Ibn Taymiyyah
وقد تعبت في وزنه وفتشته حتى مللت في سنين متطاولة ، فما وجدت قد أخره بين أهل مصر والشام ومقتته نفوسهم وازدروا به وكذبوه وكفروه إلا الكبر والعجب ، وفرط الغرام في رياسة المشيخة والازدراء بالكبار ، فانظر كيف وبال الدعاوي ومحبة الظهور ، نسأل الله تعالى المسامحة ، فقد قام عليه أناس ليسوا بأورع منه ولا أعلم منه ولا أزهد منه ، بل يتجاوزون عن ذنوب أصحابهم وآثام أصدقائهم ، وما سلطهم الله عليه بتقواهم وجلالتهم بل بذنوبه ، وما دفعه الله عنه وعن أتباعه أكثر ، وما جرى عليهم إلا بعض ما يستحقون ، فلا تكن فى ريب من ذلك. أهـــ
"And I have tired myself from weighing him and examining him, until over the long years I became exhausted. At last, what I found to be holding him back among the scholars of Egypt and Syria (Shaam), caused their souls to loathe him, and them to disdain him, and call him a liar and accuse him of disbelief was nothing else but arrogance (kibr), self admiration ('ujb), the ardent desire to be the "head shaikh", and belittling the eminent (figures in Islam)! So look at the outcome of false claims and love of fame! We ask Allah, the Exalted, for pardon. For indeed, the people who confronted him were not more pious than he, or more knowledgeble or more ascetic. On the other hand, they would overlook the sins of their companions and the misdeeds of their friends. Allah did not afflict him with them due to their piety (taqwa) and their nobility, but because of his sins. And what Allah deflected from him and his followers was even greater. And nothing befell them except for some of what they deserved, so do not be in doubt concerning this."
---
Adh Dhahabi: NO ONE PRECEDED HIM TO HIS STATEMENTS!
Adh Dhahabi also said about his teacher Ibn Taymiyyah:
ولقد نصر السنة المحضة، والطريقة السلفية، واحتج لها ببراهين ومقدمات، وأمور لم يسبق إليها، وأطلق عبارات أحجم عنها الأولون والآخرون وهابوا، وجسر هو عليها، حتى قام عليه خلق من علماء مصر والشام قياماً لا مزيد عليه. أهـــ
"And
he supported the pure Sunnah, and the Salafi methodology. And he
argued using proofs, premises and matters that
he was not preceded to. And he made statements that the earlier and
later people refrained from saying and were afraid to utter. Yet
he boldly said those things, until
a huge group of Scholars from Egypt and Syria confronted him most
sternly."
See pageg,243: Here
Adh
Dhahabi: "I
disagree with him in issues of Creed and Law..."
Adh Dhahabi also said about his teacher Ibn Taymiyyah:
مع أني مخالف له في مسائل أصلية وفرعية
"However I disagree with him in creedal and legal issues."
See page,329 of Dhayl Tareekh Al Islam: Here
Adh Dhahabi: He was rightfully and wrongfully accused!
Ibn Taymiyyah's companion and student, Al Imam Adh Dhahabi said in his book called Zaghlul 'Ilm:
فما أظنك فى ذلك تبلغ رتبة ابن تيمية ولا والله تقربها وقد رأيت ما اَل أمره إليه من الحط عليه والهجر والتضليل والتكفير والتكذيب بحق و بباطل فقد كان قبل أن يدخل فى هذة الصناعة منوراً مضيئاً على محياه سيما السلف ثم صار مظلماً مكسوفاً عليه قتمة عند خلائق من الناس ودجالاً أفاكاً كافرا عند أعدائه ومبتدعاً فاضلاً محققا بارعا عند طوائف من عقلاء الفضلاء وحامل راية الإسلام وحامى حوزة الدين ومحي السنة عند عوام أصحابه هو ما أقول لك. أهـــ
"...I
still don't believe you would reach the level of Ibn Taymiyyah nor,
by Allah, would you even come close to it. And I have witnessed what
his affair led to, with people putting him down, abandoning him,
declaring him to be a deviant, declaring him to be a disbeliever, and
accusing him of lying, rightfully and wrongfully.
But before
he got into this field he
was radiant, shining, and bearing the appearance of the Salaf on his
face..."
