Sunni View on Ibn Kathir and some other personalities?

[Mohammad Hassan Raza]

Assalaamu 'Alaykum

What is the belief of The Ahlus-Sunnah on the Aqidah of Ibn Kathir, Ibn Arabi, Mansur al-Hallaj etc?

I have heard some people say good words about them. But some people condemn them, surprisingly both groups belonging to Ahlus Sunnah!

Please clarify.

[ahlus-sunnah]

al-Hallaj (c. 858 - March 26, 922) was a Persian writer and teacher of Sufism. His full name was Abu al-Mughith al-Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj.

Fragments

He was born around 858 in Tur, Iran to a wool seller. Al-Hallaj's grandfather may have been a Zoroastrian. His father lived a simple life, and this form of lifestyle greatly interested the young al-Hallaj. As a youngster he memorized the Quran and would often retreat from worldly pursuits to join other mystics in study.

Al-Hallaj would later marry and make a pilgrammige to Mecca. After his trip to the holy city, he traveled extensively and wrote and taught along the way. He travelled as far as India and Central Asia gaining many followers, many of which accompanied him on his second and trips to Mecca. After this period of travel, he settled down in the Abbasid capital of Baghdad.

Among other Sufis, Al-Hallaj was an anomaly, many sufi masters felt that it was inappropriate to share mysticism with the masses, yet Al-Hallaj openly did so in his writings and through his teachings. He would begin to make enemies, and the rulers saw him as a threat. This was exacerbated by times when he would fall into trances which he attributed to being in the presence of God. During one of these trances, he would utter Ana al-Haqq, meaning that "I am the Truth", which was taken to mean that he was claiming to be God, as Al-Haqq is one of the Ninety Nine Names of Allah.

This utterance would lead him to a long trial, and subsequent imprisonment for eleven years in a Baghdad jail. In the end, he would be tortured and publicly crucified by the Abbasid rulers for what they deemed as a heresy. Many accounts tell of Al-Hallaj's calm demeanor even while he was being tortured, and indicate that he forgave those who had executed him. He died on March 26, 922.

His writings are very important to only Sufis, but to all Muslims. His example is seen by some as one that should be emulated, especially his calm demeanor in the face of torture and his forgiving of his tormentors. Others continue to see him as a heretic.



Mansur al-Hallaj: Sayings

ana'l -Haqq - I am the Truth.
(this is the saying which apparently earned al-Hallaj his martyrdom - al Haqq also means God)

You know and are not known; You see and are not seen.
(Akhbar al-Hallaj 44, 1.4)

Your Spirit mixed with my Spirit little by little, by turns, through reunions and abandons.
And now I am Yourself, Your existence is my own, and it is also my will.
(Diwan al-Hallaj)

I find it strange that the divine whole can be borne by my little human part,
Yet due to my little part's burden, the earth cannot sustain me.
(Akhbar al-Hallaj, 11)

I have seen my Lord with the eye of my heart, and I said: "Who are You?" He said:"You."
(Diwan al-Hallaj, M. 10)

I do not cease swimming in the seas of love, rising with the wave, then descending; now the wave sustains me, and then I sink beneath it; love bears me away where there is no longer any shore.
(Diwan al-Hallaj, M. 34)



I am He whom I love,
and He whom I love is I:
We are two spirits
dwelling in one body.
If thou seest me,
thou seest Him,
And if thou seest Him,
thou seest us both.

al-Hallaj, Kitab al-Tawasin, in The Mystics of Islam

[Mohammad Hassan Raza]

Very good brother Ahlus Sunnah. But I was asking about The views of Sunni scholars about him not his biography

Originally Posted by ahlus-sunnah

Mansur al-Hallaj: Sayings

ana'l -Haqq - I am the Truth.
(this is the saying which apparently earned al-Hallaj his martyrdom - al Haqq also means God)

According to Ala Hazrat Imam Ahmed Raza Khan RadiAllahu anhu Hazrat Hussain Bin Mansoor Hallaj RadiAllahu Anhu did not utter ana'l -Haqq - I am the Truth, Its in Fatawa Razviya, Hazrat Hussain Bin Mansoor Hallaj RadiAllahu Anhu Says Ana La Haq (or something like that) which means Main iska sabse jyada haqdaar hoon.

Originally Posted by Mohammad Hassan Raza

Assalaamu 'Alaykum

What is the belief of The Ahlus-Sunnah on the Aqidah of Ibn Kathir,

Is it permissible to read or teach the exegesis of Ibn Kathīr?

It is impermissible to read or indeed teach the exegesis of the Qur’ân by Ibn Kathīr. The general public must abstain/refrain from reading or even viewing works that are attributed or authored by the Waĥābīs/Deobandīs, or any other false sect.

