Biography of Ibrahim ibn Adham

Ibrahim ibn Adham, born 718 AD/100 H, was one of the great Imams of the era of the pious predecessors, or we know them as the Salaf. He was born in Makkah and later on, he lived an ascetic lifestyle. But he has many fairytales (created by innovators) attributed to him, which are extremely bogus, like for example, some people claimed that he met Al-Khidr, peace be upon Him, but that is not an authentic story and was propagated by the likes of the kafir Rumi. This biography is aimed at clearing the nonsense fanfiction attributed to him, and to provide more insight into his life.

Ibrahim ibn Adham was born in to a noble family and his birthplace was at none other than the Holy Ka'bah. Ibn Hibban reports that his family moved to Balkh at some point of time, when he was young. But anyways, it is agreed that Ibrahim ibn Adham's interest in asceticsm sparked when he was a young man on a hunting journey. It was said that Ibrahim had become very rich and spoilt as time passed, and one day, while he was out for hunting some deer, he provoked a harmless wild rabbit, and then he heard a loud voice from above him saying, “O Ibrahim! What is this nonsense? Do you think that you were created in vain? Fear Allah, and you will have provisions for the days of need!” This made him feel rather ashamed, so he got off his horse and left his country to seek knowledge. He went to places within the Levant to learn from the great scholars there.

In the city of Kufa, Ibrahim ibn Adham was taught by the noble Al-Fudhayl ibn Iyadh, an ascetic and former bandit clan leader who had repented and become a scholar. He became educated in fiqh and Hadith, and he even became one of the reliable transmitters of Hadith. He became a very generous man, and it is reported that he once gave away his horse and mule to a boy who was in need. Ibrahim lived a nomadic lifestyle as well, and he worked as a farmer too. He planted and harvested crops for himself, he also plucked dates from palm trees that he grew. He eventually became the teacher of the Hanafi jurist Shaqiq al-Balkhi and the ascetic Sadid ad-Din Hudhaifah al-Marashi.

Ibrahim ibn Adham was famous for his modest values which he exhibited. One of his famous sayings is, “Whoever wants to repent, let him get rid of wrongdoings and give up disgrace. Otherwise, he will not get what he wants, and that applies to people like him.” When he sat down, he followed the manner of how the Prophet ﷺ sat down. He frequently performed fasting, especially when he was travelling. Ibrahim also said the following on Zuhd (asceticsm); “Asceticism is obligatory; which is abstinence from the forbidden, asceticism of safety, which is abstention from doubtful matters, and asceticism of virtue, which is abstinence from what is permissible.”

There is an incident where Ibrahim ibn Adham and his companions were travelling on a ship. Then a powerful storm happened, and the sea became very harsh, threatening to overturn their ship. His companions asked, “Ibrahim, what is going on?” in a frantic and panicked manner. Ibrahim was silent and he turned to the sky, saying, “O Al-Hayy, O Al-Razzaq, O Al-Muhsin, O You who are Exalted! You have shown us Your power, so, please, show us Your forgiveness.” A few seconds after that, the skies brightened and the seas became calm.

Ibrahim ibn Adham was not just a mere scholar, traveller and farmer. He was a strong man who participated in Jihad against the forces of the Byzantines (Roman Empire). He was involved in several military operations against the Byzantines in their territory's borders. One day, in the year 782 AD/165 H, when Ibrahim ibn Adham was leading a naval expedition, he was ambushed by a Byzantine naval unit and badly injured. He was not prepared for this surprise attack on his unit. He eventually succumbed to his injuries, and he was buried at an island under Byzantine control, identified today as the coast of the city of Jableh in Syria. His grave unfortunately has become an almost pilgrimage destination for ignorants who believe his tomb has healing powers and the like.

May Allah show His mercy on Ibrahim ibn Adham, and may Allah accept him as one of the martyrs.

