Economic Concepts of Ibn Taimiyah. Abdul Azim Islahi

thought. Among other distinguished disciples were Ibn ‘Abd al-Hādī (d. 1343), who died at the age of forty but left valuable works. He wrote a biography of his master, al-‘Uqūd al-Durrīyah; Ibn Kathīr (d. 1373), the famous historian and commentator of the Qur’ān, whose book al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah contains a detailed biography of his teacher; Ḥāfiẓ Dhahabī (d. 1348), the great Islamic historian of traditions; al-Mizzī (d. 1341), another expert on traditions; Muḥammad bin Mufliḥ (d. 1362), writer of many books; Abū Ḥafṣ al-Bazzār (d. 1349), the author of a biography of Ibn Taimīyah; Ibn al-Wardī (d. 1348), expert in literature, grammar and some other branches of learning; and Qāḍī Ibn Faḍl Allāh (d. 1349), a famous writer.

F. Impact of Ibn Taimīyah through the ages

      Ibn Taimīyah created a climate of revolutionary thinking both through his ideas and his reformist endeavours whose impact was felt not only in his own time but ever since. In his lifetime people were divided either into those who were strong opponents or strong supporters fully in agreement with him, or uncommitted, those who agreed with some views and disagreed with others. Ibn Taimīyah left behind a large number of books and disciplines. His opponents soon sank into anonymity, while the value of and appreciation for his works has increased. He had a great influence over Sultān Nāṣir Muḥammad bin Qalāwūn, who often consulted him during his stay at Cairo from 1309 to 1312.⁴⁹ The Sultan appointed the Amīr Shams al-Dīn Afram as Governor of Tripoli on his advice.⁵⁰

      Ibn Taimīyah had a great influence among amīrs and high-ranking officials. During his stay in Egypt and Syria, and even when he was imprisoned, amīrs and other responsible persons, as well as ordinary people, used to consult him.⁵¹ Ḥusām al-Dīn Muhannā Amīr of ‘Arab, Kitbughā al-Manṣūr (d. 1321), and Ṣaif al-Dīn Arghūn al-Nāṣirī (d. 1330) who held the office of viceroy and governor of Aleppo, are described as his friends and admirers.⁵² When he was imprisoned in Egypt, several amīrs used to visit him and bring gifts of the best food. The Qāḍī disapproved of this and complained to the Sultan who had Ibn Taimīyah tranferred to the prison at the fort.⁵³

      In his own lifetime Ibn Taimīyah’s fame and influence extended beyond the boundaries of Egypt and Syria. When he was imprisoned for the last time in the citadel of Damascus, many letters came from the inhabitants of Baghdad protesting against his arrest and demanding his release.⁵⁴ When he died, funeral prayers in absentia were performed even as far as China.⁵⁵

      One of his disciples, Altama ‘Abd al-‘Azīz Ardabīlī, went from Damascus to the court of the Sultan, Muḥammad Tughluq.⁵⁶ Professor K. A. Nizami writes: ‘Ibn Taimīyah’s disciples reached India at a time when the country was in the grip of pantheistic doctrines. The policies of Sultan Muḥammad bin Tughlaq and Fīrūz Shāh seem to have been very greatly influenced by these tendencies of the age.’⁵⁷

      Ibn Taimīyah’s influence continued to be deeply felt long after his death, as acknowledged by Maqrīzī (d. 1441) the historian of the second Mamluk period.⁵⁸ It continued much later, as exemplified in Ibn Taimīyah’s biography written by al-Marā‘ī (d. 1623), in the Ottoman period. And almost all historians have recognized his deep impact on the most prominent reformer of the eighteenth century, Muḥammad bin ‘Abd al-Wahhāb (d. 1792).⁵⁹

      Some of Ibn Taimīyah’s rulings (fatāwā) have survived in the legal codes of some modern Muslim countries. A conspicuous example is the case of divorce under duress in the Egyptian and Syrian laws.⁶⁰

G. Economic views in his writings

      It is inconceivable that economic matters could have escaped the attention of such a versatile genius as Ibn Taimīyah. He had witnessed ruined families and destroyed economic life since his very earliest years. His own family had faced migration and suffered loss of property. He observed a general economic decline at the Mongols’ hands. He had contact with every class of person – from the fallāḥin and artisans up to amīrs and sultans. He had seen the agony of the poor classes and the exploitation by the ruling class. So deeply did this impress his dynamic and conscientious spirit that he could not keep silent. What also inspired him was that Islam as a religion does concern itself with economic problems and holds certain fundamental principles in regard to them.

      Ibn Taimīyah emphasized that every person must be assured a minimum standard of living sufficient for him to fulfil his obligations to the Almighty and to his brethren.⁶¹ Equally, he emphasized justice; that is, he sought to point out the responsibilities of the individual as well as the state, so that both could co-operate with each other and neither was abused. According to him, justice is a value recognized by all nations. He says: ‘All people agreed that the consequences of injustice are gloomy, and the fruit of justice is admirable.’⁶²