1 00:00:00,050 --> 00:00:03,450 In the name of Allah, the Entirely Merciful, the Especially Merciful. 2 00:00:03,450 --> 00:00:08,250 “And of men and beasts and cattle, in like manner, divers hues? The erudite among His bondmen fear Allah alone. Lo! Allah is Mighty, Forgiving.” (35:28) 3 00:00:08,250 --> 00:00:17,980 The Biographies of the Four Imams: 4 00:00:17,980 --> 00:00:24,510 four lives abounding in beauty and grandeur, 5 00:00:24,510 --> 00:00:26,510 carefully abridged 6 00:00:26,510 --> 00:00:29,710 from the matchless, monumental work 7 00:00:29,710 --> 00:00:32,939 *Siyar A'lam al-Nubala'* 8 00:00:33,340 --> 00:00:37,500 by Imam al-Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, 9 00:00:37,500 --> 00:00:41,700 prepared by Shaykh Muhammad al-Muhanna, 10 00:00:41,700 --> 00:00:45,909 may Allah preserve him. 11 00:00:45,909 --> 00:00:51,850 Imam Malik, may Allah have mercy on him: 12 00:00:51,850 --> 00:00:54,049 he is the Shaykh al-Islam, 13 00:00:54,049 --> 00:00:55,649 the Proof of the Ummah, 14 00:00:55,649 --> 00:00:57,649 the Imam of the Abode of Migration (Madinah), 15 00:00:57,649 --> 00:00:59,250 Abu 'Abdullah, 16 00:00:59,250 --> 00:01:00,850 Malik ibn Anas 17 00:01:00,850 --> 00:01:02,850 ibn Malik ibn Abi 'Amir 18 00:01:02,850 --> 00:01:04,849 al-Asbahi al-Madani. 19 00:01:04,849 --> 00:01:09,049 His mother was 'Aliyah bint Sharik al-Azdiyyah. 20 00:01:09,049 --> 00:01:11,450 Malik's birth, according to the most correct view, 21 00:01:11,450 --> 00:01:13,849 was in the year ninety-three, 22 00:01:13,849 --> 00:01:15,650 the year of the passing of Anas, 23 00:01:15,650 --> 00:01:19,450 the servant of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him. 24 00:01:19,450 --> 00:01:23,250 He grew up in an environment of dignity, comfort, and grace, 25 00:01:23,250 --> 00:01:25,650 and sought sacred knowledge while still a youth, 26 00:01:25,650 --> 00:01:28,049 in his mid-teens. 27 00:01:28,049 --> 00:01:31,650 He learned from Nafi', Ibn al-Munkadir, al-Zuhri, 28 00:01:31,650 --> 00:01:34,450 Hisham ibn 'Urwah, and countless others. 29 00:01:34,450 --> 00:01:36,450 He became qualified to issue formal legal verdicts (fatwa) 30 00:01:36,450 --> 00:01:40,650 and sat to teach when he was just twenty-one years old. 31 00:01:40,650 --> 00:01:44,650 A group of scholars narrated from him while he was still a tender youth, 32 00:01:44,650 --> 00:01:47,849 and seekers of knowledge journeyed to him from all horizons 33 00:01:47,849 --> 00:01:50,849 toward the end of Abu Ja'far al-Mansur's reign 34 00:01:50,849 --> 00:01:52,650 and thereafter. 35 00:01:52,650 --> 00:01:55,650 They crowded around him during the caliphate of al-Rashid, 36 00:01:55,650 --> 00:01:57,849 until his death. 37 00:01:57,849 --> 00:02:01,250 On the authority of Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said: 38 00:02:01,250 --> 00:02:04,049 The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, said: 39 00:02:04,049 --> 00:02:08,449 "People will soon beat the flanks of camels in search of knowledge, 40 00:02:08,449 --> 00:02:13,449 yet they will find no scholar more knowledgeable than the scholar of Madinah." 41 00:02:13,449 --> 00:02:17,050 It is related from Sufyan ibn 'Uyaynah that he said: 42 00:02:17,050 --> 00:02:18,449 "I used to say 43 00:02:18,449 --> 00:02:20,650 he was Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab, 44 00:02:20,650 --> 00:02:22,449 until I realized 45 00:02:22,449 --> 00:02:25,449 that in his era there were Sulayman ibn Yasar, 46 00:02:25,449 --> 00:02:28,849 Salim ibn 'Abdullah, and others. 47 00:02:28,849 --> 00:02:31,050 Then today I have come to say: 48 00:02:31,050 --> 00:02:32,849 it is indeed Malik, 49 00:02:32,849 --> 00:02:36,050 for none remains in Madinah equal to him." 50 00:02:36,050 --> 00:02:39,849 Abu al-Mughirah al-Makhzumi mentioned that its meaning is: 51 00:02:39,849 --> 00:02:43,050 as long as Muslims seek knowledge, 52 00:02:43,050 --> 00:02:46,849 they will find none more knowledgeable than a scholar in Madinah. 53 00:02:46,849 --> 00:02:48,849 Accordingly, this applies to 54 00:02:48,849 --> 00:02:50,849 Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab, 55 00:02:50,849 --> 00:02:54,050 then after him, those among Malik's teachers, 56 00:02:54,050 --> 00:02:55,449 then Malik, 57 00:02:55,449 --> 00:02:58,449 then whoever maintained his knowledge after him. 58 00:02:58,449 --> 00:02:59,449 I say: 59 00:02:59,449 --> 00:03:02,050 the scholar of Madinah in his respective time, 60 00:03:02,050 --> 00:03:05,250 after the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, 61 00:03:05,250 --> 00:03:06,449 and his companion (Abu Bakr), 62 00:03:06,449 --> 00:03:09,250 was Zayd ibn Thabit and 'A'ishah, 63 00:03:09,250 --> 00:03:10,849 then Ibn 'Umar, 64 00:03:10,849 --> 00:03:13,050 then Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab, 65 00:03:13,050 --> 00:03:14,650 then al-Zuhri, 66 00:03:14,650 --> 00:03:17,050 then 'Ubaydullah ibn 'Umar, 67 00:03:17,050 --> 00:03:18,650 then Malik. 