What is your opinion of the book *Al-Ruh* (The Soul) by Ibn al-Qayyim?

Question:
What is your opinion of the book *Al-Ruh* (The Soul) by Ibn al-Qayyim?

Answer:
Rather, I read part of it, but I did not read the whole thing; however, I read some of it. A group of scholars told me that it contains matters that are subject to scrutiny. Perhaps he wrote it at the beginning of his life, before he became proficient in the research he achieved due to his companionship with Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and his focus on the Book and the Sunnah. I did not read the whole thing, but a group of scholars informed me that it contains matters that are subject to scrutiny. A student of knowledge looks at the evidence; it does not matter to him whether the author is so-and-so or so-and-so, for the truth is not known by men, but men are known by the truth. So whenever the truth appears in the speech of someone, it is obligatory to accept it, and whenever error appears in the speech of someone, it is obligatory to reject it, even if he is great, and even if the author is great, like Ibn al-Qayyim or Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, or someone greater than both of them. The criterion is the evidence of the Shari'ah. So whenever the evidence shows the correctness of a statement, it is obligatory to adopt it, and what does not, then it is not. It is not permissible for a student of knowledge to accept the truth because so-and-so said it, and reject it because so-and-so rejected it. No, this is not the concern of the people of knowledge. The truth is accepted by evidence, and falsehood is rejected by evidence.