Maliki school · Lablypedia

The Maliki school is the second largest Sunni school, larger than the Shafi’i school but smaller than the Hanafi school. It is predominant in North Africa, West Africa and the Gulf states of Bahrain, Kuwait and United Arab Emirates. The current Maliki population is said to be around 500 million, comprising about 25% of the total Muslim population.

History

Although Malik ibn Anas was himself a native of Medina, his school faced fierce competition for followers in the Muslim east, with the Shafi'i, Hanbali, and Zahiri schools all enjoying more success than Malik's school. It was eventually the Hanafi school, however, that earned official government favor from the Abbasids.

Imam Malik (who was a teacher of al-Shafi‘i, who in turn was a teacher of Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal) was a student of Imam Ja'far al-Sadiq (a descendant of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and 6th Imam), the eponymous founder of the Twelver Shi'i Ja'fari school of law, as with Imam Abu Hanifah. Thus all of the four great Imams of Sunni jurisprudence are connected to Ja'far, whether directly or indirectly.

The Malikis enjoyed considerably more success in Africa, and for a while in Spain and Sicily. Under the Umayyads and their remnants, the Maliki school was promoted as the official state code of law, and Maliki judges had free rein over religious practices; in return, the Malikis were expected to support and legitimize the government's right to power. This dominance in Spanish Andalus from the Umayyads up to the Almoravids continued, with Islamic law in the region dominated by the opinions of Malik and his students. The hadith, or prophetic tradition in Islam, played a lesser role as Malikis—like Hanafi jurists—viewed it with suspicion, and weren't very well versed in its study. The Almoravids eventually gave way to the predominantly-Zahiri Almohads, at which point Malikis were tolerated at times but lost official favor. With the Reconquista, the Iberian Peninsula was lost to the Muslims in totality.

Although Al-Andalus was eventually lost, the Maliki has been able to retain its dominance throughout North and West Africa to this day. Additionally, the school has traditionally gained a reputation for being the preferred school in the small Arab States of the Persian Gulf (Bahrain, Kuwait, United Arab Emirates and Qatar). While the majority of Saudi Arabia follows Hanbali laws, the country's Eastern Province has been known as a Maliki stronghold for centuries. In the medieval era, the Maliki school was also found in parts of Europe under Islamic rule, particularly Islamic Spain and the Emirate of Sicily.

Although initially hostile to some mystical practices, Malikis eventually learned from Sufi practice, as the latter became widespread throughout North and West Africa, as well as Al-Andalus. Many Muslims now adhere to Maliki Sufi orders.

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Principles

The Maliki school's sources for Sharia are hierarchically prioritized as follows: Quran, then Tawatur (mass-transmitted sayings, customs and actions of Muhammad);`Amal (customs and practices of the people of Medina and the Muslim world), followed by Ahad Hadith, and then followed by consensus of the Sahabah (the companions of Muhammad), then individual opinion from the Sahabah, Qiyas (analogy), Istislah (benefit of Islam and Muslims), and finally Urf (public opinion of people throughout the Muslim world).

The Mālikī school primarily derives from the work of Malik ibn Anas, particularly the Muwatta Imam Malik, also known as Al-Muwatta. The Muwaṭṭa contains Sahih Hadiths and includes Malik ibn Anas' commentary, but it is so complete that it is considered sahih by Malikis in itself. Mālik included the practices of the people of Medina and where the practices are in compliance with or in variance with the hadiths reported. This is because Mālik regarded the practices of Medina (the first three generations) to be a superior proof of the "living" sunnah than isolated, although sound, hadiths. Mālik was particularly scrupulous about authenticating his sources when he did appeal to them, as well as his comparatively small collection of aḥādith, known as al-Muwaṭṭah (or, The Straight Path). An example of the Maliki approach in using the opinion of Sahabah was recorded in Muwatta Imam Malik per ruling of cases regarding the law of consuming Gazelle meat. This tradition was used in the opinions of Zubayr ibn al-Awwam. Malik also included the daily practice of az-Zubayr as his source of "living sunnah" (living tradition) for his guideline to pass verdicts for various matters, in accordance with his school of thought method.

The second source, the Al-Mudawwana, is the collaborator work of Mālik's longtime student, Ibn Qāsim and his mujtahid student, Sahnun. The Mudawwanah consists of the notes of Ibn Qāsim from his sessions of learning with Mālik and answers to legal questions raised by Saḥnūn in which Ibn Qāsim quotes from Mālik, and where no notes existed, his own legal reasoning based upon the principles he learned from Mālik. These two books, i.e. the Muwaṭṭah and Mudawwanah, along with other primary books taken from other prominent students of Mālik, would find their way into the Mukhtaṣar Khalīl, which would form the basis for the later Mālikī madhhab.

The Maliki school is most closely related to the Hanafi school, differing in degree, not in kind. However, unlike the Hanafi school, the Maliki school does not assign as much weight to qiyas (analogy), but derives its rulings from pragmatism using the principles of istislah (public benefit) and urf (common opinion) wherever the Quran and Mutawatir Hadiths do not provide explicit guidance.

