الرحلةThe Journey

مالك بن أنس

Imam Malik (RH)

Malik ibn Anas

Also known as: Imam Dar al-Hijrah

93–179 AH · 711–795 CE

Fiqh Maliki Hadith

Imam of the City of the Prophet ﷺ, founder of the Maliki school and author of al-Muwatta'.

Malik was born and lived his whole life in Madinah, studying under the city's great Tabi'in scholars such as Nafi', the freed slave of Ibn 'Umar, and Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri. He taught in the Prophet's Mosque with great dignity and reverence for hadith, and he was known as Imam Dar al-Hijrah, Imam of the Abode of Migration.

His al-Muwatta' is among the earliest surviving collections of hadith and law. It treats the established practice of the people of Madinah ('amal ahl al-Madinah) as a key source. Al-Shafi'i was among his students. The Maliki school went on to dominate North and West Africa and al-Andalus.

Open on the map →

Life journey

  1. 711 CE Madinah المدينة
    Died 795 CE · 179 AH
    He spent his whole life in Madinah, leaving only for Hajj. Buried in al-Baqi'.

Teachers

  • al-Zuhri (RH) c. 670–742 CE
    Malik studied hadith with al-Zuhri, one of the most frequent names in the chains of the Muwatta'.
  • Ja'far al-Sadiq (RH) c. 702–765 CE
    Malik narrated from Ja'far in the Muwatta' and described visiting him in Madinah.

Students

  • 'Abd al-Razzaq al-San'ani (RH) 744–827 CE
    'Abd al-Razzaq narrated from Malik, and many of Malik's reports appear in his Musannaf.
  • Ibn al-Qasim (RH) c. 750–806 CE
    Ibn al-Qasim studied with Malik for about twenty years; his accounts of Malik's views form the core of the Mudawwana.
  • al-Shaybani (RH) 750–805 CE
    Al-Shaybani spent about three years with Malik in Madinah; his transmission of the Muwatta' is one of the best known.
  • Harun al-Rashid (RH) c. 763–809 CE
    Harun al-Rashid is reported to have heard the Muwatta' from Malik in Madinah, together with his sons.
  • Imam al-Shafi'i (RH) 767–820 CE
    Al-Shafi'i came to Madinah having memorised the Muwatta', read it to Malik, and studied with him until Malik's death.

Key works

  • al-Muwatta' الموطأ
    The Well-Trodden Path
    Hadith, sayings of the Companions and the practice of Madinah, arranged by legal topic.

Places in their life

al-Masjid al-Nabawi, the Prophet's Mosque, Madinah
al-Masjid al-Nabawi, the Prophet's Mosque, Madinah
Photo: TheHadiRahim, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources

  • al-Dhahabi, Siyar A'lam al-Nubala'
  • al-Qadi 'Iyad, Tartib al-Madarik
  • Ibn Khallikan, Wafayat al-A'yan
Draft, awaiting scholarly review.
Birth year reported between 90 and 97 AH; 93 AH is the most common.