Question Summary:
What do you say about Imam ibn Taymiyah?

Question Detail:

What do you say about Imam ibn Taymiyah?
Was he part of Ahl Sunnah?
Did he reject taqleed?
Did he believe Allah had a hand etc?
What did the scholars of past say about him (His contemporaries and after him)?

Answer :

In the name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful
Assalaamu `alaykum waRahmatullahi Wabarakatoh
Imam Ibnu Taymiyyah رحمه الله تعالى was a great Alim of the 8^th century. However, he had many independent views that are contrary to the views of Ahlu as-sunnah wal-jama’ah. It is for this reason that many of his contemporaries and those who followed objected to his views in defense of the pure beliefs of Ahlu as-sunnah wal-jama’ah. Among them were Allamah Subki, Ibn Rajab al-Hambali, Allamah al-Alaaie, Ad-Dhahabi and Allamah Ibnu Hajar al-haythami al-makki etc. رحمهم الله تعالى   (Tabaqat as-Subki, Al-Risalah Ad-Dhahabiyyah & Fatawah Hadihtiyyah)
Shaykh Al-Hadith Moulana Muhammad Zakariyyah رحمه الله تعالى has stated that our Akabir and Mashaikh رحمهم الله تعالى comprehends Imam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله تعالى to be a Muhaqqiq. However, only those of his beliefs that confirms to the beliefs of Ahlu as-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah will be accepted and whichever are contrary to it, would be discarded
Shaykh Moulana Sayyid Ahmad Rada’ Bijnori (the complier of Anwar al-bari and student of Moulana Anwar Shah Khashmiri) further states that: Imam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله تعالى holds more than one hundred views contrary to that of Jamhoor (Majority of scholars) of which approximately thirty-nine are contrary to Ijma al-Ummah (consensus of the Ummah).
(Anwar Al-bari vol.19.pg.573. Idarat Talifat Ashrafiyyah)
(Malfuzat faqih al-Ummah. Vol.3.pg.36 Maktabah Mahmood publishers)
In the light of the above, one should be cautious when Imam Ibn Taymiyyah رحمه الله تعالى views are cited.
And Allah knows best
Wassalam
Ml. Safraz Mohammed,
Student Darul Iftaa
Checked and Approved by:
Mufti Ebrahim Desai
Darul Iftaa, Madrassah In'aamiyyah