Ibn Taymiyya died after an illness in September 1328. His affiliation to the Qadiriyya mystical order then earned him burial in the capital's Sufi cemetery. That was an ironic twist - and what followed was a cosmic joke. Tens of thousands of people jostled for a view of his shrouded body. His personal effects were in such demand that bidders for his lice-killing camphor necklace pushed its price up to 150 dirhams; his skullcap fetched a full 500. A few eager mourners even got to drink the water used for bathing his corpse. And once underground, the erstwhile scourge of tomb visitors was destined to receive pilgrims and sightseers for another six centuries.
Excerpt from Heave on Earth by Sadakat Kadri
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