Ahmad ibn Abd al-Halim Ibn Taymiyyah was born in 661 AH (1263 CE) in the city of Harran. While he was still a young child his family fled to Damascus to escape the Mongol invasions, where he grew up in a household of scholars — his father and grandfather were both noted Hanbali jurists. He memorized the Qur'an at an early age and studied hadith, jurisprudence, and language under the leading scholars of his time, mastering these fields while still young.
Ibn Taymiyyah rose to prominence as a teacher and jurist in Damascus, becoming known for his bold positions during the Mongol invasions — issuing a famous ruling permitting resistance against the Mongols despite their nominal conversion to Islam, since he judged that they had not implemented Islamic law. He personally took part in rallying the defense of Damascus and meeting with Mongol commanders. He also engaged in wide-ranging intellectual battles against positions he considered deviations, which led to his imprisonment several times in both Damascus and Cairo.
His Scholarly Legacy
Ibn Taymiyyah left behind an enormous body of writing later compiled into the multi-volume collection Majmu' al-Fatawa. Among his most devoted students was Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, who preserved and disseminated much of his teacher's scholarship. Ibn Taymiyyah died imprisoned in the Citadel of Damascus in 728 AH (1328 CE), and vast crowds attended his funeral.
