Introduction
Among the polemical tools used against Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (may Allah have mercy on him) is a treatise known as “Al-Nasihah al-Dhahabiyyah” (The Golden Advice) or “Al-Risalah al-Dhahabiyyah” (The Golden Epistle), which is falsely attributed to the great hadith master and historian, Al-Hafiz Shams al-Din al-Dhahabi (d. 748 AH). This article aims to demonstrate, through clear evidence from Al-Dhahabi’s own writings and established historical facts, that this attribution is a fabrication.
The Fabricated Text and Its Content
In the spurious “Golden Advice” attributed to Al-Dhahabi, the purported author addresses Ibn Taymiyyah with the following statement:
وأعداؤك – والله – فيهم صلحاء وعقلاء وفضلاء، كما أن أولياءك فيهم فجرة وكذبة وجهلة وبطلة وعور وبقر
“Your enemies, by Allah, include righteous, intelligent, and virtuous people, just as your supporters include immoral, lying, ignorant, worthless, blind, and cattle-like people.”
[Quoted from “Al-Sayf al-Saqil” (p. 151-153)]
This statement alone should raise suspicion, as it directly contradicts everything Al-Dhahabi ever wrote about the supporters and enemies of Ibn Taymiyyah throughout his extensive works.
Evidence 1: Al-Dhahabi’s True Words About the Enemies of Ibn Taymiyyah
Al-Dhahabi, in reality, consistently praised Ibn Taymiyyah and condemned his opponents. In a famous passage, Al-Dhahabi is recorded as saying:
وأوذي رحمه الله في ذات الله تعالى من قبل المخالفين، وأخيف في نصرة السنة المحضة، حتى سار على منارة، وعلى وضوح، ولكن الله جمع له قلوب أهل التقوى، وجمعهم على محبته، والدعاء له، وكبت الله أعداءه
“And he (Ibn Taymiyyah), Rahimahullah, was harmed in his path to Allah by the opposers, and was threatened because he aided the pure Sunnah, until Allah raised his lighthouse, and united the hearts of the people of piety upon love of him and supplication for him, and Allah crushed his enemies.”
[Quoted from Al-Dhahabī by his student Ibn Rajab al-Ḥanbalī in Dhayl Ṭabaqāt al-Ḥanābilah (4/496-497) through Al-Dhahabi’s work Muʿjam al-Shuyūkh, quoted by Abu Zahra in Hayat Shaykh al-Islam page 777, and by Omar bin Saood in Sharah Lam’iyyah 1/7 from Mu’jam ash-Shuyukh]
Analysis: In this authentic statement, Al-Dhahabi does not say that Ibn Taymiyyah’s enemies include righteous and virtuous people. Rather, he explicitly states that Allah crushed His enemies, referring to the opponents of Ibn Taymiyyah. This is the complete opposite of the fabricated “Golden Advice.”
Evidence 2: Al-Dhahabi’s Praise for the Supporters of Ibn Taymiyyah
If Al-Dhahabi truly believed that Ibn Taymiyyah’s followers were “immoral, lying, ignorant, worthless, blind, and cattle-like” as the fabricated letter claims, why would he consistently praise them in his authentic works?