Notable differences from other schools

The Maliki school differs from the other Sunni schools of law most notably in the sources it uses for derivation of rulings. Like all Sunni schools of Sharia, the Maliki school uses the Qur'an as primary source, followed by the sayings, customs/traditions and practices of Muhammad, mass-transmitted via mutawatir hadiths. In the Mālikī school, said tradition includes not only what was recorded in hadiths, but also the legal rulings of the four rightly guided caliphs – especially Umar.

Malik bin Anas himself also accepted binding consensus and analogical reasoning along with the majority of Sunni jurists, though with conditions. Consensus was only accepted as a valid source of law if it was drawn from the first generation of Muslims in general, or the first, second or third generations from Medina, while analogy was only accepted as valid as a last resort when an answer was not found in other sources.

Demographics

Malikism is the largest school amongst Muslims in Africa. Worldwide, it comprises around 500 million followers, which is 25% of the total Muslim population. It is followed throughout West Asia and North Africa (excluding parts of Egypt). The Maliki school is also dominant school of the Gulf states of Bahrain, Kuwait and the United Arab Emirates, the latter of which sometimes uses Maliki jurisprudence in legal sharia rulings.

Notable Mālikīs

Ali ibn Ziyad (d. 799), Libyan scholar and companion of Malik, Brought Malik's Al-Muwatta to Ifriqiya
Ibn al-Qasim (d. 806), Egyptian scholar and closest companion of Malik ibn Anas
Ibn Wahb (d. 813), Egyptian scholar and one of Malik's closest companions
Ibn Abd al-Hakam (d. 829), one of the Egyptian scholars who developed the Maliki school in Egypt
Asbagh ibn al-Faraj (d. 840), Egyptian scholar
Yahya al-Laithi (d. 848), Andalusian scholar, introduced the Maliki school in Al-Andalus
Sahnun (AH 160/776–77 – AH 240/854–55), Sunnī jurist and author of the Mudawwanah, one of the most important works in Mālikī law
Ibn Abi Zayd (310/922–386/996), Tunisian Sunnī jurist and author of the Risālah, a standard work in Mālikī law
Qadi Abd al-Wahhab (d. 1031), Iraqi scholar and author of at-Talqin
Yusuf ibn Abd al-Barr (d. 1071), Andalusian scholar
Abu al-Walid al-Baji (d. 1081), Andalusian scholar. Author of al-Muntaqā and al-Istifā’
Abu al-Hassan al-Lakhmi (d. 1085), Tunisian scholar and one of the four authoritative jurists according to Khalil. Author of at-Tabsira
Ibn Tashfin (1061–1106), one of the prominent leaders of the Almoravid dynasty
Ibn Rushd al-Jadd (d. 1126), one of the most notable scholars in Al-Andalus. Author of al-Bayān wa ʾl-taḥṣīl and grandfather of Averroes
Al-Mazari (d. 1141), Sicilian scholar and student of al-Lakhmi. Author of al-Mu'lim bi Sahih Muslim. Authoritative work in the Maliki school
Abu Bakr ibn al-Arabi (d. 1148), scholar and Qadi (Judge). Student of Al-Ghazali; Author of ʿĀriḍat al-Aḥwadhī and Aḥkām al-Qur’ān
Qadi Iyad (d. 1149), an Imam and highly regarded Qadi in Maliki jurisprudence
Ibn Rushd (Averroes) (1126–1198), philosopher and scholar
Al-Qurtubi (1214–1273), Andalusian jurist and scholar
Shihab al-Din al-Qarafi (1228–1285), Moroccan jurist and author who lived in Egypt
Ibn al-Hajj (d. 1336), Moroccan scholar and theologian. Author of al-Madkhal
Khalil ibn Ishaq al-Jundi (d. c. 1365), Egyptian jurist, author of Mukhtasar
Ibn Battuta (24 February 1304 – 1377), explorer
Ibn Khaldūn (1332/AH 732–1406/AH 808), scholar, historian and author of the Muqaddimah
Abu Ishaq al-Shatibi (d. 1388), a famous Andalusian Maliki jurist
Ibn Farhun (d. 1397), Arab historian and qādi (judge). Author of Al-Dībāj
Sidi Boushaki (d. 1453), a famous Algerian Maliki jurist
Sidi Abd al-Rahman al-Tha'alibi (d. 1479), a famous Algerian Maliki jurist
Sidi Ahmed Rguibi (1590–1665) Sahrawi preacher and progenitor of the Reguibat tribe
Al-Hattab (d. 1547), Libyan scholar. Author of Mawahib al-Jalil, which was one of the first major commentaries on Khalil's Mukhtassar (Concise Text)
Muhammad al-Kharashi (d. 1690), Egyptian Maliki cleric. First Grand Imam of Al-Azhar
Muhammad