This excerpt is taken from the book of Sheikh al-Islam Imam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, Al-Jawab al-Bahir fi Zuwar al-Maqabir, translated by Sheikh Ataullah Saqib.
Imam Ibn Taymiyyah's Da'wah Letter to the Ruler of Egypt, Malik Nasir
الحمد لله نستعينه ونستغفره ونعوذ بالله من شرور أنفسنا ومن سيئات أعمالنا من يهده الله فلا مضل له ومن يضلل فلا هادي له. ونشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له ونشهد أن محمدا عبده ورسوله صلى الله عليه وسلم تسليما .
Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah says: When I came to know that the exalted Sultan of the kingdom, Nasir (may Allah assist him and guide him on the straight path), had requested me in writing to answer some questions, I replied briefly because the answer was requested quickly. Now we will present the same answer in a bit more detail, though it will still be concise. In this regard, we will quote phrases from the books of the people of Islam, most of which are ancient and a few are recently published. Among them, we will present the blessed hadiths of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and the sayings of the noble Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, the Followers (Tabi‘un), the four Imams, and their followers, which are in accordance with our pleasure and support, because the previous fatwas could not bear explanation. The narrated traditions and sayings of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, the Followers, and the four Imams, etc., are so solid and well-reasoned that they are indisputable.
Some people have made unsuccessful attempts to answer this, from which it is evident that the opponents have neither knowledge nor any authentic narration. They neither presented any hadith of the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, nor quoted the sayings of the noble Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and the Followers, may Allah have mercy on them, nor wrote any authentic statement of the four Imams, may Allah have mercy on them, who are from the reliable books, nor could they present any book in which there is a statement of the Imams of Islam. These poor people do not even know how the noble Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, and the Followers, may Allah have mercy on them, used to visit the honored grave and other shrines. My written fatwa is available, and similarly many of my writings are available which can be presented before all scholars of the East and West. Whoever thinks that he has some information against our written fatwa should present it clearly so that the validity of their argument can be known. When the exalted Sultan will consider our written hadiths and sayings of the Imams and the arguments of the opposing party, we are certain that the truth will become as clear as the sun, which even the Sultan’s humble servant can recognize. The Sultan is an unparalleled personality of the present era. May Allah bless his knowledge and actions.
Standard of Truth
Every person can understand the truth, because the truth is that which the Prophets, peace be upon them, presented. A wise and knowledgeable person distinguishes between truth and falsehood just as a goldsmith distinguishes between pure and impure gold. The Merciful Lord has made the proofs and evidences clear as daylight through the Messenger of Allah. The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, is the best among all creation and superior to all the noble Prophets. The scholars of the Ummah are the inheritors of the Prophets; it is their duty to present the teachings and commands of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, before the world and to refute matters that are against Shariah.
First and foremost, it is necessary to know what instructions the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, gave; because false traditions are found which are becoming widespread. Some individuals have also written books on these issues, in which lies and slanders have been attributed to the Noble Prophet, peace be upon him, and the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, due to which some ignorant people have been deceived. It may be that the writers’ intentions are pure and they are also devoted to the love of the Prophet and acknowledge his greatness, but the reality is that they could not distinguish between truth and falsehood. Some authors, when they saw that certain traditions and sayings of the Companions were about the virtue of a particular place, considered them authentic and relied upon them, whereas according to the hadith scholars, they were not only weak but fabricated.
When a learned person distinguishes between the command of the Messenger, peace be upon him, and the words of an ordinary person, then he will need to understand the command of the Messenger, peace be upon him, and his intended meaning, and by considering all the hadiths, place each hadith in its proper context, then affirm those matters which Allah and the Messenger of Allah have affirmed, and negate those matters which Allah and His Messenger have negated.
This is the knowledge from which Muslims can benefit. This is the treasure that Muslims should accept, and in the light of this unparalleled gem, the scholars of Islam and the Four Imams, may Allah have mercy on them, led and guided the Ummah.
