Praise be to Allah.
Abu Muhammad ‘Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Sa‘eed ibn
Hazm was of Persian origin; he came from Qurtubah (Cordoba) in Andalusia.
He was the author of numerous books.
No one who has the least amount of knowledge
and of scholars will have any doubt that Ibn Hazm was very smart and was very
quick-witted, and he had a great deal of respect for the Sunnah and hadith. But
perfection in all aspects is something extremely rare, and there is no one
(among the scholars) but his opinion is subject to acceptance or
rejection.
Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him) said
that he was a follower of the salaf (early generations) in general, and that he
was opposed to the people of innovation (bid‘ah):
“When we mention the scholars, we mean those
who are known to be qualified to issue fatwas among the Sahaabah, Taabi‘een and
their followers, the scholars of the regions, the leading scholars of hadith
and those who followed them – may Allah be pleased with all of them. We do not
mean Abu’l-Hudhayl, Ibn al-Asamm, Bishr ibn al-Mu‘tamir, Ibraaheem ibn Sayyaar,
Ja‘far ibn Harb, Ja‘far ibn Mubashshir, Thumaamah, Abu Ghaffaar, ar-Raqqaashi,
the Azaariqah, the Safariyyah, the ignorant Abaadiyyah or the Raafidis. These
people did not put any effort into examining the reports so that they might
know the sound reports from the weak ones, nor did they examine and study the
rulings mentioned in the Qur’an so that they might know correct fatwas from
incorrect ones on a sound basis. Rather they were preoccupied with arguing
about fundamental beliefs, and each group has its own focus.” End quote.
Maraatib al-Ijmaa‘ (p. 12-15)
Despite the fact that Ibn Hazm respected the Sunnah
and its scholars, and despite his great knowledge of hadith and its sciences,
and his vast memory and immense knowledge, he had views in which he differed
from the Sunnah and its scholars concerning some well-known issues of both
fundamental and minor matters.
Adh-Dhahabi (may Allah have mercy on him) said
in his biography of him in as-Siyar (18/186-187):
He grew up in luxury and ease, and was blessed
with extreme intelligence and quick-wittedness, and he owned many precious
books. His father was one of the prominent figures of Qurtubah, who served as a
vizier in the ‘Aamiri state, and Abu Muhammad was also a vizier of that state
when he was young. He initially became prominent in the fields of literature,
history and poetry, as well as mantiq (dialectics) and other branches of
philosophy, which left its mark on him and we wish that it had never had an
impact on him. I came across a book of his in which he encouraged study of
mantiq (dialectics) and give it precedence over other branches of knowledge,
and I felt sad for him, because he is prominent in the Islamic sciences, with a
great knowledge of hadith reports, and he has no equal, even though he is rigid
in his thinking and extremely literalist in minor issues, although not in the
fundamentals.
It was said that he studied the Shaafa‘i
madhhab first, then his research led him to adopt the view that using analogy
(qiyaas) is invalid in all cases, whether it is clear or implied, and that the
apparent meaning of the text and the general meaning of the Qur’an and hadith
should be followed. He wrote many books on that, and he debated with others to
prove his point, and he argued his point at length, both verbally and in
writing. He did not show respect to the imams (leading scholars) when debating;
rather he used rough words, impugning and slandering, and his recompense suited
his action to the extent that many leading scholars shunned his books and
ignored them, and warned others against them, and on one occasion they were
burned. But other scholars took an interest in his books, and they examined
them, critiqued them and benefited from them; they learned from them and
criticised them, and they saw in them precious pearls mixed with cheap beads.
Sometimes they would be excited and amazed, then they would mock some of his
idiosyncratic ideas. In general, perfection is something extremely rare and the
view of any individual is subject to acceptance or rejection, except the
Messenger of Allah (blessings and peace of Allah be upon him).
Ibn Hazm was well versed in many branches of
knowledge, including hadith, and he excelled in writing both poetry and
prose.
He was
sincerely devoted and there was much goodness in him; his aims were good and
his books are useful. He showed no interest in positions of leadership; he
stayed in his house, focusing on knowledge. Therefore we should not exaggerate
about him or undermine him or his status. Rather he was praised by senior
scholars before us. End quote.
Adh-Dhahabi
also wrote a comprehensive biography of him in as-Siyar (18/184-212):
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allah have
mercy on him) said:
Even though with regard to issues of faith and
the divine decree Abu Muhammad Ibn Hazm was more sincere and had more knowledge
of hadith and more respect for hadith and the scholars of hadith than others,
his views on these issues were nevertheless influenced by the ideas of the
philosophers and Mu‘tazilah with regard to issues of the divine attributes,
which led to his view not being in harmony with the people of hadith with
regard to these issues. His wording was in agreement with Ahl al-hadith but the
meanings were in harmony with the other group. Similar criticisms were made by
those among the fuqaha’, ahl al-kalaam and scholars of hadith who criticised
him for being a literalist with no depth to what he said. He also denied the
wisdom behind what is enjoined and prohibited, and he denied the extraordinary
events and similar things which may be classified as acts of the hearts.
