بسم الله وحده والصلاة والسلام على من لا نبي بعده
Ālimah Siddiqa al-Fārsiyyah
Student, Takhassus Fil Hadith
Checked and Approved:
Mufti Ismail Moosa
www.ulumalhadith.com
The Boast of the Imāms, Mālik,
an excellent clear Imām,
His birth was the star (najm) of guidance,
and his death, the victory of Mālik (faza Māliku)
Maulānā Zakariyyah Kāndhelwi (raḥimahullāh)’s Awjaz al-Masālik is a brilliant commentary on Imām Mālik’s Muwaṭṭaʾ. He has dedicated a large portion of the first volume to discussing the life of Imām Mālik (raḥimahullāh) and his Muwaṭṭaʾ and its special features. This review will focus on summarizing some important points from these two sections with the aim of giving a comprehensive overview of Imām Mālik (raḥimahullāh) and his Muwaṭṭaʾ, as well as with a few additional quotations from other sources.
Imām Mālik: lineage
Imām Mālik was one of the greatest scholars, a pillar from the pillars of Islam, the ‘Jurist of the Ummah,’ the esteemed Imām of the place of migration [dār al-hijrah], Abū ʿAbd Allāh, Mālik ibn Anas ibn Mālik ibn Abi ‘Āmir ibn ‘Amr ibn al-Ḥārith ibn Ghayman — as preferred by Ibn Farhūn, Ibn Makūla, Ibn Khallikān and ad-Dār Qutnī, — ibn Khuthayl (as mentioned in al-Isabah), al-Aṣbaḥī; as he was related to Dhū Aṣbah, one of the Qahtānī tribes who held the most noble rank during the period of Jahiliyyah and Islam.
Regarding his father’s grandfather, Abu ‘Āmir, is regarded as the first person in his lineage to accept Islam. Imām adh-Dhahabī mentioned his name in the list of Ṣaḥābah in his Tajrīd as-Ṣaḥābah and said: “I did not see anyone who mentioned him among the Ṣaḥābah. He was alive during the lifetime of the Prophet (ṣal Allāhu ʿalaihi wa sallam) and his son Mālik transmitted from ‘Uthmān (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) and others. In his al-Isabah, Imām Ibn Ḥajar mentioned him under the third category; which he dedicated to the list of those Companions who were alive during Jahiliyya and Islam, but no report has mentioned that they have met the Prophet (ṣal Allāhu ʿalaihi wa sallam).
As for the Imām’s grandfather, Mālik ibn Abī ‘Āmir, he was one of the great scholars of the Tābiʿūn. He was one of the people who assisted in the writing of the Qur’an at the time of ‘Uthman (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh), and those who secretly buried ‘Uthman (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh) at night after his demise. He has three sons: Anas (the father of Imām Mālik), Nafi’ (the well-known narrator), and ar-Rabi’.
Birth and demise
Regarding his year of birth, different reports been mentioned, although the year 93 AH is the most correct. This has been mentioned by Imām adh-Dhahabī in at-Tadhkirah, and preferred by Ibn Farhūn, as well as as-Sam‘ani in al-Ansab, who said: “This report is connected in its chain to Yahya ibn Bukayr, a student of the Imām.” Regarding his year of demise, he passed away in the year 179 AH at the age of 87, and is buried in al-Baqi’.
Respect for ḥadīth
The notable scholars agreed on the pre-eminence of Imām Mālik, and considered him a pillar of knowledge celebrated for his taqwa, retentive memory, reliability in transmitting ḥadīth, and his excellence in issuing fatwas. He was a noble man who inspired respect and his gatherings did not allow for quarrelling, shouting or raising of voices. His students would read the Aḥādīth to him whilst he would listen. Every time he sat to narrate Aḥādīth, he would perfume himself and wear new clothes, Aloes wood (‘ud) was lit and it would continue to burn as incense throughout the sessions.
Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak said, “I was with Mālik while he was relating ḥadīth to us and a scorpion stung him ten times. Mālik changed colour and grew ashen, but he did not interrupt the ḥadīth of the Messenger of Allah (ṣal Allāhu ʿalaihi wa sallam). When the people left him, I said to him, ‘I have seen something wondrous from you today.’” He mentioned the story and Mālik said, “I was not steadfast out of fortitude, but out of respect for the ḥadīth of the Messenger of Allah (ṣal Allāhu ʿalaihi wa sallam).”
