A Response to Those Who Attribute the Fitnah of Imam Ahmad and Ibn Taymiyyah to a Political Matter
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Question:
May Allah reward you. The honorable scholar says: One of the preachers claims that the fitnah (trial) of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal regarding the statement on the creation of the Qur'an was merely for a political reason, and a political dispute orchestrated by al-Ma'mun when he saw the large number of Imam Ahmad's followers and feared for his authority, so he plotted this scheme. Likewise, what happened to the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah was for a political reason, not because of his fatwa forbidding traveling specifically to the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), nor because of the issue of divorce; rather, the matter was political.
Answer:
This is a false statement. What is found and documented in the reliable books is that this claimant is more prominent than this speaker. They state that they did this because of the Shaykh's creed and because he refused to affirm the creation of the Qur'an; he refused to affirm the creation of the Qur'an, and so what happened to him happened. Imam Ahmad did not seek sovereignty, nor did he submit to the state of the land.
Even when they were wronged, imprisoned, and beaten, he did not plot against them or complain about them. Rather, it is narrated from him that he said: If there were a call that would be answered, I would direct it against this ruler. Imam Ahmad did not seek imprisonment. The Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah did not seek imprisonment. Nor did he seek the people. Rather, he defended the truth.
Does one who says this speak either as a Jahmi or a Mu'tazili, seeking to support the views of the Mu'tazilah and the Jahmiyyah, or is he an ignorant person who does not know and interprets history with an incorrect interpretation? This is what has befallen people today: it appears in the past either from the misguided sects who wish to cover up for the people of falsehood, or from reckless individuals who distort it through their simplicity and degraded ideas.
May Allah reward you. The honorable scholar says: One of the preachers claims that the fitnah (trial) of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal regarding the statement on the creation of the Qur'an was merely for a political reason, and a political dispute orchestrated by al-Ma'mun when he saw the large number of Imam Ahmad's followers and feared for his authority, so he plotted this scheme. Likewise, what happened to the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah was for a political reason, not because of his fatwa forbidding traveling specifically to the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), nor because of the issue of divorce; rather, the matter was political.
Answer:
This is a false statement. What is found and documented in the reliable books is that this claimant is more prominent than this speaker. They state that they did this because of the Shaykh's creed and because he refused to affirm the creation of the Qur'an; he refused to affirm the creation of the Qur'an, and so what happened to him happened. Imam Ahmad did not seek sovereignty, nor did he submit to the state of the land.
Even when they were wronged, imprisoned, and beaten, he did not plot against them or complain about them. Rather, it is narrated from him that he said: If there were a call that would be answered, I would direct it against this ruler. Imam Ahmad did not seek imprisonment. The Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah did not seek imprisonment. Nor did he seek the people. Rather, he defended the truth.
Does one who says this speak either as a Jahmi or a Mu'tazili, seeking to support the views of the Mu'tazilah and the Jahmiyyah, or is he an ignorant person who does not know and interprets history with an incorrect interpretation? This is what has befallen people today: it appears in the past either from the misguided sects who wish to cover up for the people of falsehood, or from reckless individuals who distort it through their simplicity and degraded ideas.
Source
القول بأن فتنة الإمام أحمد كانت لأسباب سياسية — alfawzan.live
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.