Moreover, he also criticised some prominent figures and went to extremes in
denying the wisdom behind rulings, and he claimed to follow the apparent
meanings. However he had faith, religious commitment and a great deal of
knowledge, that no one can deny except one who is stubborn, and the content of
his books highlights his deep knowledge of various views and different
circumstances, as well as his respect for the fundamentals of Islam and for the
Messenger, which is a combination that cannot be found with anyone else.
So for example, if there is a discussion about
a hadith, his view will clearly be the more correct view, and his ability to
distinguish between sound and weak reports, and his knowledge of the views of
the early generations, can hardly be found with anyone else among the fuqaha’.
End quote.
Majmoo‘ al-Fataawa (4/19-20).
Shaykh al-Islam (may Allah have mercy on him)
also said:
Abu Muhammad Ibn Hazm was knowledgeable about
hadith and he supported the way of Dawood and others among the literalists who
do not accept the validity of analogy (qiyaas). However, he went to extremes in
denying the divine attributes and referred their meanings to the knowledge of
Allah. He also claimed that the names of Allah, such as al-‘Aleem (the
All-Knowing) and al-Qadeer (the All-Powerful) do not refer to knowledge and
power; and he attributed himself to Imam Ahmad and other similar leading
scholars of the Sunnah, and claimed that his view was the view of Ahl as-Sunnah
wa’l-Hadith, and he criticised al-Ash‘ari and his companions a great deal, and
claimed that they drifted away from the view of Ahl as-Sunnah wa’l-Hadith with
regard to the divine attributes.
What is
well established, and no one can deny, is that the view of al-Ash‘ari and his
companions concerning the divine attributes is closer to the view of Ahl
as-Sunnah wa’l-Hadith than the view of Ibn Hazm and his peers concerning that
issue. End quote. Dar’ Ta‘aarud al-‘Aql wa’n-Naql (3/24)
Shaykh al-Islam also said:
Ibn Hazm claims that the beautiful names of
Allah, may He be exalted, do not refer to their meanings… And the reason for
this mistaken notion is their denial of the divine attributes and going to
extremes in denying any likening thereof (to human attributes), which is the
view of the Jahamis and those who agreed with them in denying the divine
attributes. They said: if we say that ‘Aleem (All-Knowing) refers to knowledge
and Qadeer (All-Powerful) refers to power, in that case affirming the names
will lead to affirming the attributes.
This is the criticism against Ibn Hazm, because
he is one of those who denied the divine attributes even though he showed a
great deal of respect towards the hadith, the Sunnah and Imam Ahmad. He
persisted in his claim that what he said was the view of Ahmad and others, and
his mistake is the result of his having learned the views of the philosophers
and Mu‘tazilah from some of his shaykhs, and he did not come across anyone who
could explain to him where they had gone wrong. He also transmitted mantiq
(dialectics) through an isnaad from Matta at-Tarjumaan. End quote. Minhaaj
as-Sunnah an-Nabawiyyah (2/353)
Ibn Katheer (may Allah have mercy on him)
said:
He used to criticise the scholars a great deal,
verbally and in writing, which led to the generation of resentment in the
hearts of his contemporaries; they kept trying until they made the people in
authority hate him, and they expelled him from his city, until he died in a
village in Sha‘baan of that year, when he had passed the age of ninety.
What is amazing is that he was a confused
literalist with regard to minor issues, and he did not believe in analogy
(qiyaas), whether it was clear or otherwise. This caused the scholars to lose
respect for him, and it caused him to make serious mistakes in his views and
conduct. Yet despite that he was the one who tried to find interpretations
other than the apparent meaning when dealing with basic issues and the verses
and hadiths that speak of the divine attributes, because he first of all
acquired deep knowledge of dialectics (mantiq), which he learned from Muhammad
ibn al-Hasan al-Madhhaji al-Kinaani al-Qurtubi, as was mentioned by Ibn
Maakoolaa and Ibn Khallikaan. That led to him in developing a wrong
understanding of the divine attributes. End quote. Al-Bidaayah wa’n-Nihaayah (12/113). See also: Tabaqaat ‘Ulama’ al-Hadeeth by Ibn ‘Abd al-Haadi (3/349)
The scholars of the Standing Committee said: he
was one of the prominent scholars of both fundamentals and minor issues, and in
knowledge of the Qur’an and Sunnah, but he disagreed with the majority of
scholars in many issues, in which he was mistaken, because of his rigid
adherence to the apparent meaning and his refusal to accept clear analogy that
fulfilled the conditions. His mistakes with regard to beliefs, because of his
interpretation of the verses that speak of the divine names and attributes in a
manner other than the apparent meaning, were even more serious. End
quote. Fataawa al-Lajnah ad-Daa’imah (12/223)
To sum up: he (may Allah have mercy on him)
differed from Ahl as-Sunnah with regard to many important issues having to do
with both fundamental and minor matters, which made many of the scholars
criticise him and highlight his mistakes in beliefs, as explained above.
