The Miracles (Karaamat) of Sheikh Ul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah Note: There is nothing in these reports that opposes the Quran and Sunnah, for indeed there are many narrations from the sahaabah that indicate that a righteous person may receive knowledge of certain events (see for example Muwatta' Malik (2/752))), and Ibn Taymiyyah himself affirmed that a righteous person Abu Al Hafs Al Bazzar (a student of Ibn Taymiyyah) said in his book "Al A'laam al 'aliyyah fee manaaqib Ibn Taymiyyah" (This book is available in English, see page 22 onwards): Many trustworthy individuals narrated to me various miracles that they witnessed from him, and I will mention some of them here, beginning with two that I personally witnessed. There was once an argument between some of the noble scholars and myself in some issues that we were debating at length over. So, we decided to stop our discussion and go to the Shaykh to give us the decisive word. We found that the Shaykh himself had come to us, and when we were going to ask him about what we were discussing, he delved into each issue before we could even speak. He laid out each of our positions regarding what we were discussing, mentioned the opinions of the scholars on them, and then clarified which opinions were most supported by the evidence, until he got to the final issue we wanted to ask him about and told us what we ourselves were hoping to learn from asking him. So, my companions and I were speechless and shocked at what he had just learned from him, as well as what Allāh had made him privy to regarding what we had been thinking of. And during the days I spent with him, if I wanted to research a particular issue, I would barely have just thought of it only to find him proceeding to explaining it to me, and providing an answer from numerous angles. The righteous, knowledgeable Shaykh Ahmad bin al-Harīmī told me that he once traveled to Damascus. He said: “So, it happened that when I arrived, I had no provision or money with me, and I knew nobody in the city. So, I began to walk through its streets like a lost person. Suddenly, I saw the Shaykh walking swiftly towards me. He greeted me, smiled in my face, put in my hand a small pouch filled with some dirhams, and said to me: “Spend these now and stop worrying about what you are thinking about, as Allāh will never abandon you.” He then walked away as if he had only come to say this to me. So, I supplicated for him, and I was very happy with this. I then asked some of the people: “Who is this man?” They said: “You don’t know him?! He is Ibn Taymiyyah! It has been a very long time since we’ve seen him walk this road.” The best part of my visit to Damascus was this instance where I met him, as Allāh was the One who caused us to cross paths. I did not need anyone else for anything during the remainder of my stay in Damascus, as Allāh had provided for me from where I did not expect. Later on, I decided to visit him again, and he would honor me and ask how I was doing, and I would praise Allāh in response to him.” And I was told by Shaykh Taqī ad-Dīn ‘Abdullāh bin Ahmad bin Sa’īd: “I traveled to Egypt when the Shaykh was living there, and I became very sick the night I arrived. So, I spent the night in some region of the country, and was shocked to suddenly hear someone calling me by my name and nickname. So, I answered him in a weak voice, and I sat up to see a group of the Shaykh’s companions entering upon me, some of whom I had met previously in Damascus. I said: “How did you know I was coming to Egypt when I have just arrived?” They said: “The Shaykh informed us that you were coming and that you are sick, and he told us to hurry to move you somewhere more comfortable, and we saw nobody else arriving or telling us anything.” So, I know that this was from the miracles of the Shaykh (may Allāh be Pleased with him). He also told me: “I became extremely sick in Damascus, such that I could not even sit up. I suddenly felt the Shaykh sitting next to my head, and I was very weak with fever and sickness. He supplicated for me and said: “You are now relieved.” As soon as he left me, I was immediately relieved of all the pain and sickness I had been experiencing.” He also said: “I had come across some poetry written by one who had strayed from the truth that attacked the Shaykh. The reason he had written this poem was that someone had ascribed to him poetry and words that indicated he was a Rāfidī, and took these words to a judge, and it was decided to publicize his condition to the people. The man falsely thought that it was the Shaykh who had written