the issue itself, nor did he lengthen the discussion (1) by muddling his words, wandering into one topic and out of another. In each work he supplied insights that had never occurred to anyone’s mind or imagination. All the conditions for independent juristic reasoning (ijtihād) were perfectly fulfilled in him. (2)
I also read, in Shaykh Kamal al-Din’s own handwriting, on the book “Clarifying the Proof for the Invalidity of Taḥlīl” (3) by our shaykh—where he appended a biographical notice (4)—the following words: “Among the writings of our master, our shaykh and exemplar, the noble shaykh, the foremost imām, (5) the erudite luminary, peerless virtuoso and ḥadith-preserver, the ascetic, scrupulous model, consummate gnostic, Taqī al-Dīn, Shaykh al-Islām and Mufti of humankind, leader of the scholars and paradigm for the eminent imams, champion of the Sunnah, suppressor of innovation, Allah’s proof against His servants, (6) refuter of those who swerve and persist in obstinacy, unrivalled among the practicing scholars, the last of the mujtahids, Abū al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥalīm ibn ʿAbd al-Salām ibn ʿAbd Allāh ibn Abī al-Qāsim ibn Muḥammad ibn Taymiyya al-Ḥarrānī. May Allah preserve for the Muslims the length of his life and continually renew for them the blessings that come through him; indeed, He is powerful over all things.”
I likewise found, in his handwriting, on the book “Removing the Blame from the Illustrious Imams”: