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His jurisprudence and the principles of his doctrine
Imam Malik did not have jurisprudential principles in the known sense, and none of his companions took from him a method or basis for his jurisprudence, but his companions, and then their companions after them, were able to investigate his jurisprudence and extract from it the principles on which it was based. As for the principles of the Maliki school of thought, they are: the Holy Qur’an and the Sunnah. Prophethood, consensus, the work of the people of Medina, analogy, established interests, approval, customs and customs, blocking pretexts, and seeking companionship.
His elders
Imam Malik realized from the sheikhs what no one had realized after him. He recognized from the followers a large group, and he realized from their followers an even larger group, and he chose from among them those whom he was satisfied with because of his religion, his understanding, and his adherence to the truth of the narration and its conditions, and his soul was at ease with it, and he left the narration from people of religion and righteousness who did not know the narration, so he was Who took from them nine hundred sheikhs, including three hundred followers.
Among his sheikhs: Ibn Hurmuz, who was his first sheikh, Nafi’ Mawla Ibn Omar, Zaid bin Aslam, Ibn Shihab Al-Zuhri, Abu Al-Zannad, Abdul Rahman bin Al-Qasim bin Muhammad bin Abi Bakr, Ayoub Al-Sakhtiani, Thawr bin Zaid Al-Dili, and Ibrahim bin Abi Abla. Hamid Al-Taweel, Rabia bin Abi Abdul Rahman, Hisham bin Urwa, Yahya bin Saeed Al-Ansari, Aisha bint Saad bin Abi Waqqas, Amer bin Abdullah bin Al-Zubair, and Abu Al-Aswad Muhammad bin Abdul Rahman bin Nawfal Al-Asadi Al-Qurashi.
His disciples and his narrators
Among his contemporaries and peers were influential scholars like Abu Hanifa, Al-Awza'i, Hammad bin Zaid, Ismail bin Jaafar, Sufyan bin Uyaynah, Abdullah bin Al-Mubarak, Ibn Aliya, Abdul Rahman bin Al-Qasim, Abdul Rahman bin Mahdi, Abdullah bin Wahb, Al-Walid bin Muslim, Yahya Al-Qattan, Abu Dawood Al-Tayalisi, Abdullah bin Nafi Al-Sayegh, Marwan bin Muhammad Al-Tatri, Abdullah bin Yusuf Al-Tanisi, Abdullah bin Maslama Al-Qanabi, Abu Naim Al-Fadl bin Dakin, Al-Haytham bin Jamil Al-Antaki, Hisham bin Ubaidullah Al-Razi, Muhammad bin Issa Al-Tabbaa, and Abu Bakr and Ismail, sons of Abi Uwais. Additionally, Yahya bin Yahya Al-Tamimi, Yahya bin Yahya Al-Laithi, Abu Jaafar Al-Nufaili, Musab bin Abdullah Al-Zubairi, Muhammad bin Muawiyah Al-Naysaburi, Muhammad bin Omar Al-Waqidi, Abu Al-Ahwas Muhammad bin Hibban Al-Baghawi, and Muhammad bin Jaafar Al-Warkani were among his notable students.
The last of his companions to pass away was Abu Hudhafa Ahmad bin Ismail al-Sahmi, the narrator of "Al-Muwatta," who lived for eighty years after Imam Malik's passing
The Prophet Muhammad preached it
Imam Al-Tirmidhi narrated on the authority of Abu Hurairah that the Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, said: “It is about time that people will strike the livers of camels seeking knowledge, but they will not find anyone more knowledgeable than the scholar of Medina.” Ibn Hibban narrated in his Sahih on the authority of Abu Hurairah that he said: The Messenger of God, peace and blessings of God be upon him, said: “A man will soon beat the livers of camels in pursuit of knowledge, and he will not find a scholar more knowledgeable than the scholar of Medina.” Ishaq bin Musa said: “I was informed on the authority of Ibn Jurayj that he used to say: We believe that he is Malik bin Anas.” Yahya bin Maeen said: “I heard Sufyan bin Uyaynah saying: We think he is Malik bin Anas.”
