Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyyah (691-751 A.H.)

"Through patience and poverty one attains leadership in religion.The
seeker of Truth needs the will that will inspire him and push him
upward and (religious) knowledge that will lead him andguide him."
These words of our hero sum up the personality of this great
man,Muhammad bin Abi Bakr, who is better known as Ibn Qayyim
Al-Jawziyyah or Ibn Al-Qayyim . He was born in 691 AH.
He began his long journey onthe road of learning early in his life,
moving from one teacher to another to quench his thirst for knowledge.
At the age of 21 (in 712 AH), Ibn Al-Qayyim met his teacher Ibn
Taymiyyah another great hero of Islam and arevivalist of the faith.
Their companionship lasted to the end of the teacher's life. Ibn
Al-Qayyim kept close company to Ibn Taymiyyah with whom he suffered
the pains of imprisonment and flogging manytimes. Apparently, it was
from Ibn Taymiyyah that Ibn Al-Qayyim learnt many special qualities
such as frankness and courage in defiance of the falsehood of others,
including those in authority. For both, the truth hadto be said
regardless of the consequences. However, unlike his teacher, Ibn
Al-Qayyim was less fierce in his attacks -- in words or actions.
The 8th century AH witnessed a state of ignorance and feuds in the
Muslim community. Muslims were fighting each other, and each trying to
impose his authority in everything, including religious opinion and
scholarship,which suffered from stagnation. The majority of religious
scholars were acting more like 'recorders' of knowledge rather than
true scholars and teachers. To them, their teachers were the main, if
not the sole, source of knowledge, and the schools of thought they
blindly imitated were the only acceptable ways.
Like his teacher Ibn Taymiyyah, Ibn Al-Qayyim spent his life
attempting to correct the wrong course the community was following. He
fought the exaggerated reverence for the tombs of the pious despite
the strong resistance he met from the masses. He tried to show the
errors committed by the misled sects and their blind followers. He
considered that the disputes and fights among the Muslims of his time
were caused by their sectarian attitude and chauvinistic practices,
each one considering himself and his sect or school of thought the
only right one, and claiming that everyone else was on the wrong path.
Ibn Al-Qayyim spent most of his time and great efforts trying to unite
the people, pointing out to them the dangers of blind imitation of the
predecessors. He explained that a Muslim should be open-minded; that
is, he should accept what is right and good regardless of the teacher,
as long as what he or she acceptsis consistent with the Quran and the
Sunnah, the consensus of the scholars, and the general spirit ofthe
faith. To him imitation was wrong in the following cases:
If it entails violation of Divine teachings,
If it represents an act of blind following of people we are not sure
of their knowledge,
If it is in defiance of truth after finding it.
It was blind imitation that caused stagnation in scholarship and
differences among people. Some so-called scholars, he pointed out,
were not really scholars of Islam but rather simple propagators of
others' opinions. To those people the words and views of their
teachers or leaders were the onlycorrect way of understanding
thefaith, to the extent that they subjected even the interpretationof
the Quran and the prophetic teachings to the views of their teachers,
which they wrongly took for the ultimate criteria.
Ibn Al-Qayyim considered that the sources of religious knowledge were
to be taken in the following order:
1) ) The Quran, (2) The Sunnah (the teachings of Prophet Muhammad, )
and (3) The teachings of the companions of the Prophet . To these, one
could add the consensus of Muslim scholars and analogy. Bigotry and
prejudice were to him the enemies of learning. To propagate his views,
he wrote scores of books besides teaching directly to the people.
In his private life, Ibn Al-Qayyim was a very pious and devout
worshipper who spent most of his time in prayers and recitation of the
Quran. He was, in fact, an ascetic who rejected the unorthodox
practices of some Sufis (mystics) who claimed that religious teachings
had external and internal sides, implying that religious obligations
(such as prayers, fasting during Ramadhaan etc.) did not apply to
them.
