A Study and Critique of Ibn Taymiyyah Theological Principles on the Question of the Visibility of God

• Main Authors: keyvan Ehsani, Fereydun Mohammadi-Fam, Seyyedmajid Nabavi
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: International journal of multicultural and multireligious understanding 2020-01-01
• Series: International Journal of Multicultural and Multireligious Understanding
• Subjects: ibn taymiyyah; salafiyya; visiting god; permissible denial; appearance; inefficiency of reason
• Online Access: https://ijmmu.com/index.php/ijmmu/article/view/1301

Ibn Taymiyyah is a renowned Sunni scientist in the seventh and eighth centuries AH. He can be described as the greatest Salafist and intellectual father of Wahhabism who has controversial ideas and opinions on theological issues. One of these views is his belief in the visible appearance of God at the resurrection. In his belief, God is seen by the resurrection eye and has given reasons for his claim. This belief is based on theological principles, the most important of which are: appearance In the Qur'an, the opposition to the rational interpretation of verses, the acceptance of traditions with apparent vision, the overwhelming adherence to self-understanding, and the inefficiency of rational knowledge in theology. Many of these principles are inconsistent with Ibn Taymiyyah's definite intellectual, Qur'anic verses, and even with his other views. In this article, while examining and criticizing his theological foundations, Ibn Taymiyyah's belief in the vision of God at the resurrection is undermined.