Ibn al-Qayyim
- Died
- 751 AH
- Born in
- Damascus
Ibn al-Qayyim (691–751 AH / 1292–1350 CE) was a Syrian Hanbali jurist, theologian, hadith specialist, and Quranic exegete based in Damascus . He was the prominent student and intellectual companion of Ibn Taymiyya, known for major works such as Zad al-Maad .
Lineage and Early Life
His full name was Abu Abd Allah Shams al-Din Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr ibn Ayyub ibn Sa'd ibn Hariz al-Zura'i al-Dimashqi . His ancestor's name is also recorded as Jurayz or Jarir . The nisba al-Zura'i refers to Zur'a (modern-day Izra'), a village in the Hauran region south of Damascus . He was born in Damascus on 7 Safar 691 AH . He was known as Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya (and Ibn al-Qayyim for short) because his father, Abu Bakr ibn Ayyub, served as the director and superintendent (qayyim) of the Jawziyya madrasa in Damascus .
Education and Scholarly Career
Ibn al-Qayyim received his earliest instruction in the laws of inheritance (fara'id) from his father . He studied hadith under scholars including al-Shihab al-Nabulsi al-Abir, Qadi Taqi al-Din Sulayman ibn Hamza, Isa al-Mut'im, Abu Bakr ibn Abd al-Da'im, and Fatima bint Jawhar (also known as bint al-Bata'ihi) . He studied Arabic grammar under Abu al-Fath al-Ba'li and Majd al-Din al-Tunisi, and Hanbali jurisprudence under Majd al-Din Isma'il ibn Muhammad al-Harrani and Ibn Abi al-Fath al-Ba'li . He studied legal theory (usul al-fiqh) under Safi al-Din al-Hindi and Ibn Taymiyya .
Following Ibn Taymiyya's return from Egypt in 712 AH, Ibn al-Qayyim attached himself closely to him until Ibn Taymiyya's death in 728 AH, championing his teachings, editing his writings, and disseminating his thought . Ibn al-Qayyim served as the prayer leader (imam) at the Jawziyya madrasa and taught at the Sadriyya madrasa . He made the pilgrimage to Mecca multiple times and resided there for periods of devotion .
Among his most notable students were Ibn Kathir, Ibn Rajab, and Ibn Abd al-Hadi . In legal theory and ethics, he authored I'lam al-Muwaqqi'in to articulate jurisprudence, legal derivation, and the rules of issuing fatwas .
Trials and Imprisonment
Ibn al-Qayyim was subjected to censure and imprisonment on multiple occasions due to his doctrinal stances and legal positions . He was publicly paraded on a camel and beaten with a whip, and was later imprisoned alongside Ibn Taymiyya in the Citadel of Damascus—held in separate confinement—partly over the issue of prohibiting travel undertaken specifically to visit the grave of Abraham (al-Khalil) . He remained in the Citadel until his release following Ibn Taymiyya's death in 728 AH . He also faced intense opposition and disputes with contemporary scholars, including Chief Judge Taqi al-Din al-Subki, over his continued issuance of legal verdicts endorsing Ibn Taymiyya's position on divorce (talaq) .
Standing and Character
Biographers noted Ibn al-Qayyim's extensive learning in exegesis, hadith, jurisprudence, grammar, theology, and Sufi terminology (ilm al-suluk) . His student Ibn Kathir described him as exceptionally devoted to long prayers with extended bowing and prostrations, good-natured, affectionate, free of envy and malice, and an avid collector of books who acquired a library matched by few of his contemporaries . Ibn Rajab praised his intense night vigils, love, and spiritual knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah . Al-Mizzi remarked that Ibn al-Qayyim held a standing in his era comparable to that of Ibn Khuzayma in his own time . Al-Dhahabi commended his expertise in hadith, jurisprudence, and legal theory, while remarking that he was self-assured in his views .
Death
Ibn al-Qayyim died at the age of sixty on the night of Thursday, 13 Rajab 751 AH, at the time of the call to the night prayer (Isha) . His funeral prayer was performed the following afternoon after the noon (Dhuhr) prayer at the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus . The procession was attended by judges, scholars, and a large public gathering, and he was buried in the Bab al-Saghir cemetery alongside his parents (or near his father; another report states near his mother) .
Answer updated
List of Works
Tariq al-Hijratayn wa Bab al-Saadatayn (The Path of the Two Migrations and the Door to the Two Happinesses) is a treatise on Islamic spirituality, ethics, and theology. The work delineates the principles of traversing the spiritual path (suluk) to God based strictly on the Quran and the Prophetic Sunnah.