The Senussiyya reformation of Sufism

The Senussiyya tariqah was founded by the great Muhammad ibn Ali as-Senussi. He was a descendant of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ through His grandson Hasan ibn Ali, hence As-Senussi had the epithet “al-Hasani.” He was from the tribe of Walad Sidi Abdullah. As-Senussi studied at the University of al-Qarawiyyin in Fez, Morocco, and later on he became a disciple of the Sufi master Ahmad ibn Idris al-Fasi. As-Senussi eventually became the head of the second branch of the Qadiriyyah tariqah, and this would eventually be developed into the Senussiyya.

As-Senussi introduced several important reforms to Sufism during his lifetime. He discontinued the extreme practices that many so-called Sufis practiced; for example, the Sufis of his time would dress in dirty ragged clothes and refused to clean themselves, thinking that such actions would bring them closer to Allah. As-Senussi also made takfir on those people whom ask blessings and supplication from the individuals within the graves. Later on his life, he and his followers adopted the creed of the Salaf, and reinforced the belief of Allah being above His throne and the seven Heavens. The Senussiyya became a full Athari tariqah after this, and a tariqah that was not filled with strange and extreme innovations.

As-Senussi founded his first Zawiya (Sufi institution) in Makkah, but was exiled by the Najdiyyah who did not understand him at first. He then founded a Zawiya in the mountains of Sidi Rafa'a in Bayda, Libya. Unlike most Zawiyas contemporary to his time (which were places where ignorants did strange rituals) the Senussi Zawiya was a school where the memorization of the Holy Qur'an was taught. At the Zawiya, basic life skills like farming and defence were also taught, as As-Senussi believed that all Muslims should work for their own money instead of being reliant on the charity of others. Years later, the Najdiyyah realised the true intentions of the Senussis and allowed a Zawiya to be founded within Arabian territory.

The Senussis were able to ignite the fire of Jihad into the hearts of Muslims all across Libya. The Muslims fought against the colonizers, defeating the Italians, Germans, French and the infamous British. As-Senussi himself emphasized the importance of ruling by the Shari'ah, and this is one of the points which encouraged the people to fight against the colonizers.  As-Senussi also criticized the recently secularized Ottoman Empire, especially the secular Ottoman ruler of Egypt, Muhammad Ali Pasha. This made the ulema of Egypt issue a Fatwa against him and his teachings.

The tariqah of Senussiyya is still active in Libya, and many of its members call themselves either Salafis or Atharis. It is one of the few tariqahs present in nowadays that has little to no innovations. Other tariqahs like the Qadiriyyah of Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani have been corrupted by deviants and have become a tariqah of innovation in the modern day.

Biography of Sidi Mahrez ibn Khalaf

Abu Mahfuz Mahrez ibn Khalaf al-Tunisi was born in 951 AD/340 H in the city of Aryanah, Tunisia, to a very righteous family descended from the noble companion Abu Bakr as-Siddiq. At a young age, he learned and studied Qur'an and Hadith. Sidi Mahrez was a frequent patron of the city of Kairouan. He also travelled to Egypt to study there, one of the notable teachers he was with there was the famous Abu Bakr Al-Abhari, a Maliki scholar. At the age of 57, he went into a spiritual retreat at the town of Carthage.

When he returned to Tunisia, Sidi Mahrez studied under Imam Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani, the greatest authority of the Maliki school at the time. Both men were very close companions. Sidi Mahrez requested Ibn Abi Zayd to write a book to detail the doctrine, creed and jurisprudence of the Maliki madhab, something which the latter agreed to. This book was known as the Al-Risalah al-Fiqhiyyah, which was divided into two portions; the first half on the creed and doctrine of Malikis, the second half on the jurisprudence of Malikis. When the book was completed, Sidi Mahrez had the honour of teaching it to his own students. It is also said that Sidi Mahrez worked as a Qadi (judge).

There is an interesting story about Sidi Mahrez and his prayer against an oppressive ruler. In the early 11th century AD/5th century H, the Rafidhah Shi'ites invaded Tunisia. The people of Tunisia were able to repel the invasion and kill the heretics, and Sidi Mahrez was one of these people. It was said that Sidi Mahrez was the strongest fighter, wiping out many of the Rafidhah and causing the surviving ones to run away and retreat. When the event was later told to the Zirid emir Badis ibn al-Mansur, he was very angry, as he was one of the Shi'ites. So Badis said, “The land will be, but Tunisia shall not remain.” News of the words Badis spoke reached the people of Tunisia, and they were alarmed by it, so they went up to Sidi Mahrez, and told him what had been reported to them. Sidi Mahrez was calm, and he said, “Rather, there will be land, without Badis.” A week later, Badis became ill and suffered a stroke. He eventually died from this stroke, and the Shi'ites did not attempt invasions on Tunisia for a long time.

Sidi Mahrez passed away in 1022 AD/413 H at the age of seventy-one. He was buried in his house near the gate of Bab Souika at the Medina of Tunis. Unfortunately, the innovators venerated his grave, and at some point, they made the later Sultan of Tunisia build a mosque and shrine over the grave. This mosque is still visited, but many people there do not pray there, but they visit the shrine and ask supplication from Sidi Mahrez instead of Allah.

The Ash'aris have tried to claim Sidi Mahrez, which was almost successful, as they had already claimed his teacher, Ibn Abi Zayd al-Qayrawani. But Ibn Abi Zayd held many viewpoints in his Risala which contradicted the creedal beliefs of Ash'airah, and in later years after his death he was criticized for such viewponts by scholars like Ahmad Zarruq al-Maliki al-Ash'ari. Sidi Mahrez was on the same Aqidah as his teacher, hence it can be concluded that he was on the creed of the Salaf. Allah knows best.

From the life of Sidi Mahrez, we can see that he was a pious man and a great scholar, whose actions contributed greatly to the spread of the Maliki school in the region of Ifriqiya, such as Tunisia. Indeed, some have also said that he was one of the great Awliya of Allah alongside Sultan al-Awliya Abdul Qadir al-Jilani and Shaykh al-Islam Abu Ismail al-Harawi; this is still disputed, but possible, since he was not one of the innovators. Again, Allah knows best.

May Allah have mercy on Sidi Mahrez ibn Khalaf.

Story of Shaykhul Islam and his enemy

During the time of Shaykhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, he was disliked by many people. But no one harboured a greater hatred for him then Nur al-Din Ali al-Bakri. This Al-Bakri was a good scholar of the Shafi'i madhab who did Jihad against the Coptic Christians and educated young children, however, he had fallen into the errors of the Ash'airah, and subsequently, he became an innovator. Over time, he became very popular amongst the people, and his pride got the best of him. To combat this, Ibn Taymiyyah wrote a book of refutation against him; this book was meant to correct the error of his ways and move him away from his arrogance. But Al-Bakri did not take kindly to this. He was very angry, and he declared Ibn Taymiyyah to be a disbeliever and ordered that he be persecuted. When his teacher heard this, he scolded Al-Bakri, but the latter did not listen.

One night, Ibn Taymiyyah was walking alone on the street to his home. Out of the blue, Al-Bakri and a group of his companions appeared and cornered him. The innovators beat the Shaykh very badly, and left him lying in pain on the street. However, people in nearby houses heard the commotion, and they all rushed out of their homes to help him, causing Al-Bakri and the gang to flee immediately. 

The people asked if Shaykhul Islam was alright, and they told him that they would exact revenge on Al-Bakri. So, Ibn Taymiyyah said, “For what? It is not permissible to do so, I do not like if a Fitna is caused by me.” Then the people replied, “Was what they did not permissible?” The Shaykh replied in exasperation, “The right which you want me to claim either belongs to me, or to you or to Allah. If this right belongs to me, then I have pardoned my oppressors. If it belongs to you, then if you will not listen to me then do as you wish. If this right belongs to Allah, then Allah will claim His right when and how He wishes.” 

