268 chapter six
proper time he may be warned but if the whole population of a town
decide to celebrate public worship at a latter hour than the Muœtasib
thinks proper, providing that this is within the permissible time, it
is a question whether or not he may submit to the common law
(Levy, op. cit.) This is a degree of flexibility given to the population
of the town providing that the ritual rules of the religion are not
breached.
Now, in the same vein of writing on Œisbah, we turn our atten-
tion to a great writer of his time, Ahmad ibn-Taymìya.
Ibn Taymìya (661–728 A.H./1263–1328 A.C.)
al-Œisbahfial Islam, Public Duties in Islam
The Author
Taqi al-Dìn Ahmad ibn Taymìya was born in Harran in 661
A.H./1263 A.C., and died in Damascus in 728 A.H./1328 A.C. A
Hanbalì, he is regarded as one of the most influential thinkers in
Islamic history.
At an early age he became a professor of Œanbalì law and a
teacher of Qur"ànic studies. What distinguishes Ibn Taymìya is that
he had an innovative mind and was able to reconstruct Islamic
thought on the pure foundation of the Qur"ànic teachings and the
Sunnah. He suffered for his independence of thought and action. He
spent many years in prison. Ibn Taymìya wrote a large number of
books related to different aspects of Islamic thought and practice.
His al-Œisbah fial Islamremains a major contribution in the field of
Islamic social studies, in which he expounded its theoretical foun-
dation and its socio-economic functions. In this book his main theme
is “commanding what is ma’ruf (good; fair; right; and proper) and
prohibiting what is munkar (evil; unfair; wrong; and improper). As
Holland says, excessive zeal in this area may horrify some, and be
a temptation to others, but if this work has any influence it should
be to reassure the alarmist and restrain the potential fanatic, since
ibn Taymìya calls for a moderate and realistic approach, with great
stress on the importance of knowledge, gentleness, patience, for-
bearance, and generosity of spirit (Holland, 1983).