a) Al-Dhahabi on Ibn al-Qayyim (d. 751 AH)
Al-Dhahabi said about Imam Ibn al-Qayyim, the foremost student of Ibn Taymiyyah:
محمد بن أبي بكر بن أيوب، الفقيه الإمام المفتي المتفنن النحوي شمس الدين أبو عبد الله الدمشقي إمام الجوزية…عُني بالحديث متونه ورجاله، وكان يشتغل في الفقه ويجيد تقريره، وفي النحو وَيَدْرِيه، وفي الأصلين وقد خُبِسَ مُدّة وأوفى لإنكاره شدّ الرحل إلى قبر الخليل والله يصلحه وَيُوَفِّقُهُ سَمِعَ مَعِي مِنْ جَمَاعَةٍ وَتَصَدَّرَ لِلاشْتِغَالِ وَنَشْرِ الْعِلْمِ؛ وَلَكِنَّهُ مُعْجَبٌ بِرَأْيِهِ، جَرِئٌ عَلَى الأُمُورِ
“…Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr ibn Ayyub, the jurist, the Imām, the mufti, the master of multiple disciplines, the grammarian, Shams al-Dīn Abū ʿAbd Allāh al-Dimashqī, the Imām of al-Jawziyya… He devoted great attention to hadith, both its texts and its narrators. He occupied himself with jurisprudence and excelled in its exposition, and with grammar, of which he had deep knowledge, and with the two foundational sciences [uṣūl al-dīn and uṣūl al-fiqh]. He was imprisoned for a time, and in his denial [of certain matters] he went so far as to undertake a journey to the tomb of al-Khalīl—may Allah rectify him and grant him success. He heard [hadith] with me from a number of teachers, and he took the lead in teaching and disseminating knowledge. However, he is overly enamored with his own opinion, and bold in taking on matters.”
[al-Mu’jam al-Mukhtaṣ bil-Muḥaddithīn, page 269]
Analysis: Despite mentioning some criticism, Al-Dhahabi acknowledges Ibn al-Qayyim as a jurist, Imām, mufti, master of disciplines, and a teacher who spread knowledge. This is far from labeling him as immoral, lying, or ignorant.
b) Al-Dhahabi on Ibn Abdil Hadi (d. 744 AH)
Al-Dhahabi said:
سمعت من الإمام الحافظ ذي الفنون شمس الدين محمد بن أحمد بن عبد الهادي.. إلى أن قال: اعتنى بالرجال والعلل وبرع وجمع وتصدى للإفادة والاشتغال في القراءات والحديث والفقه والأصول والنحو وله توسع في العلوم وذهن سيال تُوُفِّيَ فِي شَهْرِ جُمَادَى الْأُولَى سَنَةَ أَرْبَعٍ وَأَرْبَعِينَ وَسَبْعِمِائَةٍ، رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ وَعَلَيْهِمْ أَجْمَعِينَ
“I heard from the Imām, the ḥāfiẓ, the master of multiple disciplines, Shams al-Dīn Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Hādī… He devoted himself to the study of narrators and critical analysis (ʿilal), excelled, compiled, and dedicated himself to teaching and engaging in Qur’anic recitations, hadith, jurisprudence, legal theory, and grammar. He had extensive knowledge and a sharp, flowing intellect. He passed away in the month of Jumādā al-Ūlā in the year 744 AH. May Allah have mercy on him and on all of them (i.e., his teachers).”
[Tadhkirat al-Huffaz 4/1508, mentioned as teacher no. 36]
c) Al-Dhahabi’s Extended Praise for Ibn Abdil Hadi
Al-Dhahabi further elaborated:
محمد بن أحمد بن عبد الهادي ابن العماد عبد الحميد بن عبد الهادي بن يوسف بن محمد بن قدامة، الفقيه البارع المقرئ المجود المحدث الحافظ النحوي الحاذق صاحب الفنون شمس الدين أبو عبد الله المقدسي الجماعيلي الأصل الصالحي الحنبلي. ولد سنة خمس وسبع مائة أو قريب منها. وسمع الكثير من القاضي، وأبي بكر بن عبد الدائم، وطائفة وعني بفنون الحديث ومعرفة رجاله وذهنه مليح، وله عدة محفوظات وتواليف وتعاليق مفيدة
“Muḥammad ibn Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd al-Hādī ibn al-ʿImād ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd ibn ʿAbd al-Hādī ibn Yūsuf ibn Muḥammad ibn Qudāmah, the eminent jurist, the skilled Qur’an reciter, the distinguished hadith scholar (ḥāfiẓ), the proficient grammarian, the master of multiple disciplines, Shams al-Dīn Abū ʿAbd Allāh, of Maqdisī origin, Ṣāliḥī by residence, and Ḥanbalī in jurisprudence. He was born in the year 705 AH or close to it. He heard a great deal of hadith from Al-Qāḍī, Abū Bakr ibn ʿAbd al-Dāʾim, and a number of others. He devoted himself to the various sciences of hadith and the knowledge of its narrators, and he had a fine intellect. He authored several memorized works, writings, and beneficial annotations.”
