His Full Name and Lineage:
He is Shaykh al-Islam Taqi al-Din Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Abd al-Halim ibn Abd al-Salam ibn Abd Allah ibn Abi al-Qasim al-Khidr ibn Muhammad ibn al-Khidr ibn Ali ibn Abd Allah, known as Ibn Taymiyyah al-Harrani ad-Dimashqi (see al-‘Uqud ad-Durriyah, p. 2; adh-Dhayl ‘ala Tabaqat al-Hanabilah, 2/387).
It is said the reason for the nickname “Ibn Taymiyyah” is that his ancestor Muhammad ibn al-Khidr went for Hajj by way of Tayma, and there he saw a young girl. When he returned home, he found his wife had given birth to a daughter, so he said, “Taymiyyah! Taymiyyah!”—and the name stuck.
It is also said that his grandfather Muhammad’s mother was called Taymiyyah, and she was a preacher, so he was named after her and became known by this title (see al-‘Uqud ad-Durriyah, p. 2; at-Tibyan by Ibn Nasir ad-Din, manuscript, folio 162).
Another view is that “Taymiyyah” was simply a nickname of his ancestor (see al-Wafi bil-Wafayat, 16/7, by as-Safadi).
Shaykh al-Islam was born in the year 661 AH, in the month of Rabi‘ al-Awwal, on a Monday—either the 10th or the 12th of the month (see al-‘Uqud ad-Durriyah, p. 2; adh-Dhayl ‘ala Tabaqat al-Hanabilah, 2/387; ad-Durar al-Kaminah, 1/154; at-Tibyan, folio 162).
His Birthplace and Move to Damascus
There is no doubt that he was born in Harran, then moved to Damascus in 667 AH, fleeing from the Tatars along with his father, his brothers, and their books. They carried their books in haste due to a lack of riding animals—this shows how deeply connected the family was to knowledge. So he is called al-Harrani (from Harran), then ad-Dimashqi (from Damascus), as many of those who wrote about him have pointed out (see al-‘Uqud ad-Durriyah, p. 2; and others who will be named later). (Note: Some of the scholars mentioned in passing in this study were not given full biographies since they were only referenced to complete chains of transmission.)
The Household He Was Raised In
He was raised in a house of knowledge between his father, Abd al-Halim, and his grandfather, Abd al-Salam. When they moved from Harran to Damascus, they brought their books with them in a hurry because they had no animals to carry them—again showing their deep link to learning.
His father was a great scholar, skilled in many fields, with expertise in inheritance, arithmetic, preaching, and guidance (see al-A‘lam al-‘Aliyyah, p. 19).
His grandfather, Majd al-Din Abd al-Salam, was described by Ibn Shakir al-Kutubi as an authoritative imam, skilled in fiqh and hadith, with a deep grasp of tafsir, usul, and knowledge of various madhhabs. He was extremely intelligent, and there was none like him in his time. He also authored several works.
Others besides his father and grandfather from his family were also active and well known in the field of knowledge.
Because of this, Ibn Taymiyyah’s upbringing was rooted in learning from an early age. He began seeking knowledge and studying from a very young age.
His Early Studies and Intellectual Development
Ibn Abd al-Hadi said: He stuck to studying hadith, reading, copying, and learning handwriting and arithmetic at the islamic kids school (maktab). He memorised the Quran and turned to studying fiqh. He studied Arabic grammar with Ibn Abd al-Qawi until he mastered it. Then he began pondering over the Kitab of Sibawayh until he understood it and became skilled in grammar. He turned wholly to tafsir until he surpassed others and took the lead in it. He mastered usul al-fiqh and other disciplines—all of this while he was only in his early teens. The people of Damascus were amazed at his exceptional intelligence, the flow of his mind, the strength of his memory, and his rapid understanding. (al-‘Uqud ad-Durriyah, p. 3)
He also said: The hadith master Abu Abd Allah adh-Dhahabi said: “He—meaning Shaykh Taqi al-Din, may Allah have mercy on him—was raised with great self-restraint, chastity, worship, piety, and simplicity in clothing and food. In his youth, he would attend classes and gatherings of scholars. He would debate and defeat elders, presenting arguments that bewildered the senior scholars of the land. He gave fatwas when he was nineteen—if not younger.