As pointed out earlier, our hero was a man of courage and frankness to
whom truth was theultimate goal. His open-minded and flexible attitude
is reflected in his views on the correct understanding of religious
laws ( Sharee'ah ), and that these should be interpreted in the
lightof the circumstances of time and place, because Islam is intended
and practicable for mankind at alltimes. He wrote many books to
explain this invaluable principle. Many of his views find their
application in the legal system of modern nations, more than six
centuries after his death in 751 AH. - - ▓███▓ Translator:->
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Excessiveness is the Way of Satan

When excessiveness befalls some people, they go beyond all limits.
Some of these people want to do the most perfect of acts, but theygo
astray. Facts state that such people end up giving up the performance
of these righteous deeds altogether. Ibn Hajar said, "If a person
delves into religious deeds and abandons moderation, he will stop and
will become unable to continue, and will be consequently overwhelmed."
The Prophet said: "The religion [of Islam] is easy. Whoever
overburdens himself in his religion will not be able to continue in
that way." Satan has driven such people to excessiveness when he found
in them audacity and courage, so hecaused them to deviate from the
right path.
The religion of Allaah is only one true religion: Islam. It is in a
middle stage between excessiveness and disinclination. The Prophet
warned us against excessiveness and said: "Beware of excessiveness in
religion. Indeed excessiveness in religion caused those [nations]
before you to perish." Ponder over what the Prophet said when he knew
about the case of the three people who swore to do excessive acts; one
of them said, "I will not marry." The second said, "I will not eat
meat," and the third said, "I will not sleep on a bed." Then, the
Prophet said: "How is it that some people said such and such a thing?
I pray and sleep; fast andbreak my fast and marry women. So, whoever
turns away from my Sunnah is not a true follower of me." Moreover, the
Prophet said thrice: "Doomed are those who go to extremes" Does not
this indicate the danger of excessiveness and extremism?
The Righteous Predecessors' Warning Against Excessiveness
The righteous predecessors and scholars knew the danger of
excessiveness and warned against it. When a man asked 'Umar ibn
Al-Khattaab about the meaning of the Arabic word "Abb" which means
"grass" in the verse (which means): {And fruit and grass} [Quran
80:31], 'Umar said, "We were forbidden from excessiveness and
exaggeration." Also, 'Ubaadah ibn Nusayy once said to his people, "I
witnessed people who neither went to extremes like you nor asked
questions like you."
In another example, a man wrotea letter to 'Umar ibn 'Abdul-'Azeez
asking about fate. 'Umar ibn 'Abdul-'Azeez wrote in reply,
I advise you to fear Allaah, to be moderate in applying His commands,
to follow the Sunnah of His Prophet and to abandon what innovators
innovated [in the religion] after the Sunnah of the Prophet was
established. They [the righteous predecessors] were saved [by Allaah
The Almighty] from the burden of innovation [as Allaah The Almighty
has completed and perfected His religion in a way that makes it free
of the need of any additions or omissions]. You should follow the
Sunnah, for it will protect you[from deviation, destruction or
punishment].
You should know that for any innovation in religion, there is a proof
before it [mentioned in the Quran or the Sunnah to indicate that it is
a religious innovation] or there is a lesson in them [in the Quran and
Sunnah] which proves that [this new thing is a religious innovation].
After all, the Sunnah is prescribed by the One who knows that what
contradicts it is wrong, faulty, and foolish.
So, follow the same way that wasadopted by the righteous predecessors,
for they had great knowledge, and with deep insight they forbade
[religious innovations]. They were more able to recognize matters [of
religion]. They are worthier to be followed by virtue of their state
of belief. If what you follow is the[true] guidance, then, you have
surpassed and preceded them to it [which is clearly wrong].
If you said that which was innovated after them, it is [also wrong]
because it was invented by those who followed other than their way and
were preferred to them, indeed, you are wrong for they were the
foremost [in faith and performing righteous deeds]. They [the
righteous predecessors] identified and clarified religious matters
extensively and thoroughly in a way that leaves no room for anyone to
increase or decrease inthem.
