At one place...

At one place, while mentioning the fame of the Khwajah among the Sunnis and the Shiis, Ibn Taymiyyah writes: "It was he who incited the Mongol Khan to kill the Caliph and the ulama ......" Thereafter, he accuses the Khwajah of not paying heed to Islamic precepts, of flouting the prohibitions of the Shari'ah, of not performing the prayers, of commission of indecencies, of indulgence in intoxicants, and of commission of adultery.

[^8] In another place Ibn Taymiyyah says about the Khwajah, "It was he who ordered the Caliph to be killed and the Abbasid caliphate to be brought to an end." [^9] Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyyah, one of his famous pupils, following him accuses the Khwajah of participating in the killing of the Caliph and ulama', while calling him such names as "Nasir al shirk wa al-kufr wa al-ilhad" (an ally of polytheism, unbelief and apostasy).

He condemns not only the Khwajah's philosophical convictions, but accuses him of denying the Hereafter,. rejecting Divine attributes, and of learning sorcery, and worshipping idols at the end of his life. [^10] The foregoing shows that neither Ibn Taymiyyah nor Ibn Qayyim recognized any restraint in defaming him and went to the extent of accusing the Khwajah of violating the prohibitions of the Shari'ah and committing idolatry.

Others like al Subki [^11] and Khwand Mir [^12] have followed suit with Ibn Taymiyyah in blaming the Khwajah of having brought about the conquest of Baghdad. In modern times, some orientalists, like the authors of the Cambridge History of Iran, have mentioned the allegations about the role of the Khwajah. [^13] Edward Browne and Arberry have accepted the alleged role of the Khwajah, as mentioned by Dr. Hairi.

[^14] Among the Shi'is, too, from the 10th/16th century onwards, some writers have applauded the Khwajah's alleged action against the Abbasids and regarded the same as a strong point for the Khwajah. One of them is al Khwansari in Rawdat al janat, who uses strong language in mentioning the matter. [^15] Likewise, Qadi Nur Allah al-Shushtari lauded the alleged role of the Khwajah.

[^16] Aside from the approval or disapproval of the Khwajah's alleged action, his involvement in the events is something doubtful. Laudatory remarks, like that of al-Khwansari, surely arose from the writers' prejudice against the 'Abbasid caliphs. Such writings do not constitute proper evidence, because the earlier and original sources have not referred to the Khwajah's role.