Refutation of Accusations Against Ibn Taymiyyah Part 3

Refutation of Accusations Against Ibn Taymiyyah Part 3


Ibn Hajr al-Asqalaanee also
said, "I read in the handwriting of al-Haafidh Silaah ad-Deen al-Balaa`ee in
endorsement of the shaykh of our shaykhs al-Haafidh Bahaa ad-Deen Abdullaah bin
Muhammad bin Khaleel: ‘Our shaykh and master and Imaam in matters that are
between Allaah and us, the Shaykh of research (tahqeeq), traversing, with
those that followed him, the best way. Possessor of many excellent qualities and
radiant proofs that all the nations have acknowledged are beyond enumeration.
May Allaah make us benefit from his outstanding knowledge, and make us benefit
from him in this life and the hereafter. He is the Shaykh, the Imaam, the Aalim
who understands the affairs, the deeply devoted, the ocean (of knowledge), the
pole of light, the Imaam of Imaams, the blessing to the Muslim nation, the sign
of the scholars, the inheritor of the Prophets, the last of the Mujtahids,
unique amongst the scholars of the Religion - Shaykh al-Islaam, proof of the
scholars, the example for the creatures, proof for the learned ones, effacer of
the innovators, sword of the disputers, ocean of knowledge, beneficial treasure,
the interpreter of the Qur`aan, the amazement of the times, unique in this age
and others. Indeed Taqi ad-Deen (ibn Taymiyyah) is the Imaam of the Muslims, the
proof of Allaah against the creation, the joiner of the righteous, the one who
is like those who have preceded, the mufti of the sect, helper of the truth, the
sign of guidance, the pillar of the Huffaadh, Knight of the meanings of words,
cornerstone of the Sharee`ah, originator of new sciences Abu al-Abbaas ibn
Taymiyyah." [Ibid. From this book taken on it’s own it is very difficult to
discern ibn Hajr’s own opinion on ibn Taymiyyah was. For all he did was to
gather all the material he could find on the Shaykh and then start off the
account with all those scholars who wrote against him, and end with all those
scholars who supported him. It would seem likely that ibn Hajr’s own stance
would be in line with those whom he finished off his biography with, due to
their being his Shaykhs. This reasoning is supported with the next quote from
ibn Hajr. Allaah knows best.]


Ibn Hajr said, "…those of
his stances that were rejected from him were not said by him due to mere whims
and desires and neither did he obstinately and deliberately persist in them
after the evidence was established against him. Here are his works overflowing
with refutations of those who held to tajseem yet despite this he is a
man who makes mistakes and is also correct. So that which he is correct in – and
that is the majority – is to benefited from and Allaah’s Mercy should be sought
for him due to it, and that which he is incorrect in should not be blindly
followed. Indeed he is excused for his mistakes because he is one of the Imaams
of his time and it has been witnessed that he fulfilled the conditions of
ijtihaad…


From the astonishing
qualities of this man was that he was the strongest amongst men against the
People of Innovation, the Rawaafidah, and the Hululiyyah, and the Ittihaadiyyah,
and his works on this are many and famous, and his fataawaa on them
cannot be counted, so how the eyes of these innovators must have found joy when
they heard those who declared him to be a kaafir! And how delighted they
must have been when they saw those who did not declare him to be a kaafir
in turn being labelled kaafir! 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 Shaafi`ee
Imaams 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 of the book.]


Ibn Katheer said, "the
least he would do when he heard something was to memorise it and then busy
himself with learning it. He was intelligent and had much committed to memory,
and he became an Imaam in tafseer and everything linked to it and
knowledgeable in fiqh. Indeed it was said he was more knowledgeable of
the fiqh of the madhabs then the followers of those very same
madhabs in his time and other than his time. He was a scholar in Usul
and the branches of the religion and grammar and the language and other textual
and intellectual sciences…no scholar of a science would speak to him except that
he thought that that science was the speciality of ibn Taymiyyah. As for hadeeth
then he was the carrier of its flag, a haafidh and able to distinguish the weak
from the strong, fully acquainted with the narrators…" [‘al-Bidaayah wan
Nihaayah’ (14/118-119) of ibn Katheer.]


