Chapter Shaykh Imam and distinguished scholar Shams al-Dīn Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Hādī ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn ʿAbd al-Hādī ibn Yūsuf ibn Muḥammad ibn Qudāma al-Maqdisī relates in his biographical compilation on Shaykh Taqī al-Dīn ibn Taymiyya: “During the month of Rajab in the year 711 AH, a leading notable from among the people of Egypt came to my brother, Sharaf al-Dīn, at his residence in Cairo and reported: ‘A group in the mosque have turned against the Shaykh, singled him out, and beaten him.’ He responded, ‘Allāh is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs.’ “Some of the Shaykh’s companions were present, and he journeyed to Egypt. When I arrived, I found men and horsemen from al-Ḥusaynīyya and other quarters asking after the Shaykh. He was in the Mosque of al-Fakhr (the Mamlūk scribe by the sea), surrounded by a large gathering, and people kept coming to him. One among them said, ‘Master, a party from al-Ḥusaynīyya has arrived; if you ordered them to destroy all of Cairo, they would do it for your sake.’ He asked, ‘For what purpose?’ They answered, ‘To support you and uphold your rights.’ He replied, ‘That is not permissible.’ “They proposed instead, ‘We will go to the homes of those who harmed you, kill them, and demolish their houses.’ He replied, ‘That is unlawful.’ They exclaimed, ‘Then what they did to you is lawful? This is unbearable; we must strike back at those who wronged you.’ The Shaykh repeatedly discouraged them and sought to calm their zeal, but they remained resolved. “He then addressed them: ‘The truth must lie with me, or with you, or with God. If it is with me, you have no claim; if it is with you, then if you will not heed me, do as you wish without consulting me; if it is with God, He will take His right as He wills, from whom He wills.’ They retorted, ‘So their attack on you is lawful?’ He answered, ‘What they did may even be a meritorious act for which they will be rewarded: a mistaken effort (ijtihād) still bears its reward.’ They replied, ‘Then you are in error and they are right! Listen to us, accept our judgment, and agree with us.’ He said, ‘It is not as you suppose: they acted sincerely but in error, and a mistaken ijtihād still merits reward.’ “Upon this they urged him, ‘Ride with us into Cairo.’ He refused. He then asked the time for ʿAsr prayer and was told it was near. He rose to go to the mosque for ʿAsr. Someone warned him, ‘Your enemies have conspired to kill you in the mosque, for they will have you at their mercy there; pray where you stand.’ But he insisted on attending the mosque. “He departed, followed by many of his devoted supporters who would not leave his side. He attempted to disperse them, but they refused and soon the street was thronged. A companion urged him, ‘Enter this small mosque along the way and wait there until the crowd lessens, lest someone be trampled.’ He entered but did not sit—he stood, and I stood with him. When the crowd eased, he left and proceeded to al-Jāmiʿ al-ʿAtīq (the Old Mosque). On the way, he passed by some men playing chess on a bench in front of blacksmiths’ shops. He seized the board and overturned it, startling both the players and onlookers.”