The people did not listen to Shaykhul Islam, and they thought he was just being generous. They hunted for Al-Bakri, who was now a ‘Wanted’ criminal. He was so scared, he considered running away. Fortunately, Ibn Taymiyyah found Al-Bakri hiding and sheltered him in his house. Ibn Taymiyyah then went out to the palace of the Mamluk Sultan, Al-Nasir Muhammad ibn Qalawun, where he interceded for Al-Bakri and asked the Sultan to forgive him. The Sultan did, and Al-Bakri was free again, and he was able to write his book Kitab Tafsir Al-Fatihah.

Then a few months (or years) later, Nur al-Din al-Bakri was delivering a sermon in front of Sultan Al-Nasir Muhammad. During this sermon, he said, “The best jihad is a word of truth to a tyrannical ruler.” So the Sultan asked if he was a tyrant, and Al-Bakri replied, “Yes, you are one, because you have empowered the Copts over the Muslims.” The Sultan was angry and ordered him to be imprisoned, and his tongue cut out. However, Ibn Taymiyyah arrived just in time to intervene, and he requested that the Sultan forgive Al-Bakri. So, again, the Sultan did forgive Al-Bakri, but he stopped him from giving any fatwas, and eventually Al-Bakri was exiled from Cairo. So, Al-Bakri stayed in Dahrut, the town of his ancestors, until he passed away, and his funeral was well-attended. He was buried in the cemetery of Qarafa, also known as the “City of the Dead.” 

After these events, the Ash'ari and Maturidi scholars in Egypt saw Ibn Taymiyyah in a different light. That is, a more positive one. They felt that he had qualities and morals that were “usually seen in the Prophets of Allah.” More people had a postitive view of Ibn Taymiyyah after the incidents. 

May Allah have mercy on Shaykhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah and Nur al-Din Ali al-Bakri.

Biography of Qadib al-Ban al-Mawsili

Abu Abdullah Al-Husayn ibn Isa, more commonly known as Qadib al-Ban, was one of the famous Sufis from Mosul, hence his epithet Al-Mawsili. He was also a Qadi and a jurist of the Hanbali madhab. Qadib al-Ban was born in 1079 AD/471 H to a family of Kurds. He is also said to have been a Sayyid, however, this is still disputed amongst historians and researchers. As a Sufi from Mosul, Qadib al-Ban can be grouped with previous Sufis like Al-Fath Al-Mawsili, Abu Sa'eed al-Kharaz and Ala al-Din ibn Abdul Qadir as they were also revered ascetics who lived in Mosul.

Qadib al-Ban became associated with Sultan al-Awliya, Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani. He became one of the Shaykh's disciples. It is also reported that he was able to perform Karamat (miraculous things) only with Allah's permission. However, reports about Qadib al-Ban's Karamat are often quite exaggerated, and some of them come from innovators, which include, but are not limited to, the writings of the Ash'ari scholar Al-Sha'rani. Like many Sufis of his time, Qadib al-Ban wore clothes made out of wool.

Eventually, Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani gave one of his daughters to Qadib al-Ban for him to marry. Qadib al-Ban married the daughter of the Shaykh, and he became his son-in-law as well. Qadib al-Ban then had some children, one of them is known historically as Abu al-Mahasin Ali. One of Qadib al-Ban's more well known descendants was Abdul Qadir ibn Muhammad Abu al-Fayd, who was unfortunately affected by the creed of Wahdat al-Wujood and fell into the same errors as Ibrahim al-Kurani, just worse.

Not much is known about Qadib al-Ban in history, and there are many conflicting and exaggerated reports about him. Some of these exaggerated reports even claimed that he met Prophet Isa (alayhis salaam) and Al-Khidr! However, it is generally agreed upon that he was a Hanbali jurist and the son-in-law of Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani. There were even allegations that Qadib al-Ban did not pray, but those allegations had already been refuted by Mullah Ali Qari. Due to him being Hanbali and a companion of Shaykh Abdul Qadir, it can be concluded that Qadib al-Ban was on the creed of the Salaf, and Allah knows best.

