In this text, I take a look at the life and spiritual practices of Ibn Taymiyyah, who lived in Syria in the 13th century. His close connection to Sufism is particularly fascinating. I will mention various exercises and rites that Ibn Taymiyyah practiced intensively to revitalize his heart and mind. Critical questions will also arise as to whether these practices are compatible with the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad and the established norms of Islam. What particularly gives me pause for thought is the discrepancy between the practices that Ibn Taymiyyah engaged in and the views and actions of his Wahhabi followers, who often reject such practices. For me, these differences raise the question of whether Ibn Taymiyyah may be instrumentalized or misunderstood. I have a clear opinion of him on matters of doctrine, but on the rest of the issues, I see many contradictions in his own words and a big difference with his followers.

It is noticeable that many of his practices have no clear sources and do not meet the requirements of the Sunnah. On the contrary, some of them could be considered bidaa and even lead to shirk if Ibn Taymiyyah is judged according to his own teachings and the understanding of his followers. These findings shed new light on the reception and interpretation of Ibn Taymiyyah's teachings, and the question arises as to whether his Wahhabi followers understand his actual meaning and intention or whether they selectively interpret his teachings to pursue their own agenda.

It is unfortunate that in many cases the information I mention in the text is treated only superficially by the followers of Ibn Taymiyyah. Although his piety and intense remembrance of Allah are mentioned, how he practiced this is never discussed in detail. This dishonest and non-transparent presentation is a common practice among the followers of such sects.

An example of this is the statement that Ibn Taymiyyah occupied himself continuously with the remembrance of Allah from the morning prayer until sunrise. This could give the impression that he was a pious person who acted in accordance with the Sunnah. However, on closer examination of the sources, it quickly becomes clear that he practiced his own remembrance, which did not stem from the Sunnah.

Spiritual exercises and rites of Ibn Taymiyyah Al-Harrani
A daily exercise by Ibn Taymiyyah for those who wish to revitalize their hearts and minds, containing the supposed greatest name of Allah.

Ibn Al-Qayyim said in 'Madarij al-Salikin' part 1 - page 448:
"And from the experiences of the searchers who have tried them out and found them to be correct:
Anyone who constantly says 'O Living One, O Enduring One, there is no god but you' will inherit the life of the heart and mind. Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, God sanctify his soul, used to emphasize this very intensely. One day he said to me: 'These two names, the Living and the Enduring, have a great influence on the life of the heart. And he indicated that they are the greatest names. I heard him say: 'Whoever persistently says forty times every day between the Sunnah prayer of the morning and the morning prayer: O Living One, O Enduring One, there is no god but you, in your mercy I seek refuge, attains the life of the heart and his heart will not die."

The question that arises here is: Where is the evidence from the Qur'an and Sunnah for this dhikr? By the standards of the Wahhabis and neo-Salafis, shouldn't Ibn Taymiyyah be labeled a Sufi innovator and even excluded from the Sunnah? There are some such statements, dhikr and dua, which have absolutely no proof, but were practiced by Ibn Taymiyyah for a very long time! Moreover, he sets a certain number, which is declared bidaa for many of this sect.

Ibn Taymiyyah's exercise to revitalize the heart
Ibn Al-Qayyim said in 'Madarij al-Salikin' volume: 3, page: 264:
"I heard Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may God have mercy on him, say: Whoever persists in saying 'O Living One, O Enduring One, there is no God but You' forty times every day between the Sunnah prayer of the morning and the morning prayer, God will revive his heart through that."

One of Ibn Taymiyyah's practices is the repeated recitation of Al-Fatiha from dawn to sunrise in order to attain great mercy. It was said in the book "The High Landmarks in the Attributes of Ibn Taymiyyah" by the Hafiz Omar bin Ali Al-Bazar: Chapter Four - Remembrance of His Devotion:
"I knew his habit; no one spoke to him without necessity after the morning prayer, he remained in remembrance of Allah (Dhikr) and heard himself and sometimes those next to him heard his remembrance of Allah while he often turned his gaze to the sky. Such was his routine until the sun rose and the time of prohibition to pray was over.

During my stay in Damascus, I was often with him during the day and often at night. He would move me closer to him and sit next to him, and I would hear what he was reciting and mentioning at that moment, so I would hear him reading and repeating Al-Fatiha, and spend that entire time - I mean from dawn to sunrise - repeating its recitation.

So I thought about it; why did he focus on this surah and not another? I realized - and Allah knows best - that he intended through his recitation at that time what was mentioned in the ahadith and what the scholars have mentioned: Is it better at this time to prefer the transmitted dhikr over reciting the Qur'an, or vice versa? He saw it as good that in Al-Fatiha and its repetition at that time is a combination of the two opinions and the attainment of the two virtues, and this is because of his keen intuition and profound insight."

