Malik ibn Anas

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Mālik ibn Anas ibn Malik ibn 'Āmr al-Asbahi
Full name Mālik ibn Anas ibn Malik ibn 'Āmr al-Asbahi
Born 711
Medina, Arabia
Died 795
Medina, Arabia
Era Islamic Golden Age
Region Muslim Jurist
School Sunni Maliki
Main interests Fiqh
Notable ideas Evolution of Fiqh

Mālik ibn Anas ibn Malik ibn 'Āmr al-Asbahi (Arabic مالك بن أنس) (c. 711 - 795) (93 AH - 179 AH ) is known as "Imam Malik," the "Sheikh of Islam," the "Proof of the Community," and "Imam of the Abode of Emigration." [3] He was one of the most highly respected scholars of fiqh in Sunni Islam. Imam Shafi, who was one of Malik's students for nine years and a scholarly giant in his own right, stated, "when scholars are mentioned, Malik is like the star among them."[4] The Maliki Madhab, named after Malik, is one of the four schools of jurisprudence that remains popular among Muslims to this day.

Contents

[edit] Biography

His full name was Abu Abdullah Mālik ibn Anas ibn Mālik Ibn Abī 'Āmir Ibn 'Amr Ibnul-Hārith Ibn Ghaimān Ibn Khuthail Ibn 'Amr Ibnul-Haarith.

Malik was born the son of Anas ibn Malik (not the Sahabi) and Aaliyah bint Shurayk al-Azdiyya in Medina circa 711. His family was originally from the al-Asbahi tribe of Yemen, but his great grandfather Abu 'Amir relocated the family to Medina after converting to Islam in the second year after hijra (623). According to Al-Muwatta, he was tall, heavyset, imposing of stature, very fair, with white hair and beard but bald, with a huge beard and blue eyes.[5]

[edit] Early life

Details of imam Malik's early teenage years remains mostly unknown, though there are accounts indicating that he pursued religious education at the age of 11.[6] Before embarking in his religious studies, Malik helped his brother sell fabrics.[6]

[edit] Teachers

Living in Medina gave Malik access to some of the most learned minds of early Islam. He memorized the Quran in his youth, learning recitation from Imam Abu Suhail an-Nafi' ibn 'Abd ar-Rahman, from whom he also received his Sanad, or certification and permission to teach others. He studied under various famed scholars including Hisham ibn Urwah, Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, and Imam Abu Hanifa, the founder of the Hanafi Sunni Madh'hab, under the 6th Shiite Imam Jafar al Sadiq[1]

During his visit to Medina, the celebrated Abbasied Caliph Harun-ar-Rashid, wished to attend the lectures of Muwatta (collection of Traditions) delivered by Imam Malik. He sent for the Imam who sermonised him: ‘Rashid, Tradition is a learning that used to be patronised by your forbears. They had utmost regard for it. If you don’t venerate it as the Caliph, no one else would. People come in search of knowledge but knowledge does not speak people.’ At last the Caliph himself came to attend the lectures of the Imam, which were attended by all classes of people. Harun wanted others to leave the class, but the Imam opposed it saying, ‘I cannot individual’. Hence, the great Caliph as well as his sons had to sit along the common people and listen patiently to the Imam’s illuminating discourse on the Traditions of the Prophets.

Medina, the seat of Islamic learning in those times, boasted of some of the greatest intellectuals of the age. One of them was Imam Malik, a great traditionalist, who left behind him ineffaceable marks in the sphere of Arabian learning. His Muwatta occupies an outstanding place among the rare collections of Traditions, Islamic history as the originator of Maliki School of Jurisprudence which exercised great influenced on the contemporary and later generations of Islam, particularly those inhabiting Africa and Spain. With his indomitable will, courageous and incorruptible. Soul, he never yielded even to the highest authorities of the state. The Imam belonged to a class of early Muslims, whose life would always serve as a beacon light for those who strive for the realisation of nobler and higher virtue in the world.

Malik ibn Anas, belonged to a respectable Arab family which held important social status before and after the birth of Islam, his ancestors who were converted to Islam migrated to and settled in Medina. His grandfather, Abu ‘A^mir was first in his family to embrace Islam in 2 A.H. The date of Imam’s birth is a disputed point among the historians. Ibn Khalikan has given 95 A.H., and he was thirteen years younger than his illustrious counterpart Imam Abu Hanifa. He received his education in Medina, which in those times was the highest seat of learning in the vast Islamic Empire and houses most of the distinguished Companions of the Prophet. He, therefore, had no need to go out of Medina in quest of knowledge. His grandfather, father and uncle were all Traditionalist, who coached the young Imam in Traditions and other branches of knowledge. Other illustrious intellectual luminaries who taught the young Imam were Imam Jafar Sadiq, Muhammad bin Shahab Az Zahri, Nafeh, Yahya bin Saeed and Rabi Rayi.

