In this article we shall seek to present to our readers a brief overview of the beliefs of Ibn Taimiyah. His full name was Taqi ud-Din Abu-l-’Abbas Ahmad Ibn ‘Abd al-Halim Ibn ‘Abd as-Salam Ibn Taimiyah al-Harrani al-Hanbali. He was born on Monday the 10th of Rabi’ al-Awwal 66l H./22nd of January 1263 C.E. at Harran. He spent his life on a personal crusade against those Muslims that he deemed deviants ranging from the Shias, Sufis through to the ‘ignorant’ man on the street. He courted much controversy, reviled by his contemporary ‘ulama’. He was imprisoned by the authorities on many occasions.
This controversial man may have just remained a normal Mullah, with no real rank and status. But the British-supported Wahabi movement that successfully overthrew the Sunni Caliphate changed all that. Abdul Wahab was inspired by the teachings of Ibn Taimiyah. His objective was to cascade his teachings across the Arabian Peninsula. In the decades that have followed, Saudi petro dollars have in effect ensured that the controversial Ibn Taimiyah has become a common household name in the Wahabi mindset, to the point that he is always remembered by Salafis and Deobandis as Shaykh ul Islam. Since the vast bulk of Sunni and, for that matter, Salafis only know of Ibn Taimiyah what their scholars tell them, we felt it important that we present to our readers the true image of Ibn Taimiyah from his own pen, and that of the Ulema that assessed him.
On reading the complete article we are confident that our readers will in a far better position to make a true judgment of the Godfather of Salafism.