The concept of tabarruk (seeking blessings through persons or objects) has long been a subject of theological debate within the Islamic world. The Takfiris (those who consider Shias to be kaafir), particularly those influenced by the teachings of Abd al-Halim ibn Abd al-Salam ibn Taymiyyah al-Harrani, strongly oppose the practice when directed towards anyone other than the Holy Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), often categorising it as out-and-out shirk (polytheism).
However, historical reports surrounding the death and funeral of Ibn Taymiyyah (d 728 AH) himself raise important questions about the consistency between doctrine and practice.
The Takfiris claim that seeking tabarruk from anyone other than the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him and his family) is shirk. However, in practice, they do not adhere to this claim. In fact, they even consider the water used to wash their own senior scholars as blessed!
Abd al-Aziz Ibn Baaz, the former Grand Mufti of Saudi Arabia, writes: "It is not permissible to seek blessings from anyone other than the Prophet (peace be upon him), not from his ablution water, nor his hair, nor his sweat, nor anything from his body. Rather, all of this is exclusive to the Prophet (peace be upon him), because such acts are a means leading to shirk and the worship of other than Allah."
Reference: Majmu Fatawa Ibn Baz, vol. 7, p. 65, However, in practice, the opponents have done the opposite. Not only ablution water, but even the water used to wash figures like Ibn Taymiyyah was treated as a source of blessing and even drunk like a sweet drink!
They not only sought blessings from his body but even from the lice associated with him.
Ismail Ibn Kathir, a Salafi scholar, narrates in al-Bidayah wa al-Nihayah the events of Ibn Taymiyyah's funeral:
"A group sat with him before the washing (of the body), reciting the Qur'an and seeking blessings by looking at him and kissing him. Then they left, and a group of women came and did the same.
"People threw their handkerchiefs and turbans onto his bier seeking blessings. The bier was carried on heads, moving forward and backwards due to the crowd. A large number of women attended — estimated at fifteen thousand, besides those on rooftops — all praying for him and weeping. The men were estimated at between 60,000 and 200,000.
"Some people drank the water that remained from washing his body, and others divided among themselves the remaining lote leaves used in the ghusl.
"It is said that a cap he used was sold for five hundred dirhams, and a thread containing mercury that had been tied around his neck (to deal with lice) was sold for 150 dirhams.
"There was loud crying, lamentation, and supplication at the funeral. Many Qur'an recitations were completed for him, people continued visiting his grave day and night, and many good dreams were reported about him. Poets also composed many elegies in his praise."
Reference: al-Bidāyah wa al-Nihāyah, vol. 14, p. 217, Abu Hafs Umar ibn Ali al-Bazzar (d 749 AH) was one of the companions of Ibn Taymiyyah and wrote a book dedicated to his virtues, titled Al-Aʿlām al-ʿaliyya fī manāqib Ibn Taymiyya (The Lofty Virtues of Ibn Taymiyyah). He writes:
"Those present at his washing — both scholars and common people — crowded around the water separated from his body, until each obtained a small amount. Then his funeral bier was brought out, and as soon as people saw it, they rushed toward it from all sides — each intending to seek blessings."
One can't help but wonder what Ibn Taymiyyah — who handed out certificates of kufr to much of the Muslim world as if they were sweets — would say about the conduct of his own followers.