An Examination and Critique of Ibn Taymiyya’s Principles ‎in Deriving Religious Beliefs from Textual Religious Sources

Document Type : The Quarterly Jornal

Author

PhD, Imami Theology, Faculty of Islamic Studies, University of Quran and Hadith, Qom, Iran.‎

Abstract

Taymiyya's influence on certain excommunicationist (takfīrī) movements is evident, underscoring the necessity of examining and critiquing his foundational principles. Given the special role of transmitted textual (naqli) evidence in Ibn Taymiyya's framework of religious beliefs, this article employs a descriptive-analytical method to address the question: What are Ibn Taymiyya's principles in deriving religious beliefs from textual sources, and what critiques can be made of them? Key areas of focus include the types of sources, the relationship between these sources, their authoritativeness (ḥujjiyya), the validity of apparent meanings (ẓuhūr), the reliability of single-chain (khabar al-wāḥid) and frequently transmitted reports (tawātur). Among Ibn Taymiyya's contested principles are his denial of metaphorical meaning in the Quran and his rejection of esoteric interpretations (taʾwīl) of textual evidence, backed by numerous arguments. These positions have been met with extensive critiques. Additionally, his views on the acceptance of single-chain reports are not without flaws, and he has loosely applied the term mutawātir to certain types of conclusive reports. However, it is incorrect to assume that critiquing Ibn Taymiyya is as straightforward as critiquing other Salafists, just as his critique should not be equated with that of Muhammad b. Abd al-Wahhab, who attributes his ideas to Ibn Taymiyya. Unlike many Salafists, Ibn Taymiyya is well-versed in the perspectives of his opponents and prepares responses to potential objections—a characteristic that sets him apart from many other Salafists.

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References

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