Part 4

On his day of departure, says his student Ibn 'Abdul-Haadi, "People gathered to bid their farewells, overwhelmed by grief and surprise. . . many weeping." 11 When Shaykh ul-Islaam arrived in Egypt, a tribunal chaired by the judge Ibn Makhloof alMaaliki was arranged. However, the Shaykh felt that his arbiter was also his opponent, and thus refused to answer questions. As a result, he was imprisoned in the Mount's Castle in Cairo with his brothers 'Adullaah and 'Abdur-Rahman. In the meantime, he sent a letter to one of his relatives wherein he mentions that he refused the gift of the Sultanate, not wanting to be defiled in anyway. Eighteen months passed before Ibn Taymeeyah was released unconditionally after the intervention of an Arab Prince named Husamudeen bin 'Eesaa in 707 AH. There were earlier initiatives that failed, due to Ibn Taymeeyah's captors attempting to attach conditions that were unacceptable to him. After his release, Ibn Taymeeyah stayed in Cairo where he established classes and circles of knowledge in masjids, to benefit the people thereby. Yet those who harboured rotten ideas, feared the light of guidance emanating from the presence of the Shaykh amongst them. After the Sultan received their complaints, he decided to expel Shaykh ul-Islaam back to Syria, but with conditions, which he later accepted at the insistence of his followers. As he was embarking upon his trip, an order was issued to re-imprison him. One must relay the magnificent scene witnessed when Shaykh ul-Islaam was re-jailed, "When he entered prison, he saw the prisoners busy with all kinds of time-wasting games for entertainment, such as chess and dice games, leading to loss of prayer. The Shaykh rebuked them strongly, and commanded them to keep the prayers, and turn towards Allaah in worship, repentance and good deeds. He taught them from the Sunnah what they needed to know, encouraging them to do good, and bolstering their faith, and thereby rendered the prison a haven for seekers of the knowledge of religion. Such a place became better than schools and circles. Some of the released prisoners preferred staying with him rather than being free; and those frequenting his company increased to a point where the prison became full of them!" This state of affairs did not please the envious, and so he was sent to a prison in Alexandria. Soon afterwards, the self-exiled Sultan Muhammad bin Qalawoon, who had a great deal of respect for the Shaykh returned in triumph. The Sultan asked for Ibn Taymeeyah to be returned to Cairo. When he came to the Sultanate court, it was full of princes and scholars. The Sultan stood up for the Shaykh greeting him warmly, and then took him to a distant corner and asked, "There are amongst those scholars present here, those whose oath was given to the Jashangir (Qalawoon's former rival), and had slandered you.'' He then asked for his opinion (fatwa) to exterminate them. The Shaykh strongly objected and replied, "If they were to go, none of the same calibre could then be found in your country. As for what they have done to me, and my right to extract a punishment, I forgive them, and they are free." And thus the coming of Shaykh ul-Islaam to Cairo was sealed, where he resided near al-Hussayn Masjid, with his everpresent commitment to the spreading of knowledge, and courageous enjoining the good and forbidding the evil. In 712 AH, Ibn Taymeeyah returned to Damascus after an absence of seven years and few days. The Egyptian Army that had been dispatched to block the attack of the Tatars accompanied him. He later resettled in Damascus returning to publicise the knowledge of the religion. Yet again, his opponents would not leave him as he gave a fatwa that contradicted their opinions. This was coupled with what they had found in his book Iqtida 'as-Siraat ul-Mustaqim in the form of a chapter on 'Travelling in order to visit graves' and its unlawfulness according to the texts. By this time, the envious scholars had managed to change the mind of the hitherto sympathetic Sultan, who in turn ordered Ibn Taymeeyah's arrest to the Castle in Damascus. Shaykh ul-lslaam was uttering the verse whilst entering his cell: "And thereupon a wall will be raised between them, with a gate in it. Within it will be grace and mercy, and the outside thereof suffering." Al-Qur'aan 57:13. In prison he continued to write, working on tafseer, reciting the Qur'aan, and worshipping his Lord.