LUMINARIESDates for Some Luminaries of Blessed Memory who were
either born or passed away during the month of Thu al-Qidah or,
Qadah. THU al-QIDAH or, QADAH 1 Imam Abu Jafar Ahmad b. Muhammad b.
Salaamah b. Salamah b. Abd al-Malik b. Salamah b. Sulaym b.
Sulayman b. Janab al-Azdi al-Hajri al-Tahawi al-Misri (321/October
29, 933). His mother is the sister of Imam Ismail b. Yahya
al-Muzani (264/878). Imams Subki (771/1370) and Isnawi (772/1371)
mentioned in their Tabaqat that she was an eminent jurist in Egypt
who attended the majlis of Imam Shafii (204/820). Imam Abu al-Qasim
al-Rafii (624/1227) cited a narrative on her authority in the Book
of Zakat of his al-Aziz, his seminal commentary on al-Wajiz of Imam
Ghazali (505/1111)(which is more renowned as, al-Sharh al-Kabir).
Imam Tahawi authored SharhMushkil al-Athar, and Ikhtilaf
al-Ulama`that was abridged by Abu Bakr Ahmad b. Ali al-Jassas
al-Razi (305370/917-980), the author of -Ahkam al-Quran. He also
authored the renowned short treatise on Aqidahthat would be
annotated by numerous later imams, most notably Muhammd b. Abu
alIzz (792/1390). Abu Jafar al-Tahawi was born 10 Rabi I
(239/August 24, 853). An annotated isnad to the Aqidah of Imam
Tahawi is available free to students upon request (currently in
Arabic only). 3 Imam Abu Abd-Allah Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Uthman b.
Qaymaz b. Abd-Allah al-Fariqi alDahabi, al-Dimashqi (748/February
12, 1348), the grand hafizof hadith. On his authority we narrate
his Tarikh al-Islam, Siyar Alam al-Nubala`, Tadkirat al-Huffaz
Mizan al-I tidal, his Mu jam alMuhaddithin, his abridgment of
al-Rawdh al-Unuf of Abu al-Zayd al-Suhayli (581/1185), and other
works. Imam Abu Abd-Allah al-Dahabi was born 3 Rabi II (673/October
12, 1274). 5 Birth of Imam Abu Muhammad Ibn Hisham, Abd-Allah b.
Yusuf b. Ahmad b. Abd-Allah b. Hisham al-Ansari al-Misri (708/April
25, 1309), the eminent grammarian who authored Qatr alNada, Shudur
al-Dahab, Awdhah al-Masalik, his commentary on the Alfiyyah of Imam
Ibn Malik (600672/1204-1274), and Mughni al-Labib. He passed away
(761/1360). 6 Abu al-Waqt al-Sijzi, Abd al-Awwal b. Abu Abd-Allah
Isa b. Shuayb b. Ibrahim b. Ishaq alHarawi al-Malini (553/December
7, 1158). He narrated theSahih on the authority of Abu al-Hasan
alDawudi (364-469/974-1076), on the authority of Abu Abd-Allah Ibn
Hammuyah al-Sarakhsi (293381/905-991), on the authority of Abu
Abd-Allah Muhammad b. Yusuf b. Matar b. Salih b. Bishr alFirabri
(231-320/845-932), on the authority of its compiler, our eminent
grandfather in fiqh and hadith, the pride of Islam, Imam Abu
Abd-Allah Muhammad b. Ismail b. Ibrahim b. alMughirah b. Bardizbah
al-Bukhari al-Jufi (194-256/810-870). Abu al-Waqt was born 7 Thu
al-Qidah (458/October 6, 1066), and heard the Sahih in the year
465/1072, when he was seven years old. 10 Birth of Imam al-Muzaffar
Ibn al-Saaati, Ahmad b. Ali b. Taghlib al-Baghdadi (651/January 9,
1254). On his authority we narrate his Nihayat al-Wusul also known
as, al-Badi fi Usul al-Fiqh, which uniquely combined Kanz al-Wusul
ila Ilm al-Usul of Ali b. Muhammad b. Abd al-Karim b. Musa
alBazdawi (400-482/1010-1089) and al-Ihkam fi Usul al-Ahkam of Ali
b. al-Hasan b. Muhammad b.
Salim al-Amidi (631/1234). His own daughter Fatimah, a jurist in
her own right, annotated her fathers juridical treatise, Majma
al-Bahrayn wa Multaqa al-Nahrayn. Ibn al-Saaati passed away in
Baghdad, on 4 Jumada I, 694/March 29, 1295, and was buried near
al-Junayd b. Muhammad alBaghdadi al-Thawri (297/909). Tz.: Ibn
al-Saaati, Ali b. Muhammad b. Ali b. Rustum al-Khurasani
al-Dimashqi (553-604/11591208) is a famous poet. His anthology
(Diwan) is translated to English. Tz.: Ibn al-Saaati, Ridhwan b.
Muhammad b. Ali b. Rustum al-Khurasani al-Dimashqi al-Tabib
(618/1221) is a famous doctor, horologist and musicianwho, like Abu
Bakr al-Razi (Rhazes), was an accomplished lute player. He is the
younger brother of the poet, Ali. He abridged and annotated the
renownedQanun (Liber canonis) of Abu Ali Ibn Sina, al-Husayn b. Ali
b. Abd-Allah (428/1037), and completed his kitab al-Qawlanj, his
treatise on colic. 10 Um Abd-Allah Habibah bint Ibrahim al-Izz b.
Abd-Allah b. Abu Umar Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Qudamah al-Maqdisi
(745/March 24, 1345). On her authority, we narrate Juz` al-Hasan b.
Arafah (257/871). She was born in 654/1256. 10 Muhammad b. Muhammad
b. Sulayman b. al-Fasi b. al-Tahir al-Susi al-Rudani (1094/October
31, 1683), the compiler of Silat al-Khalaf bi Mawsul al-Salaf, one
of the most comprehensive latter athbat among our masters ofhadith.
He also authored Jam al-Fawa`id and abridged Talkhis alMiftah of
Muhammad b. Abd al-Rahman al-Qazwini (666-739/1268-1338), and
al-Tahrir fi Usul alFiqh of Imam Abu Abd-Allah Ibn al-Humam
(790-861/1388-1457). al-Hafiz al-Rudani was born in 1037/1627. 12
Birth of Imam Abu Jafar Ahmad b. Ibrahim b. al-Zubayr al-Thaqafi
al-Gharnati (627/September 29, 1230). He is our grandfather in the
Qira`at and one of the eminent teachers of Imam Abu Hayyan
al-Andalusi (745/1344), the author of the renowned exegesis,
al-Bahr al-Muhit. On his authority, we narrate his Milak al-Ta`wil,
the Tabsirah fi al-Qira`at al-Sab of Makki b. Abu Talib (437/1045),
alIqna fi al-Qira`at al-Sab of Abu Jafar Ibn al-Badish
(491-540/1098-1145), and the reading of Imam Nafi (169/785) through
its Morrocan chain (isnad). He passed away on 12 Rabi I
(708/September 7, 1308). 12 Birth of Imam Abu al-Abbas Ahmad b.
Muhammad b. Abu Bakr b. Abd al-Malik b. Ahmad alQastallani
al-Qutaybi (851/January 28, 1448). On his authority we narrate his
Irshad al-Sariy, his commentary on Sahih al-Bukhari,al-Mawahib
al-Ladunniyyah bi al-Minah al-Muhammadiyyah, which is annotated by
Abu Abd-Allah al-Zurqani, and abridged by Yusuf b. Ismail b.Hasan
b. Nasir alNabahani (1350/1931), his Masalik al-Hunafa ila Mashari
al-Salat ala al-Nabiy al-Mustafa. He also authored Minhaj
al-Ibtihaj: SharhMuslim b. al-Hajjaj, a commentary on Sahih Muslim,
and al-Jana alDani fi HallHirz al-Amani, a commentary on the
Shatibiyyah, as well as a biography of its author titled, al-Fath
al-Mawahibi. He passed away 8 Muharram (923/February 10, 1517). He
was married to Aishah al-Bauniyyah (922/1516). Tz.: Abd al-Baqiy b.
Yusuf b. Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Ulwan al-Zurqani
(1020-1099/1611-1688), is the commentator on Mukhtasar Khalil,
itself annotated by Abu Abd-Allah Bannani, Muhammad b. al-Hasan b.
Masud b. Ali b. Abd al-Wahid al-Fasi (1113-1194/1701-1780), titled
al-Fath al-Rabbani.
Tz.: Abu Abd-Allah Ibn Fujlah, Muhammad b. Abd al-Baqiy
(1055-1122/1645-1710), son of the above, is the annotator of
al-Mawahib al-Ladunniyyah, and the commentator on the Muwatta`. 15
Abu al-Husayn Ibn Samun, Muhammad b. Ahmad b. Ismail b. Anbas b.
Ismail (387/November 24, 997). He heard from imams Abu Jafar
Muhammad b. Jarir al-Tabari (310/922), Abu Bakr b. Abu Dawud
al-Sijistani (275/888) and heard the Mukhtasar of Abu al-Qasim Umar
b. al-Husayn b. AbdAllah al-Khiraqi (334/946) from its author. On
his authority, we narrate his uniqueAmali, through our grandfather
in Qira`at and hadith, Abu al-Yumn Zayd b. al-Hasan al-Kindi
(520-613/1126-1216). 16 Um Abd al-Wahhab, Aishah bint Abu
al-Mahasin Yusuf b. Ahmad b. Nasir b. Khalifah b. Faraj b.
Abd-Allah b. Yahya b. Abd al-Rahman al-Bauniyyah al-Dimashqiyyah
al-Shafiiyyah (922/December 21, 1516), the prolific author of
al-Mawrid al-Ahna fi al-Mawlid al-Asna and al-Fath al-Mubin fi Madh
al-Amin, and numerous other poems in praise of the Noble Prophet
Muhammad, may Gods peace and blessings be upon him and his family.
21 Imam Abu al-Hasan Ibn al-Nafis, Ali b. Abu al-Hazm al-Qarashi
(687/December 24, 1288), the eminent physician. Ibn al-Nafis
authored, SharhFusul Abuqrat, a lucid commentary on the Aphorisms
of Hippocrates (470-410 B.C.), Sharh Tashrih al-Qanun, a commentary
on the anatomy section of theLiber Canonis of Ibn Sina (Avecina),
and other commentaries and refutations on numerous works of Galen
(131-201 C.E.), and other works. He was born ca. 607/1210. 22 Imam
Abu al-Abbas Ibn Taymiyah, Ahmad b. Abd al-Halim b. Abd al-Salam b.
Abd-Allah alHarrani al-Dimashqi al-Hanbali (728/October 5, 1328).
23 Imam Abu Bakr Muhammad b. al-Tayyib b. Muhammad b. Jafar b.
al-Qasim al-Baqillani al-Maliki (403/June 12, 1013). On his
authority we narrate his renowned I jaz al-Quran, al-Intisar li
al-Quran, and his theological treatises al-Insaf and al-Taqrib wa
al-Irshad. He was born in 338/949. Tz.: Abu Bakr Ibn al-Baqillani,
Abd-Allah b. Mansur b. Imran b. Rabiah al-Wasiti (Rabi II 29,
593/March 28, 1197), the imam of Qira`at who read on the authority
of the Grand Imams Abu al-Izz al-Qalanisi, Muhammad b. al-Husayn b.
Bundar al-Wasiti (435-521/1044-1127), the author of alIrshad fi
al-Qira` at al- Ashr, and Abu Muhammad Sibt al-Khayyat. Imam Abu
al-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzi read on the authority of Abu Bakr Ibn
al-Baqillani when *Abu al-Faraj] was near eighty years of age. Tz.:
Ibn al-Baqillani al-Hasan b. Maali b. Masud b. al-Husayn
(568-637/1173-1240) is a Hanafi jurist. 23 Imam Abu Ali al-Hasan b.