Imam Malik continued to serve the noble cause of education for 62 years. He died on 11th Rabi’ul Awwal 179 A.H, at the age of 86.

Teaching, which was looked upon as the noblest profession, was adopted by some of the greatest intellectuals that the world has ever produced including Aristotle and Plato, Ghazzali and Ibn Khaldun, Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Malik. The high reputation of Imam Malik as a scholar and teacher attracted people from the four corners of the Islamic Empire. Perhaps no other teacher ever produced such talented scholars who ascended the pinnacle of glory in different walks of life. Among the persons who benefited from his learning were Caliphs like Mansur, Medhi, Harun and Mamun; jurist like Imam Shafi, Sufian Suri and Qazi Muhammad Yusuf; scholars like Ibn Shahab Zahri and Yahya bin Saeed Ansari; mystics like Ibrahim bin Adham, Zunnun Misri and Muhammad bin Fazil bin Abbas. According to reliable historical sources, the number of his students who acquired great name in life was more than 1,300. His classes were characterised by their serenity, discipline and by a high sense of respect exhibited by the students for their learned teacher. He never tolerated any indiscipline when he lectured on the Traditions of the Prophet. Once, the Abbaside Caliph, Mansur who was discussing certain traditions with the Imam spoke a bit loudly. The Imam rebuked him by saying, ‘Don’t talk stridently when the Traditions of the Prophet are under discussion.’ He refused to discourse on the Traditions in the camp of the Caliph.

The Imam behind him more than a dozen works including his world famous Muwatta. His treatises deal with religious and ethical matters and Islamic jurisprudence. According to Shah Waliullah Muwatta, is a collection of the most authentic Traditions of the Prophet selected by Imam Malik after thorough investigation of their sources. The Imam compiled his book after a thorough verification and sifting of the Traditionals and included only those which he considered correct. The reliability of the reports and reporters was his chief consideration and he took pains to ensure that no incorrect report should find place in his book. Formerly, Muwatta included ten thousand Traditions, but in the revised edition, the Imam reduced the number of 1,720 only. This book has been translated into several languages and has sixteen different editions.

As a traditionalist he occupies a unique place in the galaxy of talented scholars like Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim who are well-known for collecting the Traditions of the Holy Prophet of Islam. He is said to have always avoided the company of a person who was not highly learned. According of Imam Hanbal, he was the only person to have such a distinction that he never reported a Tradition from a person unless he had fully satisfied himself. He was held in such high esteem by the later scholars that once someone enquired from Imam Hanbal about a certain reporter. He replied that the reporter must be reliable because Imam Malik had reported from him. Imam Malik experienced great hardship in quest for knowledge. Like Imam Bukhari, who had once to live on herbs and roots for three days, he too, had to sell the beams of his house in order to pay his education dues. He used to say that one cannot attain the heights of intellectual glory, unless faced with poverty. Poverty is the real test of man; it awakens in him the hidden energies and enables him to surmount all difficulties.

His contemporaries and later Traditionalists and religious scholars have formed a very high opinion about his intellectual attainments. According to Abdur Rahman ibn Mahdi, there is no Traditionalist great than Imam Malik in the world. Imams Ahmad bin Hanbal and Shafi speak very highly of him as a Traditionlist. The learned Imam was also a great jurist; for more than 60 years he gave Fatwas in Medina.

Imam Malik was known for his integrity and peity. He always lived up to his convictions. Neither fear nor favour could ever deflect him from the right path. He was among the members of the glorious society of early Islam who could not be purchased and whose undaunted courage always proved as a guiding star for the freedom fighters.

When he was aged twenty-five, the Caliphate passed into the hands of the Abbasids caliph Mansur who was his colleague. Mansur highly respected him for his deep learning. The Imam however, favoured the Fatimid Nafs Zakriya for the exalted office of the Caliph. When he learned that the people had taken the oath of fealty of Mansur, he said that since Mansur had forced people to do so, the oath was not binding them. He quoted a Tradition of the Prophet to the effect that a divorce by force is not legal. When Jafar, a cousin of Mansur, was posted as Governor of Medina, he induced the inhabitants of the Holy city to renew their oath of allegiance to Mansur. The Governor forbade him not to publicise his Fatwa in respect of forced divorce. Highly principled and fearless as he was, the defied the Governor’s orders and courageously persisted in his course. This infuriated the Governor, who ordered that the Imam be awarded 70 stripes, as punishment. According, seventy stripes were inflicted on the naked back of the Imam which began to bleed. Mounted on a camel in his bloodstaind clothes, he was paraded through the streets of Medina. This brutality of the Governor failed to cow down or unnerve the noble Imam. Caliph Mansur, when apprised of he matter, punished the Governor and apologised to the Imam.

