Understanding Ibn Taymiyyah as a Man of His Time

Exposure to Ibn Taymiyyah’s work does not make a peaceful person turn violent. Developing a more nuanced understanding of Ibn Taymiyyah requires an understanding of his historical context.

The Citadel of Damascus, where Ibn Taymiyyah was imprisoned.

by Mohamed Ghilan

Though he lived seven centuries ago, medieval Syrian scholar, Ibn Taymiyyah, has had an enduring legacy. Indeed, Ibn Taymiyyah’s work is consistently invoked in modern academic and non-academic literature, as an explanation for the rise of Wahhabism, militant Islam, and “religi…