Shaikhul-Islam Imam Ibn Taymiyyah - A Short Biography - The Companion

Shaikhul-Islam Imam Ibn Taymiyyah : A Short
Biography
By Maria Mohammed - September 11, 2018
One of the most famous scholars to have lived since the revival of Islam by the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu
Alayhi Wasallam 1400 years ago, was Imam Ibn Taymiyyah. No student of Islam can be ignorant about him. Like all
famous people, Imam Ibn Taymiyyah had a controversial standing in the society of his time. Some people supported
him, but those who opposed him were infinitely larger in number. Following is a brief biography of his life and the
legacy of his work.
Ibn Taymiyyah’s Childhood
Imam Ibn Taymiyyah’s complete name is ‘Taqi ud-Din Abu’l-Abbas Ahmad ibn al-Halim ibn Abd-as-Salaam Ibn
Taymiyyah al-Hanbali’ (Ibn Taymiyyah, 2018). He was born in 661 AH in Harran, which is now a part of eastern
Turkey. His family fled to Damascus when he was 7 years old.
Ibn Taymiyyah came from a family of learned men. Abu al-Barkat Majd ad-Din ibn Taymiyyah al-Hanbali, his
grandfather and his Fakhr al-Din, his uncle were both scholars of the Hanbali School of Law. His father, Shihab al-
Deen Abd al-Halim ibn Taymiyyah, served as the director of the Sukkariya madrasa and was later a chair of the Great
Mosque of Damascus (Wikipedia, 2018). Ibn Taymiyyah’s three brothers were also known for their knowledge and
excellence.
Ibn Taymiyyah’s Education
Ibn Taymiyyah received all his early education and schooling in the Sukkariya Madrasa, Damascus. He became a
Hafidh of the Quran in his early teens. He learned Fiqh and Usool-ul-Fiqh from his father. He studied the works of
Imam Hanbal, Al-Khallal, Ibn Qudamah and his grandfather. (Wikipedia, 2018)
He studied under more than 200 scholars (al-Bazzar, 2009). He memorized the Hadith with strict adherence to
narration and athar. He had all the greatest books of knowledge at that time recited to him numerous times, such as
The ‘Musnad’ of Ahmad

The ‘Sahihs’ of al-Bukhari and Muslim
The ‘Jami’ of at-Tirmidhi
The ‘Sunan’ of Abu Dawood, an-Nasai, Ibn Majah and ad-Daraqtuni
Ibn Taymiyyah studied the Arabic language and grammar under at-Tuft and mastered the book of Arabic Grammar
by Sibawayh.
“There was rarely a book in the sciences of Islam except that he would come across it, and Allah had blessed him
with an ability to quickly memorize and rarely forget. He would hardly come across or hear something except that it
would remain in his memory, either in wording or meaning. It was as if knowledge had become infused in his flesh,
blood, and entire body.” (Al-Bazzar, 2009)
Ibn Taymiyyah even studied Math, Algebra, calligraphy, theology, philosophy, and history. Allah Subhanahu wa Ta’ala
blessed him with such a bright mind that his whole education was complete at 20 years of age.
Ibn Taymiyyah’s Works
Ibn Taymiyyah’s knowledge and memory were astounding. He could narrate and quote innumerable verses, hadith,
Sunnah, and incidences verbally. His works amount to 350 according to Ibn Qayyim and 500 according to Ad-
Dhahabi. (Wikipedia, 2018)
All of his works have not survived, and his work of 35 volumes is incomplete.
Ibn Taymiyyah wrote his first book at age 29, after completing Hajj, called ‘Manasik al-Hajj’ (Rites of the Pilgrimage).
It contained criticism about all the innovations he noticed during his pilgrimage.
He wrote his second book in prison. He had been imprisoned for protesting against Assaf al-Nasrani, a Christian
cleric, who had insulted the Prophet Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam (Wikipedia, 2018). There, he wrote his second book,
‘as-Sarim al-Maslul ‘ala Shatim ar-Rasul’ (The Drawn Sword against those who insult the Messenger).
Ibn Taymiyyah wrote his next books in 1298. One book was about the Ayat al-Mutashabihat. Another was ‘al-
Aqeedah Al-Hamawiyyah’ (The Creed to the People of Hama, Syria). This was in response to a question posed to him
by the people of Hama.
He wrote a similar book on request from a judge from Wasit, Iraq, called ‘al-Aqeedah al-Waasitiyyah’ (The Creed to
the People of Wasit).
During his stay in Cairo, Egypt, he was a consultant to the Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad regarding religious and
political affairs. That’s when he wrote his next book ‘al-Siyasa al-Sharia’ (The book of governance according to
sharia).
In 1316, Ibn Taymiyyah wrote his famous work, ‘Minhaj as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah’ (The way of the Prophet’s
Sunnah): 4 volumes. This was in retaliation for increasing Shi’ism in Persia and Al-Hilli’s book, Minhaj al-Karamah
(The way of Charisma).
Ten years later, he was declared a kaafir and imprisoned for issuing a fatwa claiming that anyone who made a
special pilgrimage to the Prophet’s mosque has innovated in Islam. It was his longest prison sentence. His student,
Ibn Al-Qayyim, was imprisoned with him.
During his imprisonment, he wrote three extant works (Wikipedia, 2018):
1. Ar-Radd ‘ala l-Ikhna’i
2. Kitab Ma’arif al-Wusul

