The Friends of Allah & The Friends of Shaytan

Whoever takes Shayṭān as an ally instead of Allah has certainly sustained a clear loss.
(An-Nisāʾ [4]: 119)

Presented to the reader is the book Al-Furqān bayna Awliyāʾ ar-Raḥmān wa Awliyāʾ ash-Shayṭān in which Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah addresses the enmity of mankind and knowledge of who the awliyāʾ of the Most Merciful and the awliyāʾ of Shayṭān* is elaborated in detail, the root of this enmity and what it leads to. In the process, he has explained many intricate matters concerning the people of truth and falsehood, those who have gone astray in this matter.

He has discussed the best of miracles and clarified the principle upon which the reality of the karāmāt (miracles) of the awliyāʾ is distinguished. Furthermore, he clarified some of the most important aspects of the Muslim belief, all of this depending entirely upon the Book, Sunnah and understanding of the Salaf. May Allah have mercy upon him and reward him well.

The author, Taqī ad-Dīn Abul-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn ʿAbdul-Salām ibn Taymiyyah al-Ḥarrānī (d. 728H) was a leading Hanbali scholar and Mujtahid in his own right. His breadth of knowledge and depth of understanding was such that even his enemies acknowledged his high rank. His writings and verdicts on scholastic issues were deeply respected, and he was unwavering in his adherence to Islam and the Sunnah and repudiating all that opposed it.