Qadib al-Ban died in the year 1177 AD/573 H, and he was buried in his house at Bab Sinjar in Mosul. However, unfortunately, the Seljuks converted the house into a shrine during their rule over Mosul. Later, the Ottomans would reconstruct the shrine when it fell into disrepair, while maintaining the Seljuk-styled domes. In 2014, the graves were finally levelled, sadly it was done by the Khawarij during their occupation of Mosul. This corresponds with the Hadith; “Verily, no one will enter Paradise but a soul submissive to Allah, yet Allah may support this religion by the hands of a wicked man.” which was reported by Abu Hurayrah in Sahih Bukhari 3062 and Sahih Muslim 111. In this case, the wicked man is the Khawarij.

Qadib al-Ban does not have much recorded works or books. However, a manuscript titled Jawharat Al-Bayan fi Al-Sayyid Qadib al-Ban is attributed to him and an individual named Abu Rabi'ah. This manuscript has been preserved at the University of Baghdad, and is numbered as the 541th manuscript in their collection there.

Biography of Mahmud al-Alusi

Shihab al-Din Mahmud bin Abdullah, known better as Mahmud al-Alusi, or by his title Abu al-Thana, was a very famous Hanafi jurist, mufassir and Hadith scholar of Iraq. He was born in 1803 AD/1217 H, to a family of Sunni Sayyids (descendants of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ). His lineage is traced back to Muhammad al-Jawad ibn Ali al-Ridha, and his family was formerly from the island of Alus, which is where his early ancestors fled to during the sack of Baghdad by the Ilkhanid Mongols. Mahmud al-Alusi was also said to be a member of the Naqshbandi tariqah, which means that he was one of its reformers such as; Ibrahim al-Kurani, the famous Athari-Sufi theologian, Muhammad Hayyat al-Sindhi, the teacher of Imam Muhammad bin Abdulwahhab and Muhammad Emin Ma Mingxin, a Chinese Sufi Muslim reformist.

After receiving his Ijazah, Mahmud al-Alusi became a religious teacher, teaching at his uncle's small Madrasah in Baghdad. However, his uncle was very negligent of the building, and the building was falling into disrepair. So, Mahmud al-Alusi transferred his students to the Madrasah of Al-Hajj Nu'man which was located in the district of Saba' Abkar north of Baghdad. He was accepted there as a teacher as well. Angered at the growing unpopularity of his school, Mahmud's uncle teamed up with some of the members of the Alusi family to take Mahmud down from his position at the Madrasah of Al-Hajj Nu'man, by spreading lies about him to the Mufti of Baghdad. When this did not work, Mahmud's uncle sent a representative to complain to the Ottoman Mamluk governor of Baghdad, Dawud Pasha. This representative told Dawud Pasha that Mahmud al-Alusi had insulted Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani. Fortunately, Dawud Pasha did not believe this, so no actions were taken against him and Mahmud retained his own position as a religious teacher.

Not all of the Alusis were against Mahmud al-Alusi, and one of his distant relatives, Al-Hajj Ameen al-Baji, offered him a teaching position at a new Madrasah as well as being the Imam of the adjoining mosque. Mahmud al-Alusi accepted the offer and he was paid handsomely by Al-Hajj Ameen. He remained a teacher at the Madrasah until a plague broke out in late 1831 AD/1246 H, after which he later became a teacher at the Madrasah of Sultan al-Awliya Shaykh Abdul Qadir al-Jilani. He also taught at several other Madrasahs in Iraq throughout his lifetime. Dawud Pasha also assigned Mahmud al-Alusi to be the official Secretariat of Fatwa, which meant he could approve Fatwa (religious rulings) from contemporary scholars.