The spread of the Maliki doctrine throughout history
Places of spread of the Maliki school of thought (blue-green color) in the world
The Maliki school of thought arose in Medina, the homeland of Imam Malik, then it spread in the Hijaz and dominated it, then it spread widely in Africa, from Egypt to the Maghreb and then Andalusia, and Morocco, with the exception of Egypt, still has no school except the Maliki school of thought, and a little of the doctrine of David al-Zahiri remained in Andalusia, Judge Ayyad says: “Malik’s doctrine prevailed over the Hijaz, Basra, Egypt, and neighboring African countries, and Andalusia, Sicily, and the Far Maghreb, as well as countries that converted to Islam from Sudan to our time. It appeared in Baghdad greatly, and weakened there after four hundred years, and appeared in Naysapur, and was there. And among others, imams and teachers.”
There is no doubt that the Maliki school of thought dominated Medina and its environs, and as for Mecca, it was there but did not prevail over it, because Mecca was still following the opinion of Ibn Abbas in its jurisprudence, to the point that Medina had the Maliki school of thought dormant there for a long time until Ibn Farhun took over its judgeship and demonstrated it. It appeared in Basra and then weakened after the fifth century AH. As for Egypt, the doctrine appeared there during the life of Imam Malik.
Its spread in Egypt
The Maliki school of thought was introduced to Egypt by scholars like Othman bin Al-Hakam Al-Jadhami and Abd al-Rahim bin Khalid bin Yazid bin Yahya. Initially, these scholars, particularly Abd al-Rahman bin al-Qasim, played a significant role in spreading the Maliki doctrine in Egypt. The availability of Malik's companions contributed to the popularity of the Maliki school, overshadowing the Hanafi school, which was not as well-known in Egypt.
Despite the prevalence of the Maliki school, when **Imam al-Shafi'i** arrived in Egypt in the year 200 AH and stayed for about five years, his Shafi'i school of thought gained prominence. However, both the Maliki and Shafi'i doctrines continued to be followed in Egypt. According to Al-Maqrizi, the people of Egypt adhered to both the Maliki and Shafi'i schools, and those who followed other schools like the Hanafi sought judgments and fatwas from these two prevalent schools.
During the Ayyubid period, there was a revival of the Maliki school of thought. Schools were established for its jurists, and it gained prominence in the judiciary when al-Zahir Baibars established the "Four Judges" in the Turkish maritime state. In this system, the Maliki school was represented independently and was ranked second after the Shafi'i school. The judiciary in the Ayyubid state initially followed the Shafi'i school, but with the introduction of the "Four Judges," the Maliki school gained recognition.
Today, the Maliki school of thought continues to be widely followed in Egypt, especially in Upper Egypt, alongside the Shafi'i school. The Maliki school's influence has persisted throughout history, making it one of the prominent Islamic jurisprudential traditions in the country.
Its spread in Africa and Andalusia
The Sunnahs prevailed over the people of Ifriqiya, then the Hanafi school of thought prevailed. When Al-Mu'izz bin Badis assumed power over it in the year 407 AH, he forced its people and the people of the countries of the Maghreb to adhere to the Maliki school of thought, and settled the matter of disagreement in the schools of thought, so he continued to prevail over it and the rest of the countries of the Maghreb, and he was the dominant over the schools of thought. This country to this day. Al-Fassi mentioned in his book “The Precious Decade in the History of the Honest Country”: “All Moroccans are Malikis, except for the rare ones who plagiarize the tradition.”
The majority among the people of Andalusia was the Al-Awza’i school of thought, and the first one to introduce it to it was Sa’saa bin Salam when he moved there, and he remained there until the time of Prince Hisham Al-Rida. Then the Al-Awza’i school of thought dropped out of it after the year 200 AH, and the Maliki school of thought dominated it. It was narrated that the people of Andalusia adhered to the doctrine of Al-Awza’i until members of the first class who met Imam Malik came to them, such as Ziyad bin Abdul Rahman Al-Lakhmi, Al-Ghazi bin Qays, Qar’us bin Al-Abbas, and the like. They spread his doctrine, and Prince Hisham took the people by it, so they adhered to him and attacked him with the sword.