Ibn Kathīr was a student of Ibn Taymiyyah and like his teacher, he too objected to a number views upheld by the Aĥl as-Sunnah wa al-Jama’ah. It was from the ideology of his teacher Ibn Taymiyyah, that the Waĥābī sect was born. Furthermore, Ibn Kathīr, much like his teacher, also agreed to ideas such as the belief of tajsīm, amongst others. For these reasons it is not permissible for anyone to study/read the exegesis of Ibn Kathīr, nor for that matter, any other Waĥābī/Deobandī literature.

This ruling is also applicable upon the scholars of the Aĥl as-Sunnah (aside from those working in the field of refutation); they must all abstain from studying works of the false sects and instead, study the works of the noble Imāms of the Aĥl as-Sunnah.

Huzur Taaj al-Shari'ah Mufti Akhtar Raza Khan

Read Here 1st link PDF File.

Originally Posted by Mohammad Hassan Raza

Assalaamu 'Alaykum

Ibn Arabi,?

I have heard some people say good words about them. But some people condemn them, surprisingly both groups belonging to Ahlus Sunnah!

Its only Wahabi

[Mohammad Hassan Raza]

Jazaak Allah Brother Wasim. I had Tafseer ibn-e-Kathir but since you have clarified it with valid Evidence (Huzoor Taajush Shariah)

But regarding ibn Arabi it is, afaik, Hazrat Mulla Ali al-Qari who contradicted him. Can you please clarify?

[abu Hasan]

hafiz ibn kathir was a student of ibn taymiyah alright; yet, i doubt that he followed him in everything.

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for example, the verse of istiwa in various places; ibn kathir insists that the tafsir is done without tak'yif, tashbih, ta'aTil and tamthil.

تقدم الكلام على ذلك في سورة الأعراف بما أغنى عن إعادته أيضاً، وأن المسلك الأسلم في ذلك طريقة السلف إمرار ما جاء في ذلك من الكتاب والسنة من غير تكييف ولا تحريف ولا تشبيه ولا تعطيل ولا تمثيل.

in surah al-furqan, he stays miles away from the position of tajsim:

ثُمَّ ٱسْتَوَىٰ عَلَى ٱلْعَرْشِ} أي: يدبر الأمر، ويقضي الحق، وهو خير الفاصلين

also see: 2:29, 7:54, 10:3, 13:2, 20:5, 25:59, 32:4, 41:11.

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tafsir of a'ayun: 54:15, is unlike that of anthropomorphists

tafsir of saaq: 68:42, it is overwhelmingly the tafsir of ahlu's sunnah and not a hint of tajsim there.

tafsir of wajh: 28:88, classic sunni tafsir and the same alahazrat translated in kanz.

tafsir of yad: 5:64, no hint of tajsim either.

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in fact, he departs from the position of his shaykh (ibn taymiyyah) concerning the ziyarah of the Habib sallAllahu alayhi wa sallam. see the tafsir of the verse 64 of surah nisaa (4:64) where he mentions the narration of utbi positively.

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in al-bidayah wa'n nihayah, he praises the amir who started the practice of mawlidu'n nabiy al-malik al-muzaffar abu sayid al-kukabri, and mentions the mawlid celebrated by him in an admiring manner. he also mentions ibn DiHyah's book: at-tanwir fi mawlidi'l bashir an-nadhir.

(see events of the year 630) (devbandis for some strange reason misrepresent this and claim that hafiz ibn kathir slammed the amir)

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shaykhu'l islam ibn Hajar said in inba'a al-ghumur and al-durar al-kaminah: that his books are beneficial; which was quoted by suyuti in his dhayl Tabaqat al-Huffaz; suyuti also praised him.

dawudi (d.945AH) also praises him in his Tabaqat al-Mufassirin, but also adds that he was close to his shaykh ibn taymiyyah and that he followed him in many of his opinions; that he used to give fatwa (in spite of his being a shafiyi) according to ibn taymiyah in the matter of triple-talaq; and because of this, he suffered greatly.

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in my opinion, tafsir ibn kathir is a very good reference for hadith and akhbar related to tafsirز so also are his two other books: al-bidayah wa'n nihayah and qaSaSu'l anbiya of which, the latter doesn't have an alternative in that subject.

but yes, it has always caused me discomfort that he was ibn taymiyah's student and his account of ibn taymiyah's trials mentioned in bidayah is very biased.

Allah ta'ala knows best.

[Mohammad Hassan Raza]

brother abu Hasan, please clarify one more thing. The Sunni view on Ibn Arabi? Beacuse Hazrat Mulla Ali al-Qari has strongly criticised him (I think on his view on the Imaan of The Pharaoh).

[faqir]

see this thread for ibn kathir and his tafsir

http://www.marifah.net/forums/topic/...ri-his-tafsir/