Some people abandoned matters that they [the righteous predecessors]
did not abandon so that they became negligent; and some aspired to go
beyond them so that they went to extremes. However, the righteous
predecessors are in themiddle of these two levels, as they were
following the right path.
You wrote to ask about fate [whether believing in it is Sunnahor
religious innovation]. You haveasked, Allaah willing, a knowledgeable
person. I do not know of any innovation whose effects are clearer or
more established than [writing and recording] belief in fate. People
used to mention it even in the dark pre-Islamic era in their
discussions and poetry to consolethemselves on what they had missed.
Then Islam enhanced andclarified belief in fate. The Prophet mentioned
it in morethan one or two Hadeeths. Muslims heard it from him and
talked about it during his lifetimeand after his death. They did so
while they were certain of it and submissive to their Lord, believing
that it is impossible for anything not to be encompassed by the
knowledge of Allaah The Almighty, nor recorded in His Book [the
Preserved Tablet], nor decreed and effected by Him.
Fate is mentioned in the decisive verses of the Quran, and they
[therighteous predecessors] quoted and learned it from them. If you
ask, "Why did Allaah reveal the verse of such and such? Why did He say
such and such?" then you should realize that they [the righteous
predecessors] read what you have read and knew about its meanings what
you are ignorant of. After that, they admitted that there is a decree
and a fate [predestined by Allaah The Almighty], that misery was
decreed [on some people], that whatever is destined will take place,
that what Allaah wills happens, and what He does not will does not
happen, and that we do not possess for ourselves harm or benefit.
Then, they liked [good deeds] andfeared [committing wrongdoingswithout
taking their belief in fateas a justification for not doing good
deeds]. [Abu Daawood, Al-Albaani - Saheeh]
Yet another example is that a man came to Ibn 'Aqeel and said, "I dip
myself in water several times but I doubt whether my Ghusl is valid or
not, what is your opinion?" Ibn 'Aqeel said, "O man, go! You are
notrequired to perform prayer." The man asked, "Why?" Ibn 'Aqeel said,
"Because the Prophet said: Three [types of people] are not held
responsible for their acts: the insane until he regains consciousness
…' and a person who dips himself in water severaltimes and then doubts
whether water touched him or not, is clearly insane!"
Types of Excessiveness
Excessiveness has many types:
Excessiveness in Religion: This occurs when a person has false
beliefs, such as the Christian belief that 'Eesa (Jesus) is God or the
son of God, and the Jewish belief that he was an illegitimate child.
This type of excessiveness exists also in the deviated sects such as
the Khawaarij, the Shiites, and the Murji'ah.
Excessiveness in Knowledge: This occurs when words are distorted from
their proper usages.
Excessiveness in Worship: This occurs when a person overburdens
himself in worship until he gets apathetic, then hates worship and
quits it altogether.
Excessiveness in People or Groups: This occurs when a person holds
some people or a particular group in a higher rank than theirs or
takes their opinions and attitudes as the very basis of allegiance and
disassociation.
How Can we Know Excessiveness?
If excessiveness is so dangerous, is every person entitled to judge
that certain individuals or groupsmay have gone beyond Sharee'ah
limits? Here, reliable scholars should be referred to in this regard
in order to judge whether some acts or doings are excessiveor not.
Dissolute and secular people consider every religious act excessive;
they regard the Hijaab, the beard and the referring to the Islamic
Sharee'ahitself, for example, as acts of excessiveness.
Is Excessiveness an Islamic Phenomenon?
In other words, does excessiveness exist only in Islamic societies? In
fact, reality and history prove that excessiveness is not confined to
Muslims only; Christians and Jewsalso have many forms of
excessiveness. Some modern societies also suffer from a lot of
excessiveness. Different groups inthe world, whether religious or
nationalistic, also suffer from thisdisease. So, it is improper to
blindly follow others and confine this accusation to Muslims. Worse
than this is when some of us approve other's opinions which claim that
the teaching of the Sharee'ah and religious curricula in Muslim
countries is the cause behind some types of excessiveness, although
our history and reality prove that ignorance of Islamic rulings is, in
fact, the greatest cause of excessiveness, but would anyone heed the
lesson?