3. Raf al-Malaam
Some of his other works include:

‘Majmu al-Fatwa al-Kubra’ (A Great Compilation of Fatwa): 36 volumes. This was collected centuries after his
death.
‘Dar Ta’aruḍ al-Aql wal-Naql’ (Averting the Conflict between Reason and Tradition):10 volumes.
‘Al-Asma was-Sifaat’ (Allah’s Names and Attributes): 2 volumes.
Tafseer of Surah Ikhlas
Commentary on the verse “The Beneficent ascended the ”
‘Kitaab ul-Iman’ (Book of Faith)
‘Naqd at-Ta’sis’ (Criticism of Incorporation)
‘Iqtida as-Sirat al-Mustaqim’ (Following The Straight Path)
‘Sharh Futuh al-Ghayb’ (Commentary on ‘Revelations of the Unseen’by Abdul-Qadir Gilani)
‘Al-Furqan Bayn Awliya ar-Rahman wa Awliya ash-Shaytan’ (The Friends of Allah and the Friends of Shaytan)
The number of his books is too huge to mention all of them.
Ibn Taymiyyah’s Life and Death
Ibn Taymiyyah lived a very simple and decent life. He was devoted to Allah in his worship and didn’t let anything
distract him from it. He made Dhikr from Fajr until the sun rose, every day. He used to attend every Muslim funeral.
His classes were open to one and all with no discrimination.
He reacted swiftly to eradicate evil wherever he noticed it. He pioneered so stringently for true Islam and eradication
of innovations that he was imprisoned many times by leaders of his time. They didn’t want to change their ways and
felt threatened by him.
He did not own any material wealth. His only wealth and legacy for further generations was knowledge. Even with
his controversial fame, knowledge and faithful students, he was the most humble man to come across. He gave
everyone he came across equal respect. He never married or had a family. He had the best of manners and never
dressed extravagantly.
He was one of the bravest men to live at that time. No one was more forthcoming than him to participate in Jihad.
He was steadfast in Deen and held firm to the truth of Islam until his last breath.
Upon his death, in prison, the whole city of Damascus had shut down, and the crowd of people who came to attend
his funeral exceeded 500,000 in number. He was honored with one of the largest funeral prayers in history.
Conclusion
Ibn Taymiyyah is one of those that the Prophet Muhammad Sallallahu Alayhi Wasallam was referring to when he
said: “Indeed, Allah sends at the beginning of every century he who will revive for this Ummah the affair of its
religion.” (Al-Bazzar, 2009)
His knowledge, personality, and Jihad are an inspiration and an example of righteousness for us.
Bibliography
1. (2018, June 10). Ibn Taymiyyah. Retrieved from https://www.kalamullah.com/ibn-taymiyyah.html

2. Islam means peace. (2017, April 19). Biography of Ibn Taymiyyah – Yasir Qadhi. Retrieved from
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwYODGlZEA8&t=130s
3. (2018, June 11). Ibn Taymiyyah. Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ibn_Taymiyyah
4. Al-Bazzar, A.U. (2009, August 8). The Lofty Virtues of Ibn Taymiyyah. Retrieved from
https://shaykhulislaam.wordpress.com/biography-1/
Maria Mohammed
Maria Mohammed is an IT Graduate from Osmania University. She is a proud mother of one and strives daily to be the best wife and
mother. She is a voracious reader, artist and a crocheter who also writes articles when mood strikes. She is currently pursuing a
Bachelor's degree in Education from IOU and aims to brighten lives.

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Shaikhul-Islam Imam Ibn Taymiyyah : A Short

Ibn Taymiyyah’s Childhood

Ibn Taymiyyah’s Education

The ‘Musnad’ of Ahmad

Ibn Taymiyyah’s Works

During his imprisonment, he wrote three extant works (Wikipedia, 2018):

1. Ar-Radd ‘ala l-Ikhna’i

2. Kitab Ma’arif al-Wusul

Some of his other works include:

The number of his books is too huge to mention all of them.

Ibn Taymiyyah’s Life and Death

1. (2018, June 10). Ibn Taymiyyah. Retrieved from https://www.kalamullah.com/ibn-taymiyyah.html

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