rihla’ with his own hand, rather it
was collected by Muhammad bin Jazee al-Kalbee who writes in the introduction to
‘Rihla’, "and I have quoted the meaning of the words of Shaykh Abu Abdullaah (ibn
Batuta) with words that give the meaning that he intended…."


- Ibn Batuta started his
journey on the 2nd of Rajab 725H and completed it on the 3rd
of Dhul Hijjah 756H and he did not write anything down, rather after this
journey he dictated to al-Kalbee the events of his journey from memory. Hence
the door is open for mistakes, and it is highly likely that ibn Batuta did not
witness what he claimed to have witnessed, but merely conveyed the accusations
that were in vogue at that time against Shaykh al-Islaam from his enemies.



- Ibn Batuta himself was
opposed to ibn Taymiyyah, for he states in ‘Rihla’ (1/309), ‘and from the great
Hanbalee Legal Jurists of Damascus was ibn Taymiyyah, except that he was lacking
in his intellect.’ Hence it would have been easy for him to take on board the
accusations without verifying them.


- Ibn Taymiyyah has a
separate book concerning Allaah’s Descending called, ‘Sharh Hadeeth an-Nuzool’.
In it is no trace whatsoever of the anthropomorphic beliefs that he has been
falsely accused of.


- Ibn Taymiyyah was not the
khateeb of the aforementioned masjid, rather it was Qaadee al-Qazwaynee.
Ibn Batuta himself says in his ‘Rihla’ (1/107), "and at the time of my entering
it (Damascus)
their Imaam was Qaadee Jalaal ad-Deen Muhammad bin Abd ar-Rahmaan al-Qazwaynee
from the great legal jurists, and he was the khateeb of the masjid…."



- Ibn Taymiyyah did not
used to give admonitions and reminders to the people from the minbar,
rather he used to sit upon a chair. Al-Haafidh adh-Dhahabee said, "and he became
very famous and well-known, and he started giving tafseer of the Might
Book from his memory, on the days of Jumu`ah, sitting upon a chair." And ibn
Batuta states in his ‘Rihla’ (1/108), "it was the habit of the scholars of
hadeeth to read books of hadeeth on a raised chair." And a raised chair in the
Arabic language is called, ‘minbar’. [‘Lisaan al-Arb’ (5/189)]



- This is why ibn Hajr
mentioned in his ‘Durar al-Kaaminah’, "and he used to speak on the minbar
in the way of the explainers of fiqh and hadeeth, and he used to mention
in an hour, what another was unable to mention in many sittings, as if the
sciences were displayed in front of his eyes" Meaning by this that he sat on a
chair as done by the scholars of hadeeth.


[The above discussion is
taken from ‘Min Mashaaheer al-Mujaddidayn’ (pp 27-29) of Shaykh Saalih al-Fowzaan,
and ‘ibn Taymiyyah al-Muftaraa alayhi’ (pp 50-60) of Shaykh Saleem al-Hilaalee.


Ibn Hajr al-Asqalaanee also
mentioned in ‘Durar al-Kaaminah’ (pg. 154) quoting from at-Tufee that, "and they
mentioned that he mentioned the hadeeth of Descent and he descended two steps of
the minbar and he said, ‘Like this descending of mine’ so he was imputed with
tajseem (fa nusiba ilaa at-tajseem)"


This statement is by no
means an evidence against ibn Taymiyyah as it only states ‘they mentioned’
mentioning no eye witnesses, And in fact it only confirms, along with all that
has preceded, that these were lies being spread against ibn Taymiyyah. This is
the reason that at-Tufee only said, ‘he was imputed with tajseem’ using
uncertain phraseology.]


So with the above it is
clear that the account of ibn Batuta cannot be depended upon due to his obvious
confusion and the lack of coherency of his account, and due to it’s clear
contradiction to the written words of ibn Taymiyyah.


And with this the gross
exaggeration of Taaj ad-Deen Subki can also be discerned, where he said, "none
of them (scholars) denied that he had said, ‘Allaah had directions and is a
composition of particles coming together’" [ See ‘Albani Unveiled’ (pg.116)]





2. The Accusation that ibn
Taymiyyah held Allaah to be subject to direction (jihha).


Nowhere in the works of ibn
Taymiyyah has he used the word jihha in describing Allaah. Rather the
basis of this accusation arises from his following our Salaf and clearly stating
that Allaah is outside of His creation, above the heavens, over His Throne. When
reading this, the misguided philosophers (mutakallimeen) argued that this
position of ibn Taymiyyah necessitated that Allaah have a direction.


