We have mentioned that the term *Imam* is not applied to everyone, but only to those to whom students refer. They ask about Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah: why?
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The questioner : O Shaykh, may Allah reward you. In some of our lessons, it was mentioned to us that the term *Imam* is not applied to every Shaykh among the Shuyukh.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : It is not applied except to one who has a school or to whom people refer.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : Regarding Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, some students ask why we call him Shaykh al-Islam, for example. With all due respect to him, what was sufficient for the scholars before him is sufficient for him, and he came later than them in the eighth century, and no one was titled Shaykh al-Islam before him.
The Shaykh : They consider the title Shaykh al-Islam to be less than the title *Imam*. They consider the title Shaykh al-Islam to be less than the title *Imam*. Therefore, it is not strange that he received what he received in defense of Islam. What he did in defense of Islam is well known.
The questioner : The title is newly coined; no one preceded him with it.
The Shaykh : The point is that the people named him. The people named him and the scholars approved it.
The questioner : Shaykh al-Islam al-Ansari, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : Al-Ansari was named Shaykh al-Islam.
The Shaykh : Yes, he is called Shaykh al-Islam. Many are called Shaykh al-Islam, very many.
The Shaykh : All right, we have taken three.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : It is not applied except to one who has a school or to whom people refer.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : Regarding Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, some students ask why we call him Shaykh al-Islam, for example. With all due respect to him, what was sufficient for the scholars before him is sufficient for him, and he came later than them in the eighth century, and no one was titled Shaykh al-Islam before him.
The Shaykh : They consider the title Shaykh al-Islam to be less than the title *Imam*. They consider the title Shaykh al-Islam to be less than the title *Imam*. Therefore, it is not strange that he received what he received in defense of Islam. What he did in defense of Islam is well known.
The questioner : The title is newly coined; no one preceded him with it.
The Shaykh : The point is that the people named him. The people named him and the scholars approved it.
The questioner : Shaykh al-Islam al-Ansari, O Shaykh.
The Shaykh : Yes
The questioner : Al-Ansari was named Shaykh al-Islam.
The Shaykh : Yes, he is called Shaykh al-Islam. Many are called Shaykh al-Islam, very many.
The Shaykh : All right, we have taken three.