661
Born in Harran (in northern Syria) on the 12th of Rabi’ al-Awwal, corresponding to 24th of January 1263.
ca. 668
Shaykh al-Islam stayed in Harran with his family untill he reached the age of seven, after which his father emigrated to Damascus together with his brothers. The reason for their migration was the apparence of the Tatars, i.e. Mongols, who desacrated Baghdad just a decade before killing hundreds of thousand innocent Muslims.
ca. 668-681
Shaykh al-Islam grew up in Damascus, studying under his father and many other scholars. He memorized the Qur’an as a young boy, then concentrated himself on memorizing the Hadith, Jurisprudence and the Arabic language. He heard many books and copied down many epistles, cf. the Sahih al-Bukhari, Sahih Muslim, Sunan Abu Dawud, al-Tirmidhi, al-Daraqutni, and several times the Musnad of Ahmad b. Hanbal. The first book he memorized as a young student was the great compilation al-Jam’ bayn al-Sahihayn of the Andalusian Imam al-Humaydi. He visited the famous Madrasa’s. He did all this as a adolescent, before reaching the age of twenty.
680
Shaykh al-Islam became a Mufti on the age of 19, even giving Fatwa’s before. From this time he started to compose and author works.
682
Shaykh al-Islam’s father, Shihab al-Din b. Taymiyyah, dies. Ibn Taymiyyah suceeded him then as the teacher of Dar al-Hadith al-Sukkâriyyah, in Damascus, being 21 (or 22) years old. He also takes a seat of teaching in the Great Mosque of Damascus, lecturing on Tafsir al-Qur’an from memory. He becomes famous after this time.
End of 690
Shaykh al-Islam participated in the reconquering of Akko, Palestina, from the Crusaders. It has been mentioned that thanks to the Shaykh’s efforts many Muslims come into the hands of their fellow brethren, who before were in the mercy of the Christian unbelievers.
698
Shaykh al-Islam’s first Mihna happened in this year. In this year he sended a Fatwa as letter to the people of the city Hama, known as Fatwa al-Hamawiyyah al-Kubra, answering questions about the Attributes of Allah and the Madhhab of the Salaf therein and that of the Khalaf (i.e. the Mutakallimun). A group of Jurisprudents called for him so he was presented to the Judge of the hearing, al-Qâdi Jalâl al-Din al-Hanafi. The Amir Sayf al-Din Jâghân supported the Shaykh, so he asked for the accusers. Some of them went into hiding, some were beaten and others were silented. When Friday approached, the day when the Shaykh also lectures on Tafsir as usual, he explained the Verse {And verily, you are on a exalted standard of character}. Then the day after, Saturday, there gathered the Qâdi Imam al-Din al-Qazwini al-Shâfi’i with the Shaykh and a group of noble ones and they investigated ‘Aqidah al-Hamawiyyah and discussed it in several places. So the Shaykh answered them whereby they were silenced after much talk. Then the Shaykh left and things were on ease and things were normal. Imam al-Din accepted its contents and was pleased. Less then ten years would pass when the Shaykh al-Islam is made, by royal decree from Cairo, to appear in front of the vice-roy and the Jurisprudents to investigate his creed. Refer to the year 705.
699
The Tatars, i.e. former Mongols who claimed to be Muslim converts, entered Syria and attacked Damascus. The nobles of the city consulted, incl. Shaykh al-Islam, and agreed to send an emissionary in the person of the Shaykh himself to the leader of the Tatar army which camped outside of Damascus. As a consequence, the leader of the Tatars held back from desacrating the city thanks to the Shaykh’s talks.
700
News reached the city of Damascus that the Tatars are heading for Damascus, so many people fledged Syria. Shaykh al-Islam urged the people to stay and defend it against them, calling upon Jihad and its praiseworthiness. Consequently a party of refugees returned from the fledge, returning back. In the mean time Shaykh al-Islam pressed upon the authorities, in particular the vice-roy who seated in Damascus, to get help from Egypt. When finally the Sultan of Egypt left for Syria, the Tatars withdrew and thereby the evil that could befall Damascus.
702
Again, news reached that the Tatars were entering Syria. So the people became frightened as usual. So the Egyptian armies came and Shaykh al-Islam went to them and supported them and encouraged their leaders.
705
In this year, in Muharram corresponding to July/August of 1305, a group of Tatars assaulted the army of the city Aleppo, so the Shaykh al-Islam left with a group of the Syrian army to attack them. The vice-roy of Syria followed him with the rest of the Syrian army then. It became apparent in this incident that some people, his enemies, were jealous of him and distressed because of this act and its likes.