these words and taken them to the judge, and this is why he wrote this poetry attacking the Shaykh. So, I kept this poem with me, and I would sometimes recite some of it. I came across many things in it that didn’t sit well, and I was constantly afraid and anxious because of what I was reading, and were it not for Allāh’s blessing on me, I would have been overtaken by it. I asked myself why I was so affected by this poem, and I could find nothing more than that I liked some of its words. So, I promised Allāh that I would not waste anymore time reading it, and I became a bit relieved and relaxed. However, I still had the poem. So, I took it and burned it up and washed away the ashes so that nothing would be left of it. I asked Allāh’s Forgiveness, and suddenly was completely relieved of all the anxiety I had been feeling when reading the poem, and Allāh replaced it with relaxation. I have since been in a state of good and relaxation, and I see that this was one of the miracles of the Shaykh granted to him by Allāh.” He also said to me that Shaykh Ibn ‘Imād ad-Dīn al-Muqri’ al-Mutriz said: “I visited the Shaykh once when I had some money with me. I greeted him, and he replied and welcomed me, and then left me without asking if I had any money with me. After a few days, I had spent all of my money. When the class was over and we had prayed behind him, he wouldn’t let me leave. He sat me down, and after everyone had left, he put a small pouch of money in my hand, saying: “Now, you have no money. Support yourself with this.” I was amazed at this, and knew that Allāh had somehow made him privy to my situation - both when I had some money and when I had run out of it.” I was also informed by a trustworthy individual: “When the Mongol invasion was approaching Damascus, its people became extremely afraid, and some of them came to him and asked him to supplicate for the Muslims. So, he turned to Allāh and then said: “Rejoice, for Allāh will grant you victory in three days, to the point that you will see their heads piled on top of each other.” By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, as soon as three days had passed, we saw their heads piled on top of each other in the center of Damascus, just as he said.” And I was told by the righteous Shaykh ‘Uthmān bin Ahmad bin ‘Īsā an-Nassākh (may Allāh be Pleased with him) that he would visit the sick in the hospital in Damascus every week, and this was a constant habit of his. He once came to a young man and supplicated for him, and he was quickly cured. He came to the Shaykh wanting to greet him, and when he saw him, he smiled to him, pulled him close, gave him some money, and said: “Allāh has healed you. So, promise Him that you will quickly return to your homeland. Is it right for you to abandon your wife and four daughters without a provider while you sit here?” The man kissed his hand and said: “Sir, I repent to Allāh on your hand,” and he later said: “I was amazed at what he knew about me, as I did leave them without any provision, and nobody in Damascus had known of my situation.” And I was told by someone I trust that some judges were on their way to Egypt to assume positions there, and that one of them said: “As soon as I arrive in Egypt, I will rule that such and such of the noble scholars should be killed.” Everyone had agreed that this scholar was righteous and pious. However, this man’s heart contained such hatred and enmity to himthat it drove him to want him dead. Everyone who heard him say this became worried that he would actually carry out his threat to kill this righteous man, and they were afraid that this man who wanted to be a judge would be led by Satan and by his own desires, causing him to spill sacred Muslim blood - they feared the great evil that would result from such an action. So, they went to Ibn Taymiyyah and told him of exactly what had taken place. He said: “Allāh will not allow him to carry out what he wants, and he will not even get to Egypt alive.” The judge had a very short distance to travel until he would arrive in Egypt when he was suddenly stricken with death. So, he died before arriving in Egypt, just as Allāh had revealed on the tongue of the Shaykh (may Allāh be Pleased with him). And the miracles of the Shaykh (may Allāh be Pleased with him) are many, and this is not the place to mention more of them. But, from the most obvious and well-known of his miracles is that nobody was ever known to hate or attack him except that he was then stricken with numerous disasters, mostly in his religion, and this is something well-known that does not require much elaboration.
