His Name and Lineage

He is Shaykh al-Islam, the Imam, Abu al-Abbas: Ahmad ibn Abd al-Halim ibn Abd al-Salam ibn Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn al-Khidr ibn Muhammad ibn al-Khidr ibn Ali ibn Abd Allah ibn Taymiyyah al-Harrani, then al-Dimashqi (of Damascus).

His Birth

He was born on Monday, the 10th of Rabi’ al-Awwal, in Harran in the year 661 AH. When he reached seven years of age, he relocated with his father to Damascus to flee from the invading Tatars.

His Upbringing

He was raised in a household of knowledge, jurisprudence (Fiqh), and religion. His father, grandfathers, brothers, and many of his uncles were famous scholars. Among them was his great-great-grandfather (fourth grandfather) Muhammad ibn al-Khidr, as well as Abd al-Halim ibn Muhammad ibn Taymiyyah, Abd al-Ghani ibn Muhammad ibn Taymiyyah, and his closer grandfather, Majd al-Din Abu al-Barakat Abd al-Salam ibn Abd Allah ibn Taymiyyah—author of several works, including Al-Muntaqa min Ahadith al-Ahkam, Al-Muharrar fi al-Fiqh, Al-Musawwadah fi Usul al-Fiqh, and others. Likewise, his father Abd al-Halim ibn Abd al-Salam al-Harrani, his brother Abd al-Rahman, and others were scholars.

In this righteous, scholarly environment, the subject of this biography grew up. He began seeking knowledge first from his father and the scholars of Damascus. He memorized the Quran while young and studied Hadith, Fiqh (jurisprudence), Usul (principles of jurisprudence), and Tafsir (exegesis). He was renowned for his intelligence, strong memory, and brilliance from early childhood. Later, he expanded his studies across various sciences and mastered them. The traits and requirements of an Ijtihad (independent legal reasoning) converged in him during his youth; thus, it was not long before he became an Imam recognized by the greatest scholars for his knowledge, merit, and leadership before he even reached the age of thirty.

His Character Traits

In addition to his deep knowledge and understanding of the religion, as well as his dedication to enjoining good and forbidding evil, Allah granted him noble qualities for which he was renowned and to which people testified. He was generous and bountiful, prioritizing the needy over himself in food, clothing, and other matters. He engaged heavily in worship, remembrance of Allah (dhikr), and recitation of the Quran. He was pious and ascetic, owning virtually nothing of worldly possessions beyond basic necessities—a trait widely known about him among the people of his time, even the general public. He was humble in his appearance, dress, and dealings with others; he wore neither luxurious nor wretched clothing, nor did he put on pretenses for anyone he met.

He was also famous for his imposing presence and steadfast courage in upholding the truth. He commanded immense awe before rulers, scholars, and the general public alike; everyone who saw him loved, revered, and respected him, except for those overcome by envy among the followers of desires and their like.

Furthermore, he was known for his patience and endurance for the sake of Allah, possessed sharp intuition (firasah), had his supplications answered (mustajab ad-da’wah), and manifested clear miraculous gifts (karamat). May Allah bestow vast mercy upon him and grant him entry into His spacious Paradise.

His Era

The author—may Allah have mercy on him—lived in an era marked by a prevalence of religious innovations (bid’ah) and misguidances, the dominance of many false doctrines, rampant doubts, and widespread ignorance, blind fanaticism, and uncritical imitation (taqlid). Additionally, Muslim lands were invaded by the Tatars and the Crusaders (Franks).

We find a clear and vivid picture of his era reflected through his surviving works, as he concerned himself with the most crucial and dangerous matters facing Muslims, contributing to their remedy through his pen, speech, and actions. Anyone contemplating the Shaykh’s writings will observe the following features of his time:

• Prevalence of innovations and polytheistic practices (shirk), especially surrounding graves, shrines, and alleged places of visitation, alongside false beliefs regarding the living and the dead—believing they can bring benefit or harm, and invoking them instead of Allah.
• Spread of philosophical ideologies, atheism, and dialectical theology (jadal).
• Dominance of Sufism and deviant Sufi orders over the general populace, leading to the spread of esoteric (Batinite) doctrines and views.
• Deep infiltration of the Rafidah (Shi’a sects) into Muslim affairs, propagating innovations and polytheistic practices, discouraging people from Jihad, and assisting the Tatars—the enemies of the Muslims.
• Finally, the revitalization of Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah through the Shaykh, who energized their resolve. This had a commendable impact on Muslims up to this day in confronting innovations and evils, enjoining good, forbidding evil, and offering sincere advice to the leaders and common folk of the Muslims.

The Shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—stood firmly against these deviations in his time in a remarkable manner: commanding good, forbidding evil, advising, and clarifying truth until Allah rectified many conditions of the Muslims through him and aided the Sunnah and its adherents through his efforts—all praise be to Allah.

