Author: Abul Nasr Zaranji
Twenty Discourses, Twenty Radiant Faces (Part 12)
Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (may Allah have mercy on him)
Introduction
In the previous brief speech, the brilliant personality of the Shaykh al-Islam, Allama Izz al-Din ibn Abd al-Salam (may Allah have mercy on him) was introduced. Now we would like to get acquainted with the brief life of another Rabbani scholar of the sixth century AH, a personality known as a theologian, historian, hadith scholar, and Hanbali jurist. His activities in preaching, oratory, and teaching formed an important part of his social life. He was the author of numerous works in various sciences that made his name known all over the world, and after several centuries, his writings continue to shine like bright stars in the sky of knowledge. His sermons were so influential that tens of thousands of people attended his sermon sessions in Baghdad, and even the Caliph, emirs, ministers, and scholars were sometimes among the listeners of his speeches. His skill in debate was such that he called around 200 infidels to Islam. This great personality is Allama Imam Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (may Allah have mercy on him).
Name and Lineage
Abul Faraj Yusuf Abd al-Rahman ibn Ali ibn Muhammad, known as Jamal al-Din and as “Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah,” a prominent Hanbali scholar and prolific writer, was born in Baghdad in 511 or 512 AH. However, in fact, Imam Ibn Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) was originally from the blessed land of Sham.
Imam Ibn al-Qayyim’s Search for Knowledge
A study of the life of Allama Ibn al-Qayyim shows that he had a sincere interest and desire to seek knowledge. Ibn al-Qayyim learned the science of obligatory duties from his father since childhood. His father, who was the guardian of the al-Jawziyyah school and familiar with the works of the Hanbali school, passed on his knowledge to his son. At the age of seven, he went to Damascus and studied under the scholars of that land.
Traveling to seek knowledge has always been praised among lovers of knowledge, because a study of the life of every scholar and thinker reveals the journeys that were undertaken to acquire knowledge and hear Hadith. Hadith scholars, especially from the time of the Companions until now, have attached great importance to traveling to acquire knowledge and disseminate the Sunnah in the form of authentic books.
Allama Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) was also among the skilled scholars who considered traveling to the land of scholars, especially Damascus, essential for acquiring knowledge. Although the details of his childhood have been less studied, his famous students, Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali and Ibn Kasir al-Dimashqi (may Allah have mercy on them), did not have accurate information about their teacher’s childhood and focused more on his scholarly contributions during his intellectual maturity.
Allama Ibn al-Qayyim’s Acquaintance with Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and Influence on His Thoughts
Allama Ibn al-Qayyim was born in an era when Islamic culture and civilization were at their peak. He was born in the late seventh century AH, when Muslims in Egypt and the Levant had been cleansed of the taint of the Crusader attacks. However, he had not yet turned eight when the Tatar attacks on Islamic lands began.
In 699 AH, when the Tatar army defeated the Muslims and reached the gates of Damascus, Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah gathered the elders of the city and, after negotiating with Kazan Khan, the Tatar king, he convinced him to refrain from entering Damascus. This made Ibn Taymiyyah famous as a man of Damascus, a prominent figure who taught, educated the people, and united them to confront the Tatars. In the Battle of Shaqhab, which took place in Ramadan in 702 AH, Ibn Taymiyyah led the Islamic army under the command of the Muslim Sultan and fought bravely until Allah granted them victory and forced the Tatars to retreat. This incident taught Allama Ibn al-Qayyim two important lessons:
1. Reliance on Allah and firm faith in His help, and that the unity of the Muslims is one of the main prerequisites for Allah’s help.
2. Being impressed and admiring the personality, thoughts, and ideas of Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) to such an extent that in 712 AH, when Ibn Taymiyyah returned to Damascus from Cairo, Ibn al-Qayyim became his student and remained his companion for 16 years, benefiting greatly from this companionship. Love and devotion to his master took root in his heart, and he was influenced by Ibn Taymiyyah’s ideas. Ibn al-Qayyim, who was a young man of 21 years at the time and at the peak of intellectual maturity, was fascinated by Ibn Taymiyyah’s ideas, fully accepted them, and made a well-founded defense of them against his opponents. Many scholars recognize Ibn al-Qayyim as the promoter and publisher of Ibn Taymiyyah’s ideas. The most important lesson that Ibn al-Qayyim learned from Ibn Taymiyyah was the call to adhere to the Qur’an and the authentic Sunnah of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) and to understand them as the righteous predecessors understood them, and also to avoid everything that contradicts them. He worked to truly revive the religion and cleanse it of innovations and deviations. Those who study Ibn al-Qayyim’s books will understand well the tremendous influence of Ibn Taymiyyah on him.
Ibn al-Qayyim’s love for his teacher was not limited to the classroom; he was with his teacher at all times, both in hardship and in comfort. He endured many tortures and hardships to remain with his teacher. For example, due to some of his fatwas, he was imprisoned in a castle with Ibn Taymiyyah and was not released from prison until his teacher had passed away, dying in the same prison.
The Scientific Position of Allama Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him)
To express the scientific position of Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him), it is enough to note that he was the companion of Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah for 16 years and gained grace from his presence. Ibn al-Qayyim was a skilled researcher who benefited greatly from every science and culture, collecting many books to the point that his children sold them for years after his death, in addition to the books they had chosen for themselves. Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) was truly a living encyclopedia of the sciences of his time, with valuable writings in jurisprudence, principles, biography, and history. Only someone who swims in the sea of knowledge hidden in the pages and contemplates its meanings can understand his scientific stature; and then they will find before them a library full of meanings and information. Despite being skilled in jurisprudence (Fiqh), principles, interpretation, and the principles of hadith, he also had a unique poetic taste and was at the forefront of his time in vocabulary and grammar, to such an extent that scholars would seek his assistance to find the roots of words and solve grammatical problems.
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