Hidayat al-Hayara fi Ajwibat al-Yahud wa al-Nasara (Guidance for the Perplexed in Answering the Jews and Christians) is a polemical and comparative religion treatise dedicated to defending Islam, answering theological objections, and examining the scriptures and doctrines of Judaism and Christianity.
Sifat al-Munafiqin (Characteristics of the Hypocrites) is a treatise that analyzes the traits, psychological states, and Quranic depictions of hypocrites.
Al-Wabil al-Sayyib (often titled al-Wabil al-Sayyib min al-Kalim al-Tayyib) is a devotional treatise focusing on the virtues of the remembrance of God (dhikr) and its prescribed supplications.
Al-Risala al-Tabukiyya: Zad al-Muhajir ila Rabbihi (The Tabuk Epistle: Provision of the Emigrant to His Lord) is an ethical and spiritual treatise composed on 8 Muharram 733 AH in Tabuk. It addresses the religious obligations of mutual assistance and inner spiritual migration to God and His Messenger.
al-Furusiyya al-Muhammadiyya (also known as al-Furusiyya or al-Furusiyya al-Shar'iyya) is a treatise examining Islamic martial arts, horsemanship, archery, and the legal jurisprudence governing combat sports and racing contests. The work focuses on the theory, practice, and legal rulings surrounding traditional physical training and martial disciplines associated with warfare.
al-Kalam ala Masalat al-Sama (Discussion on the Issue of Audition) is a legal and spiritual treatise addressing Islamic rulings on music, singing, and Sufi audition rituals (sama'). Originating as an extensive legal response, the work evaluates the permissibility of audition, contrasts spiritual experiences, and critically engages with the arguments raised by proponents of musical practices.
Madarij al-Salikin is a comprehensive treatise on spiritual wayfaring (suluk), inner purification (tazkiyat al-nafs), and the stations of the heart. Composed as an extensive critical commentary on Abu Isma'il al-Harawi's Manazil al-Sa'irin, the work grounds the classical stages of the spiritual path within the framework of the Quran and the Sunnah, centering on the theme of servitude.
al-Fawa'id is an unarranged compendium of spiritual reflections, theological principles, Quranic and hadith insights, and moral aphorisms. Functioning as a personal notebook of entries marked under various headings, the collection addresses monotheism (tawhid), servanthood, divine decree, and personal reflections aimed at spiritual rectitude.
al-Manar al-Munif fi al-Sahih wa al-Daif is a treatise on Hadith criticism and the identification of fabricated traditions. Written in response to three specific inquiries, the work provides textual criteria and thematic indicators for detecting spurious narrations beyond chain-of-transmission analysis and evaluates specific disputed traditions.
Al-Kafiya al-Shafiya fi al-Intisar lil-Firqa al-Najiyya (commonly known as Nuniyyat Ibn al-Qayyim) is an extensive didactic poem on Islamic creed, dedicated to defending traditional Sunni theology and refuting opposing theological schools.
Uddat al-Sabirin wa Dhakhirat al-Shakirin (The Equipment of the Patient and the Provision of the Grateful) is a treatise on Islamic ethics and spirituality dedicated to the virtues of patience (sabr) and gratitude (shukr).
al-Tibyan fi Ayman al-Quran (The Clarification Regarding the Oaths of the Quran), also referred to as al-Tibyan fi Aqsam al-Quran, is a specialized Quranic sciences treatise analyzing the oaths and swearings sworn by God throughout the Quran.
al-Jami fi Amthal al-Quran (The Compendium of Quranic Parables) is a compilation of thematic Quranic commentary, gathered and edited by Abu Uways Ashraf ibn Nasr ibn Sabir al-Kurdi.
Kitab al-Salat (also known as al-Salat wa-hukm tarikiha) is a legal and theological treatise addressing the status of the ritual prayer, the legal rulings regarding its abandonment, congregational prayer, and the Prophet's manner of performing it.
Asma Muallafat Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyya is a 14th-century bibliographical treatise cataloging the writings of Ibn Taymiyya. It provides an inventory of his literary output, including major books, short treatises, legal and doctrinal principles, responsa, and commentaries on Qur'anic verses and chapters.
Jala al-Afham fi Fadl al-Salat wa-l-Salam ala Khayr al-Anam is a treatise dedicated to the hadiths, legal rulings, theological meanings, and occasions for sending blessings and peace upon the Prophet Muhammad.