68 00:03:18,650 --> 00:03:20,449 Ibn 'Uyaynah said: 69 00:03:20,449 --> 00:03:23,449 "Malik is the scholar of the people of the Hijaz, 70 00:03:23,449 --> 00:03:25,849 and he is the proof of his age." 71 00:03:25,849 --> 00:03:29,050 Al-Shafi'i said—and he spoke truly and excellently: 72 00:03:29,050 --> 00:03:31,050 "Whenever scholars are mentioned, 73 00:03:31,050 --> 00:03:33,250 Malik is the brilliant star." 74 00:03:33,250 --> 00:03:35,050 Al-Zubayr ibn Bakkar said 75 00:03:35,050 --> 00:03:39,050 regarding the hadith "People will soon beat the flanks of camels": 76 00:03:39,050 --> 00:03:40,849 Sufyan ibn 'Uyaynah, 77 00:03:40,849 --> 00:03:43,849 whenever he narrated this during Malik's lifetime, 78 00:03:43,849 --> 00:03:45,050 would say: 79 00:03:45,050 --> 00:03:47,050 "I deem him to be Malik." 80 00:03:47,050 --> 00:03:49,650 He maintained this view for a long time, 81 00:03:49,650 --> 00:03:51,050 then later reconsidered 82 00:03:51,050 --> 00:03:52,250 and said: 83 00:03:52,250 --> 00:03:57,250 "I deem him to be 'Abdullah ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz al-'Umari, the ascetic." 84 00:03:57,250 --> 00:04:00,250 Ibn 'Abd al-Barr and several others said: 85 00:04:00,250 --> 00:04:04,650 Al-'Umari is not one to rival Malik in sacred knowledge and fiqh, 86 00:04:04,650 --> 00:04:08,250 even though he was a nobleman, a master, and a devoted worshipper. 87 00:04:08,250 --> 00:04:09,449 I say: 88 00:04:09,449 --> 00:04:14,250 This al-'Umari possessed sound knowledge, fiqh, and virtue; 89 00:04:14,250 --> 00:04:16,449 he was an outspoken champion of truth, 90 00:04:16,449 --> 00:04:18,050 an enjoiner of good, 91 00:04:18,050 --> 00:04:20,250 and secluded from the people. 92 00:04:20,250 --> 00:04:23,250 Whenever he was alone with Malik, he would urge him 93 00:04:23,250 --> 00:04:26,050 toward asceticism, detachment from worldly ties, and seclusion. 94 00:04:26,050 --> 00:04:28,050 May Allah have mercy on them both. 95 00:04:28,050 --> 00:04:31,050 Al-Hafiz Ibn 'Abd al-Barr mentioned in *al-Tamhid* 96 00:04:31,050 --> 00:04:34,050 that 'Abdullah al-'Umari, the devoted worshipper, 97 00:04:34,050 --> 00:04:38,050 wrote to Malik urging him toward seclusion and solitary devotion. 98 00:04:38,050 --> 00:04:41,050 So Malik wrote back to him: 99 00:04:41,050 --> 00:04:45,050 "Indeed, Allah has distributed deeds just as He has distributed provisions. 100 00:04:45,050 --> 00:04:48,050 For many a man has been granted devotion in voluntary prayer, 101 00:04:48,050 --> 00:04:50,050 but not in fasting; 102 00:04:50,050 --> 00:04:53,050 another has been granted devotion in charity, 103 00:04:53,050 --> 00:04:55,050 but not in fasting; 104 00:04:55,050 --> 00:04:58,050 and another has been granted devotion in jihad. 105 00:04:58,050 --> 00:05:01,050 Spreading knowledge is among the most virtuous of righteous deeds, 106 00:05:01,050 --> 00:05:04,050 and I am well pleased with what Allah has granted me therein. 107 00:05:04,050 --> 00:05:08,050 Nor do I believe that the path I am on is inferior to yours, 108 00:05:08,050 --> 00:05:12,050 and I hope that both of us are upon goodness and righteousness." 109 00:05:12,050 --> 00:05:18,189 There was no scholar in Madinah after the Tabi'un 110 00:05:18,189 --> 00:05:21,189 who rivaled Malik in knowledge, fiqh, 111 00:05:21,189 --> 00:05:23,189 majesty, and memorization. 112 00:05:23,189 --> 00:05:26,189 Madinah had possessed, after the Companions, figures like 113 00:05:26,189 --> 00:05:29,189 Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab, the Seven Jurists, 114 00:05:29,189 --> 00:05:32,189 al-Qasim, Salim, 115 00:05:32,189 --> 00:05:35,189 'Ikrimah, Nafi', and their generation; 116 00:05:35,189 --> 00:05:38,189 then Zayd ibn Aslam, Ibn Shihab, 117 00:05:38,189 --> 00:05:41,189 Abu al-Zinad, Yahya ibn Sa'id, 118 00:05:41,189 --> 00:05:43,189 Safwan ibn Salim, 119 00:05:43,189 --> 00:05:47,189 Rabi'ah ibn Abi 'Abd al-Rahman, and their generation. 120 00:05:47,189 --> 00:05:49,189 When they passed away, 121 00:05:49,189 --> 00:05:52,189 renown in Madinah belonged to Malik, Ibn Abi Dhi'b, 122 00:05:52,189 --> 00:05:55,189 'Abd al-'Aziz ibn al-Majishun, 123 00:05:55,189 --> 00:05:58,189 al-Darawardi, and their peers. 