Ibn Taymiyyah was born in Harran (an old city between Sham and
Iraq) on the 10th of Rabi al-Awwal 661H. His family was renowned for their
knowledge and excellence. When he was six years old, his family fled to Damascus
under the threat of an imminent Mongol attack on their hometown. In Damascus,
his father Shahabud-Din Abu al-Mahasin Abd al-Halim established himself as a
respectable scholar and later became the professor of Hadeeth and the khateeb of
the great Ummayyad mosque.
From an early age, Ibn Taymiyyah was noted for his memory,
comprehension and strict observance of time - qualities that would later cause
the rest of his life to be filled with actions such as teaching, commanding the
good, forbidding the evil, authoring books and refuting innovators. He memorized
the Qur'aan and studied Hadeeth with his father, who was a specialist in this
field.
He learned the laws of Sharee'ah, Jurisprudence and studied the Hanbali system
of law under his own father. He had a particular liking for the Tafseer
(explanation) of the Qur'aan as Ibn Taymiyyah, himself mentions, 'Sometimes, I
have gone through as many as hundred commentaries of a single verse of the
Qur'aan. After I have dipped into these pages, I have supplicated to Allah to
enlighten me about the true content and significance of the verse. I pray to
Allah thus on these occasions, 'You are the Exalted Teacher of Adam and
Ibraheem. Favor me with the essence of this verse.' [al-Uqood ad-Durriyah (p.
24)]
In addition, Ibn Taymiyyah also studied secular sciences of his time like
history, calligraphy, mathematics, astronomy, medicine, dialect, logic,
philosophy and different Islamic sects. These early intellectual pursuits
contributed a great deal to his future lectures and writings. Any subject, Ibn
Taymiyyah tackled and wrote about, left the reader under the impression that
this was his specific field of expertise. The total number of scholars from whom
he took knowledge exceeds two hundred including four female teachers.
Ibn Taymiyyah started issuing legal verdicts at the age of nineteen and after
his father's death assumed the respected teaching position formerly held by his
father in Dar al Hadeeth as-Sukriyyah at the age of 22.
Kamalud-Din al-Zamalkaani (d.727), whom Shaikhul-Islam debated a number of times
says accepting his merits, 'Whenever Shaikhul-Islam was asked any question
concerning any field of knowledge, he replied in a way which caused the audience
to conclude that he had no knowledge of any other field (i.e., he had spent his
whole life in learning that particular branch of knowledge) and acknowledged him
as the greatest authority on the subject. Scholars subscribing to different
groups attended his discourses and each one of them learnt something that he had
not known earlier. It never happened that he debated any point whereby the
discussion came to a standstill. Whatever be the subject he spoke about, whether
religious or discursive, he excelled all the authorities of that subject….'
[Quoted from the book, 'Dawah Shaikhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah wa-Athruha fi al-Harakat
al-Islamiyyah al-Mu'asirah' by Salahud-Din Maqbool Ahmad]
Shaikhul-Islam had many direct students and multitudes were
influenced by his teachings. He nurtured a strong and educated generation that
escorted him in good times and in ordeals, whether it was in fighting the
Tartars, or actions that forwarded the correct teachings of the religion like,
the authoring of beneficial books, giving legal ruling and in commanding the
good and forbidding evil. From the most prominent of his students were;
Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, Muhammad Ibn
Abee Bakr (d. 751H), a close student of Shaikhul-Islam, who authored
monumental books like Madarij as-Salikeen, Zaad al-M'aad, A'laam al-Mu'aqqieen,
and others. Hafidh Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani (d.852) the author of Fath al-Baree
says, 'If there was no other virtue of Shaikhul-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah other than
his famous student Shaikh Shams ad-Deen Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah author of
beneficial books, from which have benefited friends and opponents - then it
would have been enough to establish his noble status…' [Ar-Radd al-Waafir (pg.
231)]
Ibn Katheer, Imad al-Din Ismaa'eel (d. 774),
who is considered one of the greatest historians and is the author of the
renowned book, al-Bidayah wan-Nihayah, and the famous most-authentic Tafseer of
the Qur'aan; Tafseer Ibn Katheer.
Adh-Dhahabee, Muhammad Ibn Ahmad, (d.748H)
he was a master in the science of Hadeeth and a great historian. He authored
nearly a hundred works, some of them of considerable size, like his twenty-three
volume Siyar a`lam an-nubula (The Lives of Noble Figures), his thirty-six volume
Tareekh al-Islam al-kabir (Major History of Islam).
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Intelligence, Vastness and Commitment to
Knowledge:
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Al-Hafidh Ibn Katheer says about Ibn Taymiyyah, 'It was rare for
him to hear something and not memorize it and he occupied himself with the
sciences. He was intelligent, had committed much to memory, and thus, became an
Imam in Tafseer and what pertained to it. He had (comprehensive) knowledge of
Fiqh, it was said that he had more knowledge of Fiqh of the madhhabs than the
followers of those very same madhhabs in his time and other times. He was fully
aware of the different opinions of scholars. He was a scholar in Usool, the
branches of the religion, grammar and language and other textual and
intellectual sciences. He was never overcome in a sitting and no noble (scholar)
would speak to him on a particular science except that he thought that this
science was the specialty of Ibn Taymiyyah and he would see him as being well
versed in it and having perfected it… As for hadeeth, then he was the carrier of
its flag, a Hafidh in hadeeth and able to distinguish the weak from the strong,
fully acquainted with the narrators and being proficient in this…' [See, Bidayah
wan-Nihayah (14/157)]
Al-Hafidh Badr ad-Deen al-Aynee al-Hanafee said, 'He is the Imam, the noble, the
masterful, the pious, the pure, the devout, the proficient in the two sciences
of Hadeeth and Tafseer, Fiqh and the two fundamentals (i.e., the Book and the
Sunnah) with determination and precision. He is the sharp sword against the
innovators, the authority, who established the matters of the religion and the
great commander of the good and forbidder of evil. He possessed (noble) concern,
bravery and embarked upon that which frightened and deterred. He was of much
remembrance, fasting, prayer and worship.' [Ar-Radd al-Waafir, (pg. 159)]
Al-Hafidh al-Bazzaar said, ‘I have not seen him mention any of the pleasures and
attractions of this world, he did not delve into worldly conversations and he
never asked for any of its livelihood. Instead, he directed his attentions and
conversations to seeking the Hereafter and what could get him closer to Allah.’
[Al-A'laam al-Uliyyah (pg.52) of al-Bazzaar]