Conclusion:
Imam Abu Muhammad Ibn Hazm (may Allah have
mercy on him) is one of the senior scholars and one of those who respected the
Sunnah and its people, and were keen to learn it and follow it. But some of the
principles of the philosophers and people of innovation were entrenched in his
heart, which led to him forming opinions in which he differed from Ahl
as-Sunnah wa’l-Hadith with regard to the divine names and attributes in
particular, as well as other fundamental and minor issues. Hence we cannot say
of him that he is one of Ahl as-Sunnah in an absolute sense, or with regard to
issues of the divine attributes in particular, although he did not step beyond
the bounds of the Sunnah and its people altogether, to such an extent that he
could be regarded as an innovator, because of his veneration for the Sunnah and
his encouragement to people to follow it and shun that which went against it.
However he was mistaken in some details.
Al-Dhahabi lists the following catalogue of Ibn
Hazm's works:
1. Al-Isal ila Fahm Kitab al-Khisal in
15,000 folios.
2. Al-Khisal al-Hafiz li Jumal Shara'i`
al-Islam in two volumes.
3. Al-Mujalla in two volumes.
4. Al-Muhalla in eight
volumes.
5. Hujja al-Wada` in one
volume.
6. Qisma al-Khumus fi al-Radd `ala
Isma`il al-Qadi in one volume.
7. Al-Athar al-Lati Zahiruha al-Ta`arud
wa Nafyi al-Tanaqud `Anha in 10,000 folios, unfinished.
8. Al-Jami` Fi Sahih al-Hadith,
without chains of transmission.
9. Al-Talkhis wa al-Takhlis fi
al-Masa'il al-Nazariyya
10. Ma Infarada Bihi Malik aw Abu Hanifa
aw al-Shafi`I
11. Ikhtilaf al-Fuqaha' al-Khamsa Malik
wa Abi Hanifa wa al-Shafi`i wa Ahmad wa Dawud [al-Zahiri]
12. Al-Tasaffuh fi al-Fiqh in
one volume.
13. Al-Tabyin fi Hal `Alima al-Mustafa
A`yan al-Munafiqin in 3 tomes.
14. Al-Imla' fi Sharh al-Muwatta' in
1,000 folios.
15. Al-Imla' fi Qawa`id al-Fiqh in
1,000 folios.
16. Durr al-Qawa`id fi Fiqh
al-Zahiriyya in 1,000 folios.
17. Al-Ijma` in one small
volume.
18. Al-Fara'id in one volume.
19. Al-Risala al-Balqa' fi al-Radd `ala
`Abd al-Haqq ibn Muhammad al-Saqali in one small volume.
20. Al-Ihkam li Usul al-Ahkam in
two volumes.
21. Al-Fisal fi al-Milal wa
al-Nihal in two large volumes.
22. Al-Radd `Ala man I`tarada `ala
al-Fisal in one volume.
23. Al-Yaqin fi Naqd al-Mu`tadhirin
`an Iblis wa Sa'ir al-Mushrikin in one large volume.
24. Al-Radd `ala Ibn Zakariyya al-Razi in
100 folios.
25. Al-Tarshid fi al-Radd `Ala Kitab
al-Farid li Ibn al-Rawandi fi I`tiradihi `ala al-Nubuwwat in one
volume.
26. Al-Radd `ala Man Kaffara
al-Muta'awwilin min al-Muslimin in one volume.
27. Mukhtasar fi `Ilal al-Hadith in
one volume.
28. Al-Taqrib li Hadd al-Mantiq bi
al-Alfaz al-`Ammiyya in one volume.
29. Al-Istijlab in one volume.
30. Nasab al-Barbar in one
volume.
31. Naqt al-`Arus in one
small volume.
Ibn Hazm also wrote more than ten books on
medicine. Among his translated works:
al-Akhlaq wa al-Siyar fi Mudawat al-Nufus (Morals
and Right Conduct in the Healing of Souls"), 6 Tawq al-Hamama fi
al-Ulfa wa al-Ullaf ("The Ring of the Dove: Love and
Lovers"), 7 Maratib al-`Ulum("The Categories of the
Sciences"), 8 al-Mujalla, 9 and - partially - partial
translations of his al-Fisal fi al-Milal wa al-Ahwa' wa al-Nihal ("The
Separators Concerning Religions, Heresies, and Sects").
