” Ibn Taymiyyah ” The traditional Islamic teaching on the origin of the universe states that Allah made everything ex nihilo from nothing. The doctrine, creatio ex nihilo, holds that Allah created the universe from no pre-existing matter, testifying to His sovereign power, singularity, and creative will. But upon studying the writings of Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah (d. 728 AH), one finds a more subtle understanding of creation one that has ignited scholarly controversy and sometimes been misinterpreted to justify creatio ex materia, or creation from already existing matter.
This piece explores the stance of Ibn Taymiyyah on creation, setting out what he understood by the eternity of Allah’s deeds and the ongoing origination of creation, and whether this fits within mainstream Islamic theology or teeters on the brink of philosophical innovation.
Understanding Creatio ex Nihilo in Islamic Theology
Prior to discussing the perspectives of Ibn Taymiyyah, it is important to appreciate the prevalent theological position. In Sunni kalām theology, specifically among the Ash’arites and Māturīdīs, there is a consensus that sustains the existence of the universe created by Allah out of nothing, without any previous matter, and Allah willed it into being at a certain moment in time. Allah is the one creator, and His creation is dependent, time-originated (ḥādith), and completely contingent on Him.
This perception also puts forward the temporal origin of the universe a notion supported within the Qur’an, for instance in Surah Al-Baqarah (2:117), which reads:
“The Originator of the heavens and the earth. When He decrees a matter, He only says to it, ‘Be,’ and it is.” Classical interpreters understood verses like these as declaring creation ex nihilo, without requiring any eternal substrate or material.
Ibn Taymiyyah’s Stand: Everlasting Divine Activity and Ongoing Origination
Ibn Taymiyyah opposed some of the classical kalām methodology, especially the necessity that the universe be preceded by absolute non-being. He opposed both the falāsifah (Islamic Neoplatonists) who affirmed an eternal world, and the kalām theologians who confined Allah’s creative actions strictly to one-time, temporally-limited creation. Rather, Ibn Taymiyyah maintained what is commonly referred to as the “eternity of Allah’s actions in kind (not in individual instances)”. For him, Allah’s attribute of creation is co-eternal and non-ceasing. Allah has always been creating and will always be creating, not because the created world itself is eternal or divine, but due to the continuous effectiveness of Allah’s will and power.
Hence, he maintained continuous origination (tajaddud al-khalq) a theory which suggests that the world never had a temporal beginning from nothing at an absolute moment, but creation always goes on happening in succession, at the will of Allah.
Did Ibn Taymiyyah Affirm Creatio ex Materia?
A few readers and thinkers, being unacquainted with Ibn Taymiyyah’s subtle theological terminologies, have understood Ibn Taymiyyah’s theory of continuous creation as creatio ex materia, that God created the universe with pre-existent matter. But Ibn Taymiyyah never considered matter as independent or co-eternal with Allah. Rather, he was explicit about the fact that nothing but Allah is eternal in and by itself.
He vigorously argued against the Neoplatonic concept of an uncreated, eternal cosmos. Rather, his contention was that there is no scriptural or rational requirement to accept an absolute temporal origin following total non-existence. He believed that Allah’s act of creation is not limited by man’s understanding of time. So instead of affirming creation out of matter, Ibn Taymiyyah said that the creative power of Allah has always existed—though the things which are created through that power are still originated and dependent.
A Key Distinction: Eternity of Action vs. Eternity of the Universe
Ibn Taymiyyah was careful to make a distinction between two things: the eternity of Allah’s attribute of creating and the eternity of any given created thing. Although he maintained that Allah has always been active, he equally clarified that no created entity is eternal in itself. Every created entity has a start. There was never a point where Allah was unable to create, nor a point where His power was inactive. However, this does not equate to the universe being eternal as Greek philosophy envisioned it.
Thus, Ibn Taymiyyah’s view was not that Allah employed the pre-existent matter to create the world. Instead, he argued that creation is continuous and Allah brings things into existence sequentially, as per His will and wisdom.
Theological Implications of Ibn Taymiyyah’s View
Ibn Taymiyyah’s theory challenged the kalām assertion that a complete void must have existed before creation. He argued that such a view is philosophically weak and scripturally unproven, and that it unnecessarily limits Allah’s attributes. He believed that affirming continuous creation better aligns with Allah’s names—Al-Khāliq (The Creator), Al-Fāṭir (The Originator). Al-Bāri’ (The Evolver) names which imply ongoing creative activity, not a single historical event.
But this stance did pit him against certain theologians who charged him with having opened the door to ḥulūl (divine indwelling) or theories of eternal universes. Ibn Taymiyyah, nevertheless, categorically refuted such heresies and stuck firmly within the Sunni framework, though in reformist and text-based form.
Qur’anic Support for Ibn Taymiyyah’s Argument
Ibn Taymiyyah based his argument on Qur’anic verses describing continuous creation. For example, in Surah Qaf (50:15): “Were We then tired with the first creation? Nay, they are in doubt about a new creation.”
And in Surah At-Talaq (65:12):
“Allah is the one who created seven heavens and of the earth the like thereof. His command descends among them.” These and other ayahs, in the opinion of Ibn Taymiyyah, indicate that Allah’s act of creation is ongoing and not limited to a specific point in time.
Conclusion: A Return to the Textual Foundations
Ultimately, Ibn Taymiyyah’s stance on creation is neither creatio ex materia. Nor does it repeat the Greek philosophical idea of an everlasting cosmos. It is instead the result of wanting to establish Allah’s perpetual perfection, including His will and power attributes, in a manner consistent with the Qur’an and Sunnah.
His perspective keeps Muslims mindful of the fact that Allah’s power is not fixed but constantly operative. The fact that our knowledge of time and causality must always be modest before the Divine. By invoking a return to scriptural texts rather than to speculative philosophy, Ibn Taymiyyah aimed to preserve. The magnificence of Allah not just as the first Creator, but the One who continues to create, maintain, and recreate without end.
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