124 00:05:58,189 --> 00:06:02,189 Yet Malik was undeniably the foremost among them all, 125 00:06:02,189 --> 00:06:06,189 the one toward whom the flanks of camels were spurred from across the horizons, 126 00:06:06,189 --> 00:06:09,259 may Allah the Exalted have mercy on him. 127 00:06:09,259 --> 00:06:11,259 Al-Ru'ayni said: 128 00:06:11,259 --> 00:06:13,259 Caliph al-Mahdi arrived in Madinah, 129 00:06:13,259 --> 00:06:16,259 so he sent for Malik, and Malik came to him. 130 00:06:16,259 --> 00:06:19,259 The Caliph then said to his two sons, Harun and Musa: 131 00:06:19,259 --> 00:06:21,259 "Listen to him." 132 00:06:21,259 --> 00:06:23,259 So they sent for him, but he did not respond to their summons. 133 00:06:23,259 --> 00:06:25,259 Al-Mahdi was informed of this 134 00:06:25,259 --> 00:06:27,259 and spoke to him about it. 135 00:06:27,259 --> 00:06:30,259 Malik replied: "O Commander of the Believers, 136 00:06:30,259 --> 00:06:32,259 knowledge is to be approached, not summoned." 137 00:06:32,259 --> 00:06:35,259 Al-Mahdi said: "Malik has spoken the truth; 138 00:06:35,259 --> 00:06:37,350 go to him." 139 00:06:37,350 --> 00:06:39,350 When they arrived at his gathering, 140 00:06:39,350 --> 00:06:41,350 their tutor said to him: 141 00:06:41,350 --> 00:06:43,350 "Read to us." 142 00:06:43,350 --> 00:06:45,350 Malik said: 143 00:06:45,350 --> 00:06:48,350 "The people of Madinah read before the scholar 144 00:06:48,350 --> 00:06:51,350 just as children read before their schoolmaster; 145 00:06:51,350 --> 00:06:54,610 if they make an error, he corrects them." 146 00:06:54,610 --> 00:06:56,610 So they returned to al-Mahdi, 147 00:06:56,610 --> 00:06:59,610 who sent for Malik and spoke to him. 148 00:06:59,610 --> 00:07:00,610 Malik said: 149 00:07:00,610 --> 00:07:03,610 "I heard Ibn Shihab say: 150 00:07:03,610 --> 00:07:06,610 'We gathered this knowledge in the Rawdah from prominent men, 151 00:07:06,610 --> 00:07:09,610 who were, O Commander of the Believers: 152 00:07:09,610 --> 00:07:11,610 Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab, 153 00:07:11,610 --> 00:07:13,610 Abu Salamah, 'Urwah, 154 00:07:13,610 --> 00:07:15,610 al-Qasim, Salim, 155 00:07:15,610 --> 00:07:17,610 Kharijah ibn Zayd, 156 00:07:18,610 --> 00:07:20,610 Nafi', 157 00:07:20,610 --> 00:07:22,610 and 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Hurmuz; 158 00:07:22,610 --> 00:07:24,610 and from after them: 159 00:07:24,610 --> 00:07:26,610 Abu al-Zinad, Rabi'ah, 160 00:07:26,610 --> 00:07:29,610 Yahya ibn Sa'id, and Ibn Shihab— 161 00:07:29,610 --> 00:07:32,610 all of them had students read before them, 162 00:07:32,610 --> 00:07:34,610 and they did not read themselves.'" 163 00:07:34,610 --> 00:07:36,610 Al-Mahdi said: 164 00:07:36,610 --> 00:07:38,610 "In these figures lies an exemplary precedent; 165 00:07:38,610 --> 00:07:40,610 go to him and read before him." 166 00:07:40,610 --> 00:07:42,740 And so they did. 167 00:07:42,740 --> 00:07:44,740 Qutaybah said: 168 00:07:44,740 --> 00:07:46,740 Whenever we entered upon Malik, 169 00:07:46,740 --> 00:07:48,740 he would come out to us adorned, 170 00:07:48,740 --> 00:07:50,740 wearing kohl and perfumed, 171 00:07:50,740 --> 00:07:52,740 dressed in his finest clothes. 172 00:07:52,740 --> 00:07:54,740 He would preside over the study circle, 173 00:07:54,740 --> 00:07:56,740 call for hand fans, 174 00:07:56,740 --> 00:07:59,740 and distribute a fan to each of us. 175 00:07:59,740 --> 00:08:01,930 Muhammad ibn 'Umar said: 176 00:08:01,930 --> 00:08:04,930 Malik used to come to the mosque, 177 00:08:04,930 --> 00:08:08,930 attending the prescribed prayers, the Friday sermon, and funeral processions; 178 00:08:08,930 --> 00:08:10,930 he would visit the sick 179 00:08:10,930 --> 00:08:12,930 and sit in the mosque, 180 00:08:12,930 --> 00:08:14,930 where his companions would gather around him. 181 00:08:14,930 --> 00:08:16,930 Then he ceased sitting there; 182 00:08:16,930 --> 00:08:18,930 he would pray and depart, 183 00:08:18,930 --> 00:08:21,930 and he stopped attending funerals. 184 00:08:21,930 --> 00:08:24,930 Later, he gave all of that up, including the Friday prayer, 185 00:08:24,930 --> 00:08:27,930 yet the people tolerated it all, 186 00:08:27,930 --> 00:08:30,930 being as eager as ever to learn from him. 187 00:08:30,930 --> 00:08:32,929 He would occasionally be questioned about this, 188 00:08:32,929 --> 00:08:34,929 and he would say: 189 00:08:34,929 --> 00:08:38,929 "Not everyone is able to disclose his valid excuse." 190 00:08:38,929 --> 00:08:41,929 He meant that he had been afflicted with an ailment 191 00:08:41,929 --> 00:08:44,929 that prevented him from attending the Friday prayer and congregational prayers. 192 00:08:44,929 --> 00:08:46,149 He said: 193 00:08:46,149 --> 00:08:50,149 His assembly was a gathering of dignity and forbearance, 194 00:08:50,149 --> 00:08:53,149 for he was an awe-inspiring, noble man; 195 00:08:53,149 --> 00:08:57,149 there was no disputation or clamor in his gathering, 196 00:08:57,149 --> 00:08:59,149 nor any raising of voices. 