A relatively unknown side of Ibn Taymiyyah
In this article I want to draw some attention to a relatively unknown side of Ibn
Taymiyyah, namely his economical thought(s). His economical thought(s) can be
read in a book published by The Islamic Foundation (1996) called “Economic
concepts of Ibn Taimiyah” by Abdul Azim Islahi (who also wrote a book on the
economic thoughts of imam al-Ghazali together with S. Mohammad Ghazanfar)
which I can really recommend any one interested in his thoughts in general and this
subject in particular. I first read this book 2 years ago and was amazed because back
then I only knew some rather negative stereotypes on Ibn Taymiyyah (which very
much depended on what I read and from which sources I took my information) while
this book is indeed very positive because it is basically about (social) justice, a just
society based on God given, fair economic principles. In time I have come to
appreciate this great scholar and some of his works I partially read.
His economical thought(s) can mainly be found in two of his books:
- “al-Hisbah fi’l-Islam” (The Institution of Hisbah in Islam) {al-Hisbah was the market
authority}
- “as-Siyasah ash-Shar’iyah fi Islah ar-Ra’i wa’r-Ra’iyah” (Public and Private Laws in
Islam) – both book are available in English – and in his Fatawa (a review of these
Fatawa is done by Anwar al-Awlaki and can be read on this log).
I think or assume we all know or have heard of Ibn Taymiyyah. He was or is probably
one of the most well known islamic scholars in islamic history, if not most probably
also one of the most controversial islamic scholars (just like the ones before him, for
example imam Shafi‟i, Ahmad bin Hanbal and al-Bukhari).
Some call him Shaykh al-Islam (a title of honour originally given to the chief
judge – in some places “qadhi al-qudhat” – in islamic cities; later this became a title
given to a scholar who was a real expert / master in almost all branches of the islamic
sciences) some deny him this title (and even accuse the ones who give him this title
of kufr or call him – Ibn Taymiyyah – a kafir, subhanallah), what can‟t be denied
though was his excellence in fiqh being a mujtahid in his own right coming from a
Hanbali background. Some call him an anthropomorphist, some say his „aqida wasn‟t
anthropomorphistic at all (and like the „aqida of the Salaf us-Salih) and yet others say
he renounced his anthropomorphistic beliefs later on. Some call him the ideological
father of modern day terrorist groups like al-Qa‟ida because he fought in jihad against
the Mongols and devoted some of his writings to this subject, some call him the
ideological father of the Wahhabi and or Salafi movement(s) and yet others say he
was a Sufi belonging to the Qadiri tariqah which can be traced back to the great
Hanbali scholar „Abd ul-Qadir al-Jilani from Baghdad. And at last it is said by some
that one can‟t rely upon his opinions, while others praise his opinions. For more
information on Ibn Taymiyyah a wonderful biography on Ibn Taymiyyah has been
written by al-Bazzar, one of his students, called: “The Lofty Virtues of Ibn Taymiyyah”
and available in English.
A question is how influential he really was, did his writings have a big impact
on islam and the muslims throughout history (this can be judged from for example:
1.] the number books and other writings he produced, 2.] the amount of handmade
copies of his writings, 3.] the geographical spread of his writings, 4.] the scholarly
appreciation of his writings and 5.] his students)? This article is not the place to
answer this question but the fact that his economical thought(s) are not well known to
the greater public may shed some light on the answer of this question. While the
interest in his writings seems to have increased since the last century, encouraged by
people from the Arabian Peninsula especially and the Wahhabi and Salafi
movements, to my knowledge so far no single other book has been published on his
economical thought(s), which is a neglected subject in fiqh by people anyways, and I
have never heard any speak or lecture about it.
I will not do a book review on this work but I will provide you with the contents of
the book in case you want to know what‟s inside to see if it is something of your
interest. The book has the following chapters:
1. The Age of Ibn Taimiyah
2. Ibn Taimiyah – A Brief Biography
3. Just Price, Market Mechanism and Price Regulation
4. Ibn Taimiyah on Property Right
5. Ibn Taimiyah‟s Conception of Interest and Money
6. Ibn Taimiyah‟s Views on Partnership and Other Forms of Economic
Organization
7. Role of the State in Economic Life
8. Ibn Taimiyah on Public Finance
9. (Conclusion) An Evaluation of Ibn Taimiyah‟s Economic Concepts and
Theories
All reported economic issues are analyzed in their historical context. A comparison of
his economical thoughts with those of some medieval scholars in Europe (for
example St. Thomas Aquinas) is another distinctive feature of this work.
Contemporary relevance of this book is apparent where many muslim countries seek
to islamize their economies and where muslims all over the world seek to islamize
their personal economic affairs. The book is also useful to economists in general.
For those who are further interested in Ibn Taymiyyah: in Oxford (UK) two scholars
are the specialists on Ibn Taymiyyah in Europe, namely Yahya Michot and
Muhammad Akram Nadwi. Yahya Michot has written (at least) two books I know of in
English on Ibn Taymiyyah which are available on the market. In Syria the specialist
on Ibn Taymiyyah is Sa‟id Foudah.