His Jihad and Defense of Islam

Many people are unaware of the practical aspects of the Shaykh’s life, knowing him only as a scholar, author, and mufti through his widely distributed books. However, he had memorable stands in many other arenas where he made powerful contributions to the victory of Islam and the honor of Muslims.

Among these was his military Jihad with the sword and his encouragement of Muslims to fight through both word and deed. He wielded his sword in the battlefields alongside the bravest warriors, and those who witnessed him fighting during the conquest of Acre marvelled at his courage and effectiveness against the enemy.

As for his Jihad with the pen and tongue, he stood like a towering mountain against the enemies of Islam—including followers of other religions, sects, false doctrines, and religious innovations. He combated them through debates at times and written refutations at others, until he debunked their doubts and thwarted much of their plotting, praise be to Allah. He confronted the philosophers, the Batinites (including various Sufi sects, Ismailis, Nusayris, and others), as well as the Rafidah and atheists. He dismantled the doubts raised by innovators regarding shrines and graves, and confronted the Jahmiyyah, Mu’tazilah, and Asha’irah regarding the Divine Names and Attributes. In sum, he meticulously clarified the three categories of Tawhid (Monotheism)—Tawhid al-Rububiyyah (Lordship), Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah (Worship), and Tawhid al-Asma’ wa al-Sifat (Names and Attributes)—and refuted doubts surrounding them.

Anyone who examines this aspect of the Shaykh’s life would almost conclude he had no spare time left. He was fought, persecuted, harmed, and imprisoned multiple times for the sake of Allah, ultimately passing away while imprisoned in the Citadel of Damascus.

By Allah’s grace, the Shaykh’s refutations remain a potent weapon against the enemies of truth and perpetrators of falsehood. This is because his works rely directly on the Book of Allah, the Sunnah of His Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), and the guidance of the Righteous Predecessors (al-Salaf al-Salih), combined with powerful deduction, strong legal and rational arguments, and vast knowledge granted to him by Allah.

Most of the destructive ideologies popular today among Muslims are continuations of those very sects and doctrines confronted by the Shaykh and his peers among our righteous predecessors. Therefore, reforming callers (du’at) should not neglect this realm, so they may benefit from the work accomplished before them.

It is no exaggeration to say that the Shaykh’s books and refutations remain the strongest weapon for confronting these misguided sects and destructive ideologies prevalent today, which are merely extensions of the past dressed in modern clothes with altered names—such as Ba’athism, Socialism, Nationalism, Qadianism, Baha’ism, and other sects and ideologies.

Fields of Knowledge to Which He Contributed

The Shaykh did not leave any field of knowledge that could benefit the Ummah (Muslim community) or serve Islam without writing about it and contributing with brilliance and mastery—a trait rarely found except among the rare geniuses of history.

His peers, teachers, students, and opponents all testified to his extensive reading and vast erudition. Whenever he spoke on a particular science or discipline, the listener would think he mastered no other discipline due to his precision and depth in it. Anyone who examines his works and output, knowing what he accomplished in his life through Jihad with hand and tongue, defense of the faith, worship, and remembrance, would marvel at the blessing (barakah) in his time, his physical endurance, and his perseverance. Glory be to Him who bestowed such gifts upon him.

His Scholarly Legacy

In the field of authorship and scholarly output, the Shaykh left the Ummah a massive, invaluable legacy from which scholars and researchers continue to drink as a pure source. The Ummah currently possesses numerous printed volumes of his works, treatises, legal verdicts (Fatawa), specific legal issues, and more. What remains unknown and stored in the realm of manuscripts is likewise extensive.

His Death

Among the signs of goodness for a righteous man and his acceptance among Muslims is their sense of loss upon his death. For this reason, the Salaf considered a large number of attendees at a man’s funeral prayer to be a sign of goodness and acceptance for him. Thus Imam Ahmad said: “Say to the people of innovation: Between us and you is the day of funerals.” Meaning, the leaders of the Sunnah have the largest number of mourners on the day they die.

Reality bore witness to this truth: people never heard of funerals like those of the two Imams, Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah, due to the sheer vastness of the crowds that accompanied their biers and prayed over them. The Muslims are Allah’s witnesses on His earth.

The Shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—passed away while imprisoned in the Citadel of Damascus on the night of Monday, the 20th of Dhu al-Qi’dah, in the year 728 AH. All the people of Damascus and its surrounding areas rallied to pray over him and attend his funeral. Sources detailing his death unanimously agree that an extraordinarily large crowd—defying description—attended his funeral.

May Allah have mercy on him and reward him with the best reward on behalf of Islam and the Muslims.

Source: شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية رحمه الله