Topic: A Summarised History of Ahmad Ibn Taymiyah

[Muhammed]

Bismillah wal hamdulillah was salaatu was salaam ^ala Rasoulillah sallallahu ^alayhi wa sallam

Ahmad Ibn Taymiyah[/list:u][/list:u][/list:u]

This is a short summary of the events in which Ibn Taymiyah played a role. It is part I of a three-parts article.

Part One - Chronology ( 1 )

661 ( 2 ) - Ibn Taymiyah was born

667 - Ibn Taymiyah accompanied his father who moved from
Harran to ash-Sham

698 Rabi` al-‘Awwal – Scholars protested against Ibn Taymiyah’s
sayings because of what they found in Ibn Taymiyah’s book
al-Fatwa al-Hamwiyyah

Details of the events of 698 (Damascus) 3

1. A group of fuqaha’ [and Shafi`iyyah] raised objection to Ibn
Taymiyah’s sayings about the Attributes of Allah. They
brought at-Fatwa al-Hamwiyyah and rebut him in a session
they held for that.

2. [After the session was over, the public announcers broadcasted
in Damascus the invalidity of al-Hamwiyyah creed.] 4 The scholars issued a decree and banned Ibn Taymiyah from
discussing the issues of creed.

3. After some days, the judges Imam ad-Din and his brother Jalal
ad-Din al-Qazwiniyy sat with Ibn Taymiyah for a long time.
The two judges then prohibited the people from speaking
badly about Ibn Taymiyah.

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1 The chronology of this article follows that of ad-Durar al-Kaminah, except when there is [ and ] signs. Also, footnotes that show without [ and ] indicate that other books registered the same historical event as
listed in ad-Durar.
2 All dates are After Hijrah.
3 Same account of events was documented by Salah ad-Din as-Safadiyy 1/34.
4 Salah ad-Din as-Safadiyy 1/34.

[Muhammed]

705 to 707 – Ibn Taymiyah was called to Egypt and imprisoned there in Khazanat al-Bunud 5

Details of the events of 705 – 707 period (Damascus and Egypt)

1. The Sultan in Egypt requested the judges to test Ibn Taymiyah
in his creed, because objectionable matters related to that creed
reached the Sultan.

2. On 7th [or 8th] of Rajab the scholars and judges held a session
and asked Ibn Taymiyah about his creed [in the presence of the
representative of the Sultan]6. He mentioned some of it. They
brought his creed al-Wasitiyyah and discussed some of its
topics. They delayed other topics to another session. They
met on Friday 12th of Rajab and decided to forward al-Kamal
az-Zamalkaniyy to interrogate Ibn Taymiyyah. Kamal ad-Din
refuted Ibn Taymiyah. The session then ended on the basis
that Ibn Taymiyah had made a pledge to follow the creed of
ash-Shafi`iyy [and his mathhab is that of ash-Shafi`iyy] 7.
They accepted this standing of his then adjourned the
meeting. 8

3. Tribulations took place after that, Ibn Taymiyah and his
followers stirred troubles [and the followers of Ibn Taymiyah
claimed that their shaykh is correct. They were brought with
Ibn Taymiyah before the court of the judge Jalal ad-Din al-
Qazwiniyy.] 9 Ibn Taymiyah fought with the Shafi`iyy judge, [and then he was slapped and the ruling was to punish him, but
someone interceded for him. The same thing happened to two
of his followers.] 10 Consequently, the representative of the Sultan refrained people from discussing the issues of creed

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5 Ibid.
6 Al-Husniyy.
7 Ibid.
8 This section is consistent with al-Husniyy.
9 Al-Husniyy.
10 Al-Husniyy.

[Muhammed]

hoping by that to control the tribulation 11. The scholars and judges held another session around the end of Rajab. [In the presence of the representative of the Sultan, they discussed with Ibn Taymiyah the issue of creed. Ibn Taymiyah followed the same route he had followed in the earlier session.] 12

4. The officials in Damascus corresponded with the Sultan about Ibn Taymiya’s affair around the end of Sha`ban. On the 5th of Ramadan, the proclamation of the Sultan reached Damascus asking the head judge Najm ad-Din bin Sasra 13 to accompany Ibn Taymiyah who was summoned to Egypt 14. It also asked the officials to inform the Sultan about the events of 698 concerning the creed of Ibn Taymiyah. Subsequently, they started asking the people and gathering the information about the events and what Ibn Taymiyah did during that period. They brought [to the judge Jalal ad-Din al-Qazwiniyy] 15 the creed that was investigated during the time of the head judge
Imam ad-Din al-Qazwiniyy. 16

5. News reached ash-Sham that the Malikiyy judge in Egypt is greatly involved in pursuing Ibn Taymiyah’s matter. The Hanbaliyys are causing tribulations in Egypt and some of them were slapped as a punishment. On 12th Ramadan Ibn Taymiyah was sent to Egypt 17. He reached Egypt in the last third of Ramadan. 18

6. The scholars held a hearing in Ramadan [and the Judges, fuqaha’, scholars and princes attended the meeting. Shams ad-Din bin `Adnan ash-Sahfi`iyy spoke, showed some sections of the creed of Ibn Taymiyah, filed a suit against Ibn Tyamiyah’s creed at the Malikiyy court, and brought before the court some

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11 This did not stop the judges to discuss other issues among themselves and some of them resigned. The
ruling officials intervened and reassigned the judge, but the issue was not resolved and the Sultan representative asked the Sultan to make a decision.
12 Al-Husniyy.
13 This name can also be pronounced as Sasurra.
14 Consistent with Salah ad-Din as-Safadiyy 1/34.
15 Al-Husniyy.
16 This section is consistent with al-Husniyy.
17 Ibid.
18 This section is consistent with al-Husniyy.

[Muhammed]

the rest later insha Allah ta^ala