Masud b. Muhammad b. Ali b. Yusuf b. Ahmad b. Ibrahim b. Muhammad
al-Yusi (1102/August 18, 1691), a mujtahid of the twelfth hijri
century. He authored alQanun fi Jam al- Ulum, al-Budur al-Lawami, a
commentary on Jam al-Jawami of Imam Subki (771/1370),Mashrab al-Am
wa al-Khass, a prolific treatise on the Shahadahalong with his
Muhadharat, his Rihlah, and other works. We narrate on his
authority through Imam Abu alTayyib al-Shargi al-Fasi (1170/1757),
the annotator ofal-Qamus al-Muhit, on the authority of his aunt,
Zahra bint Muhammad b. Musa al-Fasi, the wife of Imam Abu Ali
al-Yusi from him. He was born 1040/1361.
29 Imam Abu Abd-Allah Ibn Mandah, Muhammad b. Ishaq b. Muhammad
b. Yahya b. Ibrahim Mandah b. al-Walid b. Sindah b. Battah b.
Fayruzan b. Jahar al-Abdi al-Isfahani (395/September 13, 1005).
With his passing, the compilation of hadith is considered complete.
We narrate his kitab al-Iman on the authority of Um Yusuf Fatimah
bint Muhammad b. Abd al-Hadi (719-803/13191401), on whose authority
we also narrate his Amali and his Ardaf al-Nabiy. On his authority
we also narrate Musnad Abi Hanifah of Abu Muhammad Abd-Allah b.
Muhammad b. Yaqub al-Harithi (258340/872-951)through the authority
of Zaynab Bint al-Kamal, and the Tafsir of Abu Muhammad Ibn Abi
Hatem al-Razi (327/939), and his Ilal, the latter work through the
authority of Maryam bint Ahmad al-Adraiyyah (719-805/1319-1403).
Abu Abd-Allah Ibn Mandah, was born 310/922, the year Imam Tabari
passed away. 29 Abu al-Abbas Ibn Abi Hajalah, Ahmad b. Yahya b. Abu
Bakr b. Abd al-Wahid al-Tilimsani alMisri (776/May 10, 1375), the
author of Diwan al-Sababah, that inspired Abu Abd-Allah Ibn
alKhatib al-Gharnati (713-776/1313-1374) to write his Rawdhat
al-Tarif. Ibn Abi Hajalah was born 725/1325. Imam Abu al-Hasan Ali
b. Umar b. Ahmad b. Mahdi b. Masud b. al-Numan b. Dinar b.
Abd-Allah al-Daraqutni al-Baghdadi was born in Thu al-Qidah
(306/April 919). He is among our eminent forefathers in hadith and
Qira` at. Through his authority, we narrate kitab al-Thiqat and
other works of Imam IbnHibban (354/965)the compiler of the renowned
Sahih: al-Taqasim wa al-Anwawho is one of Imam Daraqutnis teachers.
We also narrate his ownSunanthrough the authority of Fatimah bint
Abd-Allah b. Muhammad al-Hawraniyyah (737-818/1337-1415)his kitab
al-Afradin its five-volume abridgment by Abu al-Fadhl Muhamad b.
Tahir b. Ali al-Maqdisi (408-507/10171113)his al-Mu`talif wa
al-Mukhtalif, al-Ilzimat wa al-Tatabbuand his kitab al-Ilal. Imam
Daraqutni also passed in Thu al-Qidah (385/December 995). Abu
al-Husayn Ibn Mu ti, Yahya b. Abd al-Mu ti b. Abd al-Nur al-Zwawi
al-Hanafi passed away in Thu al-Qidah (628/September 1231) the Imam
of Arabic who authored the Alfiyyah that Imam Abu Abd-Allah Ibn
Malik (598-672/1202-1273) referred to in the beginning of his own
Alfiyyah, as having had the virtue of precedence ( fadhl al-sabq).
With due reverence and neither denial nor rebuttal, it should be
noted that Imam Ahmad b. al-Mansur b. al-Agharr al-Yashkuri
al-Dinawari (370/980) authored a poem in Arabic grammar (three
centuries prior to Ibn Mu ti) that contained 2,911 verses. Its
introduction alluded to numerous similar works of varying length
that also preceeded it. Imam Abu al-Thana` Mahmud b. Abd al-Rahman
b. Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Abu Bakr b. Ali alIsfahani (749/February
1349), the eminent commentator onMinhaj al-Wusul of Baydhawi
(719/1319) and his Tawali al-Anwar; and on al-Badi fi Usul al-Fiqh
of Imam al-Muzaffar Ibn alSaati, Ahmad b. Ali b. Taghlib
al-Baghdadi (694/1295); and on the renowned Mukhtasar of Ibn
alHajib (646/1248). Abu al-Thana` was born Shaban (674/1275).
Zaynab b. Sulayman b. Ibrahim b. Rahmah al-Isirdi also passed in
Thu al-Qidah (705/June 1306), past her eightieth year. She narrates
the Sahih from our grandfather in hadith, Abu Abd-Allah Ibn
al-Zabidi, al-Husayn b. al-Mubarak b. Muhammad b. Imran b.
al-Musallam b. Yahya (545-631/11501234). Zaynab bint Yahya b.
Sultan al-Ulama`, Abd al-Aziz b. Abd al-Salam al-Sulami also passed
in Thu al-Qidah (735/July 1335). Along with her grandfathers works,
on her authority we also narrate al-
Mujam al-Saghir ofTabarani, the Juz` of al-Hasan b. Arafah and
numerous smaller hadithcollections. She was born (648/1250). Queen
Dilshad bint Dimashq Khwaja b. Joban ruled over the affairs of Iraq
in her era. Her husband was viceroy. She also passed away in Thu
al-Qidah (752/January 1352). Dilshad is Persian for joyful heart.
May Allah bless and have mercy upon them all.Tafseer Ibn Abbas
Mufassir e Azam Tarjuman ul Qur'an Hadhrat Abdullah Ibn Abbas And
Lebab Naqul Fi Asbab al Nuzul (Urdu) Of Imam Alamah Jalaluddin
Suyuti Tarjuma Qur'an Hakim Hazrat Maulana Fateh Mohamed Jallendhri
Tarjuma Tafseer wa muqaddimah, Muhammad Ahmadd Atif Makki Darul
Kutub, Pakistan Hardback, 3 Volumes
This book is narrations that are related from the great
companion who was known for his extensive knowledge and
understanding of the Quran, Abdullahi Ibn Abbas. It also includes
Lebab Naqul Fi Asbab al Nuzul (Urdu)
Abdullah was the son of Abbas, an uncle of the noble Prophet. He
was born just three years before the Hijrah. When the Prophet died,
Abdullah was thus only thirteen years old When he was born, his
mother took him to the blessed Prophet who put some of his saliva
on the babe's tongue even before he began to suckle. This was the
beginning of the close and intimate tie between Abbas and the
Prophet that was to be part of a life-long love and devotion. When
Abdullah reached the age of discretion, he attached himself to the
service of the Prophet. He would run to fetch water for him when he
wanted to make wudu. During Salat, he would stand behind the
Prophet in prayer and when the Prophet went on journeys or
expeditions, he would follow next in line to him. Abdullah thus
became like the shadow of the Prophet, constantly in his company.
The Khalifah Umar ibn al-Khattab often sought his advice on
important matters of state and described him as 'the young man of
maturity'
The Garden of the Gnostics : English Translation of Bustan al
Arifeen (Imam Nawawi)ISBN: none Author: Imam Abu Zakariyya
Muhyi'd-Din ibn Sharaf an-Nawawi; Aisha Bewley (translator)
Publisher: Al-Farooq International (2001) Pages: 107 Binding:
Paperback Description from the publisher:
The purpose of this book is to make clear how to travel the path
of the rightly-guided. It will show how to take on the excellent
qualities of the Salaf, Allah-willing. The author mentions some of
the pearls and realities of gnosis. It is composed in such a way so
as not to bore the reader and so as to render its subject matter
easy to remember. This book also contains some of the uplifting
saying of the Salaf, the meaning of certain inspiring stories and
some beautiful poems. In most cases it is demonstrated whether the
hadiths are sound or excellent, and their chains of transmission
are clearly set down. Whatever is obscure or hidden in them is made
clear. Necessary definitions are provided in order to avoid
distortion and to shun alteration or twisting the meaning. Certain
things may be mentioned and then the chain of transmission stated
so that it might take firm hold in the reader. The isnad of
transmission may be condensed and shortened to avoid lengthiness.
This book is meant for people who worship and for people who are
not in need of the science of isnads and may even rather dislike
them. Most of what is quoted - by the praise and bounty of Allah
has an isnad which is already famous in wellknown books. Should
there be a difficult phrase or name in a hadith or story, it will
be defined and concisely explained. This book contains various
science of the Shari'ah, some of the subtleties of hadith, the
science of fiqh and the manners (adab) of the deen. It also
contains some of the science of hadith and some fine points of
hidden fiqh. It contains important points concerning belief and
some gems of principle. It includes subtle marvels which stimulate
remembrance of Allah, which should be mentioned in gatherings. It
deals with gnosis of the hearts, their sicknesses and their
treatment and cure. Should something arise which would require an
explanation beyond the scope of this book, what is meant by it will
be explained succinctly, or you will be referred to its full
explanation found in one of the books of those scholars who possess
insight and true understanding.
Translated by Aisha Bewley Paperback 107 Pages Imam Nawawi says
in the preface: "The Purpose of this book is to make clear to you
how to travel this path. It will show you how to take on the
excellent qualities I have described. Allah willing, I will mention
some of the pearls and realities of Gnostics. It will be composed
in such a way so as not bore the reader and so as to render its
subject matter easy to remember. Allah willing I will quote some of
the uplifting sayings of the salaf." About Imam al-Nawawi (d.
676/1277)Imam Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi was Born in the village of
Nawa in Southern Syria, Imam Nawawi spent most of his life in
Damascus where he lived in a simple manner, devoted to Allah,
engaging single-mindedly in worship, study, writing and teaching
various Islamic sciences. . Although best known for his works in
hadith, Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi (d. 676/1277) was also the Imam
of the later Shafi'i school of Jurisprudence, and widely
acknowledged as the intellectual heir to Imam Shafi'i. He was a
renowned scholar and jurist who dedicated his life to the pursuit
of Islamic learning. Imam Nawawi died at the young age of 44 years,
leaving behind him numerous works of great
Farid Ad-Din 'Attar's Memorial of God's Friends: Translated with
an Introduction by Paul Losensky: Lives and Sayings of Sufis:
Translated with an ... of Western Spirituality (TM) Series)
[Paperback]Paul E. Losensky (Author) Kitab at-Tauhid Dalam ranah
Ilmu Kalam, al-Maturidi adalah nama yang sudah tidak asing lagi. Ia
adalah pendiri aliran Maturidiyyah yang diketegorikan sebagai
representasi teologi ahli sunnah, di samping Asyariyyah yang
digawangi Abu al-Hasan al-Asyari. Al-Maturidi dikenal sebagai
seorang teolog, dan faqih dari Madzhab
Hanafi, bahkan seorang ahli tafsir. Nama lengkap al-Maturidi
adalah Abu Manshur Muhammad bin Muhammad bin Mahmud al-Maturidi. Ia
dilahirkan di Maturid, sebuah desa (qaryah) yang masuk ke dalam
wilayah Samarqand. Ia acap kali dijuluki Imam al-Mutakallimin (Imam
Para Teolog) dan masih banyak lagi yang kesemuanya menunjukkan
kelas intelektual dan jihadnya dalam membela sunnah, akidah, dan
menghidupkan syariat Islam. Tak ada penjelasan pasti dari para
sejarawan tentang tahun kelahiran al-Maturidi. Tetapi menurut Dr.
Ayyub Ali, al-Maturidi lahir sekitar tahun 238 H / 852 M. Alasan
yang dikemukakannya adalah bahwa salah satu murid al-Maturidi,
yaitu Muhammad bin Muqatil ar-Razi wafat pada tahun pada tahun 248
H / 862 M. [Ayyub Ali, A History of Muslim Philosophy, vol. I, h.
260]. Jika pandangan Dr. Ayyub Ali itu benar, maka al-Maturidi
kurang lebih hidup selama seratus tahun. Sebab, para sejarawan
sepakah bahwa al-Maturidi wafat pada tahun 333 H / 944 M dan
dimakamkan di Samarqand. Salah satu guru al-Maturidi adalah Abu
Nash al-'Ayyadhi yang merupakan teman seperguruannya di majlis yang
diselenggarakan oleh Abu Bakr Ahmad al-Jauzani. Nama al-Maturidi
memang tidak sementereng al-Asyari, tetapi kendatipun demikian ia
banyak mewariskan karya-karya bermutu. Di antara peninggalannya
adalah Kitab at-Tauhid. Al-Maturidi mengawali kitabnya dengan
pembahasan tentang pembatalan taklid dan keniscayaan mengetahui
agama dengan dalil. Dalam bagian ini al-Maturidi tidak menerima
apapun alasan taqlid. Sebab taqlid bisa menimbulkan adanya
pandangan yang berbeda dengan orang yang ditaqlid-i. Pada bagian
selanjutnya al-Maturidi menjelaskan bahwa dasar yang dijiadikan
untuk mengetahui agama adalah as-sam (wahyu) dan al-aql. [H. 3-4].
Pandangan teologi yang kembangkan al-Maturidi pada dasarnya adalah
sama dengan al-Asyari. Metodologi yang digunakan keduanya adalah
moderatisme. Dengan kata lain, pendekatan mereka adalah pendekatan
yang berdiri di antara kelompok tekstualis -seperti kalangan
Hasywiyyah, Musyabbihah, dan Mujassimah- dan kelompok rasionalis
seperti Mutazilah. Misalnya, ketika al-Asyari membicang tentang
atribut-atribut (shifat) Allah. Kalangan Mutazilah menegasikan
atribut-atribut tersebut. Mereka mengatakan: Tidak ada (atribut,
penerjemah) ilmu, kuasa, mendengar, melihat, hidup, kekal, dan
kehendak bagi Allah. Sedang kalangan Hasywiyyah dan Mujassimah
mengatakan: Allah memiliki ilmu sebagaimana ilmu-ilmu lainya,
pendengaran sebagaimana pendengaran-pendengaran lainya, dan
penglihatan sebagaimana penglihatan-penglihatan lainnya. Kedua
pandangan di atas saling bertabrakan satu sama lainnya. Lantas
al-Asyari mengajukan sebuah pandangan yang berdiri di
tengah-tengah. Ia mengatakan: Sesunguhnya Allah memilik ilmu tetapi
tidak sama dengan ilmunya makhluk, kekuasaan tetapi tidak sama
dengan kekuasaanya makhluk, pendengaran tetapi tidak sama dengan
pendengaran makhluk, dan penglihatan tetapi tidak sama dengan
penglihatan makhluk.[Ibn Asakir, Tabyin Kidzb al-Muftari, H. 149].
Sikap al-Asyari mengenai atribut-atribut di atas juga diikuti oleh
al-Maturidi. Hal ini terlihat dalam Kitab at-Tauhid-nya: Kemudian
ditetapkan atribut (shifat) bagi Allah, yaitu Yang Mampu,
Mengetahui, Hidup, Mulia, dan Yang Dermawan. Penamaan dengan
atribut atribut tersebut adalah hak baik menurut sam (wahyu) dan
akal sekaligus.hanya saja ada suatu kelompok yang melekatkan
nama-nama tersebut kepada selain Allah karena menyangka bahwa
penetapan nama-nama tersebut mengandung tasyabuh (keserupaan)
antara Allah dengan setiap yang diberi namaakan tetapi kami telah
menjelaskan ketiadaan tasyabuh dengan Allah karena kesuaian nama.
Sebab, Allah dinamai dengan nama yang Ia buat sendiri dan
diatributi dengan atribut yang Ia berikan sendiri. [H. 44]. Dari
semua yang dibicarakan al-Maturudi dalam Kitab at-Tauhid-nya hemat
saya ada satu hal yang menarik. Yaitu pembahasan mengenai
nadhariyah al-marifah (teori ilmu pengetahuan). Dalam hal ini,
al-Maturidi mendiskusikan tentang nilai pengetahuan dan parameter
kebenaran dalam pengetahuan yang sampai kepada kita melaui
indera,khabar, dan akal. Menurutnya, indera, khabar, dan akal
merupakan jalan atau sumber bagi kita untuk mengetahui hakikat
segala sesuatu. [H. 7]. Untuk memperoleh pengetahuan kita tidak
mungkin bisa lepas dari salah satu ketiga sumber di atas. Misalnya,
dengan indera kita bisa merasakan rasa enak, sakit dan lain-lain.
Dengan khabar kita bisa mengetahui nama-nama kita, nasab, dan
kejadian-kejadian masa lalu. Sedang dengan akal kita bisa
memahami apa yang diperintahkan Allah. Sepanjang yang saya
ketahui, kitab-kitab yang membincang mengenai Ilmu Kalam yang
ditulis oleh para ulama sebelum al-Maturidi tidak menyinggung
persoalan nadhariyyah al-marifah. Jadi, hemat saya hal ini menjadi
satu kelebihan tersendiri bagi al-Maturidi. Kitab ini merupakan
salah satu rujukan primer bagi pendangan teologi Sunni. Karenanya
harus dibaca dan dikaji secara mendalam. Dengan membaca kitab ini,
kita akan merasakan bagaimana akrobatik teologis al-Maturidi dalam
mempertahankan keyakinan teologi kalangan Sunni. Salam
ENCYCLOPEDIA OF HADITH One of the largest and most diverse
literatures in the world, the Hadith of the Prophet Muhammad has
for fourteen centuries supplemented the Qur'an as a source of
guidance for followers of Islam.Ranging over topics as varied as
doctrine, prayer, taxation, government, fasting, pilgrimage, and
spirituality, this unique reservoir of religious guidance is an
indispensable foundation for the study and understanding of any
aspect of the Muslim religion. A full-time team of qualified Hadith
specialists has been working on the creation of a properly-edited
and reliable text. Further, the process has benefited from the
guidance of living Hadith authorities. The result has been the
first critically-edited versions of the Hadith literature ever
produced. This long overdue scholarly production has met with with
acclaim and admiration from Hadith specialists around the world and
opens new possibilities for research into early Islamic history,
into Arabic literature, and into the complex disciplines of Islamic
doctrine, law, and spirituality. For more detailed information
please download the "Sunna Project" brochure. [PDF 1.3MB]
Description of the Sunna Project 1a.Sahih al-Bukhari vol. I. 2000.
552 p. Sahih al-Bukhari vol. II. 2000. 528 p. Sahih al-Bukhari vol.
III. 2000. 568 p. 1b.Al-Sultaniyya vol. I. 2000. 592 p.
Al-Sultaniyya vol. II. 2000. 608 p. Al-Sultaniyya vol. III. 2000.
544 p. 2.Sahih Muslim vol. I. 2000. 656 p. Sahih Muslim vol. II.
2000.680 p. 3.Sunan Abi Daud vol. I. 2000. 448 p. Sunan Abi Daud
vol. II. 2000. 500 p. 4.Sunan al-Tirmidhi vol. I. 2000. 520 p.
Sunan al-Tirmidhi vol. II. 2000. 564 p. 5.Sunan al Nasai vol. I.
2000. 448 p.
Sunan al-Nasai vol. II. 2000. 536 p. 6.Sunan Ibn Maja. 2000. 688
p. 7.Muwatta Malik. 2000. 432 p. 8.Al-Maknaz vol. I. 2000. 576 p.
Al-Maknaz vol. II. 2000. 680 p.
Screenshot of the Hadith CD-ROM9.The Hadith Database. CD-ROM
plus Introduction. 2000. 144 p Note: CD-ROM database system
requirements: Windows 2000, or Arabic enabled Windows 95,98, or ME
edition 32MB of Free memory space 170MB of Free hard disk space
800x 600 screen resolution minimum
CERTIFICATIONS All of the Hadith texts are submitted for
approval to the Islamic Research Institute of Al-Azhar University,
Cairo, and are only released in printed and magnetic form once
approval has been given.
ARABIC TYPEFACE The world's finest Arabic typeface has been
developed and used throughout the Encyclopaedia of Hadith. This
typeface is based on the font used for the 1932 King Fu'ad edition
of the Qur'an, generally acclaimed as the high-point of Arabic
typography. With the assistance of some of the worlds leading
experts in Arabic calligraphy, at least a thousand additional
characters have been added to enhance the texts readability and
beauty, enabling the creation of the most beautiful Arabic pages
ever seen since the demise of the manuscript tradition.
The Encyclopaedia of Hadith was produced in Germany according to
the highest technical specifications. The nineteen-volume set,
handsomely bound using a gold and blind embossed motif inspired by
the celebrated Sultan Oljeitu Quran, preserved in the Egyptian
National Library, and using both red and black ink on each page,
sets wholly new standards for the production of Hadith texts.
Sahih al-Bukhari, in three volumes reading sample (PDF 552
kB)
Maknaz al-Mustarshidin, in two volumes reading sample (PDF 824
kB)
Timothy WinterTim (Timothy John) Winter (born 1960), aka Shaykh
Abdal Hakim Murad, is a British Muslim thinker, professor, and
translator. Winter has written about the interaction between Islam
and secular issues spanning a wide range of disciplines. He has
held a number of lectureships and administrative posts in British
academia having to do with theology, the intellectual history of
Islamic civilization, and international academic cooperation. He is
the older brother of football writer Henry Winter.
[http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/columnists/henrywinter/]
Biography Background Winter was educated at Westminster School and
graduated from Cambridge University in 1983 with a double-first in
Arabic. He went on to study traditional Islamic sciences at the
Al-Azhar University in Egypt and thereafter lived for several years
in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia where he administered a commercial
translation enterprise and maintained close contact with the Sufi
shaykh, Habib Ahmad Mashhur al-Haddad. In 1989, he returned to
England and spent two years at the University of London studying
the Turkish and Persian languages. Career as an instructor and
academic administrator As of 2007, Winter was a doctoral student at
Oxford University. He simultaneously held several professional
appointments and administrative offices at universities and in
Islamic organizations, including: Shaykh Zayed Lecturer of Islamic
Studies in the Faculty of Divinity at Cambridge University;
Director of Studies in Theology atWolfson College, Cambridge [
[http://www.divinity.cam.ac.uk/faculty/winter.html University of
Cambrige, Faculty of Divinity] ] ; secretary of the Muslim Academic
Trust (London); Director of the Anglo-Muslim Fellowship for Eastern
Europe; President of the UK Friends of Bosnia-Herzegovina; and
Director of the Sunna Project (see external link), which has
published some of the foremost scholarly Arabic editions of the
major Sunni Hadith collections. In 2008 he served on the Steering
Committee of the Cambridge Interfaith Program
[http://www.cip.divinity.cam.ac.uk] He has been a participant in
the Scriptural Reasoning project. [Ford 2006:16] Publications of
Tim Winter
[http://www.cip.divinity.cam.ac.uk/uploads/tim-winter-cv.pdf Tim
Winter curriculum vitae.] External links *
[http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/ahm/default.htm Text of Abdal Hakim
Murad's articles (including "Contentions"). ] *
[http://www.britishmuslimsong.co.uk British Muslim Song; a project
initiated by Abdal Hakim Murad to recover, revive, and write Muslim
songs by indigenous Britons.] *
[http://www.meccacentric.com/hakim_murad.html Lectures by Abdal
Hakim Murad on DVD and CD.] *
[http://www.cmeis.cam.ac.uk/sunnaproject.htm Sunna Project.] *
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/apps/ifl/religion/tftd/queryengine?attrib_1=author&oper_1=eq&val_1_1=Abdal+Hakim+Murad&submit=Search+author
BBC Radio 4 Thought For The Day, delivered by Winter.] Notes
References *Ford, David F. 2006.
[http://www.scripturalreasoning.org/pdfs/an-interfaith-wisdom.pdf
An interfaith wisdom: Scriptural Reasoning between Jews, Christians
and Muslims.]