Its spread in Morocco
When Ali bin Yusuf bin Tashfin took office, his preference for the people of jurisprudence and religion intensified. He would not make a decision in all of his kingdom without consulting the jurists, and he obliged the judges not to assume government in matters, both small and large, except in the presence of four of the jurists. Thus, the authority of the jurists became great, and he was not close to him or enjoyed favor with him. Except for those who knew the doctrine of Malik, and in his time books of the doctrine were written, and he acted according to it and rejected everything else, and this increased until the Holy Qur’an and the Prophet’s hadith were forgotten, and no one was paying full attention to them, and thus the doctrine spread by having Hisham bin Abdul Rahman attack him with the sword, as mentioned above, and Ibn Tashfin. He forced him to bring him closer to memorizing the branches of the Maliki school of thought, and thus it spread, until Ibn Hazm said: “Two schools of thought spread at the beginning of their command of leadership and authority: the Hanafi in the Levant and the Maliki in Andalusia.”
His books and writings
The **Muwatta**, authored by Imam Malik ibn Anas, is renowned as one of the earliest and most famous books of hadith, known for its meticulous arrangement, scholarly diligence, and jurisprudential significance. It ws highly regarded by scholars of various schools of thought and praised for its authenticity and relevance.
**Al-Qadi Ayyad**, a respected scholar, emphasized the unparalleled attention given to Al-Muwatta, with unanimous agreement among scholars on its importance. Many renowned scholars praised the Muwatta. **Imam al-Shafi’i** stated that no book on earth, except the Quran, was more beneficial than the Muwatta of Malik. **Ibn Mahdi** regarded it as the most authentic source of Islamic knowledge after the Quran. **Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal** spoke highly of it, stating its significance for those who follow it.
Several scholars have provided explanations and commentaries on the Muwatta, among the notable ones are:
1. **Al-Qabas: An explanation of Muwatta’ by Malik ibn Anas, by Al-Hafiz, Al-Qadi, Abu Bakr Muhammad bin Abdullah bin Al-Arabi Al-Ma’afer (deceased: 543 AH).
2. Abdul-Barr al-Qurtubi: Authored works explaining different aspects of Muwatta, including its meanings, evidence, and opinions of scholars, contributing to the understanding of the Muwatta’s content.
3. Ibn al-Batalyusi: Provided an explanation called “The quote, Sharh Muwatta’ by Malik ibn Anas,” adding depth to the understanding of the Muwatta.
4. Ibn al-Arabi al-Maliki: Contributed through works like “Al-Masalik fi Sharh Muwatta’ Malik” and “Al-Qabas on Muwatta’ Malik ibn Anas,” enhancing the comprehension of the Muwatta.
5. Al-Suyuti: Wrote several works, such as “Revealing the Covered Message of the Muwatta” and “Stripping the Hadiths of the Muwatta,” providing insights into the Muwatta’s narratives.
6. Al-Shamma’ al-Halabi: Authored “Ithaf al-Abid al-Nasik bi al-Muntaqa from Muwatta’ Malik,” adding to the scholarly discourse around the Muwatta.
7. **Ibrahim ibn Hussein al-Hanafi: Created “Al-Fath al-Rahmani, Explanation of the Muwatta of Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani,” providing detailed insights into the Muwatta narrated by Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Shaybani.
His morals and qualities
If Imam Malik listened to something, he listened to it carefully and was fully aware of it, to the point that he would hear more than forty hadiths at once, then he would come the next day and recite to the one who heard them from him, namely Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, forty hadiths, which indicates the strength of his memorization and awareness, until he said Al-Zuhri told him: “You are one of the vessels of knowledge, and you are the best repository of knowledge.” Imam Malik said: People’s memorization became bad. I used to go to Saeed bin Al-Musayyab, Urwah, Al-Qasim, Abu Salamah, Hamid, and Salim - and he enumerated a group - and I would go around them, hearing from each one of them from fifty to a hundred hadiths, then I would leave and I had memorized it all without mixing this hadith with a hadith. this.
patience
Imam Malik was patient and persistent, overcoming all difficulties. He overcame poverty until he sold the timber from the roof of his house for the sake of knowledge. He would go to the houses of scholars during the desert, wait for them to leave, and follow them to the mosque. He would sit at the door of his sheikh’s house in the extreme cold, protecting himself from the cold of the gathering with a pillow. He sat on it, and he used to say: “No one will attain what he wants of this knowledge until poverty harms him and prefers him in every situation.” Imam Malik used to take this to his students, urging them to endure hardships in seeking knowledge in word and deed. Imam Malik used to do in himself what people did not oblige him to do, and he used to say: “A scholar is not knowledgeable until he does in himself what people do not give fatwas about, taking precaution for himself so that if he leaves it, there is no sin on him.”
