His Worship, Asceticism, and Scrupulous Piety
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah was among the most devoted worshippers and the most God-fearing of people. He was unfailingly engaged in worship and in reciting the Noble Quran, night and day.

Al-Bazzar states: “As for his devotion in worship, the like of it is seldom heard of. He devoted the greater part of his time and life to it, allowing nothing—neither family nor wealth—to distract him from Allah. At night he would seclude himself from everyone, alone with his Lord, humble and persistent in reciting the Magnificent Quran, repeating the various devotions of the night and day …” (21)

He continues: “With regard to his detachment from the world and its comforts, Allah had made that his distinctive mark from early childhood. Everyone who saw him—especially those who kept his company for any length of time—agreed that they had never encountered anyone whose renunciation of worldly life equalled his. It became so widely known that conviction of it settled in the hearts of people both near and far who heard an accurate account of his qualities …” (22)

He, may Allah have mercy on him, reached the highest degree of scrupulous piety. Allah preserved him upon that throughout his life: he never engaged with people in buying or selling, in any transaction, trade, partnership, or farming, nor did he ever store up a single dinar, dirham, or worldly possession. His sole stock-in-trade during his lifetime—and the legacy he left after his death—was knowledge, following the example of the Master of the Messengers and Seal of the Prophets, Muhammad ﷺ. (23)