Surah al-Ikhlas and Allah’s Perfection: Ibn Taymiyah

In part of his discussion on surah al-Ikhlas, sheikh al-Islam ibn Taymiyah included the following words related to an overarching theme of the surah:

إن هذه السورة اشتملت على جميع أنواع التنزيه والتحميد على النفي والإثبات، ولهذا كانت تعدل ثلث القرآن. فالصمدية تثبت الكمال المنافي للنقائص. والأحدية تثبت الانفراد بذلك. ـ

This surah includes all forms of 1) declaring Allah far-removed from any imperfection and 2) praising Him by both negating negative qualities and affirming positive qualities.

It is in this vein that this surah is equal to one third of the Qur’an.

The quality of being al-Samad — free of any need while all creation is in need of Him — affirms His perfection and completeness while negating any shortcomings.

And the quality of being al-Ahad — One, Unique — affirms that He is singular and unique in that.

وكذلك إذا نزه نفسه عن أن يلد، فيخرج منه مادة الولد التي هي أشرف المواد، فلأن ينزه نفسه عن أن يخرج منه مادة غير الولد بطريق الأولى والأحرى. ـ

Likewise, when He declares Himself far-removed from having any offspring, such that He never emitted the material to make a child – which would be the best of materials -, then in doing so He is also declaring Himself all-the-more far-removed from emitting any other kinds of bodily substances that would not result in producing a child.

Principles for Understanding How the Qira’at Impact Tafsir: Sheikh Muhammad Bazmool

In part of his doctoral thesis on the qira’at, Sheikh Muhammad Bazmool included the following chapter:

قواعد مهمة يتنبه لها أثناء دراسة أثر القراءات في التفسير

Important Principles to Know
for Studying the Effect
that the Qira’at Have on Tafsir

من الاشياء المهمة للذي يبحث في أثر القراءات في التفسير مراعاة القواعد التالية :ـ

Something important for anyone studying the effects that the qira’at can have on the explanation of the Qur’an is to be mindful of the following principles:

ـ (أ) الخلاف الواقع بين القراءات الصحيحة إنما هو من خلاف التنوع ، لا خلاف التضاد والتناقض . ـ

1. The differences that are present between the valid qira’at are merely acceptable variations on a theme, not contradictions or defects.

ـ (ب) إضافة القراءة إلى المقريء إنما هي إضافة اختيار واتباع وليست إضافة رأي وابتداع . ـ

2. Attributing a certain way of reciting to a master reciter is simply saying that he selected that way and followed what had been transmitted, not that he invented or originated that way himself.

ـ (جـ) لا تفرقة بين القراءات الصحيحة المقبول فكلها كلام الله وكلها قرآن والمعاني التي تدل عليها كلها معان قرآنية لا تفضيل بينها . ـ

3. There is no hierarchy among the valid authentic qira’at. All of them are Allah’s Speech, all of them are equally Qur’an, and all of the meanings which they communicate are Qur’anic meanings. There is no space for claiming any of them to be better than another.

Annual Islamic Celebrations: Ibn Taymiyah

The following question and answer was included in the collection of sheikh al-Islam ibn Taymiyah‘s writings:

وسئل عمن يعمل كل سنة ختمة في ليلة مولد النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم هل ذلك مستحب ؟ أم لا ؟ ـ

Question: He was asked about those who perform a particular action every year to mark the birth of the Prophet (ﷺ) – is this something encouraged or not?

فأجاب : الحمد لله : جمع الناس للطعام في العيدين وأيام التشريق سنة وهو من شعائر الإسلام التي سنها رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم للمسلمين وإعانة الفقراء بالإطعام في شهر رمضان هو من سنن الإسلام . فقد قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم ” { من فطر صائما فله مثل أجره } وإعطاء فقراء القراء ما يستعينون به على القرآن عمل صالح في كل وقت ومن أعانهم على ذلك كان شريكهم في الأجر . ـ

Response: All praise belongs to Allah. Bringing people together and feeding them for the two ‘Eids and on the days of Tashreeq is an established practice that is one of the hallmarks of Islam which the Prophet (ﷺ) established for the Muslims.

Likewise, helping the poor by feeding them during the month of Ramadan is also a well-known Islamic practice, for the Prophet (ﷺ) said, “Whoever feeds a fasting person will have the same reward as him.”

