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from among the Shaykh’s followers, placing them in the Ḥukm prison, in compliance with a decree issued by the deputy governor, who authorized him to carry out whatever the Sacred Law required in their regard.
A number of his companions were maltreated; others went into hiding. Some were subjected to discretionary punishment and their names were publicly proclaimed, after which they were released—all except the imam (1) Shams al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Abī Bakr, the prayer-leader of al-Jawziyyah, who was detained in the Citadel—whereupon the matter quieted down (2).
(1) Absent from MS B.
(2) Immediately afterwards, MSS F, K and Ṭ add: “Here is the full wording of the fatwa and the concurrence of the Baghdadis and others:
Bism Allah al-Rahman al-Rahim (In the name of God, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate)
All praise belongs to God, Lord of the worlds; may blessings and peace be upon Muhammad and his family.
To proceed: this is a legal opinion issued by the Shaykh, the Imam, Taqi al-Din Abu al-Abbas Ahmad ibn Taymiyya—may God sanctify his soul. About seventeen years later some people rejected it, a group spread denunciations of it before certain officials, and it was repeated in harsh terms so that many misunderstood its actual meaning. Together with the censure, vilification and alteration of its wording, other matters arose which altogether led to a letter being sent to the sultan, the Sultan of Islam in Egypt—may God support him. He assembled the judges of his realm, and after deliberation decided to imprison the Shaykh, who was accordingly confined in the Citadel of protected Damascus by a decree that arrived on 7 Sha‘ban 726 AH.
Throughout all this, the Shaykh never appeared in a court session, never saw the handwriting that was attributed to him and denied, and no specific charge was brought against him.
Later, one of his compatriots copied this fatwa and presented it to some scholars of Baghdad; after studying its wording they wrote their endorsements upon it. Some Maliki scholars of Damascus were also asked about it and likewise wrote in support, and we have been informed that scholars in Egypt who examined it agreed as well.
We shall now cite the question to which the scholars of Baghdad wrote their comments, followed by the fatwa, the Shaykh’s reply, and the responses of the jurists.
This is the wording of the question and the answers:
‘What is sought, through the generosity of the masters, the learned scholars, the noble guides—imams of the religion and guides of the Muslims—may God grant them success in that which pleases Him and perpetuate guidance through them, is that they kindly examine the fatwa and the answer attached to this question, transcribed below; its wording is as follows…’”
من أصحاب الشيخ بسجن الحكم، وذلك بمرسوم النائب وإذنه له في فِعْل ما يقتضيه الشرع في أمرهم.
وأُوذي جماعةٌ من أصحابه، واختفى آخرون، وعُزِّرَ جماعةٌ، ونُودِيَ عليهم، ثم أُطْلِقوا، سوى الإمام (١) شمس الدين محمد بن أبي بكر إمام الجوزيَّة، فإنه حُبِسَ بالقلعة، وسكنت القضية (٢).
(١) ليست في (ب).
(٢) بعده في (ف، ك، ط): «وهذه صورة الفتيا وموافقة البغاددة له وغيرهم:
﷽
الحمد لله رب العالمين وصلواته وسلامه على محمد وآله.
أما بعد، فهذه فُتيا أفتى بها الشيخ الإمام تقيّ الدين أبوالعباس أحمد ابن تيميَّة ﵁. ثم بعد مدة نحو سبع عشرة سنة أنكرها بعض الناس وشنع بها جماعة عند بعض ولاة الأمور، وذكرت بعبارات شنيعة، ففهم منها جماعة غير ما هي عليه، وانضمَّ إلى الإنكار والشناعة وتغيّر الألفاظ أمورٌ، أوجب ذلك كلّه مكاتبةَ السلطان سلطان الإسلام بمصر أيده الله تعالى، فجمع قضاة بلده، ثم اقتضى الرأي حبسه فحبس بقلعة دمشق المحروسة، بكتاب ورد سابع شعبان المبارك سنة ست وعشرين وسبعمائة.
وفي ذلك كله لم يحضر الشيخ المذكور بمجلس حكم، ولا وقف على خطه الذي أنكر، ولا ادّعي عليه بشيء.
فكتب بعض الغرباء من بلده هذه الفتيا، وأوقف عليها بعضَ علماء بغداد، فكتبوا عليها بعد تأملها وقراءة ألفاظها.
وسئل بعض مالكية دمشق عنها، فكتبوا كذلك، وبلغنا أن بمصر من وقف عليها فوافق.
ونبدأ الآن بذكر السؤال الذي كتب عليه أهل بغداد، وبذكر الفتيا وجواب الشيخ المذكور عليها، وجواب الفقهاء بعده.
وهذه صورة السؤال والأجوبة:
المسؤول من إنعام السادة العلماء والهداة الفضلاء أئمة الدين وهداة المسلمين وفقهم الله لمرضاته وأدام بهم الهداية، أن ينعموا ويتأملوا الفتوى وجوابها المتصل بهذا السؤال المنسوخ عقبه وصورة ذلك».