Malki school of Thought



Q. 2.Write a note on Imam Malik?

Answer:-.

SYNOPSIS

1.INTRODUCTION

2.HIS EDUCATION

3. HIS INTELLIGENCE

4.HIS DEATH:

5.JURISTIC THOUGHTS AND THEORIES

(1)IN RELATION TO QURAN SUNNAH (KHABAR-

(II) IN RELATION TO WAHID)

(III) IN RELATION TO SAYING OF

1.COMPANIONS

(IV) IN RELATION TO FATWAS

(V) IN RELATION TO IJMA

(VI)IN RELATION TO QIYAS

(VII) IN RELATION TO ISTEHSAN

(VIII) IN RELATION TO CUSTOM AND USAGES

6. SERVICES IN THE CODIFICATION OF FIQAH

(1)OTHER WRITINGS

(II) HIS PUPILS

7. CONCLUSION



INTRODUCTION:

Imam Malik bin Anas Asbahi al Arabi was born in 95 of Hijra at Madina and there he studied

and taught and did all his work. In his time he was looked upon as the highest authority on

Hadith. His most popular book of Hadith is Mota. He was not a traditionist but a jurist and

founded a school of law known as Maliki School.

2.HIS EDUCATION:

He studied jurisprudence from Rai Abdal Rahman and Traditions from Nafi, Al-Zuhri,

Abu-al-Zinad and Yahya Ibn Said al Ansari. He was so well versed in traditions that he was

considered an authority on it and was approached for his Fatwas. He was a tutor to Imam

Shafi, who was impressed by his knowledge and personality. At the age of seventeen, he

began his career as a lecturer on the Fiqah and Traditions. He himself says, I began to

teaching when seventy Shaykhs had approved that I was qualified to do so. He was

universally acknowledged not as jurist but also as traditionist.

3.HIS INTELLIGENCE:

He was very intelligent. Once he appeared in the Majlis of Imam Zuhuri with his tutor Rabia,

on that day Imam Zuhuri had taught 40 Ahadith to his pupils. On the very next day when he

again went in the Majlis then Imam Zuhuri asked his pupils take them those Ahadith which I

have taught to you yesterday so that I may judge whether you have benefited from them or

not. At this occasion, Rabia said there is only one person in the Majlis from whom all these

Ahadith can be listened and that is Imam Malik. In the recognition of his intelligence Imam

Shafi says that he was a glittering star of the science of traditions.

4.HIS DEATH:

He was died in Madina in 179 A.H.

5. JURISTIC THOUGHTS AND THEORIES:

The juristic thoughts and theories of Imam Malik are as follows.

(I)IN RELATION TO QURAN:

Imam Malik considered Quran superior in the inference of juristic problems. He recourse

to Sunnah only when he did not find solution of any problem in Quran.

(II)IN RELATION TO SUNNAH (KHA نہBAR-WAHID):

He accepted Sunnah of the Holy Prophet as the second source of Islamic law. He lays down

that individual narrations should not be contrary to the practice of the people of Madina.

According to him, if an individual narration is contradicting such practice then it is not a


legally valid proof. Moreover he said about Sunnah that "Sunnah is Safin-i-Nooh whoever

sit in it remained survive and whoever not be destroyed.

(III)IN RELATION TO SAYINGS OF COMPANIONS:

He gave priority to the sayings of companions over Qiyas. Where an individual saying of any

companion is against the Ijma-e- Madina, he gave it up.

(IV)IN RELATION TO FATWAS:

He did not give Fatwas in presumptive problems. Where he felt himself unable to solve any

problem, he clearly says that I do not know about it. And in problem where there is

possibility of two Fatwas, there he narrated both of them.

(V)IN RELATION TO IJMA:

He considered ljma third source of Islamic law after Quran and Sunnah. He relied upon only

the Ijma of Ahle-Madina (VI)

IN RELATION TO QIYAS:

He upheld the exercise of Qiyas when the other sources failed him

(VII) IN RELATION TO ISTEHSAN:

He has upheld the doctrine of Istehsan in some of his decisions. He introduced the doctrine

of public good and also added Istidlal as fifth source of Islamic Law

(VIII) IN RELATION TO CUSTOM AND USAGES:

He was much in favour of usages and customs of Madina. He attached a prepounderating

weight to them, relying on the presumption that they must have been transmitted from the

time of the Prophet.

6. SERVICES IN THE CODIFICATION OF FIQAH:

He had codified a book of Ahadith named Al-Mawatta. This is an authoritative work on

traditions. It was regarded so authoritative that according to Imam Shafi, Mawatta of Malik

ranks next to Quran as far as any book after the Quran is concerned. It contains 300

traditions. It is also said that Imam Malik delivered the lecture of Fiqah and Hadith to his

pupils from this great book of Tradition. Moreover the problems stated by him is preserved

in Al- Muddawwanah al Kubra. This book had been complied by Imam Sakhnoon. In the

beginning, Asad bin Zarat, a Aalim of west, come to Imam Malik and compiled the problems

stated by him and gave it the name of Asadia. Later on a pupil of Imam has compiled this

book with some changes and named it Al Madwwanna which had got too much repute.

(D) OTHER WRITINGS:

Besides Mawwatta, his other notable writings are Risalah Imam Malik, Kitab-ul-Massail,

Kitab-ul-Manasik, Ahkam ul-Quran etc. etc.

(IX) HIS PUPILS:

His pupils Imam Shafl, Ibn Dinar, Abu Hashim Bin Qasim, Abdullah Bin Wahab Misri are

notable.

7.CONCLUSION:

To conclude i can say that Imam Malik was not only a traditionist but a jurist. His doctrines

were not, however, essentially different from those of Abu Hanifa. He learned more

traditions and usages of the Prophet (PBUH) and the precedents established by his

Companions. He attached a prepondering weight to the usages and customs of Madina to

the four main sources of law, the Quran. the Hadith, the lima and Qiyas, he would add

Istidlal as a fifth source. Besides, he codified a book of Ahadith named Al-Mawatta.



To be continued.....


Amazing Fac hits about Imam Malik. 



Imam an-Nawawi, related that Imam Malik ibn Anas and his teacher Imam Rabia’ ar-Ra’i (ibn Farrukh), Allah have Mercy upon them, used to do what other people cannot stand and used to say:


“A Mufti will not be characterized by knowledge until he does things of piety which other people can not do.”


He (Imam an-Nawawi) also relates,


“It is not permissible (La Yajuzu) for a person of one area or country, not aware of the customs and the circumstances of another area to issue fatwa in that place, until he is fully acquainted with the people of it, their style of speaking and what they mean by their words and expressions.”


(Imam an-Nawawi’s - Adab al-Fatwa wa’l-Mufti wa’l-Mustafti - The Etiquettes and Qualifications of Issuing Islamic Judgment, of a Mufti, and of the one seeking his opinion)