The Wahhabi Salafis claim to follow the ideas and thoughts of Ahmad ibn Hanbal but the Hanbali scholars have never recognized them as an Islamic denomination.

Taqī ad-Dīn Abu 'l-`Abbās Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah lived in the 7th century AH. He invented the Salafi school in the same century. His life was full of ups and downs. He was either at war or in exile. Unfortunately, his struggles and going exile were not for the scared religion of Islam but because of seditionist efforts among Muslims. A quick look at the performance of the Wahhabis indicates the same trend in the modern world. Instead of struggling against the sworn enemies of Islam (Israel and the United States), they have pledged allegiance with them and act as their stooges in the Islamic world.
The works of Ibn Taymiyyah were written in the manner of rejecting his critics by any means possible. For instance, most of his works were written in reaction to the Sufi, Shia, Ash’ari Jewish and Christian opponents. Ibn Taymiyyah was very aggressive and vitriolic both in the verbal debates and writing. He never observed scientific principles in his debates. For example, when speaking of the Sufi beliefs he used to harshly insult the individuals like the great mystic Muḥyiddin ibn Arabi. When referring to the Imam of the Ash’aris he would use unscientific attributes. And once when he was dumfounded against the great Allamah Hassan ibn Yusuf Ibn Mutahhar Hilli, he used the epithet Ibn Munajjas for him which means son of dirty vs. Ibn Mutahhar meaning son of clean. His book Minhaj Al-Sunnah, too, is replete with calumnies and insults against Shias.
What is important about Ibn Taymiyyah’s personality is the lack of any scientific and logical criterion in his thoughts. Such a turbulent thought was the result of his intellectual confusion and inconsistency. On the one hand, he pretends to stick to the method of Ahmad ibn Hanbal and consider himself a Salafi; while on the other hand, he enters philosophical and rational debates but he is trapped in absolute contradiction. In 705 AH he was sent to exile in Egypt due to seditionist activities and the turmoil he had stirred up. In a letter addressed to the people of Damascus, it was written that he was sent to exile due to his belief in physical attributes for God. Some of his beliefs challenge not the ideas of a certain group of Muslims but the whole Muslim community.
Ibn Taymiyyah has attacked the beliefs of Shias very strongly. He has struggles against Shias not scientifically but with a spiteful look and with sticking to unreal issues. One of his outstanding characteristics is the animosity he shows towards the Ahl al-Bayt especially Imam Ali (AS). He raises doubts about the narrations which are considered completely valid by all denominations. Such an approach is in contrast with his claim of adhering to hadith. While he accepts weakly documented hadith in the ideological issues, he completely ignores the strongly documented hadith when they opposed his beliefs.
Ibn Taymiyyah has manifested his spite and animosity of Imam Ali (AS) in two ways: First, he denies the ayahs and hadith on Imam Ali’s status; and secondly, he humiliates Imam Ali (AS). Ibn Taymiyyah rejects the hadith on the covenant between the Prophet and Imam Ali after the Prophet’s return to Medina. This comes as most of the Sunni scholars have narrated this historical fact. Among the historians and collectors of hadith the names of Ibn Is’haq, Ibn Hesham, Ibn Sa’ad, Ibn Heban, Ibn Abdul Berr, Ibn Atheer, Ibn AbilHadid, Ibn Syed al-Naas, Ibn Katheer and Suyuti can be mentioned. Ibn Taymiyyah rejects any ayah or hadith that pertains to the merits and virtues of Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (Peace upon him). He introduces the Imam as a power-hungry person who stages wars to subjugate people and not for the sake of God. He says, “Anyone who calls Mu’awiyah a rebel should address Ali in this way, too; for, he fought with Muslims and shed their blood to attain power and kingdom.” Ibn Taymiyyah questions Imam Ali’s science, bravery and struggle in the way of God; the very virtues that have been testified by all Muslims. In the next episode of this series we will discuss the reasons of Ibn Taymiyyah’s spite and enmity with the Ahl al-Bayt of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).
RM/ME