From that time, he began compiling and authoring. He dedicated himself entirely to study. When his father—who was one of the writers and imams of the Hanbalis—died, he took over his father’s teaching duties at the age of twenty-one. His fame spread, and his renown grew throughout the world.”
(al-‘Uqud ad-Durriyah, pp. 4–5)
Al-Hafiz Umar al-Bazzar said: “From his early youth, he wasdiligent and a hard worker. He memorised the Quran while still young, then dedicated himself to memorising hadith, fiqh, and Arabic until he became excellent in them. He regularly attended gatherings of dhikr and listening to hadiths and narrations.” (al-A‘lam al-‘Aliyyah, p. 19)
All of this was attested to by both his contemporaries and those who came after him and wrote about him.
His Study of Hadith and His Teachers
As for his listening to hadiths and narrations and the scholars he learned from: scholars mentioned that he listened to large collections of hadith.
Al-Bazzar said: “He heard books from numerous teachers with authentic and high chains of transmission. As for the major hadith compilations of Islam—Musnad Ahmad, the Sahihs of al-Bukhari and Muslim, the Jami‘ of at-Tirmidhi, the Sunan of Abu Dawud as-Sijistani, an-Nasa’i, Ibn Majah, and ad-Daraqutni—he listened to each of them several times.
The first book he memorised in hadith was al-Jam‘ bayna as-Sahihayn by Imam al-Humaydi. There was hardly a book from any field of knowledge except that he had studied it. Allah had gifted him with a sharp memory and slow forgetfulness. He would almost never read or hear anything without it remaining in his mind, either word-for-word or by meaning.” (al-A‘lam al-‘Aliyyah, pp. 19–20)
Ibn Abd al-Hadi also said: “He listened to the Musnad of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal several times. He heard the six major books, and other collections. Among the books he listened to was al-Mu‘jam al-Kabir by at-Tabarani.” (al-‘Uqud ad-Durriyah)
He heard from more than two hundred teachers. Ibn Abd al-Hadi listed some of them: Ibn Abi al-Yusr, al-Kamal ibn Abd, al-Majd ibn Asakir, Yahya ibn as-Sayrafi, and Ahmad ibn Abi al-Khayr.
(al-‘Uqud ad-Durriyah)
(Ibn Abi al-Yusr: Taqi al-Din Isma‘il ibn Ibrahim ibn Abi al-Yusr, known as the hadith transmitter of ash-Sham. He died in 672 AH. See: Qala’id al-Wafayat 1/170.)
(Al-Kamal ibn Abd: Kamal al-Din ibn Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd al-Mun‘im ibn al-Khidr ibn Shibl ad-Dimashqi. He died in 672 AH. See: Shadharat adh-Dhahab 5/338.)
(Al-Majd ibn Asakir: Muhammad ibn Isma‘il ibn Uthman ibn Muzhaffar ibn Hibat Allah ad-Dimashqi. He died in 670 AH. See: Shadharat adh-Dhahab 5/331.)
(Yahya ibn as-Sayrafi: Yahya ibn Abi Mansur as-Sayrafi. He died in 678 AH. See: Shadharat adh-Dhahab 5/363.)
(Ahmad ibn Abi al-Khayr: Salamah ibn Ibrahim ad-Dimashqi al-Haddad al-Hanbali.)
Adh-Dhahabi said, “He gave fatwas at nineteen, began compiling and authoring at that time, and applied himself to studying. By the time his father died, he was already considered one of the senior Hanbali imams. He took over his father’s teaching duties at twenty-one, and his reputation spread. He interpreted the Quran from memory over two years, during Friday sermons.” (al-Kawakib ad-Durriyah, p. 53)
His Return to Damascus and Final Imprisonment
In the year 712 AH, he returned to Damascus, and a large number of students of knowledge gathered around him. Many questions and legal issues were sent to him in writing, and he would respond to them based on the belief of the Salaf and his own ijtihad in matters of secondary rulings. This caused new waves of opposition against him, and once again he was imprisoned in the Citadel of Damascus. He remained there for more than five months. When he was released, he resumed his scholarly activities, and the people’s attachment to him only increased.