Subul As Salam سبل السلام
The Miracles (Karaamat) of Sheikh Ul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah
Note: There is nothing in these reports that opposes the Quran and Sunnah, for indeed there are many narrations from the sahaabah that indicate that a righteous person may receive knowledge of certain events (see for example Muwatta' Malik (2/752))), and Ibn Taymiyyah himself affirmed that a righteous person
Abu Al Hafs Al Bazzar (a student of Ibn Taymiyyah) said in his book "Al A'laam al 'aliyyah fee manaaqib Ibn Taymiyyah" (This book is available in English, see page 22 onwards):
Many trustworthy individuals narrated to me various miracles that they witnessed from him,
and I will mention some of them here, beginning with two that I personally witnessed.
There was once an argument between some of the noble scholars and myself in some issues
that we were debating at length over. So, we decided to stop our discussion and go to the
Shaykh to give us the decisive word. We found that the Shaykh himself had come to us, and when we were going to ask him about what we were discussing, he delved into each issue
before we could even speak. He laid out each of our positions regarding what we were
discussing, mentioned the opinions of the scholars on them, and then clarified which
opinions were most supported by the evidence, until he got to the final issue we wanted to
ask him about and told us what we ourselves were hoping to learn from asking him. So, my
companions and I were speechless and shocked at what he had just learned from him, as
well as what Allāh had made him privy to regarding what we had been thinking of.
And during the days I spent with him, if I wanted to research a particular issue, I would
barely have just thought of it only to find him proceeding to explaining it to me, and
providing an answer from numerous angles.
The righteous, knowledgeable Shaykh Ahmad bin al-Harīmī told me that he once traveled to
Damascus. He said: “So, it happened that when I arrived, I had no provision or money with
me, and I knew nobody in the city. So, I began to walk through its streets like a lost person.
Suddenly, I saw the Shaykh walking swiftly towards me. He greeted me, smiled in my face,
put in my hand a small pouch filled with some dirhams, and said to me: “Spend these now
and stop worrying about what you are thinking about, as Allāh will never abandon you.” He
then walked away as if he had only come to say this to me. So, I supplicated for him, and I
was very happy with this. I then asked some of the people: “Who is this man?” They said:
“You don’t know him?! He is Ibn Taymiyyah! It has been a very long time since we’ve seen
him walk this road.”
The best part of my visit to Damascus was this instance where I met him, as Allāh was the
One who caused us to cross paths. I did not need anyone else for anything during the
remainder of my stay in Damascus, as Allāh had provided for me from where I did not
expect. Later on, I decided to visit him again, and he would honor me and ask how I was
doing, and I would praise Allāh in response to him.”
And I was told by Shaykh Taqī ad-Dīn ‘Abdullāh bin Ahmad bin Sa’īd: “I traveled to Egypt
when the Shaykh was living there, and I became very sick the night I arrived. So, I spent the
night in some region of the country, and was shocked to suddenly hear someone calling me
by my name and nickname. So, I answered him in a weak voice, and I sat up to see a group
of the Shaykh’s companions entering upon me, some of whom I had met previously in
Damascus. I said: “How did you know I was coming to Egypt when I have just arrived?”
They said: “The Shaykh informed us that you were coming and that you are sick, and he told
us to hurry to move you somewhere more comfortable, and we saw nobody else arriving or
telling us anything.” So, I know that this was from the miracles of the Shaykh (may Allāh be
Pleased with him).
He also told me: “I became extremely sick in Damascus, such that I could not even sit up. I
suddenly felt the Shaykh sitting next to my head, and I was very weak with fever and
sickness. He supplicated for me and said: “You are now relieved.” As soon as he left me, I
was immediately relieved of all the pain and sickness I had been experiencing.”
He also said: “I had come across some poetry written by one who had strayed from the truth
that attacked the Shaykh. The reason he had written this poem was that someone had
ascribed to him poetry and words that indicated he was a Rāfidī, and took these words to a judge, and it was decided to publicize his condition to the people. The man falsely thought
that it was the Shaykh who had written these words and taken them to the judge, and this is
why he wrote this poetry attacking the Shaykh.
