The Essential Pearls & Gems of

lbn Taymiyyah SEltCllONS rnoM THE WITINGS OF SHAYKH Al -ISlAM

Compiled by Shaykh Muhammad 'Abd ar-Rahman al-' Arifi

Translated by Nasiruddin al-Khattab

Edited by Huda Khattab

DARUSSALAM \'()[iR .11 llW'

CONTENTS

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Introduction

His lineage

His birth and childhood

His characteristics

Remembering Allah a great deal and asking for forgiveness Comments on his forbearance

His status, and comments of the scholars concerning him

His shaykhs and students

His Books

Some of the trials and tribulations faced by Ibn Taymiyyah

His death

1. Are there any guidelines on dream interpretation?

2. Some say that the definition of a karaamah as that

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Publisher's NoteTranslator's ForewardIntroductionShaykh al Islam Ibn Taymiyyah A brief biography

Selections from Bughyat al-Murtaad

Selections from an-Nubawwaat

which is not intended as a challenge to the disbelievers is not a good definition. But Khalid ibn al-Waleed challenged the disbelievers by drinking the poison, and the servant of the sorcerer challenged the king and his people.

Selections from Qaa'idah Jaleelah fi't-Tawassul wa'l Waseelah

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(Important Guidelines concerning Intercession)

3. Intercession may benefit the believers but not themushrikeen, even if the mushrik loved the Prophet I;

4. Some examples of the mushrikeen affirmingthe Oneness of Allah's Lordship (Tawheed arRuboobiyyah)

5. A brilliant discussion about the issue of asking ofpeople

6. The correct view is that naafil prayers that are donefor a reason may be offered at times when prayer isotherwise not allowed

7. The one who swears an oath by something thatis sacred, such as the Ka'bah, the angels and thelike, then breaks that oath does not have to offerexpiation

8. Saying "I ask you by Allah," i.e., I ask you by yourfaith in Allah Who enjoins you to treat me withkindness

9. There is no intermediary between Allah andHis creation except the Messengers during theirlifetimes, and they are intermediaries in the senseof conveying the message only

10. The one who intercedes on behalf of another doesnot have to be obeyed in his intercession, even if he

is a great man, based on the hadeeth of Bareerah and Mugheeth (may Allah be pleased with them)

11. Seeking help from the shaykhs ("holy men") andthe devils' toying with people by appearing in theform of the shaykh whose help they are seeking

12. Devilish powers vs. karaamaat ("miracles")

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13. Refutation of those who denied the divineattributes in an attempt to avoid likening Allah toHis creation or thinking of Him in physical terms;there are seven points to be noted

14. Five combinations among the Muslim philosophers

15. Definition of the essence; can it be separate fromthe attributes?

16. When the Messengers spoke of attributes that Allahdoes not possess or that are not befitting to Him,they spoke in brief and in general terms, and whenthey spoke of the attributes that He does possess,they spoke in detail.

17. Refuting those who say that the universe is eternal(and has no beginning) on seven counts

18. The sorcerer cannot turn an inanimate object intoan animate being

19. The reality of magic is not mere psychic powers

20. Stories of interactions of the jinn with humans andtheir extraordinary feats

21. There is no female Prophet, according to scholarlyconsensus

22. Discussing the hadeeth that speaks of reason

23. Most nations acknowledge the existence of theangels and jinn

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Selection from as-Safadiyyah

24. One of the exclusive characteristics of the Prophetsis that the one who reviles them becomes adisbeliever

25. The importance of quoting saheeh (sound) hadeethsas evidence, not da'eef (weak) ones

26. Ibn Taymiyyah quotes scholarly opinions statingthat the Jahamis are kaafirs

27. The first one to deny that Allah loves His slaves andthat His slaves love Him was al-Ja' d ibn Dirham

28. There are four views with regard to the resurrection29. There are three opinions concerning intercession30. All the Prophets brought the religion of Islam

31. Examples of the middle path of Islam as comparedto other religions

32. Examples of the moderate, middle path of Ahl asSunnah in relation to other Muslim sects

33. Having an open-ended or limited treaty with thekuffaar is permissible

34. Can jizyah be taken from any kaafir? Or can it onlybe taken from the People of the Book?

35. Innovated sects such as the Khaarijis, Shi'ah andothers are better than the philosophers

ls11ql 36. al-Waleed ibn 'Abd al-Malik is the one who

incorporated the Prophet's burial chamber into theMosque

37. The origin of idol worship has to do with graves

38. In many cases people's resentment towards theChristians is not based on any religious motive; ratherit is because they are prevailing and have power inthis life