197 00:08:59,149 --> 00:09:02,149 Isma'il ibn Abi Uways said: 198 00:09:02,149 --> 00:09:05,149 I asked my maternal uncle Malik about a legal issue, 199 00:09:05,149 --> 00:09:07,149 and he said to me: "Wait." 200 00:09:07,149 --> 00:09:10,149 Then he performed ablution and sat upon the couch. 201 00:09:10,149 --> 00:09:12,149 He then said: 202 00:09:12,149 --> 00:09:15,149 "There is no power and no strength except with Allah." 203 00:09:15,149 --> 00:09:18,149 And he would never issue a legal verdict until he had uttered it. 204 00:09:18,149 --> 00:09:20,179 Abu Mus'ab said: 205 00:09:20,179 --> 00:09:24,179 "Malik would never narrate hadith unless he was in a state of ritual purity, 206 00:09:24,179 --> 00:09:26,179 out of deep reverence for the hadith." 207 00:09:26,179 --> 00:09:31,009 The physical description of Imam Malik: 208 00:09:31,009 --> 00:09:33,460 'Isa ibn 'Umar said: 209 00:09:33,460 --> 00:09:36,460 "I have never seen any fair complexion with a ruddy hue 210 00:09:36,460 --> 00:09:38,460 more handsome than the face of Malik, 211 00:09:38,460 --> 00:09:41,460 nor any garment whiter than that of Malik." 212 00:09:41,460 --> 00:09:44,460 More than one authority transmitted 213 00:09:44,460 --> 00:09:47,460 that he was tall and solidly built, 214 00:09:47,460 --> 00:09:49,460 large-headed, fair-haired with a blondish complexion, 215 00:09:49,460 --> 00:09:51,460 white-haired in beard and head, 216 00:09:51,460 --> 00:09:53,460 having a magnificent, thick beard, 217 00:09:53,460 --> 00:09:56,460 and it was said he had blue eyes. 218 00:09:56,460 --> 00:09:59,460 Abu 'Asim said: 219 00:09:59,460 --> 00:10:02,460 "I have never seen a hadith scholar more handsome in countenance than Malik." 220 00:10:02,460 --> 00:10:05,460 Abu Mus'ab said: 221 00:10:05,460 --> 00:10:08,460 "Malik was among the most handsome of people in face, 222 00:10:08,460 --> 00:10:10,460 the clearest and most radiant of them in gaze, 223 00:10:10,460 --> 00:10:12,460 the purest of them in his fair complexion, 224 00:10:12,460 --> 00:10:15,460 and the most perfectly tall among them with an excellent physique." 225 00:10:15,460 --> 00:10:18,549 Al-Qadi 'Iyad cited from various chains of transmission 226 00:10:18,549 --> 00:10:21,549 the elegance of the Imam's attire 227 00:10:21,549 --> 00:10:23,549 and the exquisite perfection of his dignified appearance. 228 00:10:23,549 --> 00:10:26,649 Malik was an eminent master in the critical appraisal of narrators (naqd al-rijal), 229 00:10:26,649 --> 00:10:29,649 a consummate, precise, and masterly memorizer of hadith. 230 00:10:29,649 --> 00:10:32,710 'Atiq ibn Ya'qub said: 231 00:10:32,710 --> 00:10:34,710 "I heard Malik say: 232 00:10:34,710 --> 00:10:38,710 'Ibn Shihab narrated to me forty-odd hadiths, 233 00:10:38,710 --> 00:10:41,710 and then said: "Recite them back to me." 234 00:10:41,710 --> 00:10:45,710 So I recited forty of those hadiths back to him from memory.'" 235 00:10:45,710 --> 00:10:47,779 Al-Shafi'i said: 236 00:10:47,779 --> 00:10:49,779 "Muhammad ibn al-Hasan said: 237 00:10:49,779 --> 00:10:53,779 'I stayed with Malik for over three years, 238 00:10:53,779 --> 00:10:57,779 and I heard directly from his own words more than seven hundred hadiths.' 239 00:10:57,779 --> 00:11:01,779 So whenever Muhammad narrated on the authority of Malik, 240 00:11:01,779 --> 00:11:03,779 his house would become completely packed; 241 00:11:03,779 --> 00:11:06,779 but whenever he narrated on the authority of other Kufan scholars, 242 00:11:06,779 --> 00:11:09,779 only a very few would come to him." 243 00:11:09,779 --> 00:11:13,000 Ibn Abi 'Umar al-'Adani said: 244 00:11:13,000 --> 00:11:15,000 "I heard al-Shafi'i say: 245 00:11:15,000 --> 00:11:19,000 'Malik is my teacher, and from him I acquired knowledge.'" 246 00:11:19,000 --> 00:11:21,000 Ibn Mahdi said: 247 00:11:21,000 --> 00:11:24,000 "The foremost leaders of the people in their era were four: 248 00:11:24,000 --> 00:11:26,000 al-Thawri, Malik, 249 00:11:26,000 --> 00:11:29,000 al-Awza'i, and Hammad ibn Zayd." 250 00:11:29,000 --> 00:11:31,000 And he said: 251 00:11:31,000 --> 00:11:34,000 "I have never seen anyone more profoundly intelligent than Malik." 252 00:11:34,000 --> 00:11:36,000 It is related that Malik said: 253 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:39,000 "The shield of the scholar is to say: 'I do not know.' 254 00:11:39,000 --> 00:11:42,000 If he neglects it, he exposes his mortal vulnerabilities." 