[http://www.blackwellpublishing.com/journal.asp?ref=0266-7177
"Modern Theology"] , 2006 Jun, 22(3):345-366. ]
Look at other dictionaries: Timothy Winter Timothy Witer alias
Abdal Hakim Murad ( 1960) ist ei britischer Schriftsteller i der
Faculty of Diviity at the Uiversity of Cambridge ud eier der fhrede
britische islamische Religiosgelehrte.Timothy Witer alias Abdal
Hakim Murad (Deutsch Wikipedia) Westminster School Ifobox UK school
ame Westmister School"The Royal College of St. Peter i Westmister"
size 120px latitude 51.2954 logitude -0.740 dms motto "Dat Deus
Icremetum" motto_pl established 1179 (Refouded i 1560) approx
closed c_approx type (Wikipedia)
List of former pupils of Westminster School The followig people
were educated at Westmister School, ad are sometimes listed with OW
(Old Westmister) after their ame (collectively, OWW) There are over
a thousad Old Westmisters listed i the Oxford Dictioary of Natioal
Biography (Wikipedia) Maliki The Maliki madhhab (Arabic )is oe of
the four schools of Fiqh or religious law withi Sui Islam. It is
the third-largest of the four schools, followed by approximately
15% of Muslims, mostly i North Africa ad West Africa. Madhabs are
(Wikipedia) Marmaduke Pickthall Ifobox Celebrity ame Marmaduke
Pickthall captio birth_date May 19, 1875 birth_place Harrow, Lodo
death_date 1936 death_place Brookwood, Surrey occupatio Muslim
scholar(Mohammed) Marmaduke Pickthall (1875May 19, 1936) was a
Wester (Wikipedia) Abdul Hakim Murad (militant) "This article is
about the Pakistai militat Abdul-Hakim Murad, ot to be cofused with
the former Timothy Witer, a Lecturer i Islamic studies at the
Uiversity of Cambridge."Abdul Hakim Ali Hashim Murad ( _ar. ( )
Wikipedia) Abdul Hakim Murad Several men have had the name Abdul
Hakim Murad. They include: Abdul Hakim Murad (militant) - convicted
in connection with the Bojinka plot Timothy Winter - British Muslim
scholar (Wikipedia) Henry Winter Hery Witer (bor February 18 1963 i
Lodo) is football correspodet of "The Daily Telegraph",
"Telegraph.co.uk" ad also writes a colum for "Four Four Two"
magazie. He atteded Westmister School ad Ediburgh Uiversity. Witer
ofte (Wikipedia) Shah Shahidullah Faridi Hazrat Shah Shahidullah
Faridi (1915-1978) embraced Islam after readig "Kahful Mahjub" (The
Uveilig of the Veiled), the classical treatise o Sufism writte by
the famous sait Hazrat Ali bi Uthma al Hujweri. He left his home i
search of (Wikipedia) List of Islamic studies scholars Scholars i
Islamic studies are both Muslim ad o-Muslim scholars who work i oe
or more fields of Islamic studies. "Islamic studies" a umbrella
term for all Islam-related studies, related to both Islamizatio of
kowledge ad a extrisic (Wikipedia)
Ibn al-Jawzi: A Lifetime of Da'wahAbuz-ZubairArticle ID: 1277 |
8119 Reads
Ibn al-Jawzi, () , Abd al-Rahman b. Ali b. Muhammad Abu
al-Faraj, a jurist, traditionist, historian, preacher, one of the
most famous Hanbalis of Baghdad, where he was born, most probably,
in the year 511/1127[1], and whose ancestry goes back to Abu Bakr
(ra). He was orphaned at the age of three and thereafter raised in
care of his mother and paternal aunt, who later brought him to the
mosque of Abu al-Fadhl Ibn Nasir, to be taught traditions (hadith).
At this stage, Ibn al-Jawzi was probably no more than six years
old.
Early Learning and TeachersBeing his first teacher as well as
his maternal uncle, Ibn Nasir introduced him to many other
teachers. Ibn al-Jawzi shows his gratitude to Ibn Nasir by writing
the following in his notice: He heard numerous traditions, and had
copious knowledge in that regard. He studied lexicography under Abu
Zakariya. He is the one whom Allah Taala appointed for the purposes
of guiding me to knowledge. He would exert great effort on my
behalf during my childhood and take me to teachers. He made me
study the Musnad of Imam Ahmad by reading it to Ibn al-Husayn, as
well as collections of shorter chains (awali). I, at that time,
hadnt a clue what learning is, due to my young age. He would make
record of all traditions I heard. I studied with him for thirty
years and did not benefit from anyone as I benefited from him.[2]
Thus, Ibn al-Jawzi began his learning career from a very young age,
and had over 90 teachers, three of whom were women.[3] His teachers
who taught him traditions include Abu al-Saadat al-Mutawakkili, who
gave him the authorisation (ijaza) to transmit works from al-Khatib
al-Baghdadi; Ibn al-Husayn who taught him Musnad of Imam Ahmad; and
of course, Ibn Nasir who started his career as a Shafii -Ashari,
but later converted to Hanbalism in doctrine and jurisprudence, due
to a dream he saw to that effect.[4] Amongst his Quran teachers was
Abu al-Karam al-Hashimi - another convert from Shafiism to
Hanbalism, of whom Ibn al-Jawzi states: He is the first to teach me
the Quran when I was a child[5] - and most notably Abu Muhammad
al-Muqri from whom he learnt various modes of recitations.[6] His
education in jurisprudence began with one of the leading Hanbali
authorities of the time, Ibn al-Zaghuni, which continued for
several years. After the latters death in 527/1133, Ibn al-Jawzi
became the student of Abu Bakr al-Dinawari until his death in
532/1137-8, after which he continued his law studies with other
prominent Hanbali figures, such as Abu Yala al-Saghir, then
finally, Abu Hakim al-Nahrawani. Later Ibn al-Jawzi became an
assistant teacher for al-Nahrawani in his institute, and upon his
death in 556/1161, Ibn al-Jawzi succeeded him as the professor. His
preaching career (waz) also began at a very young age, when his
teacher Ibn Nasir introduced him to Abu al-Qasim al-Alawi
al-Harawi, who taught him the art of preaching. It was not long
before he encouraged Ibn al-Jawzi to ascend the pulpit and deliver
his first sermon attended by a crowd of 50,000, at the tender age
of ten.[7] However, al-Alawi soon left Baghdad, after which Ibn
al-Jawzis training on wadh was continued by Ibn alZaghuni until his
death in 527/1133. In addition to his professors, he held in great
admiration three scholars, even though he never personally met
them: Abu al-Wafa Ali b. Aqil al-Hanbali; the Ashari-Shafii
historian, a biographer and the author of Hilyat al-Awliya, Abu
Nuaym al-Isfahani; and alKhatib al-Baghdadi, a famous traditionist
and a historian, a Hanbali who converted to Shafiism.[8]
His Preaching Career
Although, Ibn al-Jawzi was a prolific author, who wrote
extensively on many topics and sciences, his fame is due to his
glorious preaching career, which in turn made him an influential
religious political figure in Baghdad. As preceded, he gave his
first sermon at the age of ten, but his career only advanced at the
age of fifteen, upon the death of his teacher Ibn al-Zaghuni in
527/1133 when he requested that he should replace his teachers
position. However, due to his young age, his proposal was turned
down, yet his persistence led him to the vizier, who officially
appointed him to deliver sermons in al-Mansur mosque.[9] By year
544/1149, Ibn al-Jawzi was appointed by Ibn Hubayrah, the pious
Hanbali vizier, to hold his sermons every Friday in his palace,
which was open to the public. His ever increasing popularity moved
the Caliph al-Mustanjid to appoint him to deliver sermons in the
Palace mosque, which were regularly attended by 10,000 to 15,000.
Ibn al-Jawzi used this opportunity to show great valour in defence
of sunnah and briskly attacked the ever growing madhab fanaticism
in his time, as well as scholastic theological schools such as
Mutazilism and Asharism.[10] However, after Ibn Hubayra became a
victim of his rival conspirators and was subsequently martyred in
560/1164, life became difficult for Ibn al-Jawzi. The following
year one of the colleges under the supervision of Ibn al-Jawzi was
seized. Hence, his activism and influence vanished from the scene
for five years, but reappeared after the death of Caliph
alMustanjid in 566/1170. During the reign of al-Mustadhi, Ibn
al-Jawzi developed strong ties with the Caliph, due to which he
became of the most influential persons of Baghdad. This special
relationship is illustrated by Ibn al-Jawzis work al-Misbah
al-Mudhi fi Dawlat al-Mustadhi, which he wrote in praise of the
Caliph. In 567/1171 when Salah al-Din al-Ayyubi re-established the
Abbasid Khutba in Cairo after defeating the Fatimids, Ibn al -Jawzi
demonstrated his rejoice by writing Kitab al-Nasr Ala Misr, after
which he was authorised by the Caliph in 568/1172 to deliver
sermons at the Badr gate in presence of the Caliph. In the same
year he delivered many popular sermons that attracted
extraordinarily large crowds of 100,000 attendees. In 569/1173, Ibn
al-Jawzi was invited by the people of al-Harbiyya and Bab al-Basra,
the two quarters of West Baghdad, to deliver a sermon in an open
area between the two quarters. The sermon, however, was attended by
people from all parts of the city. Ibn alJawzi led the multitude of
congregation to the place of meeting and delivered the sermon.
Since the meeting was held after sunset, the people of al-Harbiyya
and Bab al-Basra men, women and children came out with candles to
receive him. The number of attendees were estimated at 300,000,
while the candles were estimated at a thousand, lighting up the
plain and dramatising the occasion. In 570 he built his own college
at Darb Dinar and on the first day delivered a series of fourteen
lectures on different sciences. In the same year, he concluded his
exegeses of the Quran and prostrated on the pulpit, claiming to be
the first one to have completed a series of Quran exegeses in
sermons since it was revealed. In the same year he was given the
custody of another college, on which the name of Imam Ahmad was
inscribed, along with a declaration that it had been relegated to
the supervision of the champion of the sunnah, Ibn al-Jawzi. Such a
growing influence of Ibn al-Jawzi, and by extension the Hanbali
Madhab, alarmed the members of other schools. In 571/1178-9 the
Caliph granted Ibn al-Jawzi inquisitorial powers to combat the
increasing Rafidhite influence in Baghdad. Ibn al-Jawzi ascended
the pulpit and proclaimed to the crowds: Amir al-Muminin has heard
about the growth of Rafdh, and has conferred upon me inquisitional
powers to combat heresies. If you hear anyone from the public
reviling the Companions, then inform me, for I will raze his house
and land him in prison.[11] It is said that it was during this
period Ibn al-Jawzi penned his famous Talbis Iblis (The Devils
Deception), in critique of numerous heresies, social ills, and i n
particular, the distorted version of Tasawwuf that had become
widespread. Ibn al-Jawzis career and popularity reached its zenith
in the year 574/2278 AH, which in turn empowered the Hanbalis in
Baghdad. At this same time, the Caliph ordered that an inscription
be engraved on the tomb of Imam Ahmad stating: This is the grave of
the crown of sunnah, the most noble of the Ummah, one with high
ambitions, the embodiment of the Book and the sunnah of Allahs
Messenger, al-Imam Abu Abd Allah Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Hanbal
al-Shaybani may Allah be merciful with him, ending with the date of
his demise and Ayat al-Kursi. However, the followers of other
madhabsbecame concerned at the growing Hanbali influence on the
Caliph and complained, since it was never customary for the ruler
to bestow the title of Imam to anyone other than a caliph.[12] Ibn
al-Jawzi writes, describing the pinnacle of his success in the same
yea r: Today I am the director of five colleges, and the author of
150 works in all subjects. More than 100,000 repented at my hands,
and I cut off the hair of more than 10,000 lax young men.[13] No
preacher saw a crowd as great as mine, which was attended by the
Caliph, the vizier, sahib al-makhzan (Dhahir al-Din) and the senior
scholars.[14] After the death of al-Mustadhi, al-Nasir ascended to
power in 575/1179. Whilst it has been noted that al-Nasir inclined
towards Shiism, the early part of his reign did not appear to
reflect any change in Ibn al-Jawzis relation with the caliphate.