Selections from al-Istighaathah fi'r-Radd 'ala al-Bakri

39. Four types of seeking help, and the ruling on eachtype

40. Asking of people is haraam in principle; it is moreharaam than eating dead meat

41. Ruling that a person is a kaafir is only for Allah;no one else has the right to do that

42. It is permissible to praise Allah in verses of poetry;in fact this is something good

43. Not all poetry is blameworthy

44. Ruling on praying in churches45.

46.

47.

One of those who carry out the decrees of judgesused to pray at a grave, then he found out that itwas the grave of a Raafidi

The hadeeth: "The Black Stone is the right hand ofAllah on earth"

If the Muslim enters the land of the Raafidis andKhaarijis and conceals his love for the Sahabah andeven gives a wrong impression, he is not sinning

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48. The miracles of the Prophet are of two types; threecategories of tangible miracles and six categories ofintangible miracles

49. Shirk is prevalent among the Christians and arroganceis prevalent among the Jews

50. It is essential to differentiate between saying thatthe divine attributes are different from the divineEssence and saying that they are not Allah

51. Kufr is of four types: denial, rejection, stubbornnessand hypocrisy.

52. The location of the cave of the Companions ofg

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Selections from al-Jawaab as-Saheeh liman baddala Deen al-Maseeh

the Cave is in the village of ar-Rajeeb in Jordan, seventeen kilometres from Amman

53. Stories and incidents of the disbelievers of Makkahand others, which highlight the fact that theybelieved the message preached by the Prophet :'i,even though they rejected it

54. Stories and events that happened to the People ofthe Book which indicate that they believed in theMessenger of Allah :'i in their hearts, even if theydenied him verbally

55. The people of this world have four views concerningthe resurrection

56. Anyone who makes a claim to Prophethood mustinevitably be one of three things

57. A number of the signs of the Hour and IbnTaymiyyah' s affirmation that they have come to pass

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we were to take a person, bring him up, teach him and take good care of him for thirty years, then we wanted to push (our view) down his throat, it would not go down except with difficulty, but when it comes to their view (i.e., the view of those who affirmed the divine attributes), when people hear it they accept it because they know that it is what the Messenger of Allah :i taught

1r1'; 1l-f\kim;r1'1 62. The Christians came and said: 0 Muhammad,

you belittle our companion (i.e., Jesus) and saythat he is the slave of Allah. The Prophet :i said:It is nothing shameful for Jesus to be a slave ofAllah. Then Allah revealed the words: "TheMessiah will never be too proud to reject to bea slave to Allah . . . " [an-Nisa' 4:172]. The onewho exaggerates about a Prophet and regardsthinking of him in an appropriate manner withinthe framework of Tawheed as belittling him isfollowing in the footsteps of the Christians

63. If someone greets you with salaam, it is obligatoryto return his greeting, even if he is a disbeliever

64. Did Allah answer His Messenger :i when hesaid: "O Allah, do not make my grave a regularplace of visitation"?

65. An inferior action, if it is done at the appropriatetime and place or in the appropriate situation,may become superior to another action thatis usually preferred; e.g., saying tasbeeh whenbowing and prostrating is better than recitingQur'an, and saying tasbeeh after Fajr and 'Asr is

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Selections from ar-Radd 'ala al-Akhnaa'i

t ssential earls o uems of Ion I arnian

better than offering (naafil) prayers

1st:1\J1:k NirmrJ l;iv:ni/y;1!1

66. The report which says that Imam Ahmad stoppedeating bread in the house of his son Saalih when he

became a judge is false

67. The Sahabah did not differ about any of the divine

attributes mentioned in the Qur' an except the

verse "the Shin shall be laid bare" [al-Qalam 68:42],

because it is mentioned without any indication as

to whom the shin belongs

68. The first innovation that appeared in Islam was that

of the Qadaris and Murji'ah, then Shi'ism, until the

matter went as far as pantheism and incarnation

69. The correct view concerning the children of the

mushrikeen is that they will be tested on the Day of

Resurrection

70. The hadeeth about 'Abd ar-Rahmaan ibn 'Awf

entering Paradise crawling is fa