Shaykh al-Islam’s second Mihna is the first major one, which resulted in: al-Munâzarah al-Wasitiyyah. It started on Monday, 8 of Rajab, which is the 24th of Januari 1306, approximately a half year after the army incident. The Sultan of the Mamluks al-Jâshankîz, seated in Cairo, ordered his vice-roy in Syria to call upon Shaykh al-Islam to investigate his credal beliefs. So the vice-roy al-Afram assembled the Qadis of the four Schools of Law, the major scholars and other nobles to be present on a specific day, together with the Shaykh. The Shaykh’s creed was questioned. They requested from him to express his creed. Instead of dictating a creed he brought from his home al-’Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah to document to them what he believed in case they might think that he hide some of his beliefs for fear or covers something up. So by accident al-’Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah became the subject of a discussion an named after it. They accepted most of its contents, except that they disputed with him concerning two or three passages in it. Since the discussion prolonged, they gathered two times more. The second meeting of the trail is dated Friday, 12 of Rajab, after the Congegrational Prayer (01/28/1306). In that meeting the Shaykh debated with Safi al-Din al-Hindi, the Hanafite and leading ash’arite of his day. The third and final meeting happened on 7 of Sha’bân (02/22/1306). Finally, they agreed that what he stated in this creed of him was sound and orthodox. When this trial finished Shaykh al-Islam was walked home in a victory session and praised abundantly by scholars and laymen. The vice-roy honored him and some scholars present lauded him. However, some scholars in that trial were unhappy with the outcome. They hide their distress and made it possible to drag him, again, before court in Egypt by lobbying with the religious authorities - in particular the heads of Sufis convents - and appealing to the Sultan al-Jâshankîz. They were probably active before the news of the outcome of this trail reached Egypt.
After this trial there happened another incident involving Shaykh al-Islam’s close friend and colleague, the Imam and Hafidh Jamal al-Din Abu’l-Hajjaj al-Mizzi, the father-in-law of Ibn Kathir. The author of the Atrâf Kutub al-Sittah and the Tahdhib al-Kamal became a target of enmity by scholars of another credal orientation, i.e. Jahmite Ash’arites. It happened that al-Mizzi was reading out of the Khalq Af’âl al-’Ibâd of Imam al-Bukhari, which is a refutation of the Jahmiyyah. As a result of this open reading some Jurisprudents became angered and complained to the Qâdi of the Shafi’ites Ibn Sasra, who happened to be an enemy of Shaykh al-Islam. So he imprisoned al-Mizzi. This reached the Shaykh so he rushed to the jail and freed al-Mizzi personally. The Shaykh went then to the Castle [of the authorities] where he met Ibn Sasra and there resulted a heated discussion because of al-Mizzi, so the Qâdi swore that al-Mizzi must return to jail or else he would resign. So the vice-roy ordered that al-Mizzi must be returned, just to satisfy Ibn Sasra’s discontentment. So the vice-roy imprisoned al-Mizzi in one of his own chambers for a few days and then released him. This incident only happened because of the absence of the vice-roy at that moment. So when the vice-roy was informed of this and what befell Shaykh al-Islam and his supporters when the ruler was absent, he made a call wherein he forbade people to debate matters of beliefs.
In this year, just three weeks after the final day of trial, on the 26th of Sha’ban (03/13/1306) a letter reached the vice-roy of Damascus from the Sultan of Egypt who issued forth therein that Ibn Sasra is made to be head Qâdi, thanks to the effort of al-Manbiji - a public enemy of Shaykh al-Islam. In the same letter it was stated that it reached the Egyptian authorities the special meetings that were held concerning the Shaykh’s credal beliefs and that he was upon the Madhhab of the Salaf; they stated that their point of questioning was to get rid of the things people ascribed to him.
Then another letter, a week later, reached Damascus on Monday the 5th of Ramadan (03/21/1306). Therein the Egyptian authorities - the state and religious - requested Shaykh al-Islam and the Qâdi Ibn Sasra to Egypt. The Shaykh had to come so to clarify what occured between him and Imam al-Din al-Qazwini, the Shafi’ite who discussed with Shaykh al-Islam and others the Fatwa al-Hamawiyyah in the first Mihna. So the two, Ibn Taymiyyah and Ibn Sasra, left together by mule to Cairo.
Shaykh al-Islam departed from Damascus and reached on a Saturday, must be the 9th of Ramadan (03/25/1306), the Palestinian city Gaza. In the Friday Mosque he performed a great session. He then headed to Cairo which he entered, still with Ibn Sasra, on Monday the 22th of Ramadan corresponding with April 7 of the year 1306; some say that they entered it on Thursday, the 25th of Ramadan (04/10/1306).
When it reached Friday, the Day of Congegration, a meeting was organized just after the prayer. A great assembly of Qâdi’s and leaders of the state were present. So the Shaykh al-Islam wished to speak in his habit, but it was not made possible for him. They commisioned Shams al-Din b. Ghadlân to dispute with him and they informed the Malikite Qâdi Ibn Makhluf that he says that Allah is above the Throne in reality and that Allah Speaks by Letter and Sound. So the Qâdi asked for an statement on these accusations. When the Shaykh begun by praising Allah it was said to him..
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