شیخ الاسلام ابن تیمیہؒ اور تجدید فکر اسلامی

Abstract

The Prophet (peace be on him) said, "At the beginning of each century Allah will raise for this ummah who will renew for the ummah its din (way of life)." This article examines
the Islamic scholarship in explanation of this tradition to determine the right position of a mujaddid, the scope and nature of his work outlining the nature of facing challenges. The article further navigates into the classical Islamic literature analysing the positions taken by the Muslim philosophers, mutakallimun and sufiya' in the matters related to Islamic thought and 'aqidah till the age of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah. Leaving aside Ibn Taymiyyah's contributions in the field of Fiqh, this article attempts to present a concise but thorough and comprehensive analytical account of his renewal work and reforming contributions in the fields of philosophy, kalam, tasawwuf, 'aqidah, the conception of 'Ibadah, human nature (fitrah), and the nature of Islamic society and its governance. The author as conclusion of his analysis of the nature and magnitude of Ibn Taymiyyah's contributions in various fields of Islamic thought and practice contends that he stands out in the history as a mujadid of Islam, a status which is much beyond being an outstanding Hanbli faqih.