[al-Mu’jam al-Mukhtaṣ, page 215-216]
d) Al-Dhahabi on Another Supporter
Al-Dhahabi also said about one of Ibn Taymiyyah’s associates:
ما اجتمعت به قط إلا واستفدت منه، وكثر التأسف عليه لما مات، وحضر جنازته من لا يُحصى كثرة
“Whenever I met him, I benefited from him… When he died, countless people attended his funeral.”
[ad-Durar al-Kāminah 5/62]
Analysis: Al-Dhahabi explicitly states that he benefited from this individual—a statement utterly incompatible with the fabricated claim that Ibn Taymiyyah’s supporters were worthless and cattle-like.
Evidence 3: Who Is the Real Author of This Epistle?
Shaykh Nabeel Nisar Sheikh has noted that the “Golden Advice” was written by a Turuqiyy Sufi, as is evident from its wording and writing style. The epistle begins with:
الحمد لله على ذلَّتي
“Praise be to Allah for my humility/lowliness.”
It is then followed by many expressions of emotional lament (“Ah!” and “Oh!”) in the very first passage—a style completely foreign to Al-Dhahabi’s characteristic academic and measured prose.
Abdullah al-Qunawi has proven beyond any doubt, in his work “Adwa’ ‘ala al-Risalah al-Mansubah ila al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi” (Lights on the Treatise Attributed to Al-Hafiz Al-Dhahabi), that the original author of this letter was Kamal al-Din Muhammad ibn Abi al-Hasan Ali al-Siraj al-Rifa’i, a Sufi from the Rifa’iyyah order who was a contemporary of Ibn Taymiyyah. Al-Qunawi demonstrates that the style, vocabulary, and theological positions expressed in the letter match those of Al-Rifa’i, not Al-Dhahabi.
Evidence 4: Al-Dhahabi’s Elegy for Ibn Taymiyyah After His Death
Perhaps the most compelling evidence against the fabrication is Al-Dhahabi’s poetic elegy for Ibn Taymiyyah after his death. Far from criticizing him, Al-Dhahabi supplicated for him and placed him among the greatest Imams of Islam:
أسكنه الله في الجنان ولا … زال علياً في أجمل الخلع
مع مالك والإمام أحمد والـ … ـنعمان والشافعي والنخعي
مضى ابن تيمية وموعده … مع خصمه يوم نفخة الفزع
“May Allah house him (Ibn Taymiyyah) in the Gardens of Paradise, and may he
ever remain exalted, adorned in the most beautiful garments of honor—
Alongside Malik, Imam Ahmad, an-
Nu’man (Abu Hanifah), Al-Shafi’i, and Al-Nakha’i.
Ibn Taymiyyah has passed on, and his appointment
with his opponent is on the Day of the Trumpet Blast of Terror.”
[al-‘Uqood ad-Durriyyah page 383, Radd al-Wāfir page 73, Ghāyat al-Amānī 2/288]
Analysis: In this heartfelt elegy, Al-Dhahabi:
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Supplicates for Ibn Taymiyyah to be housed in Paradise
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Places him alongside the greatest Imams of Ahl al-Sunnah (Malik, Ahmad, Abu Hanifah, Al-Shafi’i, Al-Nakha’i)
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Affirms that Ibn Taymiyyah’s final settlement with his opponents will be on the Day of Resurrection
Could the same person who wrote this elegy have also written the abusive “Golden Advice” accusing Ibn Taymiyyah’s followers of being immoral and cattle-like? The contradiction is irreconcilable.