How the Sahabah and Tabi’oon Learned Tafsir: ibn Taymiyah

In his famous primer of the foundations of tafsir, ibn Taymiyah wrote:

يجب أن يعلم أن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم بَيَّنَ لأصحابه معاني القرآن كما بين لهم ألفاظه، فقوله تعالى‏:‏{‏لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ‏ ‏‏‏} ‏[‏النحل‏:‏44‏]‏ يتناول هذا وهذا، وقد قال أبو عبد الرحمن السلمي‏:‏ حدثنا الذين كانوا يقرئوننا القرآن كعثمان بن عفان، وعبد اللّه بن مسعود وغيرهما أنهم كانوا إذا تعلموا من النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم عشر آيات لم يجاوزوها حتى يتعلموا ما فيها من العلم والعمل، قالوا‏:‏ فتعلمنا القرآن والعلم والعمل جميعاً‏‏. ـ

You ought to know that the Prophet made the meanings of the Qur’an clear to his companions just as He made its wordings clear to them, for Allah’s statement:

‏لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ‏

… so that you could explain to the people what has been sent down to them … [16:44]

includes both of those things. And Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami said:

Those from whom we learned the Qur’an such as ‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan, ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ood and others told us that whenever they used to learn ten ayaat from the Prophet, they wouldn’t go beyond that until they had learned the knowledge and actions contained within those ayaat. They said, “We would learn the Qur’an, knowledge and actions all together.”

ولهذا كانوا يبقون مدة في حفظ السورة‏.‏ وقال أنس‏:‏ كان الرجل إذا قرأ البقرة وآل عمران جَلَّ في أعيننا‏.‏ وأقام ابن عمر على حفظ البقرة عدة سنين، قيل‏:‏ ثماني سنين، ذكره مالك‏‏. ـ

That is why it would take them a long time to memorize a surah. Anas said:

If a man memorized surah al-Baqarah and surah Aal ‘Imran, we would hold him in high esteem.

And ibn ‘Umar spent a number of years memorizing surah al-Baqarah. Some, including Maalik, said that he spent a total of eight years.

Language or Tradition as the Basis for Explaining the Qur’an?: Sheikh Muhammad Bazmool

Sheikh Muhammad Bazmool, a professor at Umm al-Qura University in Mecca, wrote:

قوله تعالى: ({ نَزَلَ بِهِ الرُّوحُ الْأَمِينُ (193) عَلَى قَلْبِكَ لِتَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُنْذِرِينَ (194) بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِيٍّ مُبِينٍ} [الشعراء: 193 – 195]؛ فيه : أن تفسير القرآن بمقتضى اللغة سائغ؛ ولكن هذا مشروط بشرط أن لا يخالف مخالفة تضاد التفسير بالمأثور؛ لأن الله تبارك وتعالى أوكل تبيين القرآن للرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم ، قال تعالى: {وَأَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ (44} [النحل: 44]. وعن الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم تلقى الصحابة رضي الله عنهم بيانه، وعن الصحابة أخذ التابعون ذلك . ـ

There is Allah’s statement:

نَزَلَ بِهِ الرُّوحُ الْأَمِينُ * عَلَىٰ قَلْبِكَ لِتَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُنذِرِينَ * بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِيٍّ مُّبِينٍ

The Qur’an was sent down with the trustworthy Spirit * to your heart so that you would be one of the warners * in the clear Arabic language [26:193-195]

This indicates that explaining the Qur’an through recourse to linguistics is acceptable. However, this is predicated on the condition that such explanations do not contradict the transmitted explanations. That is because Allah entrusted the clarification of the Qur’an to the Messenger, as He said:

وَأَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ

And We sent down the dhikr to you in order to make clear to the people what has been sent down to them and in order that they would reflect. [16:44]

The Relationship Between Tafsir al-Baghawi and Tafsir al-Tha’labi: Ibn Taymiyah

In more than one place throughout his writings, including briefly in his primer on the fundamentals of tafsir, sheikh al-Islam ibn Taymiyah compares the tafsir works of al-Baghawi (died 516 AH) and al-Tha’labi (died 427 AH). This article will collect the more detailed of those statements in order to present a clearer picture of the relationship between the two works of Tafsir al-Baghawi and Tafsir al-Tha’labi.

Sheikh al-Islam ibn Taymiyah was once asked:

سؤال : أي التفاسير أقرب إلى الكتاب والسنة الزمخشري، أم القرطبي، أم البغوي، أم غير هؤلاء؟ ـ

Question: Which book of tafsir is closest to the Qur’an and Sunnah – al-Zamakhshari, al-Qurtubi, al-Baghawi, or something else?