255 00:11:42,000 --> 00:11:45,259 Al-Haytham ibn Jamil said: 256 00:11:45,259 --> 00:11:49,259 "I heard Malik being asked about forty-eight issues, 257 00:11:49,259 --> 00:11:54,259 and in thirty-two of them he answered: 'I do not know.'" 258 00:11:54,259 --> 00:11:55,379 Malik said: 259 00:11:55,379 --> 00:11:59,379 "I heard 'Abdullah ibn Yazid ibn Hurmuz say: 260 00:11:59,379 --> 00:12:03,379 'A scholar ought to pass down to his companions the habit of saying, 261 00:12:03,379 --> 00:12:05,379 "I do not know," 262 00:12:05,379 --> 00:12:09,379 so that it becomes a foundational refuge they readily turn to.'" 263 00:12:09,379 --> 00:12:11,480 Ibn 'Abd al-Barr said: 264 00:12:11,480 --> 00:12:13,480 "It is authentically transmitted from Abu al-Darda' 265 00:12:13,480 --> 00:12:16,480 that saying 'I do not know' is half of knowledge." 266 00:12:16,480 --> 00:12:20,399 The Trial: 267 00:12:20,399 --> 00:12:22,399 Muhammad ibn Jarir said: 268 00:12:22,399 --> 00:12:25,399 "Malik was once subjected to flogging with whips, 269 00:12:25,399 --> 00:12:28,399 and opinions differed regarding the reason for that. 270 00:12:28,399 --> 00:12:30,399 Al-'Abbas ibn al-Walid narrated to me: 271 00:12:30,399 --> 00:12:32,399 Ibn Dhakwan narrated to us, 272 00:12:32,399 --> 00:12:34,399 on the authority of Marwan al-Tatari, 273 00:12:34,399 --> 00:12:39,399 that Abu Ja'far al-Mansur forbade Malik from narrating the hadith: 274 00:12:39,399 --> 00:12:42,399 'There is no divorce binding upon one who is coerced.' 275 00:12:42,399 --> 00:12:44,399 Then he secretly dispatched someone to ask him about it, 276 00:12:44,399 --> 00:12:48,399 and Malik narrated it to him publicly before all the people, 277 00:12:48,399 --> 00:12:50,399 so he had him flogged with whips." 278 00:12:50,399 --> 00:12:52,559 Ahmad ibn Hanbal was asked: 279 00:12:52,559 --> 00:12:54,559 "Who flogged Malik?" 280 00:12:54,559 --> 00:12:55,559 He said: 281 00:12:55,559 --> 00:12:58,559 "One of the governors, concerning the divorce of the coerced, 282 00:12:58,559 --> 00:13:00,559 as Malik did not deem it valid; 283 00:13:00,559 --> 00:13:02,559 so he flogged him on account of that." 284 00:13:02,559 --> 00:13:04,690 Al-Waqidi said: 285 00:13:04,690 --> 00:13:07,690 "When Malik was summoned, consulted, 286 00:13:07,690 --> 00:13:10,690 listened to, and his opinions were embraced, 287 00:13:10,690 --> 00:13:11,690 he was envied, 288 00:13:11,690 --> 00:13:13,690 and people sought to transgress against him by every means. 289 00:13:13,690 --> 00:13:17,750 When Ja'far ibn Sulayman was appointed governor over Medina, 290 00:13:17,750 --> 00:13:19,750 they slandered Malik to him, 291 00:13:19,750 --> 00:13:21,750 heaping accusations against him in his presence, 292 00:13:21,750 --> 00:13:22,750 and they said: 293 00:13:22,750 --> 00:13:26,750 'He does not regard this oath of allegiance of yours to be of any binding value, 294 00:13:26,750 --> 00:13:28,750 and he relies upon a hadith 295 00:13:28,750 --> 00:13:32,750 which he narrated from Thabit ibn al-Ahnaf concerning the divorce of the coerced, 296 00:13:32,750 --> 00:13:35,850 holding that it has no validity in his view.'" 297 00:13:35,850 --> 00:13:36,850 He said: 298 00:13:36,850 --> 00:13:37,850 "Thereupon Ja'far became furious 299 00:13:37,850 --> 00:13:39,850 and summoned Malik. 300 00:13:39,850 --> 00:13:42,850 He confronted him with what had been reported against him, 301 00:13:42,850 --> 00:13:46,850 then ordered that he be stripped and flogged with whips. 302 00:13:46,850 --> 00:13:49,850 His arms were stretched so violently that his shoulder was dislocated, 303 00:13:49,850 --> 00:13:52,850 and a grievous injustice was committed against him. 304 00:13:52,850 --> 00:13:57,850 Yet by Allah, after that Malik only continued to rise in honor and lofty standing." 305 00:13:57,850 --> 00:13:58,879 I say: 306 00:13:58,879 --> 00:14:01,879 this is the fruit of praiseworthy tribulation, 307 00:14:01,879 --> 00:14:04,879 in that it elevates the servant in the estimation of the believers. 308 00:14:04,879 --> 00:14:06,879 For when a believer is tested, 309 00:14:06,879 --> 00:14:09,879 he endures patiently, takes admonition, and seeks Allah's forgiveness, 310 00:14:09,879 --> 00:14:12,879 never occupying himself with vilifying those who wronged him; 311 00:14:12,879 --> 00:14:14,879 for Allah is an equitable Judge. 312 00:14:14,879 --> 00:14:18,879 He then praises Allah for the preservation of his religion, 313 00:14:18,879 --> 00:14:22,879 knowing that punishment in this world is lighter and ultimately far better for him. 314 00:14:22,879 --> 00:14:25,980 Abu al-Walid al-Baji said: 315 00:14:25,980 --> 00:14:28,980 "It is related that al-Mansur performed the pilgrimage 316 00:14:28,980 --> 00:14:33,980 and offered Malik legal retribution (qisas) against Ja'far ibn Sulayman, who had flogged him— 317 00:14:33,980 --> 00:14:36,980 meaning he surrendered him to Malik so he could exact retribution from him— 318 00:14:36,980 --> 00:14:38,980 but Malik refused and said: 319 00:14:38,980 --> 00:14:40,980 'I seek refuge in Allah!'" 320 00:14:40,980 --> 00:14:47,090 Malik—may Allah have mercy on him—authored a treatise on divine decree (qadar), 321 00:14:47,090 --> 00:14:51,090 which he wrote to Ibn Wahb, and its chain of transmission is authentic. 