Additional Factors Establishing Fabrication
1. Missing Chain of Transmission
The epistle is a personal letter. Logically, it would have remained in Ibn Taymiyyah’s possession. How did it reach Al-Ala’i and then Ibn Qadi Shuhbah? The chain is completely broken, with a missing link that cannot be accounted for.
2. No Historical Record for Centuries
Despite the intense polemics surrounding Ibn Taymiyyah, this letter was never cited or mentioned by any of his opponents—neither during his lifetime nor for centuries after his death. It only surfaced in the modern era through Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari (d. 1952 CE), a Hanafi Maturidi scholar who was known for his extreme hostility toward Ibn Taymiyyah and openly expressed his enmity.
3. Forged Chain of Transmission
Al-Kawthari claimed to have found the letter in the handwriting of Al-Taqi Ibn Qadi Shuhbah, transmitted from Al-Burhan Ibn Jama’ah, from Al-Salah Al-Ala’i, from Al-Dhahabi himself. However, contemporary scholars like Sheikh Mashhur Hasan Salman have compared the alleged handwriting with authenticated manuscripts of Ibn Qadi Shuhbah and found them to be completely different—”a difference like that between earth and sky.”
4. Improbability of Written Correspondence
Al-Dhahabi and Ibn Taymiyyah both resided in Damascus, a city not so vast that they could not meet regularly. Ibn Taymiyyah was always accessible to scholars and students. It is highly improbable that Al-Dhahabi would write a letter when he could simply meet Ibn Taymiyyah face-to-face.
5. Contradiction with Al-Dhahabi’s Established Methodology
In all of Al-Dhahabi’s known works (such as Siyar A’lam al-Nubala’, Tarikh al-Islam, Tadhkirat al-Huffaz, and al-‘Uluww), he consistently refers to Ibn Taymiyyah with respect, calling him “Shaykhuna” (our Shaykh) and praising his knowledge, courage, and defense of the Sunnah. The fabricated letter contradicts this entire corpus.
Conclusion
Based on the overwhelming evidence presented above, it is conclusively established that the treatise known as “Al-Nasihah al-Dhahabiyyah” (The Golden Advice) is a fabrication falsely attributed to Al-Hafiz Al-Dhahabi. The evidence includes:
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Direct contradiction with Al-Dhahabi’s authentic statements about the enemies of Ibn Taymiyyah
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Direct contradiction with Al-Dhahabi’s genuine praise for Ibn Taymiyyah’s followers
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Identification of the real author (Kamal al-Din al-Rifa’i) by scholarly investigation
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Al-Dhahabi’s own elegy for Ibn Taymiyyah, placing him among the greatest Imams
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Broken chain of transmission and late appearance in history
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Stylistic analysis showing the text is inconsistent with Al-Dhahabi’s writing style
The “Golden Advice” is, therefore, a polemical forgery that should be rejected by all fair-minded researchers. The true legacy of Al-Dhahabi is one of respect, admiration, and defense of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, as demonstrated through his extensive and authentic writings.
References
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Dhayl Ṭabaqāt al-Ḥanābilah – Ibn Rajab al-Hanbali (4/496-497)
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Muʿjam al-Shuyūkh – Al-Dhahabi
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Hayat Shaykh al-Islam – Abu Zahra (p. 777)
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Sharah Lam’iyyah – Omar bin Saood (1/7)
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al-Mu’jam al-Mukhtaṣ bil-Muḥaddithīn – Al-Dhahabi (p. 215-216, 269)
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Tadhkirat al-Huffaz – Al-Dhahabi (4/1508)
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ad-Durar al-Kāminah – Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani (5/62)
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al-‘Uqood ad-Durriyyah (p. 383)
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Radd al-Wāfir – Ibn Nasir al-Din (p. 73)
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Ghāyat al-Amānī (2/288)
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Adwa’ ‘ala al-Risalah al-Mansubah ila al-Hafiz al-Dhahabi – Abdullah al-Qunawi