Once, Caliph Mansur sent him three thousand Dinars as his travelling expenses of Baghdad, but he returned the money and refused to leave Medina, the resting place of the Prophet.

In 174 A.H Caliph Harun-ar-Rashid, arrived in Medina with his two son Amin and Mamun. He summoned Imam Malik to his durbar for delivering a lecture on Muwatta. The Imam refused to comply with his orders. Arriving in the durbar, the told the Caliph, ‘Rashid! Traditions in a learning cultivated and patronised by your ancestors, if you don’t pay it due respect, no one else would,’ This argument convinced the Caliph, who, along with his two sow, then chose to attend the class taken by the Imam.

The Imam was reputed throughout the world of Islam for his self-control and great patience. One a band of Kharijis armed with swords forced their way into a mosque of Kufa, where he was praying, All persons scampered away from the mosque in panic but he sayed there undismayed. It was customary with all those who waited on Caliph Mansur in his durbar to kiss his hands but Imam Malik never stooped to his humiliation. On the other hand, he paid highest regards to the learned people and once, when Imam Abu Hanifa came to see him, he offered him his own seat.

Muslims inhabiting Western Arabia, exclusively subscribe to the Maliki sect.

[edit] Compiling and narrating hadith

See also: Hadith

Imam Malik practiced extreme care in regard to narrating Hadith, saying, "I do not accept knowledge from four types of people: (1) a person known to be foolish, even though others may narrate from him, (2) a person involved in committing heresy and calling others towards the innovation, (3) a person who lies in regular conversation, even though I do not accuse him as liar in regard to Hadith, (4) and a person who is pious worshipper or scholar, but does not properly and correctly memorize what he narrates."

[edit] Golden Chain of Narration

Imam Malik's chain of narrators was considered the most authentic and called Silsilat ul-Zhahab or "The Golden Chain of Narrators" by notable hadith scholars including Imam Bukhari.[7] The 'Golden Chain' of narration (i.e., that considered by the scholars of Hadith to be the most authentic) consists of Malik, who narrated from Nafi', who narrated from ibn Umar, who narrated from Muhammad.

[edit] Views

[edit] Reluctance in rendering religious verdicts

Malik took advantage of the fact that he was contemporary to many of the Tabi‘in to formulate his famous school of thought which gave precedence to the acts of the people of Medina over the Hadith if they were in conflict. This was done due to the sizeable amount of scholars, and companions of Muhammad residing in the city where Malik's reputation grew immensely. Malik nevertheless showed hesitancy in issuing religious verdicts explaining in one of his more famous statements that:

“ The shield of the scholar is, 'I do not know,' so if he neglects it, his statement is attacked.[8] ”

[edit] Textualist interpretation of hadith on God's attributes

Malik adhered to a textual interpretion of hadith in relation to God's attributes. Ad-Daraqutnee relates that Malik was asked about the attributes of Allah, to which Malik answered, "Pass them on as they come."[9] Furhermore, Qadi Iyad relates that Malik was asked whether people would be looking toward Allah given the narration, "And some faces shall be shining and radiant upon that day, looking at their Lord." Malik ensuingly answered, "Yes, with these two eyes of his," though his student replied, "there are a people who say he will not be looking at Allah, that 'looking' means a reward" to which Malik answered, "They lied, rather they will look at Allah." .

[edit] Opposition to bid'ah or innovation in beliefs

Malik was vehemently opposed to any forms of bid'ah and even directed others not to extend the Islamic greeting of Salam to the people of bidah, stating, "how evil are the People of Innuendo, we do not give them felicitations."[10] Malik explained that "he who establishes an innovation in Islam regarding it as something good, has claimed that Muhammad has betrayed his trust to deliver the message as God says, 'this day have I perfected for you your religion'. And whatsoever was not part of the religion then, is not part of the religion today."[11]

[edit] Prohibiting Kalam

Malik sternly prohibited theological rhetoric and philosophical speech, frequently referred to as kalam.[12] Malik believed that Kalam was rooted in heretical doctrines taken up and followed by controversial theologians such as Jahm bin Safwan.[13] When asked about an individual who delved into Kalam, Malik answered, "He establishes his innovation with kalaam, and if kalaam had been knowledge, the Companions and the tabi'in would have spoken about it, just as they spoke about the rules and regulations.[14].