322 00:14:51,090 --> 00:14:55,090 He also had a work on the stars and lunar mansions, 323 00:14:55,090 --> 00:14:59,090 transmitted by Sahnun from Ibn Nafi' al-Sa'igh on his authority. 324 00:14:59,090 --> 00:15:02,090 He had a small treatise in Tafsir, 325 00:15:02,090 --> 00:15:05,090 a single-volume treatise on judicial rulings (al-aqdiyah), 326 00:15:05,090 --> 00:15:10,120 and the work 'Kitab al-Sirr' through the transmission of Ibn al-Qasim from him. 327 00:15:10,120 --> 00:15:16,120 As for what his senior disciples transmitted from him of juridical issues, fatwas, and scholarly benefits, 328 00:15:16,120 --> 00:15:18,120 it is exceedingly vast. 329 00:15:18,120 --> 00:15:20,120 Among those treasures are 330 00:15:20,120 --> 00:15:24,120 al-Mudawwanah, al-Wadihah, and other seminal works. 331 00:15:24,120 --> 00:15:26,120 In any case, 332 00:15:26,120 --> 00:15:29,120 wherever the fiqh of Malik reaches, 333 00:15:29,120 --> 00:15:32,120 the vast majority of his legal positions are sound and firmly guided; 334 00:15:32,120 --> 00:15:36,120 and were there nothing to his credit other than blocking legal stratagems (hiyal) 335 00:15:36,120 --> 00:15:39,120 and observing the higher objectives of the law (maqasid), it would indeed suffice him. 336 00:15:39,120 --> 00:15:42,120 His school of thought spread throughout the Maghreb and al-Andalus, 337 00:15:42,120 --> 00:15:44,120 vast parts of the lands of Egypt, 338 00:15:44,120 --> 00:15:47,120 parts of the Levant, Yemen, and the Sudan, 339 00:15:47,120 --> 00:15:50,120 as well as Basra, Baghdad, Kufa, 340 00:15:50,120 --> 00:15:52,120 and parts of Khorasan. 341 00:15:52,120 --> 00:15:54,120 Yet this great Imam— 342 00:15:54,120 --> 00:15:56,120 namely, Imam Malik— 343 00:15:56,120 --> 00:15:58,120 who is truly a guiding star, 344 00:15:58,120 --> 00:16:01,120 was profoundly fair and uttered a decisive statement 345 00:16:01,120 --> 00:16:03,120 when he said: 346 00:16:03,120 --> 00:16:06,120 "The words of anyone may be accepted or rejected, 347 00:16:06,120 --> 00:16:11,120 except for the occupant of this grave, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him." 348 00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:13,120 Al-Shafi'i said: 349 00:16:13,120 --> 00:16:15,120 "Knowledge revolves around three men: 350 00:16:15,120 --> 00:16:18,120 Malik, al-Layth, and Ibn 'Uyaynah." 351 00:16:18,120 --> 00:16:20,120 I say: 352 00:16:21,120 --> 00:16:24,120 and alongside them are al-Awza'i, al-Thawri, 353 00:16:24,120 --> 00:16:26,120 Ma'mar, Abu Hanifah, 354 00:16:26,120 --> 00:16:29,120 Shu'bah, and the two Hammads. 355 00:16:29,120 --> 00:16:31,220 It is related from al-Awza'i 356 00:16:31,220 --> 00:16:34,220 that whenever Malik was mentioned, he would say: 357 00:16:34,220 --> 00:16:38,220 "He is the scholar of scholars and the mufti of the Two Holy Sanctuaries." 358 00:16:38,220 --> 00:16:40,220 Abu Yusuf said: 359 00:16:40,220 --> 00:16:43,220 "I have never seen anyone more knowledgeable than Abu Hanifah, 360 00:16:43,220 --> 00:16:46,220 Malik, and Ibn Abi Layla." 361 00:16:46,220 --> 00:16:49,220 Ahmad ibn Hanbal mentioned Malik 362 00:16:49,220 --> 00:16:52,220 and gave him precedence over al-Awza'i, al-Thawri, 363 00:16:52,220 --> 00:16:56,220 al-Layth, Hammad, and al-Hakam in knowledge, 364 00:16:56,220 --> 00:16:57,220 saying: 365 00:16:57,220 --> 00:17:00,220 "He is an imam in hadith and in fiqh." 366 00:17:00,220 --> 00:17:02,279 Malik said: 367 00:17:02,279 --> 00:17:05,279 "I did not issue fatwas until seventy scholars testified 368 00:17:05,279 --> 00:17:07,279 that I was qualified to do so." 369 00:17:07,279 --> 00:17:10,309 Abu al-'Abbas al-Sarraj said: 370 00:17:10,309 --> 00:17:12,309 "I heard al-Bukhari say: 371 00:17:12,309 --> 00:17:14,309 'The soundest of all chains of transmission is: 372 00:17:14,309 --> 00:17:17,309 Malik, from Nafi', from Ibn 'Umar.'" 373 00:17:17,309 --> 00:17:22,259 From Malik's statements concerning the Sunnah: 374 00:17:22,259 --> 00:17:25,650 Mutarrif ibn 'Abdullah said: 375 00:17:25,650 --> 00:17:27,650 "I heard Malik say: 376 00:17:27,650 --> 00:17:31,650 'The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, 377 00:17:31,650 --> 00:17:34,650 and the leaders of authority after him laid down sunnahs; 378 00:17:34,650 --> 00:17:37,650 adhering to them is following the Book of Allah, 379 00:17:37,650 --> 00:17:40,650 the perfection of obedience to Allah, 380 00:17:40,650 --> 00:17:42,650 and strength in the religion of Allah. 