See page
42 and 43: Here
In
his book, Tadhkiratul
Huffaadh pg 1497, Al
Imam Adh Dhahabi continues
about his teacher Ibn
Taymiyyah in
the vein of "he made statements that no one preceded him
to":
Pdf: Here
وقد انفرد بفتاوى نيل من عرضه لأجلها وهي مغمورة في بحر علمه, فالله تعالى يسامحه ويرضى عنه فما رأيت مثله. وكل واحد من الأمة فيؤخذ من قوله ويترك فكان ماذا؟ أهـــ
"And
he went alone to make unique fatawas, due
to which his repute came under fire. Yet they are submerged in the
ocean of his knowledge. So
may Allah forgive him and be pleased with him, for
I have never seen anyone like him. And since the case with everyone
in the Muslim Ummah is that some of their statements may be accepted
and others may be rejected, what is the problem?"
He
also said in Al
Mu'jam Al Mukhtass bil Muhadditheen,
on page
25 (pg
45 in the PDF reader), bio #22: Here
وانفرد بمسائل فنيل من عرضه لأجلها, وهو بشر له ذنوب وخطأ ومع هذا فوالله ما مقلت عينِي مثله ولا رأى هو مثله نفسه. أهــ
"And
he went alone on issues that,
because of them his repute was under fire. And he is a man. He
has sins and mistakes. Yet
despite this, by Allah, my eyes have never seen the likes of him, nor
has he seen the likes of himself."
He
also said in Dhuyool
Al 'Ibar fee Khabari man Ghabar,
page 84: Here
وله مسائل غريبة نيل من عرضه لأجلها
"And
he has strange
(rulings on) issues, due
to which his repute was under fire"
And
he said on page 327 and 328 of
his book Dhailu
Tareekhil Islam:
Pdf
: Here
وإن أنت عذرت كبار الائمة فى معضلاتهم ولم تعذر ابن تيمية فى مفرداته فقد أقررت على نفسك بالهوى و عدم الانصاف. أهـــ
"If
you were to excuse the eminent Scholars for their problematic
verdicts yet
not excuse Ibn Taymiyyah for his unique fatawas, you
would be acknowledging that you yourself have leanings and
unfairness."
Ibn
Rajab Al Hanbali, the
student of Ibn
Taymiyyah's student Ibn
Qayyim Al Jawziyyah, also
acknowledged that Ibn
Taymiyyah had
unique rulings when he said in his update of Al
Qaadi Abu Ya'la's son's
book on biographies of the Hanbalis called Dhaylu
Tabaqaatil Hanaabilah, Vol:
4 pg. 505 (507
on the PDF: Reader)
ولكن
كان هو وجماعة من خواص أصحابه ربما أنكروا
من الشيخ كلامه في بعض الأئمة الأكابر
الأعيان، أو في أهل التخلي والانقطاع
ونحو ذلك.
وكان
الشيخ رحمه اللّه لا يقصد بذلك إلا الخير،
والانتصار للحق إن شاء الله تعالى.
وطوائف
من أئمة أهل الحديث وحفاظهم وفقهائهم:
كانوا
يحبون الشيخ ويعظمونه، ولم يكونوا يحبون
له التوغل مع أهل الكلام ولا الفلاسفة،
كما هو طريق أئمة أهل الحديث المتقدمين،
كالشافعي وأحمد وإسحاق وأبي عبيد ونحوهم،
وكذلك كثير هن العلماء من الفقهاء والمحدثين
والصالحين كرهوا
له التفرد ببعض شذوذ المسائل التي
أنكرها السلف على من شذ بها، حتى إن بعض
قضاة العدل من أصحابنا منعه من الإفتاء
ببعض ذلك.
أهـــ
"However
he ('Imaad Ad Deen Al Waasiti)
and a group of Ibn
Taymiyyah's closest companions
disapproved of the Shaikh's statements about some of the eminent and
high-standing Imams, or the likes of those people who would
disconnect themselves from the world to be alone with their Lord (the
Sufis). And the Shaikh may Allah have mercy on him did not intend
anything by that but good, and defense of the truth Inshaa Allahu
ta'aala. And various circles of the people of Hadeeth; including
Imams, Huffaadh (memorizers of more than 100,000 hadeeths) and
Fuqahaa (Jurists) used to love the Shaikh (i.e. Ibn
Taymiyyah) and hold him in high regard.
