❞ كتاب The Lofty Virtues of Ibn Taymiyyah ❝ ⏤ عمر بن علي البزار

 Indeed, all praise is due to Allāh. We praise Him, seek refuge with Him, and seek His
Forgiveness. We seek refuge with Allāh from the evils of our souls, and the mistakes in our
actions. Whoever Allāh Guides, there is none who can misguide him, and whoever Allāh
misguides, there is none who can guide him. And I testify that there is none worthy of being
worshipped except Allāh, and I testify that Muhammad (peace be upon him) is his servant
and Messenger.

{“O you who believe! Have taqwā of Allāh as He deserves, and do not die except as

Muslims.”}

{“O people! Have taqwā of your Lord Who Created you from a single soul, and
Created from it its mate, and sprouted from it many men and women. And have
taqwā of Allāh, from Whom you demand your mutual rights, and do not cut off the
relations of the womb. Verily, Allāh is Ever-Watching over you.”}

{“O you who believe! Have taqwā of Allāh, and say that which is truthful. He will
rectify your actions for you and Forgive you your sins, and whoever obeys Allāh and

His Messenger has indeed achieved a great success.”}

Indeed, the most truthful of speech is the Speech of Allāh, and the best guidance is the
guidance of Muhammad (peace be upon him). The worst of affairs are those that are newly
introduced, and every newly introduced affair is an innovation, and every innovation is a
misguidance, and every misguidance leads to the Fire.

Allāh sent Muhammad (peace be upon him) with the pure, easy religion and the
comprehensive, inclusive Sharī’ah that brings the human being to the level of perfection, and
brings him to the Pleasure of Allāh, and raises his status.
And with the help of Allāh, the Prophet (peace be upon him) sought to lead his nation to
Paradise, the abode of peace and security. So, he spent nearly 23 years calling to the message
of Islām that Allāh had tasked him with. He faced the horrors he faced for the sake of
relaying his message – the message of Islām – in order to leave his nation on the clear path.
If we look to the purpose of the message of Islām, we find that it can be summed up in the
purifying and nourishing of the soul, and this takes place by knowing and worshipping Allāh,
as well as strengthening the ties of brotherhood to spread justice between the slaves of Allāh.
The means of doing so is by implementing the teachings of our truthful Messenger (peace be
upon him), which he gathered for us in the treasures and jewels of his Sunnah, his deep
words, and what we call Islāmic law (Sharī’ah, or Fiqh).
And the Companions (may Allāh be Pleased with them) exerted their efforts (ijtihād) in
deriving rulings in regards to certain matters after the death of our noble Prophet (peace be
upon him). Some of them were correct, and others did not arrive at the correct rulings.
These attempts at ijtihād went on, and differing opinions were derived in the name of raising
the word of truth and arriving at the highest possible level of perfection (and for Allāh is all
perfection). So, the madhāhib were many, and the goal was one.
The result of all this was the authoring of the thousands of books and collections that now
fill Islāmic libraries, the raising of the word of truth, and the empowering of the Ummah by
its sticking to the religion of truth, Islām. Because of this, all of the powers of the world
gathered against the Muslims in order to weaken them. So, the scholars of Islām rose to the
occasion and defended Allāh’s Religion.
From these scholars who raised the banner of truth and the honor of defending Islām was
Shaykh al-Islām Taqī ad-Dīn Ibn Taymiyyah, with the many brave stances he took in his time,
and with the countless books and fatāwā of his that now fill the Islāmic library. In order to
better know this brave, pious imām known as Ibn Taymiyyah, we present to the reader this
biography that was written by the pen of a scholar who saw, lived with, and befriended
Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah - and he is none other than al-Imām al-Bazzār – and he called
this book ‘al-A’lām al-‘Aliyyah fī Manāqib Ibn Taymiyyah,’ and he is the most qualified to write
about him.4
It is hoped that as opposed to the typical biography that is filled with mere facts and figures,
this book will serve to provide the reader with a first-hand account of the human side of one
of the greatest Islāmic personalities to have ever lived – one that can be taken as an example
in formulating a lifestyle and conducting day to day affairs.

4
This introduction was taken from the first volume of Dār al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah’s 1426 H (2005) edition of
‘Majmū’ al-Fatāwā’ that was checked by Mustafā ‘Abd al-Qādir ‘Atā.

6

- Why I Wrote This Book -

When I learned of the death of the scholar and educator of this Ummah - the Imām, the
mujtahid, the defender of the pure Sharī’ah and Prophetic Sunnah, Shaykh al-Islām Taqī ad-Dīn
Abī al-‘Abbās Ahmad bin ‘Abd al-Halīm bin ‘Abd as-Salām bin Taymiyyah (may Allāh
sanctify his soul and brighten his grave)5

- some of the scholars and those who loved good
for the Muslims said to me: “You saw and befriended the Shaykh, and you came to know
him and his characteristics. If only you could write a few words regarding what you saw in
order to benefit whoever of this Ummah comes across them, since mercy descends when we
remember the righteous people.”
So, I responded: “I only accompanied him for a few days, and I only know few of his many
virtues.” However, I saw that they intended good and that what they were requesting of me
was a right and obligation upon me, as the scholar should be keen to spread and distribute
what he thinks will be of value to the Muslims. So, I produced a small effort describing his
virtues which will give the intelligent reader an idea of the honor and excellence of this man.
I divided it into sections in order that it be a guide to those who reflect, and I included all
that I could remember under each one, covering topics such as:
• His birth and upbringing
• Allāh’s leading him to good in his entire life
• His keenness and effort in regards to knowledge
• His constant listening to Hadīth
• His numerous written works
• His amazing memory when issuing verdicts and giving lessons
• His stunning expertise in the various types of related information
• His worship and cautiousness
• His zuhd, dedication, and abandonment of the dunyā
• His poverty, humility, generosity, and intelligence
• His firmness, bravery, and patience, and the trials he endured for the Sake of Allāh
• Allāh’s Protection for him despite his enemies’ envy
• His death, and the immense number of people who prayed at his janāzah
• The love of him that Allāh placed in the hearts of everyone during and after his life
• The spreading of his knowledge and books in the far ends of the Earth

By The Imam, the Hafidh Abu Hafs ’Umar bin ’Ali alBazzar. Translated By Abu Sabaayaa. “If I had to swear standing between the corner of the Ka’bah and the spot of Ibrahim, I would swear that I have not laid my two eyes on anyone like him, nor has he seen anyone as knowledgeable as himself.” alHafidh adhDhahabi