In the year 726 AH, he was once more imprisoned in the Citadel, this time because of his fatwa regarding the issue of visiting graves. His imprisonment continued for two years and three months. During this time, he occupied himself with worship, writing, and teaching—until Allah took his soul.
His Immense Knowledge and Praise from the Scholars
Due to Shaykh al-Islam’s eagerness for knowledge from a young age, his upbringing in a household deeply rooted in knowledge, and the gifts Allah gave him in rapid memorisation and sharp understanding, his knowledge expanded and his mastery of the sciences became vast and diverse—especially in the fields of creed, tafsir, hadith, fiqh, and more.
The praise of the scholars in this regard would require more than two volumes, as Ibn Nasir al-Din al-Dimashqi said, quoting al-Dhahabi in his praise of Ibn Taymiyyah’s knowledge:
“…He is far greater than what my words can describe or my phrases can grasp, for his life, knowledge, understanding, trials, and journeys could fill two volumes…” (al-Tibyan, fol. 162; al-Kawakib al-Durriyah, p. 63).
Here are just a few examples to avoid making it too long:
Ibn ‘Abd al-Hadi narrated from ‘Alam al-Din al-Barzali (al-‘Uqud al-Durriyah, p. 12): “Shaykh Taqi al-Din Abu al-‘Abbas, the Imam agreed upon for his virtue, nobility, and piety, studied fiqh and excelled in it, as well as Arabic and usul. He mastered tafsir and hadith, and he was an imam whose dust could not be reached in any field. He reached the level of ijtihad and fulfilled all the conditions of a mujtahid.
When he spoke on tafsir, people were left astonished by the amount he had memorised, the strength of his presentation, and the way he gave every opinion its due, whether strengthening it, weakening it, or refuting it. Whenever he entered into any science, those present would be amazed—this was alongside his complete devotion to worship and asceticism…”
Al-Hafidh ‘Umar al-Bazzar said in his book al-A‘lam al-‘Aliyyah (pp. 32–37), in a chapter about his knowledge of the different categories of rational, transmitted, imagined, and understood knowledge: he listed the types of knowledge Shaykh al-Islam mastered—knowledge that many scholars never acquired.
Ibn Rajab also mentioned in al-Dhayl ‘ala Tabaqat al-Hanabilah (2/390) that al-Dhahabi quoted Ibn Sayyid al-Nas when answering questions from Abu al-‘Abbas al-Dimyati: “I found him to have acquired a great portion of the sciences. He memorised the narrations extensively. If he spoke on tafsir, he led the field. If he gave a fatwa, he reached its limits. If he mentioned hadith, he was an expert in its knowledge and transmission. If he spoke about sects and religions, no one was broader in understanding or more precise in knowledge. He excelled every group in their own fields. No one who saw him had seen anyone like him, and he himself had never seen anyone like himself…”
This is just a sample of what the imams said about his status in knowledge and love for it. Soon after beginning his studies, this noble imam became a master of all sciences—especially in the Sharia sciences. Here are some examples of praise from scholars in various fields:
Ibn Taymiyyah In the Field of Hadith
Al-Hafidh al-Bazzar said (al-A‘lam al-‘Aliyyah, p. 32): “As for his knowledge of authentic and weak narrations, he was among the mountains that cannot be scaled. Rarely was a narration mentioned to him without his knowing its originator, transmitter, source, and text. Rarely was a narrator mentioned except he knew his status in terms of criticism and praise, both in detail and general terms…”
Ibn ‘Abd al-Hadi said, quoting al-Dhahabi (al-‘Uqud al-Durriyah, pp. 24–25; al-Dhayl ‘ala Tabaqat al-Hanabilah, 2/391): “He had complete mastery of the narrators, their criticism and authentication, their ranks and knowledge of hadith sciences, its higher and lower isnads, its authentic and weak reports. He also had great memorisation of its texts. He stood alone in this, and no one in his time matched him or even came close. He was remarkable in his recall and ability to derive proofs from the texts. He was the ultimate reference when attributing narrations to the six books and the Musnad, such that it was said: ‘Any hadith that Ibn Taymiyyah does not know is not a hadith.’” (Ibn ‘Abd al-Hadi added: “Only Allah encompasses all knowledge, but he would scoop from the ocean, while others scooped from streams.”)
