Ibn al-Jawzi

Abd al-Rahman ibn Ali Al-Jawzi Al-Bakri At-Taymi Al-Qurayshi was born between 507 and 512 AH (1113 and 1119 CE) to a wealthy family Ibn al-Jawzi's lineage back to him is as follows: Abd al-Rahman ibn Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Ubayd Allah ibn Abdullah ibn Hammadi ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ja`far al-Jawzi ibn Abdullah ibn al-Qasim ibn al-Nadr ibn al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abdullah ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Qasim ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr al-Siddiq al-Taymi al-Qurayshi. His ninth-generation forefather, Jafar ibn Abdullah Al-Bakri, was known as al-Jawzi, hence the family name. His family had become wealthy through their involvement in the copper trade, and Al-Jawzi grew up in luxury. in all the principal disciplines of the period, In his early works he criticized speculation in theology, in particular modernizing trends among the Sufis. A year or so prior to this, however, Ibn al-Jawzi had already begun his career as a preacher, as Ibn Hubayra had given him free rein to deliver his passionate sermons every Friday in the vizer's own house. After al-Muqtafi's death, the succeeding caliph, al-Mustanjid (d. 1170), called upon Ibn al-Jawzi to preach his sermons in the Caliph's palace mosque – one of the most prominent houses of worship in the whole of Baghdad – during the three campaigns of Nur al-Din Zengi against the tottering Fatimid Caliphate. After the ascendancy of the new caliph, al-Nasir (d. 1235), to the Abbasid throne, Ibn al-Jawzi initially maintained amicable relations with the state power by way of his friendship with the caliph's Hanbali vizier, Ibn Yūnus (d. 1197). However, after the latter's dismissal and arrest – for unknown reasons – the caliph appointed as his successor the Shia Ibn al-Ḳaṣṣāb (d. ca. 1250). Although the reasons for the matter remain unclear in the historical record, al-Nasir eventually sentenced Ibn al-Jawzi to live under house arrest for five years. One of the possible reasons for this may be that Ibn al-Jawzi's relationship with the caliph had soured after the scholar had written a direct refutation of the ruler's policy in a particular matter. After five years in exile, Ibn al-Jawzi was eventually set free due to the pleading of al-Nasir's mother, whom the various chronicles describe as "a very devout woman" who pleaded with her son to free the famous scholar. Soon after his return to Baghdad, however, Ibn al-Jawzi died, being seventy-four years old. ==Views and thought==

Polemics Ibn al-Jawzi was a noted polemicist, In the same way, Ibn al-Jawzi also commended Ibn Hanbal for having drunk from the Prophet's bowl (technically a "second-class" relic) in order to seek blessings from it. Regarding saints, Ibn al-Jawzi said: The saints and the righteous are the very purpose of all that exists (al-awliya wa-al-salihun hum al-maqsud min al-kawn): they are those who learned and practiced with the reality of knowledge... Those who practice what they know, do with little in the world, seek the next world, remain ready to leave from one to the other with wakeful eyes and good provision, as opposed to those renowned purely for their knowledge." Sufism Ibn al-Jawzi evidently held that Sufism or tasawwuf was an integral aspect of Islamic practice. As has been noted by scholars, his Talbīs Iblīs, which criticizes innovations in all the major Islamic sciences, including tafsir and fiqh, is by no means a rejection of Sufism as a whole. On the contrary, the Hanbali jurist wrote many books on the merits of the early mystics and saints, including Manaqib Rabi`a al-`Adawiyya, Manaqib Ma`ruf al-Karkhi, Manaqib Ibrahim ibn Adham, Manaqib Bishr al-Hafi, and others. Ibn al-Jawzi was also a staunch supporter of the teachings of Ghazali, and many of the former's works dealing with Sufism are influenced by Ghazali's most famous work, the Iḥyāʾ ʿulūm al-dīn. As a matter of fact, Ibn al-Jawzi frequently adopted the actual "methodology and language of" Ghazali in his works, in addition to writing about the same subject matter. Among the topics Ibn al-Jawzi covered in his mystical works were: the meaning of passionate longing for God; the taking of one's nafs to account for its deeds; the berating of the nafs for its shortcomings; and the castigating of the nafs. == Creed ==