This, nevertheless, was soon to change and land Ibn al-Jawzi in
utter disgrace in year 590/1194.
His TrialYear 590/1194 marks Ibn al-Jawzis fall from grace. In
this painful episode of his life, he was subjected to severe
tribulation, exile and imprisonment. The cause of his trial was the
bitter feud between him and the descendants of the famous Sufi
Hanbali Shaykh Abd al Qadir al-Jaylani. During the vizierate of Abu
al-Mudhaffar b. Yunus, a supporter of Ibn al-Jawzi and like him,
also a student of al-Nahrawani a tribunal was setup for Rukn
al-Din, the grandson of Abd al-Qadir al-Jaylani. The tribunal,
which took place in the presence of Ibn al-Jawzi and other leading
scholars, concluded in burning of his books, which contained
zandaqah, heresies, astrology and in particular rasail ikhwan
al-safa. Consequently, Al-Jaylanis institute, much to the disgrace
of Rukn al-Din, was snatched away from him and placed in the care
of Ibn al-Jawzi. However, after the dismissal of the vizier Ibn
Yunus in 590/1194, Ibn al-Qassab, described by Ibn Rajab as a vile
Rafidite (rafidhi khabith), was instated as the vizier. Ibn
al-Qassab,
then went in pursuit of his rival, Ibn Yunus and his supporters.
Rukn al-Din seized this opportunity to entrap Ibn al-Jawzi, and
incited Ibn al-Qassab against him by suggesting that the former was
a Nasibi (detractor of the Prophets family) and a descendant of Abu
Bakr, enough reason for him to be disgraced and persecuted. Ibn
al-Qassab, after seeking the permission of the Caliph al-Nasir,
unleashed Rukn al-Din upon Ibn al-Jawzi. Rukn al-Din then proceeded
to the house of Ibn al-Jawzi, where he publicly humiliated him and
dragged him out of his house, which was then sealed off and his
family dispersed. Ibn al-Jawzi was taken to Wasit in the middle of
the night by Rukn himself and house arrested. Rukn, still seeking
to further humiliate Ibn al-Jawzi, requested permission from the
superintendent of Wasit to imprison Ibn al-Jawzi in an underground
basement. The superintendent, who was also a Shiite, rebuked Rukn
saying: O ye Heretic! Should I throw him therein merely upon your
request?! Bring me the written decree of the Caliph, for by Allah,
if he was of my sect, I would have sacrificed my soul and wealth in
his service! Hence, Rukn simply returned to Baghdad. Ibn al-Jawzis
imprisonment in Wasit did not prevent him from utilising his time
to write and teach, whilst cooking and cleaning, at a very old age
without any help. It is reported that Ibn al-Jawzi would complete
the Quran daily, yet omitting Surah Yusuf, due to his deep sorrow
over his son who shared the same name. It was after five years, in
595/1198-9 that his son, Muhiy al-Din Yusuf, became prominent
through his preaching sessions, and successfully managed to
intercede with the mother of the Caliph on behalf of his father,
and thereby, facilitating Ibn al-Jawzis return to Baghdad. His
arrival in Baghdad was emotionally celebrated by the inhabitants,
who enthusiastically came out to receive him with a warm welcome.
It was then announced that he would be holding a preaching session
the following Saturday. The people thus began to reserve places for
themselves immediately after having prayed the Friday prayer.
Despite heavy rains that night, the masses could not be deterred
from the much awaited sermon. The next morning, Ibn al-Jawzi began
to deliver his sermon to an extraordinary large audience, such that
many, due to the vast numbers present, were unable to hear his
voice.
His death and funeralHe continued to give sermons and author
numerous works, until the Ramadan of 597/1200. On the 7th of
Ramadan, he sat at the mausoleum of the Caliphs mother to deliver
his last sermon. After addressing the congregation, he fell ill for
five days, and passed away on Friday between Maghrib and Isha at
the age of eighty-six or eighty-seven. The next morning, his
funeral was prepared and brought out of the house. The entire city
of Baghdad came to a standstill as the masses gathered to attend
the funeral. At first, his funeral was taken to the spot where he
would deliver his sermons, and prayed over by his son, Abu
al-Qasim. The crowds then carried the funeral to al-Mansur mosque,
where he was prayed over again. By the time the crowds reached his
grave, which was located near the grave of Imam Ahmad, it was time
for the Friday prayer. It was one of the most extraordinary
funerals in Baghdad, where the inhabitants of Baghdad showed their
utmost remorse at the loss of an inspirational Islamic figure, a
charismatic and earnest preacher, and a source of pride.
His DescendantsIbn al-Jawzi left behind three sons and six
daughters: 1) Abd al-Aziz, his eldest son, who settled and preached
in Mosul. He died at a very young age. 2) Abu al-Qasim Ali, his
second eldest son. He began his preaching career at a very young
age but left shortly, and instead, degenerated into an idler and
accompanied irreligious people. He was extremely rebellious towards
his noble father, such that when the latter was sent in exile to
Wasit, he sold most of his father s books away for a dirt cheap
price. Due to his behaviour, Ibn al-Jawzi had shunned him for years
until he died. He would often say about his son: I pray against him
every last third of the night.[15] 3) Muhiy al-Din Yusuf, his
youngest son, who followed his fathers footsteps in learning and
preaching. He also took responsibility for the Ministry of
Commanding Virtues and Forbidding Evil in Baghdad, taught his
Hanbali colleagues at al-Mustansiriyya institute, and later formed
al-Jawziyya institute in Damascus. He was killed, along with the
Caliph at the hands of the Tatars upon Hulagu Khans invasion of
Baghdad. 4) Sitt al-Ulama senior, the eldest daughter and the wife
of the jurist, Abu al-Abbas Ahmad al-Hammami; 5) Rabia, the mother
of Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi; 6) Sharaf al-Nisa, the wife of Abd al-Wahhab
al-Iyabi al-Hanbali; 7) Zaynab; 8) Jawhara and 9) Sitt alUlama
junior, the youngest daughter.[16]
StudentsIbn al-Jawzi produced many students, the most notable of
them were: Yusuf b. al-Jawzi, Abu al-Faraj Ibn al-Jawzis son who
established al -Jawziyya institute in Damascus. He, along with his
three sons, was killed by the Tatars upon the invasion of Baghdad
by Hulagu Khan. His works include: Maadin al-Ibriz fi Tafsir
al-Kitab al-Aziz in exegesis, al-Madhab al-Ahmad fi Madhab Ahmad,
and al-Idah fi al-Jadal. Sibt Ibn al-Jawzi, his grandson from his
daughter Rabia, a historian and a preacher like his grandfather. He
was born and raised in Baghdad under the supervision of his
grandfather, who then travelled to Damascus and settled therein.
His works include: Mirat al-Zaman fi Tarikh al-Ayan, al-Jalis
al-Salih, al-Intisar walTarjih, and many others. He was a convert
from Hanbalism to Hanafism and apparently, Rafidhi-Shiism. Abd
al-Ghani al-Maqdisi, one of the most prominent Hadith masters with
outstanding knowledge on the narrators of traditions. He is the
author of many famous works, such as al-Kamal fi Asma al-Rijal and
Umdat al-Ahkam. Ibn Qudama al-Maqdisi, one of the major Hanbali
authorities and the author of the profound and voluminous book on
Law, al-Mughni, which became popular amongst researchers from all
juristic backgrounds.
His Works
Ibn al-Jawzi is perhaps the most voluminous author in Islamic
history. Al-Dhahabi states: I have not known anyone amongst the
ulama to have written as much as he (Ibn alJawzi) did. According to
Ibn al-Jawzi, he wrote his first book only at the tender age of
thirteen.[17] It has always been difficult to determine the exact
number of works authored by Ibn al-Jawzi. Al-Zirikli estimates it
to be around 300[18], while Dr. al-Alwaji counted up to 574 works
in his Muallafat Ibn al-Jawzi. However, this figure is far from
accurate, and perhaps exaggerated, for al-Alwaji often repeats a
title with a different wording, and gives it a separate count. Ibn
al-Jawzi himself determined 150 works, at the time he was writing
his rich historical piece al-Muntadham; and 250 by the time of his
death.[19] Ibn Rajab lists over 180 compositions, whereas Ibn
Taymiyyah, being an avid reader of Ibn al-Jawzis works, claimed to
have counted over 1000 works, and later found even more, a claim
that Dr. Abd al-Rahman al-Uthaymin, deems gross exaggeration.