This is where Al-Bazar's statement ends.
The statement here is in the fourth chapter, where his devotion is mentioned.

Here again the question of concrete evidence for these actions arises. Did the Prophet perform them? In this sect, the requirements for bidaa (religious innovation) are to apply a certain religious practice, even if it has an origin, differently than usual. Since there is no evidence that Ibn Taymiyyah recited al-Fatiha in the way he practiced it, he should be called a mubtadi (innovator) according to these criteria. His followers do not allow Surah al-Fatiha to be read before marriage contracts or opening ceremonies as there is no tradition for these. They often quote Ibn Taymiyyah when it comes to innovations, but ignore his practices.

Another practice of Ibn Taymiyyah Al-Harani is the intense repetition of the Tahleel (There is no god but Allah) seventy thousand times and the dedication of it to the deceased.

And let us not forget to do this together with withdrawing and immersing his face in the dust and directing his gaze to the sky, for this is also a proven practice of Ibn Taymiyyah. And the directed gaze is a proven practice of Ibn Taymiyyah and of Sidi Ahmed Al-Badawi.

Ibn Al-Qayyim said:
A relative of Sheikh al-Islam, may God have mercy on him, told me: "In the beginning, he sometimes went to the desert to withdraw from people, then he began to identify with the poem of a poet who was mad for Layla because of the intensity of what came back to him. So I followed him one day and when he went into the desert, he breathed in the dust, in his long poem:'
"I go out of the houses, hoping to tell my soul about you in secret."

And Mar'i bin Yusuf al-Karmi added, who often identified with him:
"The wolf howled and I felt reassured by the howling of the wolf and the sound of a human, as if I were flying."
Al-Mustadrak 'ala al-Fatawa 1/155

Hafiz Abu Abdullah Muhammad bin Ahmed bin Abdulhadi Al-Maqdisi, may Allah have mercy on him, said in "The Precious Pearls of the Characteristics of Ahmad bin Taymiyyah": "He often used to say that he read about a hundred tafsir for a single verse, then he would ask Allah for understanding and say, 'O Teacher of Adam and Ibrahim, instruct me.' And I would go to deserted mosques and similar places and cover my face with dust and ask Allah and say, 'O teacher of Ibrahim, give me understanding.'" (pp. 42-43, Dar al-Katib al-Arabi, Beirut, Review: Muhammad Hamed al-Faqi).

Covering one's face with dust in old, abandoned mosques could be considered grave worship by followers and punishable by expulsion from the religion. Looking up to the sky and repeating phrases intensely are well-known practices of Sufism. However, seeking blessings, i.e. tabarruk, is strictly forbidden and actively opposed by its followers. This is a practice that the Wahhabis also pursued for decades, destroying shrines and old mosques because people sought blessings and performed prayers there, similar to their master Ibn Taymiyyah. This raises many new questions: Is he merely being instrumentalized or do his Wahhabi followers really know him at all?

Al-Hafiz Abu Omar bin Ali bin Musa Al-Bazar - one of the students of Ibn Taymiyyah - mentioned in his book "The High Signs in the Characteristics of Ibn Taymiyyah" (1/38): "...He would remain in remembrance, hearing himself and sometimes those beside him would hear his remembrance while often turning his gaze to the sky. Such was his routine until the sun rose and the time of prohibition to pray was over." And he also said in (1/40): "And he, may Allah be pleased with him, would often raise his eyes to the sky as if he was looking at something he was fixing his gaze on. This was his routine during my time with him."

Ibn Taymiyyah Al-Harani and the communal remembrance (dhikr) and saying it aloud

This is what was said in the book "Al-Fatawa Al-Kubra" Taqi al-Din Ibn Taymiyya, about collective memorial gatherings:
Book of remembrance and prayer. A problem of a man who rebukes those who commemorate aloud. 318 - 6 - A question: about a man who rebukes the people of remembrance. He says to them, "This remembrance is an innovation and your loud remembrance is an innovation". And they start with the Qur'an and finish, then they pray for the living and dead Muslims, and they combine Tasbih (glorifying God), Tahmid (thanking God), Tahleel (proclaiming the oneness of God), Takbir (saying Allahu Akbar) and Hawqalah (there is no power except with Allah), and they pray for the Prophet peace be upon him. And the one who rebukes it sometimes repeats the listening by clapping and the remembrance is canceled at the time of listening.

