THE ARISTOCRACY OF TRUTH Epistemological Critique of Ibn Taymiyya’s System and its Contradiction with the Qur’anic Spirit

This paper presents a structural critique of Ibn Taymiyya’s methodology in resolv- ing the conflict between reason and revelation, as outlined in his magnum opus, Dar’ Ta’āruḍ al-’Aql wa’l-Naql. Through a surgical analysis of Carl Sharif El-Tobgui’s study, this paper argues that Ibn Taymiyya’s attempt to dismantle the ”Universal Law” (al- qānūn al-kullī) of the theologians and philosophers was not a liberation of reason, but rather an epistemological annexation resulting in a ”Feudalism of Truth.” By redefining rationality solely as validity approved by scripture (sharʿī), Ibn Taymiyya created a circular logic that kills dialectics and places the authority of the Salaf as the monopoly holders of truth. More critically, this system contradicts the Qur’anic spirit itself, which explicitly calls for the use of reason (ta’aqqul) and establishes witnessing (shahādah) as the foundation of faith—not blind faith. The long-term implication of this paradigm is the stagnation of science in the Islamic world, where the burden of scientific proof is replaced by retrospective validation of the text.