Although, Ibn al-Jawzis works range from law (fiqh), traditions
(hadith), history and biography, his best contribution, as asserted
by Ibn Taymiyyah were his Manaqib biographical series on some of
the prominent Islamic figures. The following is a list of his works
as documented by Ibn Rajab:
Quranic
Sciences
1) 2) 3) 4) 5) 6) Zad
Al-Mughni al-Masir Taysir Tadhkirat
fi fi al-Bayan al-Arib Gharib Ilm
al-Tafsir, al-Tafsir, fi fi Tafsir Tafsir
81 4
parts volumes al-Quran al-Gharib al-Gharib
Nuzhat
al-Uyun
al-Nawadhir
fi
al-Wujuh
wa
al-Nadhair
7) Al-Wujuh wa al-Nawadhir fi al-Wujuh wa al-Nadhair, a summary
of Nuzhat al-Uyun alNawadhir 8) 9) 10) 11) 12) Umdat Al-Ishara
Tadhkirat Funun Ward al-Rasikh ila al-Qiraat fi Uyun fi al-Mansukh
wa al-Mukhtara, Uyun Ulum Funun al-Nasikh, 5 4 parts al-Mushtabih
al-Quran al-Afnan parts
al-Mutanabbih al-Afnan al-Aghsan fi Marifat fi
13)
Al-Musaffa
bi
Akuffi
Ahl
al-Rusukh
min
Ilm
al-Nasikh
wal-Mansukh
Theology
14) 15) 16) 17) 18) 19) 20) 21) 22) Daf Al-Radd Minhaj Minhaj
Bayan al-Wusul Ghaflat
Muntaqad ila al-Qail Ghawamidh Maslak Ahl Al-Sirr Shubhat Ala
al-Tashbih, al-Mutaassib 4 Ilm bi al-Usul, Qidam Afal 5
al-Mutaqid parts al -Ibad al-Ilahiyat al-Aql al-Isaba al-Masun
parts al-Anid
Traditions
and
Asceticism
23) 24) 25) 26) 27) 28) 29) 30) 31) 32)
Jami
al-Asanid Al-Hadaiq, Naqiy al-Naql,
bi 34
Alkhas
al-Asanid parts
5
parts Al-Mujtab
Al-Nuzha, Uyun Multaqat Irshad al-Muridin al-Hikayat, fi Rawdhat
Ghurar al-Athar, Hikayat
2
parts al-Hikayat 13 al-Salaf parts al-Salihin al-Naqil 30
parts
33) 34) 35) 36)
Al-Tahqiq
fi
Ahadith Al-Madih,
al-Taliq,
2
volumes 7
(ISBN:
9775704480) parts 2 2 volumes volumes
Al-Mawdhuat Al-Ilal
min
al-Ahadith fi al-Ahadith
al-Marfuat, al-Wahiya,
al-Mutanahiya
37) Ikhbar Ahl al-Rusukh fi al-Fiqh wal-Tahdith bi Miqdar
al-Mansukh min al-Hadith (ISBN: 9771420054) 38) 39) 40) 41) 42) 43)
44) 45) 46) 47) 48) 49) 50) 51) 52) 53) 54) 55) 56) 57) Manaqib
Manaqib Manaqib Fadhail Fadhail Fadhail Fadhail al-Fudhayl Bishr
Ibrahim Manaqib b. b. Umar Said Umar b. b. al-Hasan Ayadh, al-Hafi,
Adham, Sufyan 7 6 4 b. Abd Al-Muhtasab Tuhfat Tanwir al-Tullab,
Mudlahim fi 3 Mukhtasar Al-Sahm Akhyir Al-Fawaid Manaqib Mawt Mawt
an al-Musib, al-Dhakhair, al-Shuyukh, Ashab 2 3 60 parts parts
parts al-Hadith al-Khidhr al-Khidhr Al-Mashyikha Al-Musalsalat
al-Nasab parts al-Sharaf Al-Alqab al-Khattab al -Aziz al-Musayyab
al-Basri parts parts parts al-Thawri
58) 59) 60) 61) 62) 63) 64) Muthir Safwat
Manaqib Manaqib Manaqib al-Azm al-Safwa, 5 al-Sakin parts, ila
Maruf
Ahmad al -Karkhi, Rabia Ashraf of al-Amakin Hilyat
b. 2
Hanbal parts al-Adawiyya
(ISBN: by
9775227593) Abu Nuaym parts al-Akhyar
abridgment
al-Awliya 4 Akhbar
Minhaj Al-Mukhtar
al-Qasidin, min
65) Al-Qati li Muhal al-Lijaj bi Muhal al-Hallaj, a rebuttal
against the supporters of alHallaj, the pantheist who was executed
by the agreement of the jurists from four schools. 66) 67) 68) 69)
70) Ilm Ujalat Al-Nisa al-Hadith al-Muntadhar wa al-Manqul ma fi
Anna li Sharh yataalluq Aba Bakr Hal bi Amma al-Khidhr adabihin
al-Rasul Al-Jawhar Al-Mughlaq
History
71) 72) 73) 74) 75)
Talqih
Fuhum fi
Ahl
al-Athar Tarikh al-Uqud
fi al-Muluk fi fi
Uyun
al-Tawarikh 10
wal-Siyar volumes al-Uhud al-Sawalif Baghdad
Al-Muntadham Shudhur Taraif
wal-Umam, Tarikh Tarikh
al-Dharaif Manaqib
Fiqh
76)
al-Insaf
fi
Masail
al-Khilaf
77) 78) 79) 80) 81) 82) 83) 84) 85)
Junnat Umad
al-Nadhir al-Dalail Al-Mudhab Masbuk fi
wa
Jannat Mushtahar fi
al-Nadhar al -Masail al-Madhab al-Dhahab Al-Nubdha
Al-Ibadat Asbab Kashf Radd al-Dhulma al-Lawm al-Hidaya an
al-Dhiya fi li fi Sawm Arbab Radd Dawa Yawm
al-Khams al-Bidaya Ilkiya al-Ghaym
al-Dhaym
Art
of
Preaching
(wadh)
86) 87) 88) 89) 90) 91) 92) 93) 94) 95) 96) 97) 98) 99)
Mawafiq
al-Yawaqit al-Muntakhab Muntakhab Muntakhal Nasim
fi fi
al-Khutab al-Nuwab al-Muntakhab al-Muntakhab al-Riyadh
Al-Lulu
Kanz
al-Mudhakkir Al-Azaj Al-Lataif
Kunuz
al-Rumuz Al-Muqtabis
Zayn al-Marafiq Shahid (ISBN: wa
al-Qisas 2745134647) Mashhud
100) 101) 102) 103) 104) 105) 106) 107) 108) 109) 110) 111) 112)
113) Iqadh
Wasitat
al-Uqud Al-Lahab,
min
Shahid 2
wa
Mashhud parts Al-Mudhish
Saba Muhadathat Laqt Al-Muqad al-Wasnan Nakt Nuzhat min
al-Raqadat al-Majalis bi Ahwal al-Haywan wal-Nabat, 2 2
Najd al-Aql al-Juman al-Muqim 2 parts parts parts al-Muntaha 20
(ISBN: parts 9775141494) al-Wuadh
al-Badriyya, al-Adib,
Muntaha Tabsirat Al-Yaquta, 2 al-Mubtadi, parts Tuhfat
Various
sciences
114) 115) 116) Ihkam
Dham Sayd al-Ishar bi
al-Hawa, al-Khatir, Ahkam
2 65 al-Ashar, 20
volumes parts parts
117) Al-Qussas al-Mudhakkirin (Also available in English: A
critical edition, annotated translation 118) 119) 120) and
introduction by Merlin Taqwim L. Swartz ASIN: B0007KE23O) al-Lisan
Al-Adhkiya Al-Hamqa
121) Talbis Iblis, 2 volumes (A small part of the book has been
translated and abridged
into 122) 123) 124) 125) 126) 127) 128) Tanwir
English Laqt
by al-Manafi fi Al-Shayb Amar
Dr. al-Tibb,
Bilal 2
Philips) volumes al-Khidhab al-Ayan
Al-Thabat al-Ghabash ala Ashraf Hifdh
ind fi Fadhl al-Ilm
al-Mamat, al-Sud wa
2 wal-Habash, 2
parts parts
Al-Hath
Dhikr 2
Kibar
al -Huffadh parts
al-Mawali,
129) Ilam al-Ahya bi Aghlat al-Ihya, a criticism of Ihya Ulum
al-Din by al-Ghazzali 130) 131) 132) 133) 134) 135) 136) 137) 138)
139) 140) 141) Bayan al-Khata Min Al-Tibb wal-Sawab fi Ahadith Ibn
Shihab, Ma Manaqib Qultuhu Al-Misbah Atf Tahrim al-Mudhi ala
Al-Nasr Al-Majd Al-Fajr al-Sitr min li al-Muhill Dawlat al-Imam ala
al-Makruh al-Mustadhi al-Ulama Misr al-Adhudi al-Nuri al-Rafi
al-Ashar Al-Maqamat Rasaili al-Ruhani 16 parts
al-Ulama
al-Umara
wal-Umara Ala
142) Al-Baz al-Ashhab al-Munqadh ala man Khalafa al-Madhab, a
treatise in Fiqh, and not another 143) 144) 145) title of Daf bi fi
al-Tariq Shubah al -Tashbih according to 2 Ibn Rajab. volumes
wal-Shuhur Ahmad
Al-Wafa Al-Nur Taqrib
Fadhail Fadhail al-Abad fi
al-Mustafa, al-Ayyam Fadhail
Maqbarat
146) 147) 148) 149) 150) 151) 152) 153) 154) 155) 156) 157) 158)
159) 160) 161) 162) 163) 164) 165) 166) 167) 168) 169) 170) 171)
Aqd Dhamm Al-Zand Al-Fakhir Al-Manfaah Durrat Minhaj
Manaqib
al-Imam
al-Shafii Al-Uzlah Al-Riyadha
al-Isaba Funun Al-Dhurafa Manaqib Manaqib Fadhail al-Iklil
fi
fi
Mahabat
al-Sahaba al-Albab wal-Mutamajinin
Abi
Bakr Ali al-Arab
al-Tarikh,
4
volumes Al-Amthal
fi
al-Madhahib min
al-Arbaah, 10 2 fi
2
volumes volumes volumes al-Wadh
Al-Mukhtar Ruus
al-Ashar, al-Qawarir,
Al-Murtajal Dhakhirat al-Waidh, Al-Zajr Al-Ins Al-Mutrib
al-Wariy fi fi al-Wadh Ayyam Al-Majd Lughat al-Khanasir Abd
al-Qadir, a fi al-Fiqh, Dhamm censure of
several
volumes al-Makhuf wal-Mahabba al-Mulhib
al-Nasiriy, al-Imam
2
parts al-Nasir al-Salahi
2 al-Khalifat Abd al-Qadir
parts al-Nasir al-Jaylani al-Hadith
Gharib
172) 173) 174) 175) 176) 177) 178) 179) 180) 181) 182) 183)
184)
Mulah Al-Fusul Salwat
al-Ahadith, al-Wadhiya al-Ahzan, Al-Mashuq ala
2 Huruf 10
parts al-Mujam volumes fil-Wadh
Al-Majalis Al-Wadh Qiyam
al-Yusufiyya
fil-Wadh al-Maqbari 3 parts Al-Muhadatha Al-Munaja
al-Layl,
Zahir Al-Nuhat Al-Murtaqa Hawashi
al-Jawahir
fil-Wadh, al-Khawatim, li ala man Sihah 2
4
parts parts Ittaqa al-Jawhari
185) Mukhtasar Funun Ibn Aqil, 10 odd volumes
Criticisms by Ibn al-JawziAshari theologians
Despite Ibn al-Jawzis doctrinal views on Allahs Names and
Attributes often appearing contradictory, as we will see, he was,
nevertheless, an ardent follower of the traditional Hanbali
hostility towards the Asharis. His extremely hostile attitude
towards the Asharis was well noted by Ibn Kathir as he states: Ibn
al-Jawzi mentions in this year[20], in al-Muntadham, the death of
al-Ashari, where he spoke ill of him, disparagingly in accordance
with the habitual criticisms by the Hanbalis directed towards the
Asharis, past and present[21] Ibn Kathir is referring to the
following note of Ibn al-Jawzi on al-Ashari: He was born in 260 AH.
He delved into the Kalam, and was upon the madhabof the Mutazila
for a long time. He then decided to oppose them and proclaimed a
doctrine which muddled up peoples beliefs and caused endless
strife. The people never differed that this audible Quran is Allahs
Speech, and that Gabriel descended with it upon the Prophet Allahs
peace and blessings be upon him. The reliable imams declared that
the Quran is eternal, while the Mutazila claimed that it is
created. Al -Ashari then agreed with the Mutazila that the Quran is
created and said: This is not Allahs Speech. Rather, Allahs Speech
is an Attribute subsisting in Allahs Essence. It did not descend on
the Prophet, nor is it audible.
