Completion of the mention of some of the virtues of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him).
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : This statement was explained by Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him) as being a great favor from Allah upon knowledge.
The questioner : And he explained it.
The Shaykh : In the fatwas.
The questioner : In the fatwas?
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
The questioner : This man is extraordinary, Doctor. This man is such that a person almost...
The Shaykh : What Allah willed, a nation...
The questioner : One of the early scholars mentioned, "And he did not see his like."
The Shaykh : This is truly said of many people of knowledge and virtue, but I fear there is exaggeration in it. As for Ibn Taymiyyah, glory to the One who created him, the Syrian proverb applies to him, I do not know if you have it: "So-and-so is like a Chinese plate; from wherever you look at him, he is flawless." That is, in any field of knowledge he enters, you see him as an expert. If he sits in a gathering where scholars discuss, he speaks in every field until those present think he is a specialist in it.
The questioner : The Shaykh of Islam.
The questioner : This, Shaykh, for example, he wrote *Dar' Ta'arud al-'Aql wa al-Naql* (Reconciling Reason and Revelation). This thing is extraordinary.
The Shaykh : This is not exaggeration, but the truth. Furthermore, the one who reads his books—I say that the Sufis use some soft, pleasant words regarding their awliya (close friends of Allah), describing them as those who know Allah. I believe this term applies to Ibn Taymiyyah, because you hear from him opinions and ideas that you do not find from anyone else at all. He was truly open to knowledge. You might find a scholar who, through frequenting people of knowledge and sitting with them, took a share from every science, but he is a transmitter, not an innovator, not one who brings something new. As for Ibn Taymiyyah, he brought things, God is the Greatest.
The questioner : Ibn Taymiyyah, meaning, surpassed the people of knowledge.
Another questioner : I have not seen him, but the people told us.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, now it has become barren.
The questioner : Now it is completely empty, the blessing is gone. As for those good people... before the 'Id prayer, come... the one with his kofta.
The Shaykh: Kiftaro.
The questioner : This is his kofta... God is the Greatest.
The Shaykh : All the tyrants in Islamic history always have a Sufi next to them, necessarily.
The questioner: Correct.
The Shaykh: Allahu Akbar.
The questioner : But this is different, meaning, he is a fool, he is playing with his hands, and he is found at every religious occasion. And then he is physically strong, his kofta is strong, meaning, I felt it from him despite his age; his leg was lame. As for the orator he is talking about, he was sitting in front of him and so on...
The questioner : And he explained it.
The Shaykh : In the fatwas.
The questioner : In the fatwas?
The Shaykh : Yes, exactly.
The questioner : This man is extraordinary, Doctor. This man is such that a person almost...
The Shaykh : What Allah willed, a nation...
The questioner : One of the early scholars mentioned, "And he did not see his like."
The Shaykh : This is truly said of many people of knowledge and virtue, but I fear there is exaggeration in it. As for Ibn Taymiyyah, glory to the One who created him, the Syrian proverb applies to him, I do not know if you have it: "So-and-so is like a Chinese plate; from wherever you look at him, he is flawless." That is, in any field of knowledge he enters, you see him as an expert. If he sits in a gathering where scholars discuss, he speaks in every field until those present think he is a specialist in it.
The questioner : The Shaykh of Islam.
The questioner : This, Shaykh, for example, he wrote *Dar' Ta'arud al-'Aql wa al-Naql* (Reconciling Reason and Revelation). This thing is extraordinary.
The Shaykh : This is not exaggeration, but the truth. Furthermore, the one who reads his books—I say that the Sufis use some soft, pleasant words regarding their awliya (close friends of Allah), describing them as those who know Allah. I believe this term applies to Ibn Taymiyyah, because you hear from him opinions and ideas that you do not find from anyone else at all. He was truly open to knowledge. You might find a scholar who, through frequenting people of knowledge and sitting with them, took a share from every science, but he is a transmitter, not an innovator, not one who brings something new. As for Ibn Taymiyyah, he brought things, God is the Greatest.
The questioner : Ibn Taymiyyah, meaning, surpassed the people of knowledge.
Another questioner : I have not seen him, but the people told us.
The Shaykh : Yes, yes, now it has become barren.
The questioner : Now it is completely empty, the blessing is gone. As for those good people... before the 'Id prayer, come... the one with his kofta.
The Shaykh: Kiftaro.
The questioner : This is his kofta... God is the Greatest.
The Shaykh : All the tyrants in Islamic history always have a Sufi next to them, necessarily.
The questioner: Correct.
The Shaykh: Allahu Akbar.
The questioner : But this is different, meaning, he is a fool, he is playing with his hands, and he is found at every religious occasion. And then he is physically strong, his kofta is strong, meaning, I felt it from him despite his age; his leg was lame. As for the orator he is talking about, he was sitting in front of him and so on...
Source
www.al-albany.com
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.