He never rode in Madinah and would say, “I am ashamed before Allah to tread with the foot of an animal on the land in which lies the grave of the Messenger of Allah (ṣal Allāhu ʿalaihi wa sallam).”
Harun ar-Rashid asked Imām Mālik to come to him, but he refused. So, Harun came to Imām Mālik with his sons, and ask him to recite to them. Imām Mālik refused and said, “I have not read for anyone since a long time, rather, others read in front of me.” Hearing this, Harun requested that others leave so that he may read in front of Imām Mālik, but he replied, “If the general people are prevented due to special people, then the special people will be deprived of benefiting”, and so he commanded Ma’n ibn ‘Isa to recite, so he did.
Trial
Even though Imām Mālik kept himself away from all the rebellions and any involvement in political matters, Ibn Khallikan mentions that he was nevertheless forced to undergo an ordeal in the reign of Ja’far al-Mansur in which was whipped and his arms were racked to the point that his shoulders became dislocated. There are different opinions regarding why he was whipped, and in who’s reign it was. The most well-known reason that is mentioned is that Imām Mālik would narrate the ḥadīth of Thabit ibn al-Ahnaf that the divorce of a mustakrah (the one coerced to give divorce) does not occur. Thus, certain individuals that envied him, made mention of this to Ja’far al-Mansur and added that Imām Mālik thinks nothing of the allegiances made to him, because similar to how a forced divorce, a forced allegiance is also null. He was whipped due to this.
Teachers
Imām Zurqani said that Imām Mālik took ḥadīth from 900 or more shuyukh. He also took from his father and two uncles. Imām Mālik said: “I would come to Nafi’ when I was a young boy, and others would come with me, and he would narrate ḥadīth to me.” Imām Mālik narrated from him excessively in the Muwaṭṭaʾ. It is also well-known among the scholars that the chain ‘Mālik from Nafi’ from Ibn ‘Umar (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh)’ is from among the most authentic of chains, known as Silsilat adh-Dhahab.
Imām al-Ghafiqi has said: “The number of shuyukh that Imām Mālik has named are 95. From them, 85 are Sahabah, 23 are female scholars, and 48 are Tabi‘un. From the Tabi‘un, all are Madani except six: Abu az-Zubayr al-Makki, Humaid at-Tawil al-Basri, Ayyub al-Basri, ‘Ata al-Khurasani, Abd al-Karim al-Jazri and Ibrahim ibn Abi ‘Ablah ash-Shami.
Abd ar-Rahman ibn Aslam said: “Imām Mālik would always bring the ḥadīth of Zayd ibn Aslam at the end of the chapter, so I asked him why? He replied: ‘Because his ḥadīth is like a lantern which illuminates whatever is before it.’”
He was asked why he has not narrated from Ali and ibn Abbas (radi Allahu ‘anhuma) to which he replied: “They were not in my country, and I did not get a chance to meet their students.”
Students
Imām Dhahabi (rahimahullah) has said: “The number of people that have narrated from him cannot be enumerated.” Imām Zurqani added: “He has so many narrators that one does not know any other Imām with this many narrators. Imām al-Khatib al-Baghdadi has authored a book regarding his students, and has included 993 personalities, and then mentions that he has only included the most famous of his students, but left many others.”
Since such a large number of men listened to the Muwaṭṭaʾ of Imām Mālik, there are a large number of transmissions. Different generations of people related it from him: fuqaha, muhaddithun, Sufis, umara, and khulafa. Qadi ‘Iyad said: “The famous versions of the texts of the Muwaṭṭaʾ which are related or which I have found or are in transmission of our shaykhs, or are transmitted by people, of different copies of the Muwaṭṭaʾ number about twenty. Some mention that there are thirty versions.”
Moreover, many of Imām Mālik’s teachers narrated from him, such as: Imām az-Zuhri, Abu al-Aswad, Ayyub as-Sakhtiyani, Rabi‘ah, Yahya ibn Sa‘id al-Ansari, Musa ibn Uqbah, Nafi’ al-Qari, al-A’mash, and many others. Imām ad-Dar Qutni says: “I do not know of anyone, early or late, who collected what Imām Mālik collected. Two narrators related one ḥadīth from him, and there was a 130-year gap between their deaths. They were Imām Zuhri, who passed away in 125 AH, and Abu Hudhafa as-Sahmi, who passed away after the year 250 AH. They both narrated from him the ḥadīth of Furay‘ah bint Mālik regarding the residence for the ‘iddah.