The Position of the Salaf
as to Allaah being distinct from creation:


Know that the verses of the
Qur`aan on this issue, clear and unequivocal in their meaning, run into
hundreds, and likewise the ahaadeeth, that Allaah is above His creation and over
His Throne. These are well known so we will suffice here with stating the
position of the Salaf on this issue as it is they who understood the Qur`aan and
Sunnah the best.


Below is a translation of
some points from 'Khalq Af`aal al-Ebaad' of Imaam Bukhaaree (RH), pp.13+. All
narrations quoted are authentic insha`Allaah according to the takhreej
done of the works quoted. The narrators are mainly Taabi`ee and those that came
immediately after.


"6)
Wahb bin Jareer said, ‘The Jahmiyyah are heretics, they think that He has not
risen over His Throne.’


13) Ibn al-Mubaarak said,
‘we do not say as the Jahmiyyah say that Allaah is on the earth, rather He has
risen over His Throne.’


14) And it was said to him,
‘how should we know our Lord?’ He said, ‘above the Heavens, over/upon (`alaa)
His Throne’


29) Sufyaan ath-Thawree was
asked about the verse, "and He is with you wheresoever you are". He said,
‘His Knowledge.’


64) Sadqa said, ‘I heard
Sulaiman at-Taimi saying, ‘if I were asked, "where is Allaah?" I would say,
"above (fee) the heaven". And if it said, "where was the Throne before
the Heaven?" I would say, "over the water." And if it is said, "where was the
Throne before the water?" I would say, "I do not know."’


And Imaam Bukhaaree said,
‘and that (i.e. his answer) was because of the saying of Allaah, "and they
cannot encompass anything of His Knowledge except what He wills." i.e.
except what He explains.’


[This shows that the
question ‘where is Allaah’ was considered allowed by the Salaf, and how could it
be otherwise when the Prophet (SAW) himself asked the slave girl, "where is
Allaah" as is established firmly in the saheeh of Imaam Muslim. So do not be
misguided by the neo-Jahmiyyah of today, Saqqaaf and al-Habbashee and their
likes who try to declare the above hadeeth of Muslim as weak, and make out that
the above question is a bid`ah, having only the classical Jahmiyyah as their
precedents.]


66) Muhammad bin Yusuf said
(one of the teachers of Bukhaaree), ‘the one who says that Allaah is not over (`alaa)
His Throne is a kaafir. And the one who thinks that Allaah did not speak
to Moses is a kaafir.


103) Ibn Mas`ud (RA) said
about His saying, "then He rose over His Throne", - ‘the Throne is over
the water, Allaah is above (fawqa) the Throne and He knows what you are
upon.’


104) Qataada said about His
saying, "and He is Allaah in the Heaven and in the Earth" - ‘the One Who
is worshipped in the heaven and in the earth.’"


Below are further points
translated from ‘Sharh Usul I`tiqaad Ahlus Sunnah’ of al-Laalikaa`ee (d.414,
pp396+)


"660) Abdullaah bin Abbaas
(RA) said, ‘Verily Allaah was above His Throne before He created anything, then
He created the creation and decreed what was to exist until the Day of Judgement.’



662) Bashr bin Umar said,
‘I heard more then one of the Mufassir say about the verse, "The Most
Merciful istawaa upon the Throne" - istawaa means rose above.’


665) Rabee`(one of the
teachers of Maalik) was asked about the verse, "The Most Merciful rose over
His Throne" - ‘how did He rise?’ He replied, ‘al-Istawaa (rising) is known,
and the how is not comprehensible, and from Allaah is the message, and upon the
Messenger is the preaching, and upon us is believing.’


670) Maqaatil bin Hayaan
said about His saying, "and there is no secret discourse of 3 people except
He is the fourth, or of 5 people and He is the sixth" - ‘He is above His
Throne, and nothing is hidden from His knowledge.’


673) Imaam Ahmad was asked,
‘Allaah is above the seventh heaven, above His Throne, distinct from his
creation, and His Power and Knowledge are in every place?’ He replied, ‘yes,
above the Throne and His Knowledge is in every place.’