In 1831 AD/1246 H, the Ottoman military general, Ali Ridha Pasha, invaded Baghdad and overthrew Dawud Pasha, becoming the new governor. Ali Ridha Pasha was one of the Bektashis, and he also had slight sympathies for the Rafidhah. Several scholars opposed Ali Ridha Pasha and openly expressed dislike towards him, one of these scholars was Mahmud al-Alusi. Angered, Ali Ridha Pasha arrested Mahmud al-Alusi and stripped him off his teaching privileges. However, in the same year, Ali Ridha Pasha later released Mahmud al-Alusi due to a lack of scholars (he had imprisoned most of them) and he reassigned Mahmud al-Alusi his teaching position at the Madrasah of Sultan al-Awliya in Baghdad. 

In a meeting with the scholar, Ali Ridha Pasha was fascinated with his knowledge and intelligence. He felt that Mahmud al-Alusi was a very honourable man, so he assigned Mahmud al-Alusi to be the sole person to give out Fatwa. Two years later, religious questions were received from Iran by the scholars of Baghdad, and Mahmud al-Alusi was the one who gave the best answers. Ali Ridha Pasha rewarded him by successfully convincing the Ottoman Sultan of that time to award him one of the state’s highest honors. This contributed to the popularity of Mahmud al-Alusi, and many scholars came from various parts of the world to Baghdad to learn from him.

Mahmud al-Alusi wrote several books and works. One of his most famous works is Ruh al-Ma'ani. This is his Tafsir of the Holy Qur'an. Ruh al-Ma'ani was praised by Yusuf Banuri, one of the ulama from Darul Uloom Deoband. Muhammad Taqi Usmani, one of the Deobandis contemporary to our era, wrote that “no work on exegesis of Qur'an can do without help from this work.” (Ulumu'l Qur'an) Mahmud al-Alusi also wrote books on Jihad, his travels and poetry.

During the reign of Muhammad Nacib Pasha as governor of Baghdad, which started in 1847 AD/1263 H, Mahmud al-Alusi became unpopular with the new governor. Eventually, he was fired from his positions as well as revoked the ability to write and distribute Fatwa. Mahmud al-Alusi nearly fell into poverty and was forced to sell all his books and the furniture in his house. He then travelled to Turkey to relieve himself from the injustices and hardships that he faced. Mahmud al-Alusi met with the Shaykhul Islam of Turkey, Ahmet Arif Hikmet Bey Effendi. Shaykh Arif Hikmet was displeased at first upon meeting him due to the lies he had been told from the other Alusis a few years ago. However, he managed to understand Mahmud al-Alusi's condition and transferred him to the Royal Guest House of Istanbul. Mahmud al-Alusi them met with the Grand Vizier of the Ottoman Empire, who felt sympathetic for his sad condition. So, he referred the matter to the Sultan who ordered that he be given a yearly salary. Mahmud al-Alusi returned to Baghdad a year later. On the way there, he suffered a very bad illness, and the illness eventually made him bedridden. He passed away in 1854 AD/1270 H, and he was buried in the cemetery of Shaykh Ma'ruf al-Karkhi in the Karkh district of Baghdad.

Mahmud al-Alusi left behind several great works, such as the Ruh al-Ma'ani, but also a travel diary of his experience in Turkey and foreign lands. He had so many works, they are nearly uncountable. His legacy was carried on by his four sons, Abdullah, Ahmad, Nu'man and Mohammed. Through Abdullah, Mahmud al-Alusi had a grandson, Mahmud Shukri al-Alusi, who was a critic of Najdiyyah but a supporter of the ideas of Imam Muhammad bin Abdulwahhab. His grandson would also live to become the teacher of the famous historian, Muhammad Bahja al-Athari. Indeed, Mahmud al-Alusi was the ancestor of several righteous men who were also scholars.

May Allah have mercy on Mahmud al-Alusi and his family.

The heresies of Fakhr al-Din al-Razi

Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, died 1209 AD/606 H, was a prominent authority in the Shafi'i madhab, as well as someone who helped in the compilation of the Shafi'i fiqh. He was an Ash'ari in his creed as well as a mutakalim (philosopher). As if being Ash'ari and an indulgent in Kalam wasn't worse, he was also known for the education on sihr (magic). He is one of those people who have essentially ruined the image of Sufism. Today, we will list down his heresies which are concealed by the Ash'aris of today.

