Imam Malik

The Imams of the four Mazh-habs

In the last issue we discussed Imam Abu Haneefa (rahmatullahi alaih). We continue with...
IMAM MALIK
NAME: ABU ABDULLAH MALIK BIN ANAS
BIRTH: He was born in Madinah in 93 A.H. (The historians differ as to the exact year of Imam Malik’s birth. However, what is certain is that he was born between 93 A.H and 97 A.H.)
RANKING: Imam Malik came from a poor family, but once he became famous for his great learning and piety, he was respected by Kings and Rulers from far and wide. This brought him much wealth and status.
HIS TEACHERS: He had learnt from more than 900 Ulema. Among them were Nafi', Qasim, Saeed bin Musayyab, Urwa, Saalim bin Abdullah.
HIS STUDENTS: Some Ulema have written books on the number of students Imam Malik had, stating that more than 1,300 people learnt from him.
Among them were:Ibni Shihaab Zuhri, Ayyoob Saghtiyaani, Imam Shafi', Rabee'ah, Yahya bin Saeed Ansaari.
ATTRIBUTES AND FEATURES OF HIS LIFE: He always was well dressed, especially when teaching hadeeth. He loved perfume and detested old, worn out clothes, believing that such garments spoils the appearance of the body. Before giving lessons on hadeeth and fiqah he would bath, apply perfume and dress up well, wearing a high topi and a turban around it.
He had a very powerful memory and could remember ahadeeth narrated by a number of his ustaads without getting confused.
He hated geebat (backbiting). Never was he long away from the Musjid, and he would regularly attend funerals, visit the sick, look after the poor, especially the Ulema among them, and was always busy fulfilling the rights of people.
HIS BOOK AL MUATTA: Once the Khaleefa Mansoor requested him to compile a book on hadeeth which could be set down as a standard reference for all people. He then wrote the famous book known as Al Muatta. When the Crown Prince of that time came to know of this book, out of joy he granted an award of 5,000 dinars (gold coins) to Imam Malik and 1,000 for his students.
DEATH: The Khaleefa of his time once asked Imam Malik a question on some Deeni matter. The answer he gave was not to the liking of the Ruler, so he had Imam Malik imprisoned and lashed. So severe was the lashing that the shoulder of Imam Malik was broken. This led to his death in 179 A.H.
He is buried in Jannatul Baqee’ in Madinah.
Stories of pious ladies — From Bahisti Zewar
Rayhanah Majnoonah
A soofi by the name of Abu ar-Rabi' says: "Muhammad bin al-Munkadir, Thabit Banani, and I were guests at the house of Rayhanah. Before the expiry of half the night she woke up and said: 'The lover goes to his beloved, and the heart is filled with such joy that it seems that it would burst any moment. When half the night passed, she said: "One should not attach one's heart to such things which if you set your eyes on them, you perceive a difference (i.e. a decrease) in your remembrance of Allah. At night, one should strive very hard in 'ibadah, only then can one become His friend.' When the entire night passed, she screamed and said: 'Oh! It has been destroyed!' I asked her: 'What happened?' She replied: 'The night is gone in which one can concentrate fully in Allah.'"
Lesson: Look at how she valued the night. The person who experiences the sweetness of ibadah, will value the night greatly. O women! You should also set aside a certain portion of the night for your ibadah. Look at how well she explained the harm of directing your attention towards anything that distracts you from the remembrance of Allah.
Rasoolullah sallallahu alayhi wasallam said: “Whoever protects my sunnah, Allah honours him with four qualities: he becomes endeared to pious people, evil people fear him, increase in rizq and steadfastness in Deen. (Hadith)