Ibn Taymiyyah | Language: English | Format: PDF | Pages: 36 | Size: 1 MB
Ibn Taymiyyah verdicts in regards to Jihad are often not available especially on whom Jihaad is to be carried out. The shaykhs verdicts are filled with a sea of knowledge that oulines fighting not only the enemy aggressor, but also apostates and even those who oppose clear cut rulings of Islam, despite their claims to be Muslims.

Taqi ud-Deen Abu-l-'Abbas Ahmad ibn 'Abd al-Haleem ibn
'Abd as-Salam ibn Taymiyyah al-Harrani al-Hanbali, was
born on Monday the 10th of Rabi' al-Awwal 66l H./22nd of
January 1263 C.E. at Harran. His father fled with his family
from Harran to Damascus in the year 667 H. /1268 C.E. out
of fear of the Tartars who invaded the land of Islaam and
were very close to Harran. In Damascus, the centre of
Islaamic studies at that time, Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah followed
in the footsteps of his father who was a scholar of Islaamic
studies by studying with the great scholars of his time, among
them four women including Zainab bint al-Makki who
taught him hadeeth.

He completed his studies when he was a teenager and at the
age of nineteen he became a teacher of Islamic doctrines. He
was well versed in Quraanic studies, hadeeth, fiqh, theology,
Arabic grammar and scholastic theology. He started giving
fataawa on religious legal matters without following any of
the traditional legal schools. He defended the sound
prophetic traditions by arguments, which, although taken
from the Quraan and the Sunnah, had hitherto been
unfamiliar to people of his time.

This was a time when the entire world of Islaam was
trembling with fright as an imminent target of Tartar
oppression. Iraq, Iran, and Khurasaan continued to be
despotically ruled by the Tartars. The Mamluke Turks ruled
Egypt, Sudan, Syria, and Hijaz. Simultaneously, a large
Christian evangelical movement was mounting to censure
Islaam. The crusaders were incessantly attacking Palestine
and the European Christians residing in Syria and Cyprus
had become emboldened to criticize the prophethood of
Rasoolullah r, compose works on the alleged truthfulness of
Christianity, and to invite theological debate.

Ibn Taymiyyah responded at every possible level. He fought
heretical innovations in religion which were wide spread
during his time all over the Muslim world, especially certain
acts and beliefs of some Sufi orders, like saint worship and
visiting saints' tombs seeking help from them, his refutations
on shirk and bid`ah caused him to be persecuted by the
authorities whose leaders were under the influence of certain
scholars.

Ibn Taymiyyah’s fight was not limited to the people who
followed the heretical innovations; in addition, he fought
against the Tartars who attacked the Muslim world and
almost reached Damascus. The people of Syria sent him to
Egypt to urge the Mamluke Sultan, the Sultan of Egypt and
Syria to lead his troops to Syria to save it from the invading
Tartars. When he realized that the Sultan was hesitant to do
what he asked of him, he threatened the Sultan by saying: “If
you turn your back on Syria we will appoint a Sultan over it
who can defend it and enjoy it at the time of peace”.

He was present at the battle of Shaqhab near Damascus
against the Tartars which took place during the fasting
month of Ramadhaan and gave a fatwa to the army to break
their fast in order to help them against their enemy, as the
Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) did during the battle of the liberation
of Makkah. The Muslims won the battle against the Tartars
and drove them away from Damascus and all Syria.