(d. 855/1451) in his ''Kashf al-Ghata' 'an Haqa'iq al-Tawhid'' () considered him one of the Ash'ari scholars along with Abdul Qadir Gilani. However, unlike other Hanbalis, he did not totally reject the mutakalimun and accepted Kalam and Ta'wil when needed depending on the person. == Theology ==

Ibn al-Jawzi is famous for the theological stance that he took against other Hanbalites of the time, in particular Ibn al-Zaghuni and al-Qadi Abu Ya'la. He believed that these and other Hanbalites had gone to extremes in affirming God's Attributes, so much so that he accused them of tarnishing the reputation of Hanbalites and making it synonymous with extreme anthropomorphism (likening God to his creation). Ibn al-Jawzi stated that, "They believed that He has a form and a face in addition to His Self. They believed that He has two eyes, a mouth, a uvula and molars, a face which is light and splendor, two hands, including the palms of hands, fingers including the little fingers and the thumbs, a back, and two legs divided into thighs and shanks." And he continued his attack on Abu Ya'la by stating that, "Whoever confirms that God has molars as a divine attribute, has absolutely no knowledge of Islam." Ibn al-Jawzi's most famous work in this regard is his ''Bāz al‐ašhab al‐munqadd 'alà muhālifī al‐madhab'' (The Gray Falcon Which Attacks the Offenders of the [Hanbalī] School). To him, "being inside or outside are concomitant of things located in space" i.e. what is outside or inside must be in a place, and, according to him, this is not applicable to God. He writes: Both [being in a place and outside a place] along with movement, rest, and other accidents are constitutive of bodies ... The divine essence does not admit of any created entity [e.g. place] within it or inhering in it. == Works ==

Ibn al-Jawzi is perhaps the most prolific author in Islamic history. Al-Dhahabi states: "I have not known anyone amongst the 'ulama to have written as much as he (Ibn al-Jawzi) did. Recently, Professor Abdul Hameed al-Aloojee, an Iraqi scholar conducted research on the extent of ibn al Jawzi's works and wrote a reference work in which he listed Ibn al Jawzees's works alphabetically, identifying the publishers and libraries where his unpublished manuscripts could be found. Some have suggested that he is the author of more than 700 works. In addition to the topic of religion, Ibn al-Jawzi wrote about medicine as well. Like the medicinal works of Al-Suyuti, Ibn al-Jawzi's book was almost exclusively based on Prophetic medicine rather than a synthesis of both Islamic and Greek medicine like the works of Al-Dhahabi. Ibn al-Jawzi's work focused primarily on diet and natural remedies for both serious ailments such as rabies and smallpox and simple conditions such as headaches and nosebleeds. • A Great Collection of Fabricated Traditions • ''Daf' Shubah al-Tashbih'' • Sifatu al-Safwah, five parts, reworking of Hilyat al-Awliya by the 11th century scholar Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani • Ādāb al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī wa-Zuhduh wa-Mawaʿiẓuh (The Manners of Hasan al-Basri, his Asceticism, and his Exhortations) • Zad al-Masir fi Ilm al-Tafsir • Talbīs Iblīs • ''Tadhkirah Uli Al-Basāir fī Ma'rifah Al-Kabāir'' • Gharīb Al-Ḥadīth • Ahkam Al-Nisa • Molid Al-Urus • ''Hifdh Al-'Umr'' • Bayan-ul-Miladun-Nabavi' • Bahr Al-Damou' == Tomb ==

The tomb of Ibn Al-Jawzi is located at Baghdad, Iraq. The tomb is a simple green cement slab surrounded by rocks, and a paper sign on it indicating it is the tomb. In 2019 rumors spread about the tomb being removed after a photo was released showing the removal of the tomb. However, the Iraqi officials denied it. == See also ==