Taqiuddin Ibn Taymiyyah

Kitab Al Iman - Book of Faith (eBook, ePUB)

Übersetzer: Al-Ani, Salman Hassan; Tel, Shadia Ahmad

• Format: ePub

Produktbeschreibung

COURSE APPLICATIONS



Kitab al-Iman is a high-value primary source for courses across Religious Studies, Islamic Studies, Philosophy, History, and Comparative Religion. Its blend of doctrinal clarity, engagement with rival schools, and textual rigor makes it especially suitable for upper-level undergraduate and graduate seminars.



Recommended Courses:



• Islamic Theology and Creed (advanced undergraduate / graduate) • Medieval Islamic Intellectual History (graduate) • Islamic Philosophy and Thought (upper-level undergraduate / graduate) • Sectarian Movements in Islam (advanced undergraduate / graduate) • Comparative Theology (upper-level undergraduate / graduate) • Classical Islamic Texts in Translation (graduate) • History of Islamic Legal Thought (graduate) • Religion and Society in Medieval Islam (upper-level undergraduate)



Pedagogical Approach:



The text works best when paired with secondary scholarship on medieval Islamic theology, Ibn Taymiyyah's biography, and the history of Islamic sects. Students should ideally possess basic familiarity with Islamic history, Qur'anic structure, and Hadith literature.



In advanced courses, instructors may assign the entire work across several weeks, organizing class sessions around thematic clusters (e.g., Faith and Works, Sectarian Debates, Language and Theology). In survey courses, selected chapters can illustrate Ibn Taymiyyah's method and highlight key controversies.



Learning Objectives:



Students engaging with Kitab al-Iman will:

1. Analyze the theological concept of Iman (faith) in the Islamic tradition.
2. Compare competing theological positions on faith (Murji'ite, Kharijite, Ashʿarite, Hanbali).
3. Evaluate Ibn Taymiyyah's exegetical and methodological approach to Qur'an and Hadith.
4. Examine the relationship between theology, law, and communal identity in Islam.
5. Assess how interpretation of scripture shapes doctrinal boundaries.
6. Situate Ibn Taymiyyah within the political and intellectual context of 13th14th-century Islam.
7. Trace his intellectual influence on later scholars and modern movements.
8. Develop skills in close reading and analysis of primary religious texts.

Discussion Questions (selected):



Foundational Concepts:

1. How does Ibn Taymiyyah distinguish between Iman, Islam, and I?san, and why is this distinction crucial for his theology?
2. What arguments does he use to show that faith includes actions? How does he respond to those who restrict faith to internal belief?
3. In what ways does the Hadith of Gabriel structure his entire framework for understanding religion?

Methodological Analysis: 4. How does Ibn Taymiyyah approach Qur'an and Hadith as sources of knowledge? What interpretive principles does he apply? 5. Compare his method with that of the Ashʿarites or another school he critiques. Where do their methodological assumptions diverge? 6. How does he use linguistic analysis of Arabic terms (Iman, Islam, kufr, nifaq) to construct theological arguments?



Theological Debates: 7. How does Ibn Taymiyyah present and refute Murji'ite positions on faith? Are his refutations persuasive? 8. What is at stake in the debate over whether faith increases and decreases? How do different positions affect views of salvation and sin? 9. How does he address the status of Muslims who commit major sins, and in what sense is his view a middle path?



Comparative Perspectives and Contemporary Relevance can follow as in the provided list (questions 1017).



Assignment Suggestions (selected):



Short (35 pages): • Comparative Analysis of Ibn Taymiyyah's definition of faith with another school. • Methodological Examination of his interpretive strategy in one chapter.



Medium (812 pages): • Theological Controversy Research Paper on a single debate (e.g., faith and works). • Sectarian Identity and Theology in medieval Islam.



Major (1525 pages): • Ibn Taymiyyah's Influence on Modern Movements (including Salafism). • Comprehensive Theological Analysis of his doctrine of faith.



Creative / Applied and Graduate-level assignments can follow the structure already laid out (debate simulations, annotated translation projects, historiographical essays, etc.).

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Produktdetails

• Verlag: Qadeem Press
• Seitenzahl: 508
• Erscheinungstermin: 1. Dezember 2025
• Englisch
• ISBN-13: 9789366088327
• Artikelnr.: 76016536

Autorenporträt

Taqi al-Din Abu al-ʿAbbas Ahmad Ibn ʿAbd al Halim Ibn Taymiyyah stands among the most consequential and debated scholars in Islamic intellectual history. Born on 10 Rabiʿ I 661 / 22 January 1263 in Harran, he descended from a distinguished family of Hanbali jurists whose scholarly service extended across generations. At the age of six, he was forced to flee with his family when Mongol forces advanced on their city. They undertook a perilous journey to Damascus, traveling largely by night and hiding by day, carrying what was most precious to themtheir books.



In Damascus, Ibn Taymiyyah's father, Shihab al-Din ʿAbd al-?alim, became a respected scholar and ultimately Shaykh of Hadith at the renowned Sukkariyyah Madrasah, where the young Taqi al-Din received his formative training. Possessing extraordinary memory and analytical ability, he memorized the Qur'an early and immersed himself in the major Hadith collections, including the ?a?i?ayn of al-Bukhari and Muslim and the Musnad of A?mad Ibn ?anbal. His studies extended beyond Hanbali law to include the other legal schools, Arabic grammar and rhetoricdrawing on works such as Sibawayh's al-KitabQur'anic exegesis, mathematics, Sufism, and the history of Islamic sects.



Upon his father's death in 682/1283, Ibn Taymiyyah assumed the teaching chair at Sukkariyyah at only twenty-two. His inaugural lesson impressed the chief judge and senior scholars so deeply that they recorded it, signaling the emergence of a major intellectual force. From then on, his scholarly output was prodigious, encompassing theology, law, Quranic exegesis, Hadith, spiritual counsel, and public policy. Many later Hanbali authorities regarded him as second only to Imam A?mad in the school's history.



Ibn Taymiyyah's unwavering insistence on what he saw as authentic scriptural truth and his critiques of entrenched scholarly and political norms led to a series of trials (mihan), including repeated imprisonments in Cairo, Alexandria, and Damascus. Yet even behind bars he continued teaching, writing, and corresponding with students and supporters. His lettersespecially those to his motherreveal a deeply human, affectionate side often overlooked in polemical portrayals.



His most distinguished disciples included Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah (d. 1350), his closest student and collaborator, and the great historian and exegete Ibn Kathir (d. 1373), author of al-Bidayah wa-l-Nihayah and the famous Qur'anic commentary. Through them and many others, Ibn Taymiyyah's intellectual legacycentered on a return to the Qur'an, Sunnah, and the understanding of the Salafcontinued to spread long after his death in Damascus on 20 Dhu al-Qaʿdah 728 / 26 September 1328. The enormous crowds at his funeral testified to his enduring impact on the wider Muslim public as well as the scholarly elite.