❖ Question:
Why did Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah harshly refute Ibn ʿArabī, despite the claim that he later repented from his heretical beliefs?
❖ Scholarly Disagreement Regarding Ibn ʿArabī
◈ The difference of opinion among scholars regarding Ibn ʿArabī is well-established and historically known.
✦ ① View of Severe Refutation
Several prominent scholars declared his statements to be contradictory to core Islamic beliefs, including:
➤ Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah
➤ Imām Shawkānī – in his early treatise “al-Ṣawārim al-Ḥaddād al-Qāṭiʿah li-Aʿnāq Maqālāt Arbāb al-Ilḥād”
— Included in Fatḥ al-Rabbānī
— He refuted Ibn al-Fāriḍ, Ibn ʿArabī, Ibn Sabʿīn, al-Tilimsānī, al-Jīlī and others, particularly over the doctrine of Wahdat al-Wujūd (Unity of Being)
✦ ② View of Cautious Interpretation (تأویل) and Suspension (توقف)
◈ Some scholars opted for cautious interpretation and refrained from judgment due to:
— His lofty intellectual level
— His potential spiritual insights
— His outward commitment to Islam
✔ Imām Shawkānī himself later retracted his earlier harshness and wrote:
“I, the author of that treatise, seek forgiveness from Allah and repent for what it contains that displeases Allah. I read Fatūḥāt and Fuṣūṣ 40 years later and saw that interpretation is indeed possible, especially for those who are among the elect of Allah’s servants.”
✦ ③ Principle of Takfīr: Extreme Caution Required
It is impermissible to:
➤ Excommunicate (تکفیر) someone outwardly committed to Islam
➤ Condemn based only on ambiguous, misinterpreted, or interpolated phrases
➤ Ignore the possibility that those phrases were added later or misunderstood
Many scholars stated:
Some dubious phrases in Fatūḥāt and Fuṣūṣ may have been forged or tampered with by adversaries to malign Ibn ʿArabī and discredit his works.
✦ ④ Later Generations’ Position
We, who came centuries later:
✔ Should refrain from issuing definitive judgments
✔ Must follow Qur'ānic instruction:
﴿تِلْكَ أُمَّةٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ﴾ – That was a nation who has passed away…
(Al-Baqarah: 134)
﴿رَبَّنَا اغْفِرْ لَنَا وَلِإِخْوَانِنَا الَّذِينَ سَبَقُونَا بِالْإِيمَانِ﴾ – O our Lord, forgive us and our brothers who preceded us in faith
(Al-Ḥashr: 10)
And also the command of the Prophet ﷺ:
❝Do not abuse the dead, for they have reached what they sent forth.❞
(Bukhārī, Kitāb al-Janāʾiz)
✦ ⑤ Only Those Qualified May Issue Judgment
Declaring someone a deviant, innovator, or heretic is a grave responsibility, allowed only for those who:
➤ Have full knowledge of that individual’s life, beliefs, and writings
➤ Have studied primary historical sources such as:
▪ Wafayāt al-Aʿyān
▪ Al-Durar al-Kāminah
▪ Al-Badr al-Ṭāliʿ
▪ Tārīkh Baghdād
⚠ It is unacceptable to base judgment on scattered quotes without full contextual understanding.
✦ ⑥ What to Do with Ibn ʿArabī’s Statements?
The correct and balanced approach is:
✔ Accept those of his sayings that align with Qurʾān and Sunnah
✔ Reject anything contradictory to them
❝كُلٌّ يُؤْخَذُ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ وَيُرَدُّ، إِلَّا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ❞
“Everyone’s statement can be accepted or rejected—except the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”
✦ ⑦ View of Nawāb Ṣiddīq Ḥasan Khān (رحمه الله)
He echoed the same balanced viewpoint:
“The disagreement regarding Ibn ʿArabī and Manṣūr [al-Ḥallāj] is old and well-known. Some scholars judged them based on their outwardly problematic statements. Others, considering their rank and spiritual states, chose caution and interpretation, including Imām Shawkānī later in Fatḥ al-Rabbānī.”
He further stated:
“As long as a person affirms Islam outwardly and acts upon the Sharīʿah, why should one be declared a disbeliever if his ambiguous words can be interpreted in accordance with Islam?”
Summary:
❶ Ibn ʿArabī’s legacy is disputed among scholars.
❷ His works contain both noble insights and controversial statements.
❸ The correct method is to:
➤ Accept what is consistent with Qurʾān and Sunnah
➤ Reject what contradicts them
➤ Avoid hastily judging past individuals based on insufficient evidence
هٰذا ما عندي، والله أعلم بالصواب
