Ibn Taymiyyah's attitude upon entering Prison [masha-Allah!!!]

It was related that when Ibn Taymiyyah was being transported by the ruler’s representative to prison in Alexandria, a bystander saw him and said: “My master, this is the time for patience.”

So, Ibn Taymiyyah looked at him and replied: “Rather, this is the time to be thankful. By Allah, such joy and happiness are descending upon my heart at this moment that if it was divided between the people of Sham and Egypt, there would be some left over, and if I had that amount in gold and distributed it, it would not equal even a tenth of the blessing that I am experiencing.”

Later on, on Monday the 6th of the month of Sha’ban 726 AH, he was again arrested on orders from the ruler, and was ordered transferred to the Citadel Prison in Damascus. When he first learned of this, he said: “I was waiting for this, and this contains great benefit.” When he was later in the prison, he said: “If this prison was exchanged for its weight in gold, I would not consider this to be enough to repay this blessing I am in and the good that it has brought me.”

When he entered the grounds of the Citadel Prison in Damascus, he stood and looked at its walls, reciting the verse: {“…So a wall will be put up between them with a gate therein. Inside it will be mercy, and from the outside, it will be torment.”} [al-Hadid; 13]

[See Ibn 'Abd al-Hadi's 'al-'Uqud ad-Durriyyah'; p. 177-178, 365, as well as p. 44 of Ibn al-Qayyim's 'al-Wabil as-Sayyib']

what an amazing atttude!

why did he go jail?

For the sole reason that he was upon truth! He was imprisoned many times, for many months and years, and he never turned back and ran! They thought that imprisoning him will relieve them [Hizbu-Shaytan] of their worries. But Allah azza wa jal turned turned his imprisonment into a benefit and virtue, and brought out things on the day of his death that, had he been alive to see them, would have cooled his eyes.

This is how Allah spread his knowledge throughtout the world and impressed countless minds with his style filled countless books and pages with his writings and suppressed through him the innovators and misguided followers of desires. These are great results, that the Lord of the heavens brings about for those He loves and supports.

-Taken from, the lofty virtues of ibn taymiyyah [rahimahullaah]