The answer: Gathering together to remember Allah and enjoy His Book and pray is a righteous act, and it is one of the best approaches and worship at times. In the authentic narration from the Prophet, peace be upon him, he said, "For Allah there are angels who travel on the earth, and when they come across people who remember Allah, they call out to each other, 'Come to your need'." And he mentioned the tradition, and in it: "We found them praising you and praising you". But it should be at specific times and places, and it should not be made a regular Sunnah to be observed except what the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, prescribed for regular practice, such as the five congregational prayers, Friday prayers, holidays and the like. And as for man's observance of his regular rituals, be they prayers, readings, remembrances or prayers at the beginning and end of the day and at night and beyond, this is the Sunnah of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and the righteous among the servants of Allah, old and new. So what was practiced as a collective act such as the prescribed prayers was done so, and what was practiced as a constant practice in the form of individual rituals was done so. Just as the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, would sometimes gather together and instruct someone to read while the others listened. And 'Umar ibn al-Khattab used to say, "O Abu Musa, remind us of our Lord," and he would read and they would listen. And there were those among the Companions who would say, "Sit with us so that we may believe for an hour." And the Prophet, peace be upon him, prayed several times voluntarily in a community with his companions. And he came to the Companions from the people of Suffah, and among them was a reader who was reading, and he sat with them and listened.

And what happens during hearing and permissible remembrance, such as the awe of the heart, the tears of the eyes, and the rising of the body, is the best state mentioned in the Book and the Sunnah. But as for extreme agitation, fainting, death and screams, if someone is overcome by them, he will not be blamed for them, as may be the case with the successors and those after them. For its origin is the strength of the impression on the heart with weakness of the heart, and strength and firmness are better, as is the case with the Prophet peace be upon him and the Companions. As for silence, harshness and cold-heartedness, these are reprehensible and there is nothing good in them. As for the hearing that was mentioned, the legitimate one through which hearts are improved and which becomes their means to their Lord through the connection between him and them, that is the hearing of the Book of Allah, which is the hearing of the best of this Ummah, especially since the Prophet peace be upon him said: "He is not of us who does not recite the Qur'an melodiously", and he said: "Embellish the Qur'an with your voices". This is the praised hearing in the Book and the Sunnah. But when a section of the Ummah forgot a portion of this hearing that was brought to their remembrance, enmity and hatred were scattered among them, so some people introduced the hearing of poetry, applause and singing, in imitation of what Allah rebuked, gurgling and belching, and in imitation of what the Christians invented. And they were confronted by people whose hearts were hardened against the remembrance of Allah and what was revealed of the truth, and whose hearts were as hard as stones or harder, in imitation of what Allah reproached the Jews with. And the middle religion is what the best of this Ummah, old and new, practice, and Allah knows best.

If the followers of Ibn Taymiyyah actually read the books of their master, Muslims as a whole could be spared a great deal of terror, threats, division and agitation.

Some Karamat of Ibn Taymiyyah:
The funeral of Ibn Taymiyyah after Ibn Abd al-Hadi al-Hanbali was reverent, and angels circled his coffin ((meaning the angels are grave-keeping angels...))

The eyes bowed before the majesty of your coffin When the lights appeared on it

And the honorable angels encircled it in groups, and the good ones gathered around it

Source: The Sparkling Necklaces on the Virtues of Sheikh of Islam, Ahmad Ibn Taymiyyah, by Muhammad Ibn Ahmad Ibn Abd al-Hadi Ibn Qudama al-Maqdisi 1/434

These stories about their Shaykh seem to be tolerated, while regarding the other holy, true Awliyah, only censure and amusement remain on the part of his followers. In general, it is interesting how paradoxical and contradictory this sect is, and how melancholic they are about the death of Ibn Taymiyyah, similar to the Shi'ahs about the death of Ali and his sons, with whom may Allah be pleased. May Allah unite us with them.

Ibn al-Qayyim said in his book "The Ascending Stages of the Travelers 2/510", about the insight of Ibn Taymiyyah what he said:
"And I have seen from the insight [of the Sheikh of Islam, Ibn Taymiyyah, may God have mercy] strange things, and what I have not seen is greater and greater. He informed [meaning Ibn Taymiyyah] his companions of the entry of the Tartars into Syria in 699, and that the Muslim armies will be broken, and that there will be no mass killings or mass displacements in Damascus, and that the leaders of the army will be united in wealth, and that was before the Tartars even thought of moving! Then [meaning Ibn Taymiyyah] informed the people and the princes in the year 700, when the Tartars were moving and aiming for Syria: that defeat and failure is upon them, and that victory and triumph will belong to the Muslims, and he swore to this more than seventy times. He was told: say "If Allah wills". He said [meaning Ibn Taymiyyah]: "If Allah wills" for confirmation, not for postponement. And I heard him say that.

He (meaning Ibn Taymiyyah) said, "When they told me too much about it, I said, 'Stop telling, Allah Almighty has written in the preserved tablet that they will be defeated in this round and that victory belongs to the armies of Islam!'