So, I kept this poem with me, and I would sometimes recite some of it. I came across many
things in it that didn’t sit well, and I was constantly afraid and anxious because of what I was
reading, and were it not for Allāh’s blessing on me, I would have been overtaken by it. I
asked myself why I was so affected by this poem, and I could find nothing more than that I
liked some of its words. So, I promised Allāh that I would not waste anymore time reading
it, and I became a bit relieved and relaxed. However, I still had the poem. So, I took it and
burned it up and washed away the ashes so that nothing would be left of it. I asked Allāh’s
Forgiveness, and suddenly was completely relieved of all the anxiety I had been feeling when
reading the poem, and Allāh replaced it with relaxation. I have since been in a state of good
and relaxation, and I see that this was one of the miracles of the Shaykh granted to him by
Allāh.”
He also said to me that Shaykh Ibn ‘Imād ad-Dīn al-Muqri’ al-Mutriz said: “I visited the
Shaykh once when I had some money with me. I greeted him, and he replied and welcomed
me, and then left me without asking if I had any money with me. After a few days, I had
spent all of my money. When the class was over and we had prayed behind him, he wouldn’t
let me leave. He sat me down, and after everyone had left, he put a small pouch of money in
my hand, saying: “Now, you have no money. Support yourself with this.” I was amazed at
this, and knew that Allāh had somehow made him privy to my situation - both when I had
some money and when I had run out of it.”
I was also informed by a trustworthy individual: “When the Mongol invasion was
approaching Damascus, its people became extremely afraid, and some of them came to him
and asked him to supplicate for the Muslims. So, he turned to Allāh and then said: “Rejoice,
for Allāh will grant you victory in three days, to the point that you will see their heads piled
on top of each other.” By the One in Whose Hand my soul is, as soon as three days had
passed, we saw their heads piled on top of each other in the center of Damascus, just as he
said.”
And I was told by the righteous Shaykh ‘Uthmān bin Ahmad bin ‘Īsā an-Nassākh (may Allāh
be Pleased with him) that he would visit the sick in the hospital in Damascus every week,
and this was a constant habit of his. He once came to a young man and supplicated for him,
and he was quickly cured. He came to the Shaykh wanting to greet him, and when he saw
him, he smiled to him, pulled him close, gave him some money, and said: “Allāh has healed
you. So, promise Him that you will quickly return to your homeland. Is it right for you to
abandon your wife and four daughters without a provider while you sit here?” The man
kissed his hand and said: “Sir, I repent to Allāh on your hand,” and he later said: “I was
amazed at what he knew about me, as I did leave them without any provision, and nobody in
Damascus had known of my situation.”
And I was told by someone I trust that some judges were on their way to Egypt to assume
positions there, and that one of them said: “As soon as I arrive in Egypt, I will rule that such
and such of the noble scholars should be killed.” Everyone had agreed that this scholar was
righteous and pious. However, this man’s heart contained such hatred and enmity to himthat it drove him to want him dead. Everyone who heard him say this became worried that
he would actually carry out his threat to kill this righteous man, and they were afraid that this
man who wanted to be a judge would be led by Satan and by his own desires, causing him to
spill sacred Muslim blood - they feared the great evil that would result from such an action.
So, they went to Ibn Taymiyyah and told him of exactly what had taken place. He said:
“Allāh will not allow him to carry out what he wants, and he will not even get to Egypt
alive.” The judge had a very short distance to travel until he would arrive in Egypt when he
was suddenly stricken with death. So, he died before arriving in Egypt, just as Allāh had
revealed on the tongue of the Shaykh (may Allāh be Pleased with him).
And the miracles of the Shaykh (may Allāh be Pleased with him) are many, and this is not the
place to mention more of them. But, from the most obvious and well-known of his miracles
is that nobody was ever known to hate or attack him except that he was then stricken with
numerous disasters, mostly in his religion, and this is something well-known that does not
require much elaboration.
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