Sihr 

This is what Ash'aris are trying to hide; none other than the sihr of Fakhr al-Din al-Razi. We have evidence that Al-Razi performed Sihr, from the book Fakhr al-Din al-Razi wa Ara'uhu al-Kalamiyyah wa al-Falsafiyyah (Fakhruddin Al Razi And His Theological And Philosophical Views). This book is written by Muhammad Salih al-Zarkan, an Ash'ari who admired Al-Razi. In the book, the author admits that Al-Razi wrote a book on magic called Al-Sirr Al-Maktoom, and he says that “It is one of the most famous books on this topic, so much so that magicians quote it a lot.” Al-Zarkan then mentions the following: “In his introduction to the book Al-Sirr Al-Maktoom; for he actually practiced magic...” and “As for magic, as a science and not as a practice, it is, in Fakhr al-Din’s view, neither ugly nor prohibited. The fuqaha agreed on this, because knowledge in itself is honorable, and also because of the generality of the Almighty’s saying: “Say: Are those who know equal to those who do not know?” and because if magic were not known, it would not be possible to differentiate between it and the miraculous. For knowledge, a miracle is a necessary miracle.” Learning about the evils of Sihr is alright, but learning about Sihr itself is not. It is not permissible to do so even as a science.

Deep love for Kuffar

When Fakhr al-Din al-Razi talked about the Kufr of a magician in Al-Sirr Al-Maktoom, he asked Allah to have mercy on the deceased magician. In the same book, Al-Razi called the mushrik polytheist, Plato, an “Imam”.

Racism

This isn't really a heresy but I'll just post this here because this is not proper adab of a scholar. In his book Al-Matalib al-Aliyah, Al-Razi says something very wrong. It just is, okay? He says, “The third category; from the people of the world, there are the Negroes who are the furthest tribe from rationality. Nevertheless, they affirm the existence of the God of the universe.” (Al-Matalib al-Aliyah volume 1, page 249) Is this the behaviour of a scholar? Being racist? Really, this is what a scholar sounds like? 

Now, after reading this, the innovators are like “b-but all this has been refuted, by some (insert website name)-ACK!!!” So, here we have some refutations of the arguments of the defenders of Fakhr al-Din al-Razi and his heretical actions.

Argument 1: Al-Razi's deathbed repentance

There is no evidence for Fakhr al-Din al-Razi ever having a repentance on his deathbed. Sure, there are statements from scholars, even scholars like Ibn Imad al-Hanbali, Imam Ibn Kathir and Imam Al-Dhahabi, but these statements are rather ambiguous in general. There is no solid evidence that Al-Razi ever repented from his Kufr. Also, none of his students ever recorded his ‘repentance’ and they remained as Ash'aris till their end.

Argument 2: Al-Razi quotes in verbatim to refute/expose the kuffar

Assuming he did quote from the words of magicians and soothsayers in verbatim, Muhammad Salih al-Zarkan clearly states that Fakhr al-Din al-Razi permitted magic and was a practicioner of magic. In fact, Shaykhul Islam Ibn Taymiyyah also affirms that Al-Razi somehow permitted or encouraged the use of magic. The second part of this argument argues that Al-Razi intended to expose the Kuffar in his book Al-Matalib al-Aliyah. Well, if so, where exactly did he refute the magicians? 

Argument 3: Al-Matalib al-Aliyah has a very dubious attribution to Al-Razi

This is weak copium, because the book is literally written by Al-Razi. If he didn't write it, then who did?

Argument 4: Al-Razi clearly added a warning and disclaimer that he is just quoting the beliefs of magicians in verbatim, he does not approve of such heresies

Again, this argument has been refuted by Muhammad Salih al-Zarkan. And furthermore, Muhammad Salih al-Zarkan was an admirer of Al-Razi and also an Ash'ari so I don't see what reason he would have to lie about his master.