The Devils Deception by Imam Ibn AL-Jawzi

to ward off many such deceptions of the devil that have been employed
against mankind throughout the centuries. Whether these
deceptions take a physical form in terms of prevalent cults and deviant
groups, or intellectual and spiritual form where one may wrongl y
consider manifested acts of worship to be sanctioned religious acts.
For such reasons alone, this work is a valuable addition to the scholarly
discourse it presents to the English speaking world.
The irony in this work is that many who claim Imam Ibn Jawzi
from among their scholars and authorities, will no longer be selective
in choosing what aspects of his authored works they accept or
renounce. This is because Ibn J awzi made his stance against various
groups and sects he holds responsible for fanning the flames of
deviancy, very clear. Their attempts to disassociate Ta/bis Jblis from
Ibn Jawzi also fails because it is proven to be his original work, and
was also recognised by his peers who accredited it to him. Other
scholars also authenticated this work of Ibn Jawzi, and it became a
primer for others in basing their own writings upon it. It is therefore
not possible to doubt Tab/is lb/is being penned by the great genius;
and it remains one of his better known gems from the hundreds of
titles he authored.
The author takes the reader on a captivating journey starting from
defining bid' ah (religious innovations in Islam), through to how the
people of the previous scriptures went astray and similar patterns
that emerged within our own ummah. He enumerates many deviant
groups that were prevalent up until his time period.
As Muslims, we also understand that perfection belongs to Allah
alone, and every scholar is susceptible to mistakes. For this reason
we understand that any creedal position Ibn Jawzi or anyone else
may have held, then they are excused for that. How true are the
words of Imam al-Dhahabi when he said, 'Completeness is very
rare, so a scholar is praised for the many virtues he has, and good
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