Ibn Taymiyya’s Theodicy of Perpetual Optimism by Jon Hoover
Author: Smirna Si
Ibn Taymiyya (+1328) is known for polemic against all manner of rational thought, whether the Neoplatonic philosophy of Ibn Sina (Avicenna), the mysticism of Ibn Arabi, or the Kalam theology of the Asharis and the Mutazilis. Furthermore, Ibn Taymiyya’s resolute adherence to the Quran, the Sunna and the Salaf (i.e. the pious early Muslims) is legendary. Yet, scattered about in specialized studies are hints that there is more to the shaykh than polemics and unyielding literalism. While polemics and literalism are indeed prominent features of Ibn Taymiyya’s writing, it is growing ever more apparent that their import is not fully grasped without reference to a broader method and theological vision at work in his thought. Perhaps even more surprising is that Ibn Taymiyya shares with Ibn Sina and Ibn Arabi, as well as with Ghazali in his Ihya ulum al-din, a similar stance on one of the most fundamental questions of monotheistic theology, that of theodicy." IbnTaymiyya prouded himself of being a Qadiri Sufi in a direct line of succession to shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani whome he called "my shaykh" (shaykhuna) and "my master" (sayyidi). In a manuscript of the Yusuf ibn Abd al Hadi al-Hanbali entitled The beginning of the shield in the wearing of the Sufi cloak, Ibn Taymiyya is listed within a Sufi spiritual genealogy. The links in this genealogy are, in descending order: Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (d. 561) -Abu Umar ibn Qudama (d. 607) -Muwaffaq al Din ibn Qudama (d. 620) Ibn Abi