Intelligence and acuity
Imam Malik was characterized by his strong physiognomy, and Imam al-Shafi’i said in his physiognomy: When I walked to Medina and met Malik and he heard my words, he looked at me for an hour, and he had great insight, then he said to me: “What is your name?” I said: “Muhammad.” He said: “Oh.” Muhammad, fear God, and avoid sin, for you will be in a state of affairs.” One of his students said: “Malik possessed unerring chivalry.”
Prestige and dignity
Imam Malik was of prestige and dignity, feared by his students, to the point that a man would enter his council and greet them, and no one would respond to him except a hum and a nod, and they would point out to him not to speak out of fear and reverence, just as he was feared by the rulers, to the point that they would feel small in his presence, and the children of the caliphs would fear him. It was narrated that he was sitting with Abu Ja`far al-Mansur, and he saw a boy leaving and then returning. Abu Ja`far said: “Do you know who this is?” He said: “No.” He said: “This is my son, but he is frightened by your greyness.” Rather, he was feared by the caliphs themselves. It was narrated that the Caliph al-Mahdi invited him, and people were crowded into his gathering, and there was no place left for someone to sit, so that when Malik came, the people moved aside for him until he reached the caliph, so he stepped aside for him from part of his gathering, and he raised one of his legs to make room for Malik in the gathering. Thus, the sheikh of the city was feared, to the point that he had greater influence than its governor, and a council stronger in influence than the Sultan’s council, without him being the owner of; Sultan, Ibn al-Majshun said: “I entered upon the Commander of the Faithful al-Mahdi, and there was only his servant between me and him, and my prestige did not give him a king.” Saeed bin Abi Maryam said: “His prestige was greater than the prestige of the Sultan.”
* Its formal characteristic
Imam Malik was tall and strong, very white to blonde, with a large head, good figure, bald, blue-eyed, smelly, and blue-eyed. Issa bin Omar Al-Madani said: “I have never seen a whiter face than Malik’s face, and he had a large, broad beard.” He was a quarter of a man, and he used to take the ends of his mustache and not shave or trim it, and he saw shaving the mustache as a shape, and he left two long strands for it, and he did not dye his hair. Ahmad ibn Hanbal mentioned on the authority of Ishaq ibn Isa al-Tabbaa’, who said: I saw Malik ibn Anas who did not dye his hair, so I asked him about that. He said: “I was informed on the authority of Ali, may God be pleased with him, that he did not dye his hair.”
Imam Malik took great care of his clothing, and he saw in this the greatness of knowledge and the eminence of the scholar, and he said that the chivalry of the scholar is to choose beautiful clothing and wear it and appear in it, and that the eyes should not see him except in full clothing, even a good turban, and he used to wear the finest, most expensive, and most beautiful clothing. Al-Zubairi said: Malik would wear fine white Aden, Khorasani and Egyptian clothes, and would perfume himself with good perfume and say: “I do not wish for anyone whom God has bestowed anything but to see the effect of His grace upon him.” He used to say: “I like the reader to wear white clothes.”
His death
Imam Malik was ill for twenty-two days, then his death came, and most of the narrators say that he died in the year 179 AH, and Judge Ayyad said about him: “It is the correct one according to which the majority agree.” They differed as to the time of it, and most of them believed that he died on the fourteenth night of Rabi’ al-Thani. Of which. In a narration on the authority of Bakr bin Salim al-Sarraf, he said: We entered upon Malik on the eve of his arrest, and we said: “O Abu Abdullah, how do you find yourself?” He said: “I do not know what to say to you, except that tomorrow you will see God’s pardon that you did not have.” In a reckoning,” he said: “We kept shutting him down, and he died, may God have mercy on him, on Sunday, the tenth of Rabi’ al-Awwal in the year one hundred and seventy-nine.” Abdullah bin Muhammad bin Ibrahim, Emir of the city, prayed over him, attended his funeral walking, and was one of those who carried his coffin. Imam Malik's will was that he be shrouded in white clothes, and the funeral prayer be performed over him, so his will was carried out, and he was buried in Al-Baqi.