Zad al-Maad fi Hady Khayr al-Ibad is an extensive multi-volume work on the biography, religious practices, rulings, and manners of the Prophet Muhammad, combining prophetic biography, military expeditions, acts of worship, social transactions, medicine, judicial rulings, and character traits.
Risalat Ibn al-Qayyim ila Ahad Ikhwanihi is a concise spiritual and advisory epistle sent to an acquaintance on the cultivation of piety, the pursuit of divine guidance, and the inner reality of prayer.
Shifa al-Alil fi Masa'il al-Qada wa al-Qadar wa al-Hikma wa al-Talil is a comprehensive theological treatise addressing the theology of divine decree, predestination, divine teleology, and secondary causality.
This short treatise is a formal legal response addressing the authenticity and theological validity of a widely circulated supplication of praise: "Praise be to God, a praise that meets His blessings and matches His abundance." Prompted by an inquiry into a dispute between two men over the phrase's legitimacy and its attribution to Adam, the work examines the narration's missing chain of transmission, critiques the claim that it fulfills an oath to utter the most comprehensive praise, and compares it against authentic invocations found in the Quran and Prophetic traditions.
This theological treatise investigates the rules and interpretive principles governing the Divine Names and Attributes. Originally composed as an extensive thematic section within the encyclopedic work Bada'i' al-Fawa'id, it establishes systematic guidelines grounded in the Quran and the Sunnah to elucidate the proper understanding of God's names and guard against theological deviations. The work classifies divine descriptions into distinct categories and outlines twenty specific benefits concerning divine reporting, paired names, actions, and scriptural negations.
This legal and hadith treatise is dedicated entirely to examining the jurisprudential rulings and textual proofs concerning the practice of raising the hands during ritual prayer. It frames the central disagreement between the majority of scholars who view raising the hands when bowing, rising, and standing after two units as an established prophetic sunnah, and those who maintain it is not prescribed in those postures. Combining transmission criticism with legal deductions, it analyzes scriptural narrations, evaluates opposing arguments, and defends the sound prophetic traditions.
This hadith and legal commentary focuses on al-Mundhiri's Mukhtasar Sunan Abi Dawud, working systematically through the abridgment from beginning to end. Composed during residence in Mecca, the text functions as a detailed gloss and critical study to refine the base work by addressing unexamined hadith defects, authenticating omitted narrations, resolving difficult texts, and supplying relevant traditions. Rather than offering a uniform word-by-word explanation, it engages in extensive legal, theological, and isnad analyses on specific traditions.
This theological and eschatological treatise is dedicated to the nature of the soul, the state of the dead, and the intermediate realm of al-barzakh. Structured around twenty-one numbered questions, it addresses whether the deceased perceive the living, the reality of punishment and bliss in the grave, the abode of souls prior to the Resurrection, and the essential definition and temporal origination of the spirit. The exposition utilizes scriptural texts from the Quran and Sunnah, statements of the Companions, rational arguments, and corroborating dream narratives and anecdotes.
Badai al-Fawaid (Marvels of Beneficial Points) is an encyclopedic, multi-subject work encompassing diverse scholarly investigations across Quranic exegesis, Arabic grammar, legal rulings, theology, and spiritual insights. Structured as a collection of standalone analytical points and essays spanning various Islamic disciplines, it includes extensive grammatical and philological discussions.
Tuhfat al-Mawdud bi Ahkam al-Mawlud (The Gift to the Beloved Regarding the Rulings on the Newborn) is a legal and ethical treatise on the jurisprudence, prophetic etiquette, and rearing of children. It covers the legal rulings concerning the child from infancy onward, including birth-sacrifices, naming, circumcision, moral upbringing, and human developmental stages.
Ighathat al-Lahfan fi Hukm Talaq al-Ghadban (Relief of the Distressed Regarding the Ruling on Divorce Pronounced in Anger), also known as al-Ighathah al-Sughra, is a specialized legal treatise examining the legal validity of divorce pronounced under the influence of anger. The work analyzes different degrees of anger and related circumstances, evaluating how emotional agitation impacts sound intent and voluntary action.
al-Amthal fi al-Quran - min A'lam al-Muwaqqi'in (Parables in the Quran – from I'lam al-Muwaqqi'in) is a treatise on Quranic parables extracted from a larger jurisprudence work. Rather than presenting a conventional exegetical survey, it analyzes more than forty parables across the Quran to demonstrate that the text guides believers toward valid analogical reasoning, concluding with a discussion of dream interpretation.
al-Sawaiq al-Mursala ala al-Jahmiyya wal-Muattila (The Unleashed Thunderbolts Against the Jahmites and Nullifiers of Attributes) is an extensive theological and polemical treatise written to defend traditional Sunni theology. Combining textual evidence from the Quran and hadith with rational arguments, it refutes the positions of the Jahmiyya and groups that negate or figuratively reinterpret the divine attributes.