But they did not like for him to go into in-depth issues with the
theologians and philosophers - as was the methodology of the Imams of
Ahlul Hadeeth like Ash Shaafi'ee, Ahmad, Ishaaq, Abu 'Ubaid and
others like them. Additionally, many 'Ulamaa, Fuqahaa, Muhadditheen,
and Saaliheen (Righteous people) disliked
that he go on his own with some of his unique rulings that
the Salaf disapproved of whoever went alone with. Until one of the
just judges from our colleages prevented him from making those
fatawas."
Al Imam
Ibnul Wazeer also mentioned
something on these lines on pg. 331 of
the 3rd volume of
his book 'Awaasim minal
Qawaasim when he
said:
ومذهب
الإمام أحمد وأمثاله من أئمة الحديث وهم
طائفتان:
الطائفة
الأولى:
أهل
الحديث والأثر وأتباع السنن والسلف الذين
ينهون عن الخوض في علم الكلام
ثم
قال...
الطائفة
الثانية أهل النظر في علم الكلام والمنطق
والمعقولات وهم فرقتان:
أحدهما:
الأشعرية
والفرقة
الثانية من المتكلمين منهم:
الأثرية
كابن تيمية وأصحابه فهؤلاء من أهل الحديث
لا يخالفونهم إلا في استحسان الخوض في
الكلام, وفي
التجاسر على بعض العبارات,
وفيما
تفرد به من الخوض في الدقائق الخفيات
والمحدثون ينكرون ذلك عليهم لأنه ربما
أدى ذلك إلى بدعة أو
قدح في الدين.
أهـــ
"And
the madhhab of Al Imam Ahmad and others like him from the the Imams
of Hadeeth, and they are two groups:
The first group is: Ahlul
Hadeeth wal Athar and the followers of the Prophetic traditions and
the Salaf, who forbid theological discussion ('Ilmul Kalaam)."
Later,
after discussing them in detail in several pages, Ibnul
Wazeer said:
"The
second group is: The people of research in Theology ('Ilmul Kalaam),
Logic, and intellectual sciences. And they subdivide into two
groups:
The first group is the
Ash'aris.
The
second group of theologians include
the Athariyyah like Ibn
Taymiyyah and his companions. For
they are from Ahlul Hadeeth. They do not differ with them except
about the permissibility of indulging in theology, and
in boldly making certain statements, and
in the discussion of intricate complex issues that he (Ibn
Taymiyyah) went alone with.
The
scholars of
Hadeeth disapproved of them doing so because it could possibly lead
to innovation or a violation of the Deen."
Adh
Dhahabi describes
the position of Ibn
Taymiyyah's closest
companions and "fans"
from the unique opinions that he has, in previous quotes, deemed to
be errors and mistakes and asked Allah to forgive Ibn
Taymiyyah for:
Dhayl Tareekhil Islam pg. 328 - 329 Here
ولا ريب انه لا اعتبار بمدح خواصه والغلاة فيه فان الحب يحملهم على تغطية هناته بل قد يعدونها محاسن. أهـــ
And without doubt, no consideration should be given to the praise or his closest companions or those who are extreme in their admiration for him. Their love for him will make them cover his mistakes, nay they may even count them to be from his good deeds."
Adh
Dhahabi mentioned
that Ibn
Taymiyyah had
clashes with the scholars of his time; that their souls despised him
and that they abandoned him etc. He mentioned that it was due to
arrogance, self admiration, desire to be "Shaikhul
Islam"
- all of which are inner feelings and actions of the heart. Fourthly,
he mentioned an outer action which was a result of and an indication
of those inner qualities when he said, "and
belittling the eminent (figures in Islam)".
Here, he goes into more detail about his teacher's conduct with his
opponents during debate...
On
page 326 and 327 of
his book Dhaylu
Tareekhil Islam, Al
Imam Adh Dhahabi said: Pdf: Here
مع اننى لا اعتقد فيه العصمة كلا فانه مع سعة علمه و فرط شجاعته و سيلان ذهنه و تعظيمه لحرمات الدين بشر من البشر تعتريه حدة فى البحث و غضب وشظف للخصم يزرع له عداوة فى النفوس و نفورا عنه وإلا والله لو لاطف الخصوم و رفق بهم ولزم المجاملة و حسن المكالمة لكان كلمة اجماع
"...although I do not believe him to be infallible (ma'soom). Most definitely not! Because despite his vast knowledge, extreme courage, overflowing intellect, and reverence for the sanctities of the religion, he was but a man. During debates he would be overcome with harshness, hot temper, and toughness with his opponents which would plant in the souls the seeds of enmity, aversion, and dislike for him. Otherwise, had he been polite and kind with his opponents and observed etiquette and a graceful mode of speech, he would have been a word of consensus."