381 00:17:42,650 --> 00:17:46,650 No one has the right to alter or replace them, 382 00:17:46,650 --> 00:17:49,650 nor to entertain anything that contradicts them. 383 00:17:49,650 --> 00:17:52,650 Whoever is guided by them is truly guided, 384 00:17:52,650 --> 00:17:55,650 whoever seeks victory through them is granted victory, 385 00:17:55,650 --> 00:17:59,650 and whoever abandons them follows a path other than that of the believers, 386 00:17:59,650 --> 00:18:02,650 so Allah will leave him to what he has turned to, 387 00:18:02,650 --> 00:18:06,650 and cast him into Hell—and an evil destination it is!'" 388 00:18:06,650 --> 00:18:08,650 Ishaq ibn 'Isa said: 389 00:18:08,650 --> 00:18:10,650 "Malik said: 390 00:18:10,650 --> 00:18:13,650 'Are we, every time a man comes along who is more skilled in disputation than another, 391 00:18:13,650 --> 00:18:18,650 to abandon what Gabriel brought down to Muhammad, peace be upon him, 392 00:18:18,650 --> 00:18:20,650 on account of his argumentation?'" 393 00:18:20,650 --> 00:18:23,779 Ja'far ibn 'Abdullah said: 394 00:18:23,779 --> 00:18:25,779 "We were in the presence of Malik, 395 00:18:25,779 --> 00:18:27,779 when a man came to him and said: 396 00:18:27,779 --> 00:18:29,779 'O Abu 'Abdullah, 397 00:18:29,779 --> 00:18:32,779 “The Beneficent One, Who is established on the Throne.” (20:5) 398 00:18:32,779 --> 00:18:34,779 how did He ascend (istawa)?' 399 00:18:34,779 --> 00:18:37,779 Malik was never troubled by anything 400 00:18:37,779 --> 00:18:39,779 as much as he was troubled by his question. 401 00:18:39,779 --> 00:18:41,779 He looked down at the ground, 402 00:18:41,779 --> 00:18:44,779 scratching it with a stick in his hand, 403 00:18:44,779 --> 00:18:46,779 until he was dripping with sweat. 404 00:18:46,779 --> 00:18:49,779 Then he raised his head, tossed the stick aside, 405 00:18:49,779 --> 00:18:51,779 and said: 406 00:18:51,779 --> 00:18:53,779 "The modality is beyond human comprehension, 407 00:18:53,779 --> 00:18:56,779 the Istiwa' (ascending the Throne) is not unknown, 408 00:18:56,779 --> 00:18:59,779 believing in it is obligatory, 409 00:18:59,779 --> 00:19:01,779 asking about its modality is an innovation, 410 00:19:01,779 --> 00:19:03,779 and I suspect that you are an innovator!" 411 00:19:03,779 --> 00:19:06,779 He then ordered him to be expelled. 412 00:19:06,779 --> 00:19:09,779 'Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Hanbal narrated 413 00:19:09,779 --> 00:19:12,779 in the book *al-Radd 'ala al-Jahmiyyah* 414 00:19:12,779 --> 00:19:14,779 on the authority of 'Abdullah ibn Nafi', 415 00:19:14,779 --> 00:19:15,779 who said 416 00:19:15,779 --> 00:19:16,779 that Malik said: 417 00:19:16,779 --> 00:19:18,779 "Allah is above the heavens, 418 00:19:18,779 --> 00:19:21,779 yet His knowledge is everywhere; 419 00:19:21,779 --> 00:19:23,779 nothing is hidden from it." 420 00:19:23,779 --> 00:19:25,779 Ibn Abi Uways said: 421 00:19:25,779 --> 00:19:27,779 "I heard Malik say: 422 00:19:27,779 --> 00:19:30,779 'The Qur'an is the speech of Allah, 423 00:19:30,779 --> 00:19:32,779 and the speech of Allah originates from Him, 424 00:19:32,779 --> 00:19:35,900 and nothing originating from Allah is created.'" 425 00:19:35,900 --> 00:19:38,900 Ibn Nafi' narrated from Malik, 426 00:19:38,900 --> 00:19:40,900 "[Whoever] says the Qur'an is created 427 00:19:40,900 --> 00:19:42,900 should be flogged and imprisoned." 428 00:19:42,900 --> 00:19:44,900 The judge said: 429 00:19:44,900 --> 00:19:46,900 More than one narrator reported from Malik: 430 00:19:46,900 --> 00:19:49,900 "Faith consists of speech and action; 431 00:19:49,900 --> 00:19:51,900 it increases and decreases, 432 00:19:51,900 --> 00:19:53,900 and parts of it are superior to others." 433 00:19:53,900 --> 00:19:58,819 Ibn 'Adi said in *Musnad Malik*, 434 00:19:58,819 --> 00:20:01,819 with an authentic chain of transmission from Ibn Wahb, 435 00:20:01,819 --> 00:20:02,819 that Malik said: 436 00:20:02,819 --> 00:20:06,819 "Nafi' transmitted an immense amount of knowledge from Ibn 'Umar, 437 00:20:06,819 --> 00:20:09,819 far more than Ibn 'Umar's own sons transmitted from him." 438 00:20:09,819 --> 00:20:11,819 Ibn Wahb said 439 00:20:11,819 --> 00:20:13,819 that Malik said: 440 00:20:13,819 --> 00:20:17,819 "I used to visit Nafi' when I was a young boy; 441 00:20:17,819 --> 00:20:21,819 he would step down from his stairs, stand with me, and narrate hadiths to me. 442 00:20:21,819 --> 00:20:24,819 He used to sit in the mosque after the dawn prayer, 443 00:20:24,819 --> 00:20:27,859 and hardly anyone would come to him." 444 00:20:27,859 --> 00:20:29,859 Ibn Wahb also said: 445 00:20:29,859 --> 00:20:31,859 "I heard Malik say: 446 00:20:31,859 --> 00:20:34,859 'It is incumbent upon anyone who seeks knowledge 447 00:20:34,859 --> 00:20:38,859 to possess dignity, serenity, and reverence.'" 