Rawdat al-Muhibbin wa Nuzhat al-Mushtaqin is a treatise that explores the nature, categories, ethics, and legal dimensions of love. It systematically addresses linguistic, psychological, philosophical, and moral aspects of affection and passionate attachment.
Ahkam Ahl al-Dhimma is a comprehensive legal treatise on the jurisprudence governing non-Muslim citizens residing under Islamic rule. It covers the full spectrum of legal, social, and commercial rulings concerning protected non-Muslim subjects, including poll tax regulations and detailed commentary on the Pact of Umar.
Hadi al-Arwah ila Bilad al-Afrah is a theological and spiritual treatise devoted to the description of Paradise. It aims to elevate spiritual ambition and convey glad tidings to believers by examining eschatological questions, celestial topography, life in the afterlife, and the beatific vision.
Alam al-Muwaqqiin an Rabb al-Alamin is a treatise on Islamic jurisprudence, legal methodology, and the rules of issuing legal verdicts. Integrating applied jurisprudence with the underlying wisdom of divine legislation, it examines the qualifications of muftis, judicial ethics, legal reasoning, and critiques of blind imitation.
Ijtima al-Juyush al-Islamiyya is a theological treatise dedicated to establishing the divine transcendence of God above His creation and His ascension over the Throne. It marshals proofs across scriptural texts, prophetic traditions, and scholarly consensus while refuting the Jahmites and theological negationists.
Ighathat al-Lahfan fi Masayid al-Shaytan (Rescue of the Yearning from the Traps of Satan) is a treatise on spiritual psychology, heart diseases, and the deceptive plots of the devil. The book lays the spiritual and doctrinal foundations of the states and illnesses of the heart before examining the stratagems, snares, and deceptions employed by Satan against humankind.
Sigh al-Hamd (Formulas of Praise), also known as Futya fi Sighat al-Hamd, is a short treatise and legal-theological verdict (fatwa) analyzing the validity, transmission, and theological implications of specific formulas used to praise God. It examines and refutes claims regarding an unverified supplication formula, evaluating the matter on both textual and rational grounds while surveying authentic Quranic and prophetic praises.
al-Daa wal-Dawaa (also known as al-Jawab al-Kafi li-man sa'ala 'an al-dawa' al-shafi; The Disease and the Cure, or The Sufficient Answer for Whoever Inquired About the Healing Remedy) is a treatise addressing spiritual afflictions, the psychological and religious consequences of sins, and the remedies for obsessive infatuation. Originating as an extensive legal and spiritual response to a query, the work explores supplication, the harms of disobedience, and methods for curing the heart.
Al-Tibb al-Nabawi (Prophetic Medicine) is a specialized treatise examining the medical guidance, health practices, and physical and spiritual remedies attributed to the Prophet Muhammad. Originally composed as the fourth volume of the encyclopedic work Zad al-Ma'ad fi Hady Khayr al-'Ibad, it presents prophetic medicine alongside natural and spiritual treatments, preventative health practices, and an alphabetical dictionary of simple foods and herbs.
Miftah Dar al-Saada wa Manshur Wilayat al-Ilm wal-Irada (The Key to the Abode of Happiness and the Proclamation of the Mandate of Knowledge and Will) is an extensive theological and philosophical treatise. The work examines the primacy and virtues of religious knowledge, the teleological contemplation of God's creation, the validation of divine revelation and the Sharia, and the refutation of astrology and related occult practices.
I'lam al-Muwaqqi'in 'an Rabb al-'Alamin (Information for Those Signing on Behalf of the Lord of the Worlds) is an extensive treatise on Islamic jurisprudence, legal methodology (usul al-fiqh), and the ethics of giving fatwas (adab al-fatwa).
al-Turuq al-Hukmiyya fi al-Siyasa al-Shariyya (The Judicial Methods in Sharia Governance) is a legal treatise dedicated to Islamic judicial procedure, standards of proof, evidentiary law, and legitimate governance (al-siyasa al-shariyya).
al-Tafsir al-Qayyim (also published under the title Tafsir al-Quran al-Karim li-Ibn al-Qayyim) is a modern thematic compilation of Quranic commentary extracted from across various legal, theological, and spiritual writings and arranged according to the traditional sequence of the Quranic surahs and verses.