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Ibn Taymiyya

Type Figure Region Syria Time 1263–1328 Also known as Ibn Taymiyya、Taqi al-Din Ahmad ibn Taymiyya、ابن تيمية、Ibn Taymiyyah

Full name Taqi al-Din Ahmad ibn Taymiyya, born 1263 in Harran, Syria; one of the most influential Islamic jurists and theologians of the 14th century.

Timeline

  1. 1263–1268Harran · Edge of MesopotamiaBorn into a family of scholars in Harran; his father and grandfather were both jurists. He began religious education in childhood and spent his early years under the threat of the Mongol conquests.
  2. c. 1268–1270Damascus · DamascusAs Mongol forces approached Harran, the family fled and settled in Damascus. Taymiyya completed his childhood education there, studying under several renowned local scholars, laying the foundation for his later academic career.
  3. 1271–1282Damascus · DamascusSystematically studied the Quran, hadith, jurisprudence, and Arabic at the Umayyad Grand Mosque in Damascus and elsewhere. By around age twenty he had begun teaching independently and writing early works.
  4. 1283–1328Damascus · DamascusTaught and wrote in Damascus for many years, criticizing Sufi and philosophical currents from the standpoint of returning to the sources of the Quran and hadith. Imprisoned multiple times for his political and religious positions, he left behind a large body of influential legal and theological works.

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