448 00:20:38,859 --> 00:20:39,859 And he said 449 00:20:39,859 --> 00:20:40,859 that Malik said: 450 00:20:40,859 --> 00:20:44,859 "It has reached me that no one practices renunciation of the world and acts with piety 451 00:20:44,859 --> 00:20:47,920 except that they are granted speech of wisdom." 452 00:20:47,920 --> 00:20:48,920 And he said 453 00:20:48,920 --> 00:20:50,920 that Malik said: 454 00:20:50,920 --> 00:20:53,920 "Indeed, whenever a person praises himself, 455 00:20:53,920 --> 00:20:55,950 his dignity departs." 456 00:20:55,950 --> 00:20:56,950 Ibn Wahb said: 457 00:20:56,950 --> 00:20:58,950 "Malik's sister was asked, 458 00:20:58,950 --> 00:21:01,950 'What was Malik's main occupation in his home?' 459 00:21:01,950 --> 00:21:02,950 She replied: 460 00:21:02,950 --> 00:21:06,019 'The Mus-haf and reciting the Qur'an.'" 461 00:21:06,019 --> 00:21:09,019 Khalid ibn Nizar al-Ayli said: 462 00:21:09,019 --> 00:21:13,019 "Al-Mansur sent for Malik when he arrived in Madinah 463 00:21:13,019 --> 00:21:14,019 and said: 464 00:21:14,019 --> 00:21:17,019 'The people in Iraq have differed, 465 00:21:17,019 --> 00:21:20,019 so author a book around which we can unite them.' 466 00:21:20,019 --> 00:21:22,019 Thus, he composed *al-Muwatta'*." 467 00:21:22,019 --> 00:21:24,180 Al-Shafi'i said: 468 00:21:24,180 --> 00:21:26,180 "There is no book of knowledge on earth 469 00:21:26,180 --> 00:21:29,180 more sound than Malik's *al-Muwatta'*." 470 00:21:29,180 --> 00:21:30,180 I say: 471 00:21:30,180 --> 00:21:34,180 He said this before the two Sahihs were compiled. 472 00:21:34,180 --> 00:21:36,339 Abu Mus'ab said: 473 00:21:36,339 --> 00:21:39,339 "People used to crowd around Malik's door 474 00:21:39,339 --> 00:21:42,339 to the point of fighting from the sheer congestion. 475 00:21:42,339 --> 00:21:44,339 When we were in his presence, 476 00:21:44,339 --> 00:21:47,339 no one would turn toward another, 477 00:21:47,339 --> 00:21:50,339 all lowering their heads in complete stillness. 478 00:21:50,339 --> 00:21:53,339 Even rulers held him in awe. 479 00:21:53,339 --> 00:21:55,339 He would answer with a simple 'no' or 'yes,' 480 00:21:55,339 --> 00:21:57,339 and no one would dare ask him, 481 00:21:57,339 --> 00:21:59,339 'From where do you say that?'" 482 00:21:59,339 --> 00:22:02,430 Mus'ab ibn 'Abdullah said regarding Malik: 483 00:22:03,430 --> 00:22:06,430 "He leaves a question unanswered, yet none challenge him out of awe, 484 00:22:06,430 --> 00:22:10,430 while the inquirers lower their chins in reverence. 485 00:22:10,430 --> 00:22:14,430 The dignity of majesty and the luminous authority of piety surround him; 486 00:22:14,430 --> 00:22:17,430 thus he is revered, though he holds no worldly reign." 487 00:22:17,430 --> 00:22:19,619 Ibn Mahdi said: 488 00:22:19,619 --> 00:22:21,619 "I have never seen anyone more awe-inspiring, 489 00:22:21,619 --> 00:22:24,619 of more complete intellect than Malik, 490 00:22:24,619 --> 00:22:26,690 nor of deeper piety." 491 00:22:26,690 --> 00:22:28,690 Ibn Wahb said: 492 00:22:28,690 --> 00:22:30,690 "What we conveyed of Malik's exemplary conduct 493 00:22:30,690 --> 00:22:33,690 is far more than what we learned of his knowledge." 494 00:22:37,900 --> 00:22:40,440 Al-Qa'nabi said: 495 00:22:40,440 --> 00:22:42,440 "I heard them say 496 00:22:42,440 --> 00:22:46,440 that Malik's lifespan was eighty-nine years; 497 00:22:46,440 --> 00:22:49,440 he passed away in the year one hundred and seventy-nine." 498 00:22:49,440 --> 00:22:52,440 Isma'il ibn Abi Uways said: 499 00:22:52,440 --> 00:22:54,440 "Malik fell ill, 500 00:22:54,440 --> 00:22:58,440 so I asked some of our family about what he said at the time of death. 501 00:22:58,440 --> 00:23:01,440 They said he uttered the testimony of faith, and then recited: ◁To Allah belongs the command before and after.▷" 502 00:23:01,440 --> 00:23:05,440 “Within ten years - Allah's is the command in the former case and in the latter - and in that day believers will rejoice” (30:4) 503 00:23:05,440 --> 00:23:09,500 He passed away on the morning of the fourteenth of Rabi' al-Awwal 504 00:23:09,500 --> 00:23:12,500 in the year one hundred and seventy-nine. 505 00:23:12,500 --> 00:23:15,500 The funeral prayer was led by the governor 'Abdullah 506 00:23:15,500 --> 00:23:17,500 ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim 507 00:23:17,500 --> 00:23:19,500 ibn Muhammad ibn 'Ali 508 00:23:19,500 --> 00:23:20,500 ibn 'Abdullah 509 00:23:20,500 --> 00:23:22,500 ibn 'Abbas al-Hashimi. 510 00:23:22,500 --> 00:23:24,500 He was washed by Ibn Abi Zinbar 511 00:23:24,500 --> 00:23:26,500 and Ibn Kinanah, 512 00:23:26,500 --> 00:23:27,500 while his son Yahya 513 00:23:27,500 --> 00:23:29,500 and his scribe Habib 514 00:23:29,500 --> 00:23:31,500 poured the water over them. 515 00:23:31,500 --> 00:23:35,599 I say: He was buried in al-Baqi'. 516 00:23:35,599 --> 00:23:40,460 Biographies of the Four Imams.