Al-Dhahabi said:
I have affection for Abu Muhammad [Ibn Hazm]
because of his love for sound hadiths and his knowledge of them, even if I
disagree with him in many things which he says concerning the scholars and the
defects of hadith and hadith narrators. Nor do I agree with him on [his] disgraceful
questions in the principles and branches of the Religion. I am absolutely
certain that he was wrong on several matters, but I do not declare him a
disbeliever, nor do I declare him misguided. I hope that he and all Muslims
will be forgiven. I also defer to his great intelligence and vast knowledge....
[But] if I were to cite every matter in which he erred, it would take too long.
End of al-Dhahabi's words.
It has been observed that Ibn Hazm's
acrimonious way of making a case against opponents had endeared him to some
contemporary Muslim students.11 In contrast, the scholars of the past used to
forbid the reading of al-Fisal which they considered among the most evil of
books because of its attacks on the Imams of Islam.12 Another reason for this
affinity of some contemporary readers is the misperception of Ibn Hazm as the
champion of the Qur'an and Sunna "as opposed to man-made schools of
Law." This misperception leads to taunts such as "Are you following
the Prophet -- Allah bless and greet him -- or your Imam?" which, as
Shaykh Nur al-Din `Itr pointed out, constitutes disbelief (kufr) and
shows that the difference between Dawud al-Zahiri's school and what he calls
the "Neo-Literalists" (al-zahiriyya al-jadida) of today is
that the excesses of the former were at least mitigated by true asceticism and
fear of Allah.
Main source: al-Dhahabi, Siyar A`lam
al-Nubala' 13:540-554 #4172.
The mufti of his era Abdul-azeez ibn baaz
rahimahullaah was asked;
We hear of the Dhaahiree path. What do they
call to? And is this path synonymous with the Sunnah?
"The Dhaahiree way is well known. It was
the way that Abu-daawood Al-isfahaanee and Ibn Hazm and whoever took their
opinion traversed upon. And the meaning of it is to take the apparent (dhaahir)
meaning of the texts without taking into consideration the wisdoms (behind
those texts or) analogies (that can be based upon them)rather they even take
the orders and prohibitions at their apparent wordings and they don't look into
the wisdoms or meanings. Due to this they are referred to as Dhaahiriyyah
because they took the texts at their apparent wording and didn't delve into the
reasonings, wisdoms, and legislative analogies that have been indicated by the
Book and Sunnah. Yet in general they are closer to the truth in their opinions
than the people of ra'y (opinion) those who judge by pure opinion and analogy,
and turn away from being diligent to learn the proofs in the book and sunnah,
yet their are points that are held against the Dhaahirees and difciencies
apparent in their methodology in that they focus only on the surface meanings
of the texts of the Book and Sunnah without taking into consideration the
'illahs (shar'ee reasons) wisdoms and secrets indicated by the Legislator and
implied in the sharee'ah and due to this they have made many mistakes in
dealing with the Book and sunnah. And Allaah is waliyyul-tawfeeq
Muslim scholars, especially those subscribing
to Zahirism, have often praised Ibn Hazm for what they perceive as his
knowledge and perseverance. Yemeni preacher Muqbil bin Hadi al-Wadi'i was one
of Ibn Hazm's admirers in recent times, holding the view that no other Muslim
scholar had embodied the prophetic tradition of the Muhammad and the
Sahaba.[32] Similarly, Pakistani cleric Badi' ud-Din Shah al-Rashidi taught Ibn
Hazm's book Al-Muhalla to students in Masjid al-Haram, while living in
Mecca.[33] al-Wadi'i himself taught Al-Muhalla in Al-Masjid an-Nabawi, while in
Medina. Abu Abd al-Rahman Ibn Aqil al-Zahiri, the primary biographer of Ibn
Hazm in the modern era, has authored a number of works on Ibn Hazm's life and
career, many published through Ibn Aqil's printing press which is named after
Ibn Hazm.
Modernist revival of Ibn Hazm's general
critique of Islamic legal theory has seen several key moments in Arab
intellectual history, including Ahmad Shakir's republishing of Al-Muhalla,
Muhammad Abu Zahra's biography of Ibn Hazm, and the republishing of archived
epistles on legal theory by Sa'id al-Afghani in 1960 and Ihsan Abbas between
1980 and 1983.
And
Allah knows best
please read :
1. At tarikh al
andalus al mafqud
2. Shakshitu
aldalusiah
3. Siyar a’lam an
nubala
4. Tarikh az
zhahirayah wa rijaluha
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