Ever since he proclaimed this belief, he lived in fear for his
life for opposing the orthodox community (ahl al-sunnah), until he
sought refuge in the house of Abu al-Hasan al-Tamimi fearing his
assassination. Then some of the rulers began to fanatically
followed his madhab, and his following increased, until the Shafiis
abandoned the beliefs of al Shafii and instead followed al-Asharis
doctrine[22] The vehement defence of sunna and palpable attacks on
unorthodox views, and in particular the Asharite views on the
Quran, were a distinct feature of Ibn al -Jawzis sermons. His
attacks against the Asharis include his famous remark, once made on
the pulpit: The heretics claim; i) there is none in the Heavens,
ii) neither is there Quran in the Mushaf, and iii) nor is there a
Prophet in the grave; your three shameful facets [23] Ibn al-Jawzi
writes, while complaining about certain Asharites indoctrinating
the masses with the Asharite dogma: A group of Persian (aajim)
heretics arrived in Baghdad and mounted the pulpits to sermon the
masses. They would claim, in most of their gatherings: There is no
Speech of Allah on this earth, and is the mushaf anything but
paper, galls and vitriol?[24] Allah is not in the Heavens, and the
slave-girl to whom the Prophet said: Where is Allah? was dumb and
therefore pointed towards the sky, meaning: He is not from the
idols worshipped on this earth.[25] They then said: Where are the
letterists, who claim that the Quran is composed of letters and
sound? Rather, the Quran is only an expression of Jibril! They
continued in this vein, until the sacredness of the Quran
diminished from the hearts of many.[26] He then mentions at length,
the arguments for the orthodox approach towards the Quran, and
commends Imam Ahmad b. Hanbal for his rigid stance on the issue,
which united the Muslims on one belief: the Quran, which is
contained in the Mushaf, is the uncreated Speech of Allah. He then
denigrates al-Ashari, saying: Then, people did not differ in this
issue, until there appeared Ali b. Ismail al -Ashari, who at first,
held the beliefs of the Mutazilites. It then occurred to him, as he
claimed, that Allahs Speech subsists in the Divine Essence (sifah
qaimah bil-that). His claim, therefore, necessitated that the Quran
we have is created.[27]Sufis
Ibn al-Jawzi was, in his early youth, influenced by abstentious
Sufism, which left him with illness for several years, until he
decided to abandon it.[28]His experience with Sufism, which by then
had vastly drifted away from the sacred law, transformed him into
one of the fiercest critics of the Sufis. His austere anti-Sufi
stance was clearly demonstrated in his sermons and many of his
works. Although, he was never a detractor of the ascetics amongst
the early Muslims, his criticisms were mainly directed towards the
deviant and abnormal tendencies that took root amongst the
ascetics, and by his time, became known as Tasawwuf. Ibn al-Jawzi
says in Talbis Iblis, whilst commenting on the origins of Tasawwuf:
The Sufis are generally from the ascetics (zuhhad). Although, we
have already mentioned the devils deception of ascetics, except
that the Sufis varied from the ascetics by having specific
qualities and states, and became known with certain
characteristics, and hence, we had to single them out with
criticism. Tasawwuf is a path (tariqa), the beginning of which was
complete asceticism; however, later its followers permitted the
enjoyment of songs
and dancing. At the time of the Prophet, the attribution was
only to Iman and Islam, and hence it was said: so-and-so is a
Muslim, or a Mumin. Then the terms zahid (ascetic) and abid
(worshipper) were introduced. Then, there came a people who adhered
to asceticism and worship, gave up the worldly life, devoted
themselves to worship, and embraced a unique path and
character.[29] Some have argued that despite Ibn al-Jawzis cynicism
towards the Sufis, he did not discredit Sufism as a genre. To the
contrary, they claim, he was in favour of Sufism, and this is
reflected by a number of his works, such as his abridgement of
Hilyat al-Awliya by Abu Nuaym, Ihya Ulum al-Din by al-Ghazzali and
various laudatory biographies of early ascetics, such as Hasan
al-Basri and Maruf al-Karkhi. The above conclusion is not quite
accurate, for while Ibn al-Jawzi undoubtedly paid great importance
to asceticism, morals and manners, yet he did, nevertheless, regard
the entire genre of Tasawwuf to be other than zuhd, and moreover,
foreign to Islam and an absurdity. This is clearly reflected in his
criticism of Abu Nuayms Hilyat al-Awliya, where the latter
considers the early generation of Muslims, including the Prophets
companions and the four Imams, to be from the Sufis. Thus, Ibn
al-Jawzi states, while listing his objections against Hilyat
al-Awliya: The seventh objection comes against the ascription of
Tasawwuf to the senior masters, such as Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman,
Ali, al-Hasan, Shurayh, Sufyan, Shuba, Malik, Shafii, Ahmad,
whereas they had no knowledge ofTasawwuf. If one were to say: [Abu
Nuaym] meant by that, abstentious worldly life (zuhd), since they
were all zuhhad. We say in reply: Tasawwuf is a school well-known
amongst its followers, which is not simply restricted to Zuhd.
Rather, the school has particular qualities and disposition, known
to its masters. If Tasawwuf was not something further added to
Zuhd, there would not have been narrations from some of the
aforementioned in condemnation of Tasawwuf. In fact, Abu Nuaym
himself narrated in the biography of al-Shafii may Allah be
merciful with him that he said: Tasawwuf is built upon lethargy. If
a person were to practise Tasawwuf in the morning, he would not
reach the noon, except that he has become obtuse. I discussed
Tasawwuf extensively in my book called: Talbis Iblis. (Devils
Deception)[30] Indeed, Ibn al-Jawzi dedicated two-thirds of his
book Talbis Iblis to his scathing criticism of Tasawwuf. His
abridgment of Hilyat al-Awliya, and summarisation of Ihya Ulum
alDin by al-Ghazzali, is not a proof for his Sufi tendencies. On
the contrary, it is an illustration of his deep antagonism towards
Tasawwuf. The sole purpose of abridging such works was to purge,
what he considered the unorthodox content from such works, to make
them conducive to the intellectual wellbeing of the masses. Ibn
al-Jawzis criticism of Tasawwuf did not spare the famous and
respected ascetics, such as al-Junayd, Bishr alHafi, and even his
co-Madhabist, Abd al-Qadir al-Jaylani, in censure of whom he wrote
Dhamm Abd al-Qadir al-Jaylani(Censure of Abd al-Qadir al-Jaylani).
Ibn al-Jawzis criticisms of the Sufis were directed at several
fronts. He criticised them for the prevalence of pantheism amongst
their ranks, and to that end he wrote Al-Qati li Muhal al-Lijaj bi
Muhal al-Hallaj censuring al-Hallaj, the famous pantheist who
claimed to be God, and was subsequently executed by the agreement
of the jurists.[31] He attacked the Sufis for demeaning all aspects
of worldly life, such that they would wilfully
and unwisely give away their belongings to remain poor. Ibn
al-Jawzi states: What the ignorant amongst the ascetics call
reliance (tawakkul), that is to spend all that one owns, is not
legislated in religion. For the Prophet said to Kab b. Malik: Keep
some of your wealth.[32] The Sufis were characterised by their
deriding attitude towards the sacred knowledge, in favour of
asceticism. Ibn al-Jawzi criticised them saying: From the amazing
ways in which the devil plays his tricks, is by beautifying
abandonment of knowledge. Yet, they [the Sufis] did not simply stop
at that, but also engaged in insulting those busy with knowledge.
This, only if they understood, is tantamount to insulting the
Shariah; for the Messenger of Allah said: Convey from me[33] Ibn
al-Jawzis remarks, ridiculing the early ascetics, only underline
his rigid anti -Sufi attitude. He says about the early ascetics: I
saw most of them in confusion. Those of them with good intentions
are also not following the mainstream path in most of their
affairs. A number of early ascetics wrote various books for their
followers that are crammed full of abominations, and inauthentic
reports, in which the authors instruct with that which is at odds
with the Shariah; such as the works of al -Harith al-Muhasibi or
Abu Abd Allah alTirmidhi, Qut al-Qulub by Abu Talib al-Makki, or
al-Ihya of Abu Hamid [al-Ghazzali] al-Tusi. If a beginner were to
open his eyes and desire to tread the path through these books,
they would have led him to blunders, for they based their works on
awkward narrations. I saw most of the people deviating from the
Shariah, to whom the words of the ascetics became the Shariah
itself. Hence, it was claimed: Abu Talib al -Makki said: From the
Salaf were those who would weigh their daily intake against fresh
branch-ends from palm-trees and notice it decreasing everyday! This
practise was not known by the Messenger of Allah nor his
Companions, rather they would eat but not to their fill. The life
of the Messenger of Allah and his Companions was not like that of
the ascetics of today. For the Messenger of Allah would laugh,
joke, choose the best of things, race with Aisha may Allah be
pleased with her. He would eat meat, love sweet dishes and water
will be sweetened for him to drink. This is also how his companions
were, until the ascetics discovered paths (taraiq), as if it were
the beginning of another Shariah.[34] It is also vital to bear in
mind that the remarks above were directed to a very small minority
of the Sufis. As for the vast majority, for them Ibn al-Jawzi had
the following to say: As for those who had incorrect intentions,
from the hypocrites and the pretentious ones, for the sake of
worldly gains, and for their hands to be kissed out of respect,
then there is no discussion with them, and they are the majority of
the Sufis![35]Philosophers
Ibn al-Jawzi dedicated a section of Talbis Iblis to the
philosophers who had taken a route, other than that of the prophets
in their search for the truth. He describes their intellectual
ailment saying: They believed in what their speculations dictated
to them without referring to the prophets. From them are those who
believed in the doctrine of alDahriyya that the world has no
creator Most of them affirmed an eternal cause (illa qadima) for
the world, and then stated that the world is eternal, which has
always been in existence along with Allah They also concealed their
doctrine by saying: Allah is the creator of this world, meaning:
figuratively and not literally Their doctrine also includes that
the world is ever lasting; just as its existence has no beginning,
it has no end.
They also believed that Allahs knowledge and ability is in fact
His essence, in order to avoid affirming multiple eternal entities
The philosophers also denied the resurrection, the return of souls
to the bodies, and the bodily existence of Paradise and Hell,
claiming that the two were merely paradigms for people to
understand the concept of spiritual reward and punishment. He then
turns to the devils deceptions of the Muslim philosophers, who
admired Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and others for their excellence
in metaphysics, yet didnt realise their mediocrity in theology.
They were consequently, intellectually suspended in a world between
Greek philosophy and Islamic theology. Ibn al-Jawzi remarks: We
noticed the philosophers from the adherents to our religion, that
their philosophical path earned them confusion, hence, they adhered
to neither philosophy, nor Islam. In fact, amongst them is one who
fasts the Ramadan and prays, and then begins to object at the
Creator and prophethood, and denies the resurrection. Ibn al-Jawzi
then wonderfully summarises the underlying cause of deviancy
amongst the so-called Muslim philosophers and the Muslim monks,
saying: Because the philosophers were close in time to the advent
of our Shariah, as were the monks; some of our coreligionists
stretched out their hands for the former, while the others for the
latter. Hence, you see many of the dull-witted, when they look into
doctrine, they become philosophers; and when they look into
asceticism, they became monks. We ask Allah to make us steadfast
upon our religion[36]Other Philosophies and Schisms
Ibn al-Jawzis masterpiece Talbis Iblis, in part, is regarded to
be a critical heresiographical work which accounts the doctrine and
criticisms of various religions and sects. Amongst the list of
religions and philosophies criticised by Ibn al-Jawzi were
Sophisticism (sawfastaiyya), al-Dahriyya, Tabaiyyun, Dualism
(thanawiyya), Paganism, Zoroastrianism, the pre-Islamic ignorance
(jahiliyya), the denial of prophethood, the Jews, the Christians,
the Sabians, Astrologers, deniers of resurrection, and the
believers in metempsychosis (tanasukh). The schisms and sects
criticised by Ibn al-Jawzi include the Khawarij, the Rafidites
(shias) and the Esoterics (batiniyya).Social and Ethical Ills
Ibn al-Jawzis age saw many social and ethical ills creeping
amongst the ranks of notables such as the jurists, traditionists,
linguists and preachers. Naturally, a considerable portion of
Talbis Iblis reflects his efforts in challenging the growing
corruption and an endeavour to bring about change. He mentions the
recitors of the Quran who, on one hand, devoted their lives
learning the most eccentric modes of recitation, whilst neglecting
the basics of Islamic knowledge. This, according to Ibn al-Jawzi,
often caused the recitors to introduce practises and traditions
previously unheard of in Islamic history.[37] The traditionists
also became a target of his criticisms for their excessive focus on
transmission of the texts without understanding the essence and the
meaning of those traditions. Their lack of understanding often
forced them to pass erroneous and baseless verdicts. Another
illness to be found amongst the traditionists at the time of Ibn
al-Jawzi was their desire for fame by travelling far and wide in
search of the shortest chains, or peculiar traditions. Some of the
traditionists were accused by Ibn al-Jawzi of disparaging
their colleagues whom they were jealous of, under the guise of
al-Jarh wa al-Tadil.[38] Although, the jurists had always taken
pride in objective and unbiased attitude towards juristic research,
by the age of Ibn al-Jawzi, blind partisanship towards the
established madhabs began to take root, which eroded the spirit of
objectivity to an extent, and gave birth to madhabist bias in
juristic discourse. Ibn al-Jawzi challenged the growing trend by
saying: Lethargy prevailed over the latter jurists that they could
not study the science of traditions; so much so, that I noticed
some of the senior jurists remark in their works about traditions
found in authentic collections: It is not possible for the Prophet
to have said such-and-such! I then noted that he would support his
argument in an issue saying: Some of them narrated that the Prophet
said such-and-such. He would then respond to the authentic
tradition, which his opponent used in support of his argument,
saying: This tradition is not known! All of this is a crime against
Islam. Ibn al-Jawzi equally criticised the jurists for associating
with the authorities without censuring them for their oppression
and unjust dealings, which, as he argues, resulted in three vices:
One: The ruler assumes, if I was not correct, the jurist would have
censured me. How can I not be right, when the jurist is happy to
consume from my wealth? Two: The layperson assumes, There is
neither anything wrong wi th this ruler, nor his wealth, or his
actions, for such-and-such jurist barely leaves his company. Three:
The jurist, who thereby, corrupts his religion. The devil also
deceived a group from the scholars, who remained aloof from the
rulers and turned to worship and religion instead. The devil then
beautified for them to backbite those of the scholars who enter
upon the rulers, and therefore accumulated for them two wrongs:
back biting others, and praise of one self.[39] Ibn al-Jawzi also
focuses his criticisms on the preachers who failed to act upon that
which they preached and sought fame; the poets and linguists who
often lacked religiosity; the rulers who habitually bypassed the
Sharai injunctions in pursuit of their political goals; and the
masses for their heedlessness and ignorance of their religious,
social and moral responsibilities. Ibn al-Jawzis criticisms, as
presented in Talbis Iblis, proved to be a timeless collection of
guidance and wisdom for the individual and the society, perhaps
arguably, but sadly, more applicable in our time than his.
