Ibn Taymiyyah and the Ibn Abdul Wahhab Brothers

Wahhabism has become a byword for an excessively strict, intolerant, and even violent form of Islam. Ibn Taymiyyah’s legacy is often reduced to his supposed influence on the movement.

by Josef Linnhoff

Few classical thinkers are as important to modern Islam as the 13th century theologian, Ibn Taymiyyah. Widely considered a controversial figure during his lifetime, Ibn Taymiyyah remains amongst the most discussed and debated thinkers in Islamic history.

For many non-Muslims in the West, however, Ibn Taymiyyah’s legacy has been reduced t…