---
Adh Dhahabi's
Bio of Ibn Taymiyyah
included in the compilation called,
The following 3 quotes are from page 244
وله حدة قوية تعتريه في البحث حتى كأنه ليث حرب. أهـــ
"He had an acute harshness that would overcome him during debate, making him like a lion of war."
وفيه قلة مداراة وعدم تؤدة غالبًا , والله يغفر له. أهـــ
"He often lacked congeniality and prudence. May Allah forgive him."
وَقَدْ يُعَظِّمُ جليسه مرة ويهينه في المحاورة مرات. أهـــ
"He may honor his company once, yet disrespect them during debate repeatedly."
---
Another student of Ibn Taymiyyah,
Salahud Deen As Safadi also said in his bio of Ibn Taymiyyah in his book,
"Al Waafi bil Wafayaat":
وقال
الصفدي أثناء ترجمة ابن تيمية في الوافي
بالوفيات:
وحكى
لي عنه الشيخ شمس الدين ابن قيم الجوزية
قال:
كان
صغيرا عند بني المنجا فبحث معهم فادعوا
شيئا أنكره فأحضروا النقل فلما وقف عليه
ألقى المجلد من يده غيظا، فقالوا له:
ما
أنت إلا جريء ترمي المجلد من يدك وهو كتاب
علم، فقال سريعا:
أيما
خير أنا أو موسى?
فقالوا
موسى، فقال:
أيما
خير هذا الكتاب أو ألواح الجوهر التي كان
فيها العشر كلمات?
قالوا:
الألواح،
فقال:
إن
موسى لما غضب ألقى الألواح من يده، أو كما
قال.
أهـــ
"Ash Shaikh Shamsud Deen Ibnu Qayyim Al Jawziyyah told me about him saying:
When he was young he was in the company of (the Hanbali family of Scholars) Banu Al Munajja, so he debated with them. So they claimed something he denied. Then they brought the quote. When he saw it, he threw the book down in anger.
They said to him, "You sure are bold to throw down the book when it is a book of Religious Knowledge!" Whereupon he immediately said, "Who is better, me or Musa?" So they said, "Musa". Then he said, "Which is better, this book or the Tablets containing the Ten Commandments?" They said, "The Tablets." So Ibn Taymiyyah said, "Well, when Musa became angry he threw the Tablets down!" - or something to this effect"
This quote can also be found translated into English on page 110 and 111 of "Al Albani Unveiled", a book definitely worth owning.
-----------------------
In another quote, the direct student of Ibn Taymiyyah, Al Imam As Safadi said in his explanation of the poem called "Laamiyyatul 'Ajam":
شرح
لامية العجم:
يقال
إن الخليل بن أحمد اجتمع يوما هو وعبد
الله بن المقفع فتحادثا إلى الغداة.
فلما
تفرقا قيل للخليل كيف رأيته قال رأيت رجلا
علمه أكثر من عقله.
وقيل
لابن المقفع كيف رأيت الخليل قال رأيت
رجلا عقله أكثر من علمه.
وكذا
كان فإن ابن المقفع قتله قلة عقله وكثرة
كلامه شر قتلة وشر ميتة.
قلت:
وكذا
كان الشيخ الإمام العلامة تقي الدين أحمد
بن تيمية علمه متسع جدا إلى الغاية وعقله
ناقص يورطه في المهالك ويوقعه في المضايق.
أهـــ
“It’s
been said that one day Al Khaleel bin Ahmad met Abdullah bin Al
Muqaffa’, and they talked until the morning. When they dispersed,
Al Khaleel was asked, what
do you think about him? He
answered, he’s a man whose knowledge exceeds his
intellect. And
Ibn Al Muqaffa’ was asked about Al Khaleel. He answered,
“His intellect exceeds
his knowledge.”
And thus it was. For the lacking intellect and excessive speech of
Ibn Al Muqaffa’ led him to a most terrible slaughter and horrible
death.
I’ll
say (As
Safadi)
thus was the Shaikh, the
Imam, the ‘Allaamah Taqiyyud Deen Ahmad bin Taymiyyah. His
knowledge was extremely vast, yet his intellect was lacking. It
would lead him to destruction and
make him fall into tight spaces.”