جواب : أما التفاسير الثلاثة المسئول عنها فأسلمها من البدعة، والأحاديث الضعيفة البغوي، لكنه مختصر من تفسير الثعلبي، وحذف منه الأحاديث الموضوعة، والبدع التي فيه، وحذف أشياء غير ذلك . ـ

Response: As for the three books that were asked about, then the safest one from innovations and weak hadith narrations is al-Baghawi. And it is abridged from Tafsir al-Tha’labi, but al-Baghawi omitted the fabricated narrations and innovations it contained, and he also omitted some other things as well.

Will the Disbelievers’ Deeds be Reckoned?: Ibn Taymiyah

The following question was once posed to sheikh al-Islam ibn Taymiyah:

سُئِلَ عَنْ الْكُفّار: هل يحاسبون يوم القيامة أم لا؟ ـ

Someone asked: Will the disbelievers be taken to account on the Day of Resurrection or not?

فَأَجَابَ :هذه المسألة تنازع فيها المتأخرون من أصحاب أحمد وغيرهم، فممن قال: إنهم لا يحاسبون: أبو بكر عبد العزيز، وأبو الحسن التميمي، والقاضي أبو يعلى، وغيرهم. وممن قال: إنهم يحاسبون: أبو حفص البرمكي من أصحاب أحمد، وأبو سليمان الدمشقي، وأبو طالب المكي. ـ

I would respond: This topic has been an issue of debate among later scholars from the Hanbali school as well as others. Those who say that they will not be taken to account include Abu Bakr ‘Abd al-‘Aziz, Abu’l-Hasan al-Tamimi, and al-Qadhi Abu Ya’la, among others. Those who say that they will be taken to account include Abu Hafs al-Barmaki among the Hanbalis, Abu Sulayman al-Dimishqi, and Abu Talib al-Makki.

وفصل الخطاب: أن الحساب يراد به عرض أعمالهم عليهم وتوبيخهم عليها، ويراد بالحساب موازنة الحسنات بالسيئات. فإن أريد بالحساب المعنى الأول، فلا ريب أنهم يحاسبون بهذا الاعتبار. ـ

The crux of the issue is that the word “al-hisab” is used to refer to displaying their deeds to them and reprimanding them for them, and it is also used to refer to the weighing of good deeds and bad deeds.

Taking Lessons from the Previous Nations: Ibn Taymiyah

In part of his writing about the invasion of the Mongols, Ibn Taymiyah wrote the following:

وإنما قص الله علينا قصص من قبلنا من الأمم، لتكون عبرة لنا‏.‏ فنشبه حالنا بحالهم، ونقيس أواخر الأمم بأوائلها‏.‏ فيكون للمؤمن من المتأخرين شبه بما كان للمؤمن من المتقدمين‏.‏ ويكون للكافر والمنافق من المتأخرين شبه بما كان للكافر والمنافق من المتقدمين، كما قال ـ تعالى ـ لما قص قصة يوسف مفصلة، وأجمل قصص الأنبياء، ثم قال‏:‏ ‏{‏لَقَدْ كَانَ فِي قَصَصِهِمْ عِبْرَةٌ لِّأُوْلِي الأَلْبَابِ مَا كَانَ حَدِيثًا يُفْتَرَى‏}‏‏[‏يوسف‏:‏ 111‏]‏ أى‏:‏ هذه القصص المذكورة فى الكتاب ليست بمنزلة ما يفترى من القصص المكذوبة، كنحو ما يذكر فى الحروب من السير المكذوبة‏.‏ ـ

The reason why Allah has told us the stories of the nations that came before us is so that they would serve as lessons for us, so that we could compare our situation to theirs and measure the later nations against the earlier ones. For the believer of later times resembles the believer of earlier times, and the disbeliever and munafiq of later times resembles the disbeliever and munafiq of earlier times. This is as Allah said after retelling the story of Yusuf in detail, and regarding all of the stories of the prophets more generally:

‏لَقَدْ كَانَ فِي قَصَصِهِمْ عِبْرَةٌ لِّأُوْلِي الأَلْبَابِ مَا كَانَ حَدِيثًا يُفْتَرَى

There was certainly a lesson in their stories for those of understanding. It is not an invented tale. [12:111]

i.e. these stories mentioned in the Qur’an are not of the same level as those false stories that people create, such as those war stories from fake biographies.

