The Death of Shaykh ʿAbd Allah ibn Taymiyyah (1), the Shaykh’s Brother

During that same period while the Shaykh was confined in the Citadel, his brother—the imam (2), the erudite and outstanding scholar, the ḥadith master, the ascetic (3) and scrupulous servant of God, the adornment of Islam, Sharaf al-Din Abū Muḥammad ʿAbd Allah—passed away. He died on Wednesday, 14 Jumada I 727 AH.

The funeral prayer was offered for him at noon that day in the Umayyad Mosque of Damascus. He was then carried to the gate of the Citadel, where the prayer was repeated. His brother (4) and a number of people inside the Citadel joined in; the sound of the takbir reached them (5), and tears flowed abundantly at that moment—it was a scene long remembered. He was prayed over a third and a fourth time, then borne aloft on shoulders and fingertips to the Ṣūfiyyah Cemetery, where he was laid to rest. A great multitude of people and scholars attended his funeral, and praise and sorrow for him were widespread. ⦗130⦘

He—may Allah have mercy on him—was a man of truth and sincerity, content with little, noble-spirited, courageous, ever ready for jihad; outstanding in jurisprudence, an authority in grammar, thoroughly versed in the biographies and dates of death of the early generations—indeed, he had an unparalleled command of that field—and knowledgeable about both early and later history. He—may Allah have mercy on him—was also deeply protective of and compassionate toward his brother, Shaykh al-Islam.