Malik Ibn Anas
Malik ibn Anas (Arabic: مَالِك بْن أَنَس, romanized: Mālik ibn ʾAnas; c. 711–795) was an Islamic scholar and traditionalist who is the eponym of the Maliki school, one of the four schools of Islamic jurisprudence in Sunni Islam.
Born in Medina into the clan of Banu Himyar, Malik studied under Hisham ibn Urwa, Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, Ja’far al-Sadiq, Nafi ibn Sarjis and others. He rose to become the premier scholar of hadith in his day, Referred to as the Imam of Medina by his contemporaries, his views in matters of jurisprudence became highly cherished both in his own life and afterward, becoming the eponym of the Maliki school, one of the four major schools of Islamic jurisprudence. His school became the normative rite for Sunni practice in much of North Africa, al-Andalus (until the expulsion of medieval native Iberian Muslims), a vast portion of Egypt, some parts of Syria, Yemen, Sudan, Iraq, and Khorasan, and the prominent orders in Sufism, the Shadili and Tijani.
Perhaps Malik’s most famous accomplishment in the annals of Islamic history is, however, his compilation of al-Muwatta’, one of the oldest and most revered Sunni hadith collections and one of “the earliest surviving Muslim law-book[s],” in which Malik attempted to “give a survey of law and justice; ritual and practice of religion according to the consensus of Islam in Medina, according to the sunna usual in Medina; and to create a theoretical standard for matters which were not settled from the point of view of consensus and sunna.” Composed in the early days of the Abbasid caliphate, during which time there was a burgeoning “recognition and appreciation of the canon law” of the ruling party, Malik’s work aimed to trace out a “smoothed path” (which is what al-muwaṭṭaʾ literally means) through “the farreaching differences of opinion even on the most elementary questions.” Hailed as “the soundest book on earth after the Quran” by al-Shafi’i, the compilation of al-Muwatta’ led to Malik being bestowed with such reverential epithets as Shaykh al-Islam, Proof of the Community, Imam of the Believers in Hadith, Imam of the Abode of Emigration, and Knowledgeable Scholar of Medina in later Sunni tradition.
According to classical Sunni tradition, the Islamic prophet Muhammad foretold the birth of Malik, saying: “Very soon will people beat the flanks of camels in search of knowledge and they shall find no one more expert than the knowledgeable scholar of Medina,” and, in another tradition, “The people … shall set forth from East and West without finding a sage other than the sage of the people in Medina.” While some later scholars, such as Ibn Hazm and al-Tahawi, did cast doubt on identifying the mysterious wise man of both these traditions with Malik, the most widespread interpretation nevertheless continued to be that which held the personage to be Malik. Throughout Islamic history, Malik has been venerated as an exemplary figure in all the traditional schools of Sunni thought, both by the exoteric ulema and by the mystics, with the latter often designating him as a saint in their hagiographies. Malik’s most notable student, ash-Shafi’i (who would himself become the founder of another of the four orthodox legal schools of Sunni law), later said of his teacher: “No one constitutes as great a favor to me in the religion of God as Malik … when the scholars of knowledge are mentioned, Malik is the star.”
Imam Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, exercised extreme caution about such wrangling in matters of creed and used to say: “Whenever a man enters into arguing about issues of creed it diminishes his faith.”
Imam Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, is known for his severe dislike of theological debates, particularly regarding matters of creed (). While the exact quote “Whenever a man enters into arguing about issues of creed it diminishes his faith” is not found in the search results, several documented sayings and actions of Imam Malik express this sentiment. His position was that engaging in such disputations removes the “light of knowledge” from the heart and hardens it.
Documented examples of Imam Malik’s stance
- Refusal to debate: In one account, a man persistently followed Imam Malik, requesting a debate. The Imam refused, even after the man suggested they follow whomever won the argument. In response, Imam Malik asked what they would do if a third person defeated both of them. He then said, “Constantly changing your beliefs is not a sign of steadfastness” and told the man to leave.
- The case of divine attributes: A man once asked Imam Malik about the Quranic verse, “The Most Merciful rose over the Throne” (20:5), and wanted to know “how”. The Imam’s famous reply demonstrated his aversion to theological wrangling:
- He said, “The rising is not unknown, its modality is inconceivable, faith in it is an obligation, and asking about it is an innovation”.
- He then had the man removed, recognizing that such questions were an opening to harmful innovation.
- Discouraging arguments even to defend the Sunnah: A student once asked Imam Malik if he should argue to defend the Sunnah. The Imam replied, “No, rather he should convey the Sunnah if they might accept it from him, otherwise he should remain silent.” His position was that fruitless arguments only breed arrogance and hypocrisy.
The dangers of theological wrangling ()
Imam Malik’s caution against theological argumentation is rooted in a concern for the spiritual health of a believer. According to his teachings and those of other early scholars:
- Loss of divine light: Disputation “takes away the light of knowledge” from a person’s heart.
- Hardening of the heart: Arguing about sacred knowledge “causes the heart to harden and breeds hatred”.
- Unsteadfastness: Engaging in constant debate can lead to instability in one’s beliefs, as the purpose of faith is to be firm in conviction, not to be swayed by the skill of a debater.
- The path of misguided people: Many early scholars believed that excessive argumentation is a sign of misguided people, in contrast to the righteous predecessors who would simply state the truth and leave it.
Summary of Imam Malik’s position
In summary, Imam Malik’s teachings strongly discouraged engaging in theological debates, particularly concerning creedal matters. His counsel was to convey the truth simply and to avoid the rancor and spiritual harm that often accompany heated arguments, as he believed it was detrimental to one’s faith and character.