On the Works of Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah

Answered by Sayyidi Habib Umar bin Hafiz (may Allah protect him and benefit us by him)

What is our position on the works of Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah?

The way of our predecessors was not to hold a bad opinion of anyone and not to speak badly about anyone in the knowledge that Allah will take everyone to account for their words or actions. At times they would warn people of certain books which contained errors or incorrect positions. They would accept the truth and reject falsehood whoever it came from. We never heard our great teachers in Hadramawt attacking Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah. They would sometimes mention his positions, especially when speaking to those who venerate him. They would use his teachings to heal them and bring them back to the way of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama`ah. When we went outside Hadramawt, we heard people condemning him and calling him an innovator or disbeliever for the first time. We had never heard this from our teachers in Hadramawt.