Abu al-Wafa’ Ibn `Aqil al-Hanbali (d. 513) on Tasawwuf
Like al-Harawi al-Ansari, he was a hafiz and faqih of the Hanbali school who was an ardent defender of the Sunna and of tasawwuf. He is considered a reviver of the school of Imam Ahmad, although he had a number of teachers from different schools. Like other Sufis of his school such as Ibn Qudama (d. 620) and al-Tufi (d. 715), Ibn `Aqil considered al-Hallaj a wali (saint) and did not doubt his sincerity and righteousness. Ibn al-Jawzi reported that he had in his own possession the autograph copy of a treatise of Ibn `Aqil written in praise of al-Hallaj, entiled Juz’ fi nasr karamat al-Hallaj (Opuscule in praise of al-Hallaj’s gifts). Ibn `Aqil was a polymath and his Kitab al-funun reportedly numbered up to eight hundred volumes of which only one is extant.(1)
(1) See George Makdisi’s article in the Encyclopedia of Islam, 2nd ed., s.v. “Ibn `Akil.”
Reproduced with permission from Shaykh M. Hisham Kabbani’sThe Repudiation of “Salafi” Innovations (Kazi, 1996) p. 336.
Blessings and Peace on the Prophet, his Family, and his Companions
