Refutation of Accusations Against Ibn Taymiyyah Part 2

Refutation of Accusations Against Ibn Taymiyyah Part 2


He was white skinned with
black hair and a black beard with a few grey hairs. His hair reached his
earlobes. His eyes were eloquent tongues, and had broad shoulders and a loud,
clear voice with a fast recitation. He was quick to anger but overcame it with
patience and forbearance.


I have not seen his like
for supplications (to Allaah) and seeking succour with Him, and his abundant
concern for others. However I do not believe him to be infallible, rather I
differ with him on both fundamental and subsidiary matters for he - despite his
vast learning, extreme courage, fluid mind, and regard for the sanctity of the
religion - was a man from amongst men. He could be overcome with sharpness and
anger in discussion, and attack his opponents (verbally) hence planting enmity
in their souls towards him.


If only he were gentle to
his opponents then there would have been a word of agreement over him - for
indeed their great scholars bowed to his learning, acknowledged his ability and
lack of mistakes, and conceded that he was an ocean having no limits and a
treasure having no equivalent. However they harboured ill feeling against
him….and every person’s saying can be taken or left.


He used to preserve the
prayers and fasts, glorifying the laws outwardly and inwardly. He did not give
fatwa out of poor understanding for he was extremely intelligent, nor out of
lack of knowledge for he was an overflowing ocean. Neither did he play with the
religion but derived evidence from the Qur`aan, Sunnah and Qiyaas (analogy) and
proved and argued following the footsteps of the Imaams who preceded him, so he
has a reward if he erred and two rewards if he was correct.


He fell ill in the castle
(in which he was imprisoned) with a serious disease until he died on the night
of Monday 20th Dhul Qa`dah, and they prayed over him in the
mosque of

Damascus.
And afterwards many talked about the number that attended his funeral prayer,
and the least number given was fifty thousand." [‘ad-Durar al-Kaaminah’ of ibn
Hajr al-Asqalaanee under the biography of ibn Taymiyyah]


Ibn Hajr al-Asqalaanee
said, "the shaykh of our shaykhs, al-Haafidh Abu al-Yu`maree (ibn Sayyid an-Naas)
said in his biography of ibn Taymiyyah: ‘al-Mizzi encouraged me to express my
opinion on Shaykh al-Islaam Taqi ad-Deen. I found him to be from those who had
acquired a fortunate of knowledge in the sciences that he had. He used to
completely memorise and implement the Sunan and Aathaar (narrations). Should he
speak about tafseer then he would carry its flag, and should he pass a
fatwa in fiqh then he knew its limits. Should he speak about a hadeeth
then he was the companion of its knowledge and fully cognisant of its
narrations. Should he give a lecture on Religions and Sects then none was seen
who was more comprehensive or meticulous than he, he surpassed his
contemporaries in every science, and you would not see one like him, and his own
eye did not see one like himself.


He used to speak on
tafseer and a large number of people would attend his gatherings, and an
agreeable number would return (having drunk) from his sweet, rich ocean. It
continued in this way until the sickness of envy crept (into the hearts) of the
people of his city. The people given to faultfinding gathered together and
picked out anything that could be disapproved of in his beliefs, and they
memorised certain of his statements with respect to this. They undermined him
due to this and laid traps for him by which they could declare him to be an
innovator. They thought that he had left their way, and split off from their
sect. So they argued with him, and he with them, and some of them cut relations
with him, and he with them.


Then he argued with another
group who was attributed to the Fuqaraa (a group of the Sufis) who
thought that they were on the minute details of the inner reality and upon its
truth. And he exposed these Orders….


Then this reached the first
group and they sought help from those who cut relations with him and harboured
malice towards him. So they took the matter to the rulers, each of them having
decided that he was a disbeliever. And they prepared a meeting and inspired the
ignorant people to spread the word amongst the great scholars. And they took
steps to transfer the matter to the king of

Egypt
and as a result he (ibn Taymiyyah) was arrested and put in prison. And
gatherings were convened to discuss the spilling of his blood, calling for this
purpose the people from the small mosques and students - those people who would
argue to make others happy, and those who would argue to show their cleverness,
and those who declared takfeer and called for disassociation. And your
Lord Knows what is in their hearts and what they proclaim. And the one who
announced his kufr was no better than the one who argued to make others
happy.


And the sting of their
plots crept up on him, and Allaah made futile every plot, and rescued him at the
hands of those who He chose…


Then he continuously moved
from one trial to another and in all his life he did not move from trouble
except into trouble. Then there followed what followed in the matter of his
arrest and he stayed there in prison until he died, and to Allaah all matters
return. On the day of his funeral the streets were crowded, and the Muslims came
from every roadway…’" [ibid]