Ibn Rajab said in al-Dhayl (2/391): “He was astonishing in his knowledge of hadith. As for his memorisation of the texts of the Sahihayn and most of the Sunan and the Musnad, I never saw anyone even come close to him in that.”
Ibn Taymiyyah In the Field of Tafsir
Ibn ‘Abd al-Hadi quoted al-Dhahabi again (al-‘Uqud al-Durriyah, p. 25; al-Dhayl, 2/391): “As for tafsir, it was handed to him. He had an extraordinary ability to recall Quran verses when presenting proofs in an argument. When a reciter saw him, he would be astonished. Due to his leadership in tafsir and the vastness of his knowledge, he would show the errors in many tafsir statements, refute many views, and support the view that agreed with the Quran and hadith.”
Ibn Taymiyyah’s Knowledge In the Field of Fiqh
Ibn ‘Abd al-Hadi quoted al-Dhahabi again (al-‘Uqud al-Durriyah, p. 23): “As for his knowledge of fiqh and the views of the Sahabah and Tabi‘in—let alone the four madhhabs—there was no one like him.”
Ibn Rajab also said, quoting al-Dhahabi (al-Dhayl, 2/389): “He surpassed people in his knowledge of fiqh, the differences between madhhabs, and the fatwas of the Sahabah and Tabi‘in. When he gave a fatwa, he would not be bound to a single madhhab, but rather would follow what he believed to be supported by evidence.”
Ibn Kathir said (al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah, 14/137): “He became an imam in tafsir and everything connected to it, as well as fiqh. It was said that he knew the fiqh of all the madhhabs better than their own scholars. He knew the differences between scholars and mastered both usul and furu‘.”
Ibn Hajar quoted al-Dhahabi in al-Durar al-Kaminah (1/160): “You would be amazed at the way he would mention a disputed issue, bring the evidence, and weigh the views. He was qualified for ijtihad because he fulfilled all its conditions. I never saw anyone faster in extracting Quran verses related to the issue he was discussing.”
Ibn Taymiyyah In the Field of ‘Aqidah
Scholars praised his work in this area too. Ibn ‘Abd al-Hadi quoted al-Dhahabi (al-‘Uqud al-Durriyah, p. 23): “As for his knowledge of sects, religions, theology, and usul, I know of no one like him.”
Ibn Rajab quoted al-Dhahabi again (al-Dhayl, 2/390): “He studied the rational sciences, knew the statements of the theologians, refuted them, exposed their errors, warned against them, and supported the Sunnah with the clearest proofs and strongest arguments. He was harmed for Allah’s sake by his opponents, threatened for his defence of the pure Sunnah, until Allah raised his status, united the hearts of the pious on loving him and making du‘a for him, defeated his enemies, and guided people through him from various sects.”
Al-Hafidh al-Bazzar said (al-A‘lam al-‘Aliyyah, p. 33): “As for what Allah granted him in refuting innovators and people of whims, his writings expose their claims, refute their deceptions, and destroy their arguments using heavenly insight, textual proofs, and rational clarity—until the truth became clear and falsehood was unveiled…”
He continued (p. 36): “He wrote extensively in theology and usul more than in other sciences. I asked him why he did not compile a major work in fiqh combining his views and preferences for people to rely on. He replied that fiqh is manageable; whoever follows one of the known imams can do so as long as he doesn’t know it’s wrong.
But theology, I saw innovators like the philosophers, Batinis, atheists, those who believe in the unity of existence, materialists, Qadaris, Nusayris, Jahmis, Hululis, Mujassimah, Mushabbihah, Rawandis, Kullabis, Sulaymis, and others had corrupted theology and were trying to undermine the Sharia. So I saw it necessary for those able to expose their deceptions and break their arguments to do so in defence of the pure religion…” (This shows that theology (‘aqidah and usul) was the field he focused on most in his writings, and this is reflected in the actual number of his books on this subject.)
His Writings and Their Number
His works cover all of the above fields and more. Scholars—whether his students or later writers—recorded them in detail.
