The Real Ibn Taymiyya: A One-Day Seminar
Life, Method, Misreadings. A one-day seminar on the most quoted scholar in Islam, and the least read — his world, what he actually taught, and the myths answered from the record itself.
Ustadh Reece Byfield
MPhil Theology, Religion and Philosophy of Religion, University of Cambridge. BA Philosophy (First Class), King's College London. Traditional studies at al-Salam Institute under Shaykh Akram Nadwi. Ustadh Reece's teaching focuses on Sunni ʿaqīdah, Islamic theology, philosophy of religion, and the intellectual challenges facing Muslims today.
Seminar Overview
Everyone has a verdict on Ibn Taymiyya. Extremists claim him. Critics want him buried. Both lean on the same caricature, and most of the people arguing have never read a page of him.
This one-day seminar examines his life, his actual method, and the misreadings that surround his name.
What We Will Cover
The world. Harran to Damascus. The Mongol invasions, the Mamluk courts, the trials, and the citadel cell where he died in 728 AH.
The mind. What he actually taught about reason and revelation, the fitra, and why he took on the theologians of his age.
The myths. The Mongol fatwas read in their real legal frame. The flat earth slur, answered from Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā itself. What he said, next to what was put in his mouth.
Who This Seminar Is For
Thinking Muslims who keep hearing his name and want the substance behind it. No prior study needed — the class assumes intelligence, not training. Students of knowledge will still leave with the sourcing.
Practical Details
- One-day seminar, delivered online
- Date, timings, registration, and fee to be announced
After the Class
The seminar stands on its own. If it opens an appetite, The Middle Path is a nine-week study of Ibn Taymiyya’s own creedal text, al-ʿAqīdah al-Wāsiṭiyyah.
To reserve a seat or ask a question, email info@akhookum.com.