The Muwaṭṭaʾ
Imām Zurqani says: “When Imām Mālik wrote his Muwaṭṭaʾ, other scholars in Madinah at that time were also producing their Muwaṭṭaʾs. It was said to Imām Mālik, ‘You occupied yourself in producing this book, but other people have also joined you, and have done the same as you have?’ He said: “Bring me what they have done.” They brought them, and he examined them and then said: “You must know that nothing of this is raised up except that by which the pleasure of Allah is desired.”
Imām Mālik was so sincere in writing the Muwaṭṭaʾ solely for the pleasure of Allah Ta‘ala, that he tested himself. After writing it, he threw it in water, and said, “If it gets wet, then I have no need for it.” However, it did not get wet. SubhanAllah.
Harun ar-Rashid, the Umayyad caliph, wanted to hang the Muwaṭṭaʾ on the ka’bah, and make all the Muslims act in accordance with it. When he expressed this wish to Imām Mālik, he replied: “Do not do this, for the Companions of the Messenger of Allah (ṣal Allāhu ʿalaihi wa sallam) differed in such secondary matters, and they spread in different countries, and they were all right.” Hearing this, Harun ar-Rashid said: “May Allah grant you success, O Abu Abdillah.” A similar incident has been mentioned with the caliph, Abu Ja’far al-Mansur when he expressed a similar wish.
Imām Shafi‘i (raḥimahullāh) has praised the book saying, “After the book of Allah, there is no book on the face of the earth sounder than the book of Mālik.” In another statement he said, “No book has been placed on the earth closer to the Qur’an than the book of Mālik.”
Abu Zur‘ah ar-Razi (raḥimahullāh) said, “If a man were to take an oath of divorce that the ḥadīth of Mālik which are in Muwaṭṭaʾ are sound, he would not have broken his oath. No other books reached this level of soundness and reliability.”
Shaykh ad-Dihlawi says in al-Musaffa, “Imām Mālik has based his madhab on marfu’ narrations to the Prophet (ṣal Allāhu ʿalaihi wa sallam) which are either fully connected (Mawsul) or the tabi‘i narrates from the Prophet (ṣal Allāhu ʿalaihi wa sallam) (Mursal). Thereafter, he relies on the verdicts of Umar (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh), followed by the statements of the Madani fuqaha, such as Sa‘id ibn al-Musayyib, ‘Urwah, Qasim, Salim and Sulaiman ibn Yasar, Abu Salamah and Abubakr ibn Amr ibn Hazm and Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz. Imām Mālik indicates to the statements of the Seven Madani Jurists and and other Madani Jurists by saying, “The Sunnah according to us is such and such.” Imām Shafi‘i adds: “This is not considered consensus [ijma’], but is the preferred practice of Imām Mālik and his teachers.”
Some Māliki scholars have mentioned that al-qawl al-mashhur indicates to one of three things in their books: 1) What is strong in terms of evidence even if the majority have not said it, 2) What the majority of mashayikh have said even if it is not strong evidence-wise, and 3) The opinion of Ibn al-Qasim which is in al-Mudawwanah, and his opinion in other books are called al-qawl ghair mashhur. The third is more prevalent than the first two.
In at-Tadrib, it is mentioned that Ibn ‘Abd al-Barr (raḥimahullāh) has said: “When Imām Mālik says: “From a thiqa from Bukayr,” then the “thiqa” refers to Makhrama ibn Bukayr, whilst Imām Nasa’i has said that it refers to Amr ibn al-Harith. When Imām Mālik (raḥimahullāh) says: “From a thiqa, from Amr ibn Shu‘ayb,” then it refers to Abdullah ibn Wahb. Others say it refers to Imām Zuhri. Ibn Wahb adds that when Imām Mālik says, “Akhbarani man la attahimu min Ahl al-‘Ilm” then it refers to Layth ibn Sa’d. Imām Ibn Ḥajar (raḥimahullāh) has added that when Imām Mālik (raḥimahullāh) says: “From a thiqa from ‘Amr ibn Shu‘ayb,” then it refers to Amr ibn al-Harith or Ibn Lahi‘ah, and “From a thiqa, from Ibn Umar (raḍī Allāhu ʿanh)” refers to Nafi’.