He also said, "He was, may
Allaah have mercy upon him, from the greatest of scholars, also from those who
err and are correct. However his errors with respect to his correct rulings were
like a drop in a huge ocean and they are forgiven him as is authentically
reported by Bukhaaree, ‘when a ruler makes a ruling, and he is correct then
he has two rewards, and if he has erred then he has one reward.’"


He also mentioned that when
the scholars of his time gathered for a sitting with ibn Taymiyyah to discuss
his work ‘Aqueedah al-Hamawiyyah’ that his replies to their accusations could
not be rebutted. [‘al-Bidaayah wan Nihaayah’ (14/5)]


Similarly he mentioned that
when the scholars sat to argue with him with regards to his Aqueedah al-Waasitiyyah
the argument ended with them accepting all that was contained in the book as in
vol. 14 of ‘al-Bidaayah’ under the heading ‘Aqd al-Majaalis ath-Thalaatha’


Al-Haafidh al-Mizzi said,
"I have not seen the likes of him, and his own eye had not seen the likes of
himself. And I have not seen one who was more knowledgeable than him of the Book
and the Sunnah of His Messenger, nor one who followed them more closely." [‘Hayaat
Shaykh al-Islaam ibn Taymiyyah’ (pg. 21) of Shaykh Bahjatul Baitaar.]


Al-Haafidh ibn Daqeeq al-Eid
said, "when I met ibn Taymiyyah I saw a man with all the sciences in front of
his eyes, he took from them what he wished and he left what he wished." [ ‘Min
Mashaheer al-Mujaddidayn’ (pg.26) of Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan] This after he had
said, "by Allaah I did not think that there remained the likes of you." [
‘al-Bidaayah wan Nihaayah’ (14/27) of ibn Katheer and ‘Dhail `alaa Tabaqaat al-Hanabilaa’
(2/392) of ibn Rajab.]


The Qaadee of Qaadees ibn
al-Hureeree said, "if ibn Taymiyyah was not Shaykh al-Islaam than who is?" [‘Hayaat
Shaykh al-Islaam’ (pg.26)]


Al-Haafidh 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 Allaah." [‘al-A`laam al-Uliyyah’
(pg.52) of al-Bazzaar.]


Al-Shaykh Mullaa Alee al-Qaaree
said, "it will become clear to the one who studies ‘Madaarij as-Saalikeen’ (of
ibn al-Qayyim) that these two (ibn Taymiyyah and ibn al-Qayyim) are from the
greatest of Ahlus Sunnah wal Jamaa`ah, and from the Awliyaa of this
nation." [‘Mirqaat al-Mafaateeh’ (8/251-252) his commentary to ‘Mishkaat al-Masaabeeh’,
as quoted from in ‘Shubuhaat Ahl al-Fitna’ (pg. 442) of Abdurrahmaan Dimisqiyyah.]


Muhammad bin Abdul Barr as-Subkee
said, "by Allaah no one hates ibn Taymiyyah except for an ignoramus or the
possessor of desires which have diverted him from the truth after he has come to
know it." [‘Radd al-Waafir’ (pg.95) of ibn Naasir ad-Deen]


Al-Haafidh Abdurrahmaan ibn
Rajab al-Hanbalee said, "he is the Imaam, the legal Jurist, the Mujtahid, the
Scholar of Hadeeth, the Haafidh, the Explainer of the Qur`aan, the Ascetic,
Taqee ad-Deen Abu al-Abbaas Shaykh al-Islaam, the most knowledgeable of the
knowledgeable, it is not possible to exaggerate his renown when he is
mentioned….he, may Allaah have mercy upon him, was unique in his time with
respect to understanding the Qur`aan and knowledge of the realities of faith."
[‘adh-Dhail `alaa Tabaqaat al-Hanaabilaa’ (2/387-392) of ibn Rajab]


The Imaam of the Hanafees,
Badr ad-Deen (Mahmud bin Ahmad) al-`Ainee said, "whosoever says ibn Taymiyyah is
a kaafir the he is in reality himself a kaafir, and the one who
accuses him of heresy is himself a heretic. How is this possible when his works
are widely available and there is no hint of deviation or dissension contained
therein." [‘Radd al-Waafir’ (pg. 245)]