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Shar‘i attitude towards the books of Sayyid Qutb– take or leave them?.

Can we learn from the many books of Sayyid Qutb despite the fact that
some scholars have warned against them?
Praise be to Allah.
Ustaadh Sayyid Qutb is not a scholar and he is not known for any
contribution in hadeeth,fiqh or tafseer. Rather hewas a literary man
who loved Islam, defended it and promoted it, and he died for its sake
– as it appears to us – and we ask Allah to cause him to be among the
martyrs.
He wrote various books, in which he got somethings right and made some
mistakes. With regard to the scholars who fell into errors with regard
to 'aqeedah (belief), hadeeth or fiqh, we do not think that any of the
scholars have said that itis haraam to learn from them altogether or
to refrain from quoting them altogether. This is despite the fact that
some of them promoted their beliefs and their fiqhi madhhabs. This is
aan example of the fair-mindedness of Ahl as-Sunnah towards those who
differ from them.
Ustaadh Sayyid Qutb is not excluded from this fair-mindedness of Ahl
as-Sunnah. Hence we seethe leaders of Ahl as-Sunnah in our own time
quoting from those parts of his books that are in accordance with the
beliefs and methodology of Ahl as-Sunnah. For example:
1.
Shaykh Muhammad Naasir ad-Deen al-Albaani (may Allah have mercy on
him) quoted nearly three pages from him in the introduction to his
book Mukhtasar al-'Aluw, starting with the words: "The great ustaadh
Sayyid Qutb (may Allah have mercy on him)…" Merely quoting from himis
not regarded as praising him; rather the praise comes in the words
with which Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allah have mercy on him) spoke of
him: "ustaadh", "great", "mayAllah have mercy on him".
2.
Shaykh Saalih al-Fawzaan (may Allah preserve him) narrated four
quotations from him in his book at-Tahqeeqaat al-Mardiyyah
fi'l-Mabaahith al-Faradiyyah, pp. 21-24.
Secondly:
Our scholars learned fair-mindedness from the teachings of Islam and
they taught that to others, preaching the importance of this attitude.
It is only fair to say that we should not shun the writings of Sayyid
Qutb altogether; however it is also a religious duty to highlight the
mistakes that he made so that others who read his words will not be
confused by those mistakes. But this is not limited only to Sayyid
Qutb; rather it also applies to anyone who follows the path of Ahl
as-Sunnah. Our scholars warned against following anyone in matters
that he got wrong. The scholars of the Standing Committee have issued
many fatwaswarning against the mistakes of some who belong to Ahl
as-Sunnah,stating that they made mistakes in the way theyunderstood
some Islamicbeliefs.
But what is very strange is what we see on the part of some of those
who belong to Ahl as-Sunnah, who widely quote the criticisms made by
some leading scholars of the writings of Sayyid Qutb, whilst ignoring
what those scholars and imams said about the mistakes of their own
shaykhs! So they accept what the scholars say about some people but
not others. Whoever wants to see an example of following whims and
desires, this is a perfect example.
There follow some comments by the scholars about the writings of
Sayyid Qutb; they all have one thing in common, which is that we may
accept what is sound and correct and we should reject what is unsound
and incorrect; this is not only applicable to the books of Sayyid
Qutb.
1.
Shaykh Muhammad Naasir ad-Deen al-Albaani (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
The man wrote a book called al-'Adaalah al-Ijtimaa'iyyah (Social
Justice) which is worthless, but his book Ma'aalim 'ala at-Tareeq
(Milestones) contains some very valuable ideas.
Tape no. 784, from Silsilat al-Huda wa'n-Noor.
On the same tape, Shaykh al-Albaani (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
I believe that the man is not a scholar, but he spoke words of truth –
especially when he was in prison – that sound as if they were
inspired. End quote.
