Accusing Ibn Taymiyyah of ascribing a body to Allah
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Fatwa number ( 6911 ):
Q: I am a young man of about 16 years. All the people living around me are dazzled by my personality. I had extensive knowledge of religion and worldly sciences, and I was religious, but the current swept me into a Sufi group led by a Sufi shaykh named: Muhammad 'Ayd al-Husayni . Within a month, he made me one of his students; no, I say one of his servants, because I would rub my face with his hand, kiss his hand, and put on his sandals. I would compete with the others to see who would put on the shaykh's sandals that night. During the same period, my love for reading the books of the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah increased, because I often heard the shaykh curse him and declare him a disbeliever, saying that he is one of those who liken Allah to creation. When I read those books, I did not believe my own eyes that the words there contradicted the words of my "master" the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him and grant him satisfaction), except that I tried to convince myself that the books were forged, as the shaykh says. He also says that the Wahhabis are a group outside of Islam, like those who liken Allah to creation, the Khawarij, and the Mu'tazilah . Also, during that period, I used to go to the Salafi group and debate with them. I would cite hadiths brought by the shaykh, which later became clear to me were fabricated. They always refuted me and told me that I would soon leave the shaykh if Allah showed me the path
of truth. I remained with this shaykh for about six months, which I spent in a Sufi life involving associating partners with Allah, may Allah protect us from that. In every lesson, he told us about his masters and the miracles of the awliya (close friends of Allah), and some of these miracles included his knowledge through unveiling. Of course, he did not speak of them directly, but in a roundabout way, though the intelligent one understands from the hint. I believed everything he said, even when my friends brought me authentic hadiths contradicting his words; I would refuse and tell them that the shaykh knew more than they did. The days passed, and one night, specifically the night of 15 Sha'ban 1401 AH, he said: "It is obligatory for each of you to follow the shaykh if you are confident in him, without objecting. As for the one who wants evidence, the Companions used to execute what Allah and the Messenger ordered them to do without objection: 'We heard and we obeyed. Our Lord, forgive us, and to You is the final destination.'" When I heard this statement from him, it cooled my chest and body, even though I was bleeding from a vein that night in the heat. Since then, doubt began to trouble me regarding the reality of this shaykh. Two days later, on 17 Sha'ban 1401 AH, I traveled to al-Madinah and then to the Holy Makkah for 'Umrah. There, I met a Saudi young man named: 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Salih al-Tuwayyan from Buraydah . I told him about my situation and the shaykh. He then brought me books by authors who responded to the Sufis, as well as books by the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah . My doubt about the shaykh increased until I left him after he had blinded me from the truth. May Allah blind him from the truth and forgive him. I know that there are students of his whom I had introduced to the shaykh. When
I confronted them with the truth, they refused and said that I had gone mad. Now, every day I debate with one of his students, without the shaykh's knowledge, of course. I have a dear student with whom I want to respond on several matters where he refuted me, though they are few compared to the matters in which I refuted him. They are: 1 - In the hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: I hope for a detailed explanation of that. 2 - He says, and he is lying—the student, and I know this—quoting his shaykh: that Ibn Taymiyyah ascribed a body to Allah (Mighty and Majestic). I hope for clarification as well, if you please. 3 - About the awliya (close friends of Allah). I have knowledge of this, praise be to Allah, but it is little compared to your knowledge. May Allah prolong your life and keep you as guardians of Islam and Muslims.
A: What the student debating with you mentioned, that the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah is one who ascribes a body to Allah, is a slander against the shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) and a lie about him. The shaykh's creed is the creed of the Salaf (the earliest generations) of this Ummah (the Muslim community): faith in Allah and His names and attributes, and describing Allah as He has described Himself or as His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) has described Him, without distortion, denial of the divine attributes, asking how an attribute is, or likening Allah to creation. This is clear in his letters and writings, such as [Al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah] and [Al-Risalah al-Tamimiyyah] and others. However, the people of innovation, such as the Jahmiyyah and the Mu'tazilah , accuse those who affirm the attributes of Allah in the manner befitting Him, calling them one who ascribes a body to Allah or one who likens Allah to creation. Likewise, the Asha'irah
accuse those who oppose them in their figurative interpretation of the attributes as one who ascribes a body to Allah. Since ascribing a body to Allah is not mentioned in the texts as either negated or affirmed, it is not permissible for a Muslim to negate it or affirm it, because the attributes are based on revelation. As for the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) in Abu Dawud:Sunan Abi Dawud 2041Hasan (Al-Albani), we have previously issued a fatwa on the meaning of this hadith, number 4383. Its text is: Q: During the life of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), was the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) alive in his noble grave by the return of the soul to the body and frame (the material substance) with worldly, sensory life, or alive in the highest of the heavens with an otherworldly, barzakh (the interval between death and resurrection) life without obligation, as the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said when death approached him: , and his illuminated body is now as it was placed in the grave without a soul, and the soul is in the highest of the heavens, and the connection of the soul to the body and the fragrant frame on the Day of Resurrection, as Allah the Exalted said: [At-Takwir 81:7] . A: Our Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) is alive in his grave with a barzakh (the interval between death and resurrection) life, by which he enjoys the pleasure prepared for him by Allah as a reward for his great, good deeds that he performed in his worldly life. May the best of prayers and peace be upon him from his Lord. His soul did not return to him to make him alive as he was in his worldly life, nor did it connect to him while he was in his grave in a way that would make him alive like his life on the Day of Resurrection. Rather,
it is a barzakh (the interval between death and resurrection) life in between his life in this world and his life in the Hereafter. By this, it is known that he died, just as the other prophets and others before him died. Allah the Exalted said:[Al-Anbya 21:34], and He said: [Ar-Rahman 55:26-27], and He said: [Az-Zumar 39:30], and similar verses indicating that Allah took his soul to Himself. Also, because the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) washed him, shrouded him, prayed over him, and buried him. If he had been alive with his worldly life, they would not have done with him what is done with other dead people. And because Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her) asked for her inheritance from her father (peace and blessings be upon him) because she believed in his death, and no one from the Companions contradicted her in that belief. Rather, Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) answered her that prophets do not leave an inheritance. And because the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) gathered to choose a caliph for the Muslims to succeed him, and this was done by the establishment of the caliphate for Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him). If he had been alive like his life in this world, they would not have done that. So it is their consensus on his death. And because the trials and problems multiplied in the era of 'Uthman and 'Ali
(may Allah be pleased with them both), and before and after that, they did not go to his grave to consult him or ask him for a way out of those trials and problems and how to solve them. If he had been alive like his life in this world, they would not have neglected that while they were in dire necessity of someone to save them from the affliction that surrounded them. As for his soul, it is in the highest of the heavens because he is the best of creation, and Allah gave him al-Wasilah, which is the highest rank in Paradise. May prayers and peace be upon him.
Q: I am a young man of about 16 years. All the people living around me are dazzled by my personality. I had extensive knowledge of religion and worldly sciences, and I was religious, but the current swept me into a Sufi group led by a Sufi shaykh named: Muhammad 'Ayd al-Husayni . Within a month, he made me one of his students; no, I say one of his servants, because I would rub my face with his hand, kiss his hand, and put on his sandals. I would compete with the others to see who would put on the shaykh's sandals that night. During the same period, my love for reading the books of the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah increased, because I often heard the shaykh curse him and declare him a disbeliever, saying that he is one of those who liken Allah to creation. When I read those books, I did not believe my own eyes that the words there contradicted the words of my "master" the Shaykh (may Allah be pleased with him and grant him satisfaction), except that I tried to convince myself that the books were forged, as the shaykh says. He also says that the Wahhabis are a group outside of Islam, like those who liken Allah to creation, the Khawarij, and the Mu'tazilah . Also, during that period, I used to go to the Salafi group and debate with them. I would cite hadiths brought by the shaykh, which later became clear to me were fabricated. They always refuted me and told me that I would soon leave the shaykh if Allah showed me the path