There are different statements about how many there are. All agree they are too many to count. Ibn al-Qayyim said in the introduction to his book Asma’ Mu’allafat Shaykh al-Islam:
“A group of those who love the Sunnah and knowledge asked me to list what the Shaykh wrote. I told them I was unable to count them for many reasons I explained. They said: ‘At least mention what you know—whatever cannot be fully attained should not be completely abandoned.’ So I had to respond and am listing what Allah has made easy. Whoever finds more should add to it. Allah is the Helper…”
He then listed his works in tafsir, usul, principles, fatwas, and rulings. Most of them are in usul. Some are in fiqh. He had three works on wills, four on ijazahs, and the rest are books and letters.
Ibn ‘Abd al-Hadi said (al-‘Uqud al-Durriyah, p. 26): “The Shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—had so many writings, fatwas, principles, answers, letters, and benefits that they cannot be counted. I do not know anyone in the past or present who wrote what he wrote, or anything close to it. Most of his books were dictated from memory. Many were written in prison without access to any books.”
In another place he said (p. 64): “Shaykh Abu ‘Abd Allah said: If Shaykh Taqi al-Din or anyone else tried to count his books, they would not be able to. He never stopped writing. Allah gave him speed in writing, and he would write from memory without referencing books…” (Abu ‘Abd Allah here is likely Ibn Rashiq, the Shaykh’s personal scribe. See p. 27 of the same reference.)
The Difficulty of Preserving and Counting His Works
Due to Shaykh al-Islam’s intense commitment to seeking knowledge from a young age, his upbringing in a family renowned for scholarship, and the extraordinary memory and understanding Allah gave him, his knowledge expanded greatly, and his expertise covered many fields, especially in the religious sciences such as creed, tafsir, hadith, fiqh, and more.
The praise of the scholars in this regard could fill more than two volumes, as Ibn Nasir al-Din al-Dimashqi mentioned. He quoted al-Dhahabi as saying: “He is greater than what my words can describe or my pen can express, for his life, knowledge, experiences, trials, and travels deserve to be recorded in two volumes.” (al-Tibyan, folio 162; al-Kawakib al-Durriyah, p. 63)
Here are some examples, keeping the discussion brief:
Ibn Abd al-Hadi, quoting Alam al-Din al-Barzali, said: “Shaykh Taqi al-Din Abu al-Abbas, the imam upon whom there was consensus for his virtue, nobility, and religiosity, studied fiqh and mastered it, and also Arabic and usul. He excelled in tafsir and hadith. He was an imam who could not be matched in any field. He reached the level of ijtihad, and fulfilled the conditions for it. When he spoke on tafsir, people were astounded at how much he had memorised and how beautifully he delivered his interpretations. He would give each view its due in terms of support, critique, and invalidation. When he discussed any science, listeners would be amazed. And this was alongside his deep commitment to asceticism and worship.” (al-Uqud al-Durriyyah, p. 12)
Al-Hafiz Umar al-Bazzar, in his book al-A’lam al-Aliyya, in the third chapter, discussed his deep understanding of all categories of knowledge—things said, reported, conceptualised, understood, or rationally deduced. He then listed the Shaykh’s knowledge of these sciences, many of which are rare even among the scholars. (al-A’lam al-Aliyya, pp. 32–37)
Ibn Rajab said, quoting al-Dhahabi, who was quoting Ibn Sayyid al-Nas in his response to Abu al-Abbas al-Dimyati’s questions: “I found him to have a vast share of knowledge. He had memorised the reports. If he spoke on tafsir, he carried its banner. If he gave a fatwa in fiqh, he reached its peak. If he spoke about hadith, he was its scholar and narrator. If he addressed sects and groups, none was more knowledgeable than him. He excelled in every science over his contemporaries. No one who saw him had seen the like of him, nor had he seen the like of himself.” (Dhail ala Tabaqat al-Hanabilah, 2/390–391; al-Uqud al-Durriyyah, p. 10)
Ibn Taymiyyah In the Science of Hadith
Al-Hafiz al-Bazzar said: “As for his knowledge of authentic and weak narrations, he is like a mountain that cannot be scaled. Rarely was a view mentioned to him except he had full knowledge of its originator, its transmitters, its narrators, and the related rulings. Rarely was a narrator mentioned but he knew his status in terms of reliability and criticism, in general and in detail.” (al-A’lam al-Aliyya, p. 32)
