Describing Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah as being strict
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The questioner:
This questioner heard on one of the satellite channels a Shaykh saying that Ibn Taymiyyah is one of the strict ones.
The Shaykh:
I mean, he is also one of the lenient ones. If you say, "You are one of the strict ones," we say, "You are one of the lenient ones." Glory be to Allah, have you not seen that the value of a sword is diminished when it is said that the sword is sharper than a stick? Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, known for jihad, moderation, supporting the Sunnah, and suppressing religious innovation, is being belittled. This is a regression, and I seek refuge in Allah.
And as al-Ma'arri said: "If you blame Asa, if the Ta'i is blamed for stinginess, it is a lie, and Asa is blamed for foolishness, it is false." Until he said: "O death, come, for life is cheap, and O soul, be diligent, for your time is defeated." So when the people of baseness and the people of lowliness belittle the scholars and the great ones among the Muslims, this is a sign of deficiency, a sign of baseness, and a sign of degradation.
The questioner:
If Allah wills.
The Shaykh:
I mean, a person comes and blames a ruler for being stingy. And the one who blames him, I do not know, is the stingiest of people. Or a person comes who does not know how to speak and blames falsely; he blames Asa ibn Sa'id al-Khatib, the famous, eloquent poet, and falsely. This one cannot speak and blames falsely, saying that he has foolishness. This is one of the signs of deficiency: that the deficient one blames the virtuous one. I think al-Buhturi or Abu Tammam said: "If my criticism comes from a deficient person, it is a testimony in my favor that I am virtuous." So this benefits Ibn Taymiyyah with virtue; blaming this ambassador benefits Ibn Taymiyyah with virtue, yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
This questioner heard on one of the satellite channels a Shaykh saying that Ibn Taymiyyah is one of the strict ones.
The Shaykh:
I mean, he is also one of the lenient ones. If you say, "You are one of the strict ones," we say, "You are one of the lenient ones." Glory be to Allah, have you not seen that the value of a sword is diminished when it is said that the sword is sharper than a stick? Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, known for jihad, moderation, supporting the Sunnah, and suppressing religious innovation, is being belittled. This is a regression, and I seek refuge in Allah.
And as al-Ma'arri said: "If you blame Asa, if the Ta'i is blamed for stinginess, it is a lie, and Asa is blamed for foolishness, it is false." Until he said: "O death, come, for life is cheap, and O soul, be diligent, for your time is defeated." So when the people of baseness and the people of lowliness belittle the scholars and the great ones among the Muslims, this is a sign of deficiency, a sign of baseness, and a sign of degradation.
The questioner:
If Allah wills.
The Shaykh:
I mean, a person comes and blames a ruler for being stingy. And the one who blames him, I do not know, is the stingiest of people. Or a person comes who does not know how to speak and blames falsely; he blames Asa ibn Sa'id al-Khatib, the famous, eloquent poet, and falsely. This one cannot speak and blames falsely, saying that he has foolishness. This is one of the signs of deficiency: that the deficient one blames the virtuous one. I think al-Buhturi or Abu Tammam said: "If my criticism comes from a deficient person, it is a testimony in my favor that I am virtuous." So this benefits Ibn Taymiyyah with virtue; blaming this ambassador benefits Ibn Taymiyyah with virtue, yes.
The presenter:
May Allah reward you.
Source
قناة «العلامة الدكتور صالح الفوزان»، 14 من 15 / شرح أصول الإيمان / قبض العلم/ صالح الفوزان / العقيدة/ كبار العلماء — youtube.com (1:06:36)
The Arabic text is a machine transcription of the audio recording.