of truth. I remained with this shaykh for about six months, which I spent in a Sufi life involving associating partners with Allah, may Allah protect us from that. In every lesson, he told us about his masters and the miracles of the awliya (close friends of Allah), and some of these miracles included his knowledge through unveiling. Of course, he did not speak of them directly, but in a roundabout way, though the intelligent one understands from the hint. I believed everything he said, even when my friends brought me authentic hadiths contradicting his words; I would refuse and tell them that the shaykh knew more than they did. The days passed, and one night, specifically the night of 15 Sha'ban 1401 AH, he said: "It is obligatory for each of you to follow the shaykh if you are confident in him, without objecting. As for the one who wants evidence, the Companions used to execute what Allah and the Messenger ordered them to do without objection: 'We heard and we obeyed. Our Lord, forgive us, and to You is the final destination.'" When I heard this statement from him, it cooled my chest and body, even though I was bleeding from a vein that night in the heat. Since then, doubt began to trouble me regarding the reality of this shaykh. Two days later, on 17 Sha'ban 1401 AH, I traveled to al-Madinah and then to the Holy Makkah for 'Umrah. There, I met a Saudi young man named: 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Salih al-Tuwayyan from Buraydah . I told him about my situation and the shaykh. He then brought me books by authors who responded to the Sufis, as well as books by the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah . My doubt about the shaykh increased until I left him after he had blinded me from the truth. May Allah blind him from the truth and forgive him. I know that there are students of his whom I had introduced to the shaykh. When
I confronted them with the truth, they refused and said that I had gone mad. Now, every day I debate with one of his students, without the shaykh's knowledge, of course. I have a dear student with whom I want to respond on several matters where he refuted me, though they are few compared to the matters in which I refuted him. They are: 1 - In the hadith, the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said:
No one greets me but that Allah returns my soul to me, so I return the greeting to him
ما من أحد يسلم علي حتى يرد علي الله روحي فأرد عليهA: What the student debating with you mentioned, that the Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah is one who ascribes a body to Allah, is a slander against the shaykh (may Allah have mercy on him) and a lie about him. The shaykh's creed is the creed of the Salaf (the earliest generations) of this Ummah (the Muslim community): faith in Allah and His names and attributes, and describing Allah as He has described Himself or as His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) has described Him, without distortion, denial of the divine attributes, asking how an attribute is, or likening Allah to creation. This is clear in his letters and writings, such as [Al-'Aqidah al-Wasitiyyah] and [Al-Risalah al-Tamimiyyah] and others. However, the people of innovation, such as the Jahmiyyah and the Mu'tazilah , accuse those who affirm the attributes of Allah in the manner befitting Him, calling them one who ascribes a body to Allah or one who likens Allah to creation. Likewise, the Asha'irah
accuse those who oppose them in their figurative interpretation of the attributes as one who ascribes a body to Allah. Since ascribing a body to Allah is not mentioned in the texts as either negated or affirmed, it is not permissible for a Muslim to negate it or affirm it, because the attributes are based on revelation. As for the hadith of Abu Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased with him) in Abu Dawud:
If any one of you greets me, Allah returns my soul to me and I respond to the greeting.
ما من أحد يسلم عليَّ إلاَّ رد الله عليَّ روحي حتى أرد عليه السلامO Allah, [grant him] the highest companion.
اللهم بالرفيق الأعلىAnd when the souls are paired
وَإِذَا النُّفُوسُ زُوِّجَتْit is a barzakh (the interval between death and resurrection) life in between his life in this world and his life in the Hereafter. By this, it is known that he died, just as the other prophets and others before him died. Allah the Exalted said:
And We did not grant to any man before you eternity [on earth]; so if you die - would they be eternal?
وَمَا جَعَلْنَا لِبَشَرٍ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ الْخُلْدَ أَفَإِنْ مِتَّ فَهُمُ الْخَالِدُونَ(26) Everyone upon the earth will perish, (27) And there will remain the Face of your Lord, Owner of Majesty and Honor.
كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ (26) وَيَبْقَى وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ ذُو الْجَلالِ وَالإِكْرَامِIndeed, you are to die, and indeed, they are to die.
إِنَّكَ مَيِّتٌ وَإِنَّهُمْ مَيِّتُونَ(may Allah be pleased with them both), and before and after that, they did not go to his grave to consult him or ask him for a way out of those trials and problems and how to solve them. If he had been alive like his life in this world, they would not have neglected that while they were in dire necessity of someone to save them from the affliction that surrounded them. As for his soul, it is in the highest of the heavens because he is the best of creation, and Allah gave him al-Wasilah, which is the highest rank in Paradise. May prayers and peace be upon him.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.