Sharh Al-Aqeedat-il-Wasitiyah (Islamic book) -A muslims foundation of beliefs

2. SHEIKH-UL-ISLAM IMAM IBN TAIMIYYAH--BRIEF BIOGRAPHY

Imam Ibn Taimiyah's full name is Taqi ud-Din Ahmad bin 'Abdul-Halim. He was born in Harran on 22 January, 1263 AD (10 Rabi' Al-Awwal, 661 AH). His family had long been renowned for its learning. His father 'Abdul-Halim, uncle Fakhr ud-Din and grandfather Majd ud-Din were great scholars of Hanbalite school of jurisprudence and the authors of many books. His family members were forced to leave their native place in 1269 AD before the approach of the Mongols and to take refuge in Damascus. At that time, Ibn Taimiyah was seven years old. His father 'Abdul-Halim was appointed as Professor and Head of the Sukkariyah Madrasah. Endowed with a penetrating intellect and a wonderful memory, Ibn Taimiyah studied, at an early stage, all the disciplines of jurisprudence, Ahadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him), commentaries of the Quran, mathematics and philosophy, and in each he was far lead of his contemporaries. Among his teachers, was Shams ud-Din Al- Maqdisi, first Hanbali Chief Justice of Syria following the reform of the judiciary by Baibars. The number of Ibn Taimiyah's teachers exceeds two hundred. Ibn Taimiyah was barely seventeen, when Qadi Al-Maqdisi authorized him to issue Fatwa (legal verdict). Qadi remembered with pride that it was he who had first permitted an intelligent and learned man like Ibn Taimiyah to give Fatwa. At the same age, he started delivering lectures. When he was thirty, he was offered the office of Chief Justice, but refused, as he could not persuade himself to follow the limitations imposed by the authorities.

Imam Ibn Taimiyah's education was essentially that of a Hanbali theologian and jurisconsult. But to his knowledge of early and classical Hanbalism, he added not only that of the other schools of jurisprudence but also that of heresiographical literature, in particular of philosophy and Sufism. He had an extensive knowledge of Quran, Sunnah, Greek philosophy, Islamic history, and religious books of others, as is evident from the variety of the books he wrote. Though he preferred the Hanbali school of jurisprudence, he was never biased in favor of it. In his writings, he frequently quoted the opinions of all four of the well-known schools of jurisprudence, even others. In a number of matters, he himself held opinions different from those of the four schools. In fact, he was an original thinker (Mujtahid) who merely drew upon the wisdom of the four established schools.

In all his reformative efforts, Ibn Taimiyah accepted the Our an and the Sunnah (traditions of the Prophet (peace be upon him)) as the basic criteria. In matters where there was no clear guidance from the Quran and the Sunnah, he never hesitated to venture into rational thought and took the path of Ijtihad or creative originality an initiative.

The thirteenth and fourteenth centuries AD have a distinguished place in Islamic history. Ibn Al-Atheer described the political and military conditions prevailing in the Muslim world during Ibn Taimiyah's lifetime in the following words:

"Islam and Muslims had during that period been afflicted by such disasters that no other nation had experienced. One such affliction was the invasion by the Tatar. They came from the east and inflicted overwhelming damages. Another was the onset of the Prankish people (the Crusaders) from the West to Mesopotamia and Egypt, they occupied its ports, and nearly subjected all of Egypt to their rule, had it not been from Allah's Mercy and victory over them. But another affliction was that the Muslims themselves had been divided, and their swords lifted up against their fellows.

"In addition to such horrid conditions facing the Muslims on the political and military front, Islam as practiced and preached by Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him) and As-Salaf As-Salih (the righteous predecessors) was being seriously challenged by various deviant sects. The Sufi movement which was spearheaded by the teachings of Al-Ghazali had won over many converts and was exercising a firm hold on the intellect and patterns of thought of many people. Along with this Al- Ash'ari system of creed had been widely accepted by the majority of the scholars of Ibn Taimiyah's day. Al-Ash 'ari system of doctrine was a mixture of the Salafi methodology which is based on revelation centered theology and the Mu'tazilah methodology which is based on a rationalist thought system. Taqleed was practiced widely. Even though information on the Deen, Fiqh, Ahadith , etc., was abundantly available, only a handful of scholars and ordinary people took up the task of investigating the sources of the knowledge and its vehicle. Most people blindly accepted the teaching of their Sheikh or Imam without questioning or investigating the sources from where the knowledge had come."