So Ibn Taymiyyah reports about what is hidden. According to their understanding, this is disbelief and believing that Ibn Taymiyyah had knowledge of the hidden in the future is shirk.

Until Ibn al-Qayyim said:
And he [i.e. Ibn Taymiyyah] told me more than once about hidden matters concerning me specifically, things that I had resolved to do, and my tongue did not utter them!
And he told me about some big future events, and he didn't specify their times, and I've seen some of them and I'm waiting for the rest of them.
And what the older companions saw of him is much, much more than what I saw, and Allah knows best.")
"I was imprisoned in Egypt and there were many events in the East where someone pretended to be Ibn Taymiyyah. This person was able to convince many Turks that he was actually me. This information reached the King of Mardin, who then informed the King of Egypt. Although I was in custody, these events were highly appreciated. However, it turned out that it was a jinn who was inclined towards us and behaved like me towards the Turks. When they came to Damascus, I called them to Islam and when someone professed faith, I gave them as much food as I could. The jinn imitated my behavior and tried to give me honor by making others believe that I was the one who did all these acts."
Summary of the Fatwas of Ibn Taymiyyah, Thirteenth Volume (268 - 645)

Nanu Nana, what am I reading...

Abu Omar Ibn Ali Ibn Musa al-Bazzar, a disciple of Ibn Taymiyyah, mentions various miracles and insights of Ibn Taymiyyah in his book "The Sublime Landmarks of the Merits of Ibn Taymiyyah".

He reports several incidents that were reported to him by reliable persons. Among them was a discussion between him and some respected personalities on several issues. In the discussion, Ibn Taymiyyah overtook the others by anticipating one question after another, mentioning the arguments that were put forward and stating the opinions of the scholars. In each case, he pointed out which one was supported by evidence. This continued until the last question they wanted to ask him. Everyone present was amazed and astonished at how he could know all this.

Furthermore, al-Bazzar reports about Ahmad ibn al-Harimi, who told how he had traveled to Damascus without money or acquaintances. There he was approached by an elderly man who gave him a purse of dirhams and encouraged him not to worry because Allah would not abandon him. It later turned out that this man was Ibn Taymiyyah.

Finally, he reports from Taqi al-Din Abdullah, son of the pious Sheikh Ahmad Ibn Sa'id, who narrated how he had traveled to Egypt when Ibn Taymiyyah was there. Despite his illness and the late hour of his arrival, he was found by a group of Ibn Taymiyyah's companions and brought to him, as Ibn Taymiyyah had informed them that he had arrived and was ill. This is also considered to be one of Ibn Taymiyyah's karamat.

Another report indicates a special healing ability of Ibn Taymiyyah. It was reported that someone fell seriously ill during a visit to Damascus, to the point that he could not even sit. Ibn Taymiyyah visited this sick man and prayed for his recovery, assuring him that recovery would come soon. Surprisingly, that is exactly what happened: as soon as Ibn Taymiyyah left the room, recovery began and the man made a full recovery from his illness.

Although there are reports that portray Ibn Taymiyyah as possessing extraordinary spiritual powers - including the ability to heal the sick - it is notable that his followers are strictly and even radically opposed to the notion of such supernatural abilities. They see such beliefs as deviations from their understanding, which is said to be strongly based on monotheism and rejection of idolatry or saint worship. Therefore, despite the historical narratives suggesting such karamat in connection with Ibn Taymiyyah, they are strongly opposed to such notions.

Conclusion:
These texts raise many new questions and provide insights into the life and spiritual practices of Ibn Taymiyyah. He is undoubtedly an extremely complex and controversial personality. The subject matter surrounding his person lends itself to extensive and in-depth scholarly research. Unfortunately, this research is often conducted in extreme and unjust frameworks, as most of his followers are rather primitive and uneducated and have a superficial view of him.

Nevertheless, there are some scholars who have managed to scientifically analyze and correctly assess his personality. The results are sobering and point to a possible psychological condition of Ibn Taymiyyah that could explain his beliefs and information to his followers. However, it is almost impossible to convey these findings to his followers as they are often superficial and primitive in their way of thinking.

The complexity and controversy surrounding Ibn Taymiyyah show the need for a balanced and well-founded scholarly examination of his person and his teachings. Only in this way can a deeper understanding of his ideas and their impact on Islam and the Muslim community be achieved.

It should be spread among ordinary Muslims, and especially among the followers of Ibn Taymiyyah, that the spiritual side of Sufism is not exclusive to Sufis, but also concerns personalities they follow. It is important that they realize that the spiritual aspects of Sufism can also be present in other streams of Islam.