The name ‘Muwaṭṭaʾ
It was said to Abu Hatim ar-Razi, “Why has the Muwaṭṭaʾ of Imām Mālik been named ‘Muwaṭṭaʾ’?” He replied, “He produced the book, and people agreed with him regarding it.” In this meaning, it comes from the word “muwata’a” which means agreement. Thus, when he read the book to a group of people of knowledge, and they agreed with him about it, he named it Muwaṭṭaʾ. Ibn Fahr says, “No one proceeded Imām Mālik with this title. Others who compiled books during his time called their books ‘al-Jami,’ ‘Mu’allaf,’ ‘Musannaf,’ etc.
Another meaning for the title of Muwaṭṭaʾ can be from the verb “tawti’a.” One says that something is smoothed or prepared. Thus, Muwaṭṭaʾ means the clear book which smooths the way and is not difficult for the seeker of knowledge to grasp. Shaykh Zakariyyah (raḥimahullāh) quotes this from Al-Majd who says this in al-Qamus. All these meanings can be valid for the Muwaṭṭaʾ.
Imām Mālik first begins the book with the chapters of worship, which are the pillars of Islam. He begins with the chapter on the Times of Salah followed by the chapter of Taharah as they are essential for the validity of Salah. He then brings other sub-chapters of Salah, followed by the chapter of Zakah and Sawm. He then spoke about the rest of the matters of fiqh and divided each chapter into small sections to make it easier to grasp. He finished the book with a chapter called: “General Matters” which contain various topics which he did not include under other headings. He also did this in every individual chapter. For instance, at the end of the chapter on Salah, he dedicated a section entitled “Salah in General”.
Commentaries
Many scholars have written commentaries on the Muwatta of Imam Malik. Imam Ibn Abd al-Barr has said that their number reaches around ninety. Some of them are:
- Abu Muhammad Abdullah al-Batalyusi [d. 521 AH] has written his commentary: “Al-Muqtabas.”
- Ibn Rashiq al-Qayrawani al-Maliki [d. 456 AH] has authored: “Sharh al-Muwatta.”
- Imām Ibn Abd al-Barr [d. 463 AH] (raḥimahullāh) has authored: 1) Kitab at-Tamhid lima fi’l-Muwatta mina’l-Ma‘ani wa’l-Asanid, which is a voluminous book equaling 15-20 volumes in our time but up to 90 thick volumes in the earlier period. He also authored 2) at-Taqassi lima fi’l-Muwaṭṭaʾ min al-Ahadith, and 3) Kitab al-Istidhkar li-Madhahib ‘Ulama al-Amsar fima Tadammanahu Muwaṭṭaʾ min Ma‘ani’r-Ra’y wa’l-Athar, which can be considered an abridgment of the at-Tamhid.
- Ahmad ibn Nasr ad-Dawudi [d. 402 AH] authored his commentary, “An-Nami fi Sharh al-Muwatta.”
- ‘Allamah Abu al-Walid al-Baji [d. 494 AH] has authored: “Al-Muntaqa fi Sharh al-Muwatta” which was first published in the year 1331 AH with Matba‘ah as-Sa‘adah Egypt. Imam Suyuti has added that he has two other commentaries: “al-Ima” and “al-Istifa,” though some have al-Ima to be regarding fiqh. Others say that he first wrote al-Istifa and then condensed it to al-Muntaqa, and then condensed al-Muntaqa to al-Ima.
- Qadi Abubakr ibn al-‘Arabi [d. 543 AH] has authored: “Al-Qabas fi Sharh Muwatta.” Ibn Farhun adds that he has another commentary titled: “al-Masalik fi Sharh Muwatta Imam Malik.”
- Imam Muhammad ibn Sahnun [d. 256 AH] has written: “Sharh Muwatta” in four volumes.
- Qadi ‘Iyad wrote a commentary on the Sahihayn and the Muwaṭṭaʾ, titled al-Mashariq. Imām al-Buni Abd al-Mālik Marwan ibn ‘Ali wrote a very useful commentary called al-Mughatta.
- Shaykh Wali-Allah ad-Dihlawi (raḥimahullāh) also wrote two commentaries. He first wrote a commentary in Persian called al-Musaffa fi Ahadith al-Muwaṭṭaʾ, and then wrote a second as a brief summary in Arabic titled al-Musawwah min Ahadith al-Muwaṭṭaʾ.
This short review cannot do justice to the benefits mentioned in the Muqaddimah of the Awjaz al-Masalik, so it is encouraged that students refer to the book itself. It discusses the different prints of the Muwatta, whether the Muwatta is more authentic or the Sahih of Imam al-Bukhari (raḥimahullāh), the marasil and balaghat of the Muwatta, among other discussions.
The Muqaddimah can be accessed here.