Ibn Abd al-Hadi, quoting al-Dhahabi, said: “He had deep expertise in the science of narrators, their praise and criticism, their ranks, the various types of hadith, and in recognising the upper and lower chains, the authentic and weak reports. He had memorised so many texts that none in his time matched him. He had an amazing ability to recall them and extract evidence from them. He was unmatched in tracing hadiths back to the six canonical books and to the Musnad, to the point that it could be said: ‘Any hadith not known to Ibn Taymiyyah is not a hadith.'” (al-Uqud al-Durriyyah, pp. 24–25; Dhail ala Tabaqat al-Hanabilah, 2/391)
Ibn Rajab said: “He was astonishing in his knowledge of hadith. As for his memorisation of the texts of the Sahih collections, most of the Sunan, and the Musnad—I’ve never seen anyone even come close to him.” (Dhail ala Tabaqat al-Hanabilah, 2/391)
Science of Tafsir
Ibn Abd al-Hadi, again quoting al-Dhahabi: “As for tafsir, it was handed to him. His ability to recall verses when proving a point was astonishing. Qur’an reciters would be amazed by him. Due to his mastery in tafsir and vast reading, he would point out the errors of many commentators, weaken numerous views, and champion the one view that aligned with what the Qur’an and hadith indicate.” (al-Uqud al-Durriyyah, p. 25; Dhail ala Tabaqat al-Hanabilah, 2/391)
Of course, here is the full continuation and completion of the translation from where we left off, starting from the section titled “In the Field of Creed (Aqidah)”, without English harakat and with all footnotes translated in round brackets and italics next to the sentence they correlate to:
On the Number of His Writings
There was disagreement in the precise number of his writings, but there was consensus that they were many and too numerous to count. Ibn al-Qayyim, in the introduction to his book Asma’ Mu’allafat Shaykh al-Islam (The Titles of the Writings of Shaykh al-Islam), said: “Many of the lovers of the Sunnah and knowledge asked me to list what the imam, Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah—may Allah be pleased with him—authored.
I told them I was unable to count them due to several reasons I explained to some of them. But they insisted and said: you must mention at least what you know; and what cannot be fully grasped should not be left entirely. So I had no choice but to comply. Now I will list what Allah has made possible for me to recall. And if any reader finds something missing, let him add it. Allah is the one sought for help.”
He then began listing his works by subject: some in tafsir, some in usul (creed), some in legal maxims and fatawa, most of them in usul, some in fiqh rulings, three in wasiyyah (bequests), four in ijazah (transmission certificates), and the rest in various fields and letters. (Asma’ Mu’allafat Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, pp. 8 onwards)
Ibn Abd al-Hadi said: “The shaykh—may Allah have mercy on him—had so many writings, fatwas, legal principles, answers, and benefits that they cannot be counted. I do not know anyone, from the early or late generations of the ummah, who compiled as much as he did or authored like him, or even close. Most of what he wrote was from memory, and much of it was written while he was in prison, without having books on hand.” (al-Uqud al-Durriyyah, p. 26)
He also said: “Shaykh Abu Abd Allah (likely Ibn Rashiq, his personal scribe) said: if Shaykh Taqi al-Din—or anyone else—wanted to count his writings, they wouldn’t be able. He kept writing, and Allah blessed him with speed of writing and strong memory. He would write from memory without needing to reference anything. His students would bring questions and he would answer them with written works which would then be taken away and never returned, often disappearing.” (al-Uqud al-Durriyyah, p. 64)
He then said: “Due to these reasons and others, it became impossible to count what he wrote and authored. When he was imprisoned, his followers dispersed and his books scattered. His companions were afraid to even reveal his books. Some were sold, others gifted, others hidden or stored. If a book was stolen or denied, no one would even investigate out of fear!” (al-Uqud al-Durriyyah, p. 65)
This caused a great portion of his written legacy to be forgotten or lost.