Surah al-Anbiyaa’ is the Surah of Dhikr: Ibn Taymiyah

Sheikh al-Islam ibn Taymiyah once wrote:

سورة الأنبياء  سورة الذكر وسورة الأنبياء الذين عليهم نزل الذكر افتتحها بقوله : { ما يأتيهم من ذكر من ربهم محدث } الآية وقوله : { فاسألوا أهل الذكر إن كنتم لا تعلمون } وقوله : { لقد أنزلنا إليكم كتابا فيه ذكركم } وقوله : { هذا ذكر من معي وذكر من قبلي } وقوله : { وذكرا للمتقين } وقوله : { وهذا ذكر مبارك } وقوله : { ولقد كتبنا في الزبور من بعد الذكر } ـ

Surah al-Anbiyaa’ is the surah of dhikr – remembrance of Allah – and the surah of the Prophets to whom that dhikr was revealed. Allah begins the surah by saying:

مَا يَأْتِيهِم مِّن ذِكْرٍ مِّن رَّبِّهِم مُّحْدَثٍ إِلَّا اسْتَمَعُوهُ وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ

Whenever a new reminder comes to them from their Lord, they only listen to it while they are at play [21:2]

and He said:

فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِن كُنتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ

So ask the people of remembrance if you do not know [21:7]

and He said:

لَقَدْ أَنزَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ كِتَابًا فِيهِ ذِكْرُكُمْ

We have certainly sent down a Book to you which contains your reminder [21:10]

and He said:

The Contents of Surah Hud: Ibn Taymiyah

In one of his many writings, ibn Taymiyah briefly addressed the contents and themes of surah Hud by writing:

قد افتتح السورة فقال كتاب أحكمت آياته ثم فصلت من لدن حكيم خبير ألا تعبدوا إلا الله إنني لكم منه نذير وبشير فذكر أنه نذير وبشير نذير ينذر بالعذاب لأهل النار وبشير يبشر بالسعادة لأهل الحق

Allah began the surah by saying:

كِتَابٌ أُحْكِمَتْ آيَاتُهُ ثُمَّ فُصِّلَتْ مِن لَّدُنْ حَكِيمٍ خَبِيرٍ * أَلَّا تَعْبُدُوا إِلَّا اللَّهَ ۚ إِنَّنِي لَكُم مِّنْهُ نَذِيرٌ وَبَشِيرٌ

A Book whose verses are perfected and then presented in detail from one who is Wise and All-Knowing. ‎‏* Do not worship any besides Allah. Indeed, I am a warner to you from Him and a bringer of good tidings [11:1-2]

So Allah mentions that the Prophet is a warner and a bringer of good tidings: a warner who warns of the punishment that the people of the Hellfire will receive and a bringer of good tidings who gives good tidings of ultimate joy for the people of the truth.

ثم ذكر حال الفريقين في السراء والضراء فقال ولئن أذقنا الإنسان منا رحمة ثم نزعناها منه إنه ليؤوس كفور ولئن أذقناه نعماء بعد ضراء مسته ليقولن ذهب السيئات عني إنه لفرح فخور إلا الذين صبروا وعملوا الصالحات أولئك لهم مغفرة وأجر كبير

He then mentioned the condition of both groups of people in times of prosperity and in times of adversity by saying:

وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَا الْإِنسَانَ مِنَّا رَحْمَةً ثُمَّ نَزَعْنَاهَا مِنْهُ إِنَّهُ لَيَئُوسٌ كَفُورٌ * وَلَئِنْ أَذَقْنَاهُ نَعْمَاءَ بَعْدَ ضَرَّاءَ مَسَّتْهُ لَيَقُولَنَّ ذَهَبَ السَّيِّئَاتُ عَنِّي ۚ إِنَّهُ لَفَرِحٌ فَخُورٌ * إِلَّا الَّذِينَ صَبَرُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ أُولَٰئِكَ لَهُم مَّغْفِرَةٌ وَأَجْرٌ كَبِيرٌ

And if We give man a taste of mercy from Us and then We withdraw it from him, he is certainly despairing and ungrateful. * But if We give him a taste of favor after hardship has touched him, he will surely say, “Bad times have left me.” He is exultant and boastful – * Except for those who are patient and do righteous deeds; those ones will have forgiveness and great reward. [11:9-11]

ثم ذكر بعد هذا قصص الأنبياء وحال من اتبعهم ومن كذبهم كيف سعد هؤلاء في الدنيا والآخرة وشقي هؤلاء في الدنيا والآخرة فذكر ما جرى لهم إلى قوله ذلك من أنباء القرى نقصه عليك إلى قوله وذلك يوم مشهود

After that, He mentioned stories of the Prophets, the conditions of their followers and the conditions of their deniers, and then how their followers achieved joy in both this life and the next and how their deniers experienced sorrow in both this life and the next. So He mentioned what happened to them until His statement: