The Response to Those Who Said That Ibn Taymiyyah Contradicted the Consensus
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Question:
An image from a newspaper or magazine, page 16, under the topic "What Happened at the College of Sharia": A summary of the matter is that one of the professors at the College of Sharia, Dr. Hassan Nito, stated that whoever contradicts the consensus of the Muslim community is a disbeliever, and that Ibn Taymiyyah, one of the scholars of Sham, contradicted the consensus of the community. He added that if Ibn Taymiyyah had not died in prison, the punishment for apostasy would have been carried out against him. Therefore, we ask for your Highness’s comment on this matter, or a response to those who say such things, which appeared in the Kuwaiti media. May Allah reward you with the best reward.
Answer:
This is what we have heard. Whoever said this is more ignorant than his own donkey. Whoever said these words, whether Dr. Hassan or someone else, is more astray than his own camel and his own cow. There is no doubt that he spoke without knowledge and uttered a defective, misguided statement.
Ibn Taymiyyah did not contradict the consensus of the community; rather, he clarified what the community must adopt, and he clarified the issues in which people differed. He explained the stronger of the two opinions, or of the various opinions, with evidence. He is not one who contradicts the consensus of the community; rather, he is one who calls to good and forbids evil. May Allah have mercy on him.
However, he may have differed from the majority of the community on certain issues, and the criterion is the evidence, even if it is with the few. If the majority hold one opinion and a few scholars hold another, and the evidence is with the few, then the truth is with the few. The truth is with the one who has the evidence, even if they are the few among the scholars. The truth is not with the many; the truth is with the one who has the evidence. Whoever has the evidence from the Book or the Sunnah is the one who holds the truth, even if those who hold that opinion are not the majority, but rather the minority.
Question : ...in Kuwait...?
Answer: We will look into the matter, if Allah wills, and examine it.
Question: The matter is at the College of Sharia in Kuwait, not in the Kingdom, praise be to Allah.
Answer: In any case, it is obligatory to address the matter, whether here or there.
An image from a newspaper or magazine, page 16, under the topic "What Happened at the College of Sharia": A summary of the matter is that one of the professors at the College of Sharia, Dr. Hassan Nito, stated that whoever contradicts the consensus of the Muslim community is a disbeliever, and that Ibn Taymiyyah, one of the scholars of Sham, contradicted the consensus of the community. He added that if Ibn Taymiyyah had not died in prison, the punishment for apostasy would have been carried out against him. Therefore, we ask for your Highness’s comment on this matter, or a response to those who say such things, which appeared in the Kuwaiti media. May Allah reward you with the best reward.
Answer:
This is what we have heard. Whoever said this is more ignorant than his own donkey. Whoever said these words, whether Dr. Hassan or someone else, is more astray than his own camel and his own cow. There is no doubt that he spoke without knowledge and uttered a defective, misguided statement.
Ibn Taymiyyah did not contradict the consensus of the community; rather, he clarified what the community must adopt, and he clarified the issues in which people differed. He explained the stronger of the two opinions, or of the various opinions, with evidence. He is not one who contradicts the consensus of the community; rather, he is one who calls to good and forbids evil. May Allah have mercy on him.
However, he may have differed from the majority of the community on certain issues, and the criterion is the evidence, even if it is with the few. If the majority hold one opinion and a few scholars hold another, and the evidence is with the few, then the truth is with the few. The truth is with the one who has the evidence, even if they are the few among the scholars. The truth is not with the many; the truth is with the one who has the evidence. Whoever has the evidence from the Book or the Sunnah is the one who holds the truth, even if those who hold that opinion are not the majority, but rather the minority.
Question : ...in Kuwait...?
Answer: We will look into the matter, if Allah wills, and examine it.
Question: The matter is at the College of Sharia in Kuwait, not in the Kingdom, praise be to Allah.
Answer: In any case, it is obligatory to address the matter, whether here or there.
Source
binbaz.org.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.