[edit] The Companions of Muhammad

Malik stressed that those who harbor rancour in their hearts toward the Companions of Prophet Muhammad or find fault with them shall have no right to share war booty with the Muslims.[15] Malik's views pertaining to the Rightly Guided Caliphs set forth the Sunni position that Abu Bakr properly succeeded Muhammad in leadership. In a famous narration, one of Malik's students, Ashaab Ibn Abdul-Azeez said:

“ We were with Malik when a man from amongst the Alawiyyeen stood against him, and they used to come to his gatherings. So he called out to him, `O Abaa 'Abdullaah!' (meaning Malik) So Malik looked to him, and there was not just anyone whom he would have answered, from many of those whom he looked to with his head. So at Taalibee (the Alawee) said to him, `I wish to make you a proof in regards to what is between myself and Allah. When I stand before Him and He asks me, I will say: Malik said it to me.' So he said to him, `Speak.' So he said, `Who is the best of the people after the Messenger of Allah?' He said, ‘Abu Bakr.' The Alawee said,`Then who?' Malik said, `Then 'Umar.' The 'Alawee said, `Then who?' Malik said, `The Caliph who was killed in oppression, 'Uthmaan.' The 'Alawee said, `By Allah, I will never sit with you, ever.' Malik said to him, `The choice is yours."[16] ”


[edit] Views on Shi'ites

Once Imam Maalik was asked about them and he replied, "Do not speak to them nor narrate from them, for surely they are liars." [Minhaaj as-Sunnah, 1/37][17]

During a class of Imaam Maalik, it was mentioned that the Raafidite Shi`ites curse the Sahaabah. In reply, he quoted the Quranic verse, "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah and those with him are harsh with the disbelievers and gentle among themselves. So that the disbelievers may become enraged with them." He then said, "Whoever becomes enraged when the Sahaabah are mentioned is one about whom the verse speaks." [Tafseeer al-Qurtubee, Soorah al-Fath; Editor's note: That is, anyone who is enraged by the mention of the Sahaabah is a disbeliever, because the verse says, "...the disbelievers may become enraged with them (Sahaabah)]."[18]

[edit] Controversy

Despite his reluctance to render religious verdicts, Malik was outspoken. He issued fatwas against being forced to pledge allegiance to the Caliph Al-Mansur, and received a flogging for his stance. Al-Mansur apologized to Malik, and offered him money and residence in Baghdad, but Malik refused to leave the city of Prophet Muhammad. Later, Harun al-Rashid asked Malik to visit him while Harun was performing the hajj. The Imam refused, and instead he invited the new caliph to his class.

[edit] Death

Imam Malik died at the age of 89 in Medina in 795 and is buried in the famous Jannat ul-Baqi cemetery across from the Masjid al Nabawi. Malik's last words were related by one Ismaa'eel Ibn Abee Uways who said, "Maalik became sick, so I asked some of our people about what he said at the time of his death. They said, `He recited the shahadah (testification of faith), then he recited:

“ Their affair is for Allah, before and after.[19] ”

[edit] Works

Imam Malik wrote Al-Muwatta, "The Approved," which was said to have been regarded by Imam Shafi'i to be the soundest book on Earth after the Qur'an.

[edit] See also

Search Wikisource Arabic Wikisource has original text related to this article:

Fatwas:

[edit] References

  1. ^ a b MuslimHeritage.com - Topics
  2. ^ The Origins of Islamic Law: The Qurʼan, the Muwaṭṭaʼ and Madinan ʻAmal, pg. 16
  3. ^ Malik ibn Anas ibn Malik ibn `Amr, al-Imam, Abu `Abd Allah al-Humyari al-Asbahi al-Madani
  4. ^ The Life and Times of Malik ibn Anas (Islaam.Com)
  5. ^ http://www.sunnah.org/publication/khulafa_rashideen/malik.htm
  6. ^ a b The Origins of Islamic Law: The Qurʼan, the Muwaṭṭaʼ and Madinan ʻAmal By Yasin Dutton, pg. 12
  7. ^ "Imaam Maalik ibn Anas" by Hassan Ahmad, ‘Al Jumuah’ Magazine Volume 11 - Issue 9
  8. ^ Al-Intiqaa, pg. 38
  9. ^ as-Siffat, pg.75
  10. ^ al-Ibaanah of ibn Battah, no.441
  11. ^ al-I'tisaam
  12. ^ Dhammul-Kalaam (qaaf/173/alif)
  13. ^ Jaami' Bayaanul-Ilm wa Fadlihi (p. 415)
  14. ^ Dhammul-Kalaam (qaaf/173/baa)
  15. ^ al-Hilyah (6/327)
  16. ^ Tarteebul-Madaarik (2/44 -45)
  17. ^ Madrassah In'aamiyah- Islamic Ruling on the Shi'ites
  18. ^ Madrassah In'aamiyah- Islamic Ruling on the Shi'ites
  19. ^ Quran 30:4

[edit] External links

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