Authors · Islamic scholarship
Ibn Taymiyya
أحمد بن عبد الحليم ابن تيمية
661–728 AH
Born in Harran, Ibn Taymiyya grew up and taught in Damascus after his family settled there.
At a glance
- Theology and belief
- Al-ʿAqīda al-wāsiṭiyya · العقيدة الواسطية
- He evaluates doctrines and practices through his understanding of scripture and early Muslim generations.
Timeline
- 661 AHBirth
- 728 AHDeath
Biographical overview
- Full name
- Taqī ad-Dīn Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm ibn Taymiyya
- Arabic name
- أحمد بن عبد الحليم ابن تيمية
- Birth
- 661 AH
- Death
- 728 AH
Life and education
Born in Harran, Ibn Taymiyya grew up and taught in Damascus after his family settled there.
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Understanding the work
His writings address belief, textual interpretation and law. Al-ʿAqīda al-Wāsiṭiyya sets out religious doctrine; his opinions are collected notably in Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā. Their reception varies across schools.
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Method and contribution
He evaluates doctrines and practices through his understanding of scripture and early Muslim generations. His writings combine textual argument, conceptual analysis and controversy. Identifying the interlocutor and specific question matters: one contextual response does not summarise his entire thought.
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Transmission and legacy
Ibn al-Qayyim helped transmit and develop his legacy. His positions attracted both support and criticism, with reception varying over time. Majmūʿ al-fatāwā is a later compilation of writings and responses, not a single treatise authored in that form.
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A guide to reading
Begin with the terms the author defines and the questions being answered. Distinguish the author’s position from reported objections. These texts belong to historical debates: the same expression may carry different meanings across schools and periods.
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Selected works
Al-ʿAqīda al-wāsiṭiyya · العقيدة الواسطية
Theology and beliefAn exposition and discussion of questions of belief and theology.
Darʾ taʿāruḍ al-ʿaql wa-n-naql · درء تعارض العقل والنقل
Theology and beliefAn exposition and discussion of questions of belief and theology.
Majmūʿ al-fatāwā · مجموع الفتاوى
Law and argumentA later compilation of writings and answers on belief, law and other topics.
Biographical sources and references
References for further reading on the life and works of Ibn Taymiyya: