Is it true that Ibn Taymiyyah once descended from the minbar in the mosque while explaining how Allah descends in the last third of the night and said: "He descends like this"?
Ibn Taymiyyah is one of the great scholars of Ahlus-Sunnah, and he asserted in his books that the methodology of the Salaf regarding the names and attributes of Allah is to affirm them without anthropomorphism, based on the verse: (There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearer, the All-Seer). He defended this methodology in several debates. As for the story attributed to him in Ibn Battuta's travelogue, where it was claimed that he said, "Allah descends to the lowest heaven just as I am descending now," and then he descended a step from the pulpit; this story is fabricated and false for several reasons. Among them: Ibn Battuta never met Ibn Taymiyyah, as Ibn Taymiyyah was imprisoned in the Citadel of Damascus when Ibn Battuta arrived there, and he did not leave it except to be carried to his grave. Moreover, Ibn Battuta is accused of fabricating stories, and his travelogue was embellished and edited by Ibn Juzayy, which could allow for its distortion. Many scholars have defended Ibn Taymiyyah and demonstrated the falsity of this story.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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