Criticisms of Ibn al-JawziIbn al-Jawzi, being a remarkable
critic, was censured himself on a number of issues, some of which
follow:Profuse errors in his works
Although Ibn al-Jawzi is remembered as a voluminous writer, the
obvious disadvantage was the subsequent colossal number of errors
in his works. For often, he would finish a book, and instead of
revisiting it for corrections, he would begin another one;
similarly, at times, he would write two books in different subjects
simultaneously. He would frequently quote passages from various
sources in different sciences, without thoroughly studying and
researching. Thus, it is reported that he would say: I am a
compiler and not an author.His errors in Hadith
Although, Ibn al-Jawzi displayed great dislike for many authors
to narrate week, and sometimes fabricated traditions in their
works, while al-Ghazzali being the foremost of his victims; he,
ironically, was guilty of the same. According to al-Dhahabi, while
he was known with the exalted title of al -Hafidh, it was not due
to his mastery in the science of traditions, but as a result of his
vast knowledge and memorisation of copious narrations. Al-Dhahabi
also mentions Ibn al-Akhdar being asked about Ibn al-Jawzi: Would
not you respond to some of the errors of Ibn al-Jawzi? He said in
reply: One can only critically study someone whose errors are
relatively few. As for him, then he has countless errors.
Al-Dhahabi then quotes al-Sayfs unwarranted comment: I have never
seen anyone who is relied upon in his religion, knowledge and
intellect, admiring Ibn Al Jawzi. Al -Dhahabi then beautifully
concludes: If Allah is pleased with him, then they are
irrelevant.[40] Al-Mawdhuat is amongst the famous works of Ibn
al-Jawzi on fabricated traditions, which received wide acceptance
as well as criticisms, the primary reason for which was his
inclusion of numerous traditions that were, perhaps weak (dhaif),
but not at all fabricated (mawdhu). Many of such traditions are
found in the books of Sunan, and in fact, one in Sahih Muslim. A
number of latter traditionists pursued his errors, such as
al-Hafidh alIraqi, Ibn Hajar and al-Suyuti in his work al-Laali
al-Masnuah.Self-eulogy
Ibn Rajab quotes Ibn al-Qadisi from his Tarikh that from the
objections many had against Ibn al-Jawzi was that his speech
consisted of eulogy, pride, presumptuousness, and frequent claims;
no doubt he was guilty of some of that, may Allah overlook his
faults.[41] Ibn al-Jawzis description of his sermons, fame and
glory in his alMuntadham are an obvious reflection of such
objections, which often puzzles the average reader with respect to
his piety and humility on one hand, and his eulogy and assertions
on the other. However, it seems Ibn al-Jawzi was well aware of such
criticisms, and perhaps he even responded to them, albeit
indirectly, saying: After I had devoted myself to a study of these
latter (i.e. the traditions) and to the sciences which fall under
rubric of hadith, scarcely a tradition was mentioned to me but that
it was possible for me to say: It is a sound tradition (sahih), or
a good tradition (hasan), or an absurd tradition (muhal). There are
to be found in my books of wadh, achievements which even those
experts [in this art] find impossible to match. I mention these
achievements only out of gratitude, not out of pride, because those
who see them will be astonished. But as for myself, I see only the
excellence of the One who has made possible these achievements, and
the inadequacy of my thanksgiving. Most assuredly, it was He who
empowered me to speak extemporaneously for entire meetings without
having to recourse to what I had memorised. Sometimes as many as
fifteen verses [from the Quran] were recited in my presence at
these meetings, following which I would immediately deliver a
khutba relevant to each of the verses. And now I implore God to
give me sincerity of purpose and assist me in profiting from my
learning so that He may be the Master of that [learning] and
the
Sovereign Lord over it[42]Theological errors
Ibn al-Jawzi created a storm in the traditionalist-textualist
Hanbali school by writing his infamous book Daf Shubah al-Tashbih
bi Akuff al-Tanzih(Rebuttal of the Insinuations of Anthropomorphism
at the Hands of Divine Transcendence), which drew fierce attacks
from all corners of the Hanbali world. The book came is a reaction
to Ibn Hamid, Abu Yala and his Shaykh Ibn al-Zaghuni, who too were
accused of fanaticism in their approach to affirming Allahs
Attributes, for often they would use baseless and unfounded
narrations to affirm them. Ibn Taymiyya writes about the three
aforementioned: from the third category are those who heard the
traditions and the narrations, glorified the beliefs of the early
Muslims, yet also shared some of the principles of the
JahmiteMutakallimun. They did not have as much expertise in the
Quran, Hadith and traditions, as did the Imams of sunnah andhadith;
neither from the angle of distinguishing between the Sahih and the
Dhaif, nor from the angle of grasping the meanings of those texts.
They also deemed some of the rational arguments of the
Jahmite-negators to be correct, and therefore, saw a visible
contradiction between the two (text and rationale). This was the
case with Abu Bakr Ibn Furak, al-Qadhi Abu Yala, Ibn Aqil, et al.
Due to this, they would sometimes prefer the method of allegorical
exegesis (tawil), as did Ibn Furak and his likes while commenting
on problematic traditions; or sometimes, they would leave the
meanings to Allah (tafwidh) saying: the apparent meaning must be
retained (tujra ala dhawahiriha), as did al-Qadhi Abu Yala and his
likes; and sometimes, their opinions would differ, hence, they
would prefer the former method at times, and the latter at other
times, as was the case with Ibn Aqil and his likes. Moreover, they
would often mention amongst the problematic traditions, narrations
that were false and fabricated, not knowing that they were forged;
or not knowing the same tradition with a different wording which
may solve the dilemma.[43] Ibn al-Jawzi was more impressed with Ibn
Aqil than the others mentioned by Ibn Taymiyya, due to which he
would often favour tafwidh, while sometimes opting for tawil. Such
a contradictory stance is demonstrated by his interpretation
(tawil) of the Face of Allah, as referring to Allahs essence in Daf
Shubah al-Tashbih[44]; and then the rebutting the Mutazilites for
the very interpretation he is guilty of in Majalis Ibn
al-Jawzi.[45] In a similar vein, he censures those who opt for
Tawil and brands them negators of Attributes, and further denounces
the Mutazalite interpretation of Hands as bounties, Ascension
(istawa) as seizure (istawla), or Descent (nuzul) as mercy; yet he
is found guilty of the same errors in Daf Shubah al-Tashbih.[46]
Towards the end of his work, Ibn al-Jawzi remarks: When a group of
ignorant ones learnt of my book, they were disappointed, for they
had become accustomed to the beliefs of their anthropomorphist
leaders. Thus they said: This is not the madhab. I say (Ibn
al-Jawzi): This is not your madhab, nor the madhab of your teachers
whom you blind follow. I have, however, exonerated the madhab of
Imam Ahmad, and cleared him from the false narrations and nonsense
utterances, without blind following anyone in my beliefs.[47] No
doubt, none can challenge Ibn al-Jawzis assertion with respect to
himself; but as for
exonerating Imam Ahmad of beliefs he considered anthropomorphic,
then the scarcity of quotes from Imam Ahmad in his work, despite
their copious presence in other popular and widely accepted Hanbali
sources, remains a far cry from his claim. Al-Dhahabi also noticed
Ibn al-Jawzis departure from the doctrine of Imam Ahmad and
remarked: his excellence continued to increase and gain popularity
until he died. May Allah have mercy on him and forgive him! Only if
he had not indulged in allegorical exegeses ( tawil) and opposed
his Imam![48] Inevitably, he received criticisms by various Hanbali
authorities, from his age up until the present time. Amongst his
contemporary critics was the Hanbali Shaykh of Iraq, Abu al Fadhl
Ishaq b. Muhammad al-Althi, who addressed Ibn al-Jawzi in harsh
words in a letter, most of which was quoted by Ibn Rajab in
Dhayl[49]. From the highlights of the letter, is al-Althis remarks
addressing Ibn al-Jawzi: Amazing is of one who adheres to the
madhab of the Salaf, and does not deem permissible to indulge in
Kalam, who then moves to interpret that which he did not tolerate
at first. He then says: If we say such and such, it would lead to
such and such. If you interpret the divine Attributes based upon
linguistic interpretations, deeming it permissible for you, and
refuse to accept the advice, (then know that) this is not the
madhab of the great Imam, Ahmad b. Hanbal May Allah sanctify his
soul. Therefore, it is not fitting for you to attribute yourself to
him with such beliefs. So chose for yourself a different madhab, if
it is possible for you. For our (Hanbali) colleagues have not
ceased to proclaim the blatant truth at all times, even if they
were struck with the swords, not fearing anyones criticism. Thus,
Ibn al-Jawzis account in nearly all Hanbali biographical works
remained tainted with this criticism. Ibn Rajab quotes Ibn
al-Qadisis remarks on Ibn al-Jawzis controversy: [The error] for
which he was criticised by a group of our scholars and Imams from
the Maqdisis and the Althis [Hanbalis], was his tendency towards
allegorical exegesis ( tawil) in some of his speech. Their
criticisms were severe in that regard. No doubt, his beliefs in
this issue were quite contradictory. Even though he was well-versed
in traditions and narrations regarding the subject matter, he was
not well-aware of the responses to the doubts of the Mutakallimun,
nor the extent of their fallacy. He would also hold Abu al-Wafa Ibn
Aqil in great respect, and follow most of his beliefs, in spite of
refuting him in some issues. Despite Ibn Aqils excellence in Kalam,
he was not au fait on traditions and narrations, due to which he
was inconsistent in this subject, with variegated opinions. Ibn
al-Jawzis opinions were as vegetated as his. Ibn Rajab then quotes
Ibn Qudama saying: Ibn al-Jawzi was the leading authority on the
art of preaching in his age. He also authored excellent works in
various sciences, and his efforts were generally accepted. He would
teach law (fiqh) and author works to that end, just as he had
memorised traditions and also authored in that respect. However, we
are not pleased with his writings with respect to sunnah
(doctrine), nor his approach.[50] The latest rebuttal of Daf
Shubhat al-Tashbih is a two volume book by a contemporary Hanbali
theologian and a traditionist, Sulayman b. Nasir al-Alwan called:
Ithaf ahl al-Fadhl
wal-Insaf bi Naqdh Kitab Ibn al-Jawzi Daf Shubah al-Tashbih wa
Taliqat al-Saqqaf (An Offering to the Noble and Just, by Rebuttal
of the book by Ibn al-Jawzi Daf Shubah alTashbih, and commentary of
al-Saqqaf thereupon) Due to Ibn al-Jawzis theological slips, some
modern-day, and rather zealous Asharites have described him as an
Ashari who took a staunch Ash`ari stance in doctrine; which is a
rather astonishing claim, since none from the Muslim biographers or
historians ever described him as such. On the contrary, despite
sharing some aspects of doctrine with the Asharites, he was
nevertheless, a staunch Ashari detractor, as demonstrated above and
in a number of his works.
ConclusionIbn al-Jawzi lived for over eighty-six years, which he
dedicated to learning, teaching, preaching and correcting the ills
in the society. He delivered his first sermon at the age of ten,
and continued with his profession until he died, thus having
preached for 71 years of his life, taking into account his
detention in Wasit. After the birth of the publishing industry,
many of his works gained extraordinary popularity