He also said:
The man is not a scholar but he wrote some words that shine with
guidance and reflect knowledge, such as the phrase "manhaj hayaat (a
way of life)". I believe this concept was adopted by many of our
Salafi brothers, that "Laailaaha ill-Allah is a way of life". This is
what I have to say about him. End quote.
2.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Saalih al-'Uthaymeen (may Allah have mercy on him)
was asked:
Sayyid Qutb is a man who produced some ideas that spread widely in the
Muslim world, but people differed concerning him; some glorified him
and some criticised him very harshly. We would like our shaykh to
explain this matter to us and clarify it. What should the Muslim's
attitude be towards this man, because Sayyid Qutb has had an impact on
the Muslim world and he hasleft a legacy of books and writings, and we
would like you to give ussome clarification.
He replied:
I do not think that there should be any argument or dispute among the
Muslim youth concerning any specific man, whether it is Sayyid Qutb or
someone other than Sayyid Qutb. Rather the dispute should be about the
Islamic ruling. For example, we should examine a statement made by
Sayyid Qutb or by someone else, and say: is this opinion correct or
incorrect? We should examine it and if it is correct we should accept
it, and if it is incorrect we should reject it. But for the youth to
argue and dispute about accepting or rejecting a specific person, this
is wrong and it is a grave mistake.
Sayyid Qutb is not infallible; scholars who are superior to him are
not infallible, and neither are scholars whoare inferior to him. The
opinions of any person may be accepted or rejected, except that of the
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him and upon
his family): his words must be accepted in all cases.
Hence I tell the youth that their arguments and disagreements should
not be focused on a specific person, no matter who he is, because if
their disputes are like that, they may end up rejecting something that
is sound and correct that was said by this person, or they may end up
supporting something that is unsound and incorrect that was said by
this person. This is a very serious danger, because if a man blindly
supports one person andblindly goes against another, he may attribute
to the one whom he opposes wordsthat he never said, or he may
misinterpret what he said, and so on, or he may deny what he said or
try to find a way to interpret his unsound statements in a way that
makes them sound good.
So I say: we should not speak about people and we should not blindly
follow people. Sayyid Qutb has passed on and Allah will judge him,
andthis is true of other scholars.
As for what is sound and correct, it must be accepted whether it comes
from Sayyid Qutb or from anyone else. Andwhat is unsound and incorrect
must be rejected, whether it comes from Sayyid Qutb or anyone else. We
must beware of any unsound and incorrect ideas that are written or
heard, no matter who they come from.
This is my advice to my brothers. The discussion and dispute, and the
matter of accepting or rejecting, should not revolve around any
specific person.
With regard to Sayyid Qutb, my opinion concerning his legacy is that
it is like the legacy of anyone else; it contains both sound
andunsound elements, because no one is infallible. But his legacy is
not like that of, for example, Shaykh Muhammad Naasir ad-Deen
al-Albaani; the difference between them is like that between heaven
and earth. The legacy of the former consists of general, educated,
literary works; he did not have the deeper knowledge that Shaykh
al-Albaani had.
Hence I think that what is sound should be accepted from anyone and
what is unsound should be rejected from anyone. We should not –and
indeed it is not permissible for us – to focus disputes and arguments
on individuals, and to be divided or united on the basis of
individuals.
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The Ability to Eat

we had the opportunity to visit a sick brother in a Hospitalin East
York, Canada. Thisbrother had an infectionin his stomach which caused
it to explode. As aresult, the doctors had toremove half of his
stomach through an operation. For seven days, he is unable to eat or
drink anything. Nutrients are being provided to him by using
specialized methods. During our visit, we told him to be patient and
pray to Allahfor quick recovery. At one point, the brother made a very
important statement. He said, "NowI have understood that ifAllah
doesn't want, we cannot eat even one grain of rice."
Being able to eat and drink is a great blessing of Allah. How costly
and difficult it is to digest one meal without having a stomach! We
should thank Allah againand again for letting us digest many meals
without having to go through these difficulties.
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