Estimate of the Number of His Writings
Al-Hafiz al-Bazzar said: “As for his writings, they are more than I can count, or even name. Most likely no one can do so, because they are so many, large and small, scattered in different regions. I have not visited a city without finding some of his works there…” (al-Alam al-Aliyyah, p. 25)
He also said: “He dictated a full tafsir of ‘Qul huwa Allahu ahad’ which filled a whole volume, and thirty-five notebooks on the verse ‘The Most Merciful rose above the Throne.’ I heard he began a full tafsir of the entire Quran which, if completed, would have reached fifty volumes…” (al-Alam al-Aliyyah, pp. 22–28)
He then listed many of his major works like Takhis al-Talbis, al-Jam’ bayn al-‘Aql wa al-Naql, Minhaj al-Istiqama, al-Radd ‘ala al-Nasara, Nikah al-Muhallil, Ibtal al-Hiyal, Sharh al-Asfahaniyyah, among others—some spanning twelve volumes, others two, some one, and many smaller.
He concluded: “His writings are countless. I could easily list over two hundred, but this summary is not suited for more. As for his fatwas and answers, they are more than I can count. Seventeen volumes of his fatwas on fiqh were compiled in Egypt. His companions collected over forty thousand fatwas. Rarely would a new issue arise except that he would answer with such clarity that his answer would become a reference, though others would need long study to produce something similar, if at all.” (al-Alam al-Aliyyah, p. 28)
Ibn Rajab said: “His writings—may Allah have mercy on him—are more famous than need be mentioned, and more known than can be denied. They spread like the sun across lands and cities. They surpassed count. We’ll only mention a few of his large works…” (Dhayl Tabaqat al-Hanabilah 2/403)
Al-Dhahabi said: “He was an ocean of knowledge, one of the unmatched geniuses, the ascetics of his time, among the great warriors, and the most generous people. Even his opponents praised him. His works travelled far and wide, likely reaching three hundred volumes.” (Tadhkirat al-Huffaz 4/1496–1497)
Elsewhere, he said: “It is not unlikely that his works reached five hundred volumes.” (Shadharat al-Dhahab 6/84, al-Kawakib al-Durriyyah, p. 77)
And Ibn Nasir al-Din reported from him: “I gathered the writings of Shaykh al-Islam Taqi al-Din Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah—may Allah be pleased with him—and found them to be one thousand works. Then I found even more later…” (al-Durrar al-Kaminah 1/168, al-Qawl al-Jali, p. 15)
Some said his works reached four thousand booklets. Ibn Abd al-Hadi said: “I was told he once wrote a small book in one day, and wrote forty pages in a single session, and sometimes more. I counted one instance in which he wrote eight booklets in one day on a very complex issue.” (al-Uqud al-Durriyyah, pp. 64–65)
His Death
All sources agree that Shaykh al-Islam died in the year 728 AH, in the month of Dhu al-Qa‘dah, on the night of Monday the twentieth, while imprisoned in the citadel of Damascus. May Allah have mercy on him and be pleased with him. (al-Uqud al-Durriyyah, p. 369; al-A‘lam al-‘Aliyyah, p. 84; Dhayl Tabaqat al-Hanabilah 2/405; al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah 14/135; al-Durrar al-Kaminah 1/159; Tadhkirat al-Huffaz)
There are other aspects of his life and efforts that we left out to avoid prolonging the discussion, but his books, life, and works bear witness to his legacy.
Ibn Kathir said: “He had many virtues. The titles of his works, his biography, what happened between him and the jurists and rulers, his imprisonments, and his state—mentioning all of it would not fit in this book.” (al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah 14/137)
And I say: What has been mentioned is but a drop from the ocean, a small part of the great legacy of Shaykh al-Islam. Whoever wants to know more should refer to the dedicated books about his biography or the biographical collections where he is mentioned. (See for example: al-Uqud al-Durriyyah by Ibn Abd al-Hadi, al-A‘lam al-‘Aliyyah by al-Bazzar, Dhayl Tabaqat al-Hanabilah by Ibn Rajab, al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah by Ibn Kathir, Tadhkirat al-Huffaz by al-Dhahabi, al-Wafi bi al-Wafayat by al-Safadi, al-Durrar al-Kaminah by Ibn Hajar, and many others.)
