Encyclopedia of Islam

Further reading: William Gohlman, The Life of Ibn Sina: 

A Critical Edition and Annotated Translation (Albany: 

State University of New York Press, 1974); Dimitri 

Gutas, Avicenna and the Aristotelian Tradition: Introduc-

tion to Reading Avicenna’s Philosophical Works (Leiden: 

E.J. Brill, 1988); Shams Inati, “Ibn Sina.” In History 

of Islamic Philosophy, edited by Seyyed Hossein Nasr 

and Oliver Leaman, 231–246 (London: Routledge, 

1996); David Tschanz, “The Arab Roots of European 

Medicine.”  Saudi Aramco World 48 (May/June 1997): 

20–31.

Ibn Taymiyya, Taqi al-Din Ahmad

 

(Ibn 

Taymiya, Ibn Taimiya)

 

(1263–1328)  

prominent Hanbali jurist and theologian who inspired 

Islamic revivalist movements, especially Wahhabism

Ibn Taymiyya was born in the ancient city of 

Harran in what is now southeastern t

Urkey

. He 

came from a family of scholars affiliated with the 

h

anbali

  l

egal

  s

chool

. When he was only six 

years old, his family fled to d

amascUs

 in order 

to escape the Mongols who had invaded the 

Middle East from Central Asia, plundering cities 

and killing many in their path. He obtained his 

edUcation

 at a Hanbali 

madrasa

 directed by his 

father.

At the age of 21, Ibn Taymiyya succeeded his 

father as director and began to teach and write 

books. In his work, he advocated a literal inter-

pretation of the q

Uran

 and 

hadith

 and called on 

Muslims to follow the example set by the c

om

-

panions

 

oF

 

the

 p

rophet

, the salaf. He condemned 

many of the teachings of Muslim philosophers, 

theologians, and Shiis. He was also outraged by 

popular belief in saints and visiting saints’ tombs. 

Arguing that this was not condoned by the early 

Muslim community, he ruled that it was 

bidaa

(unorthodox innovation) and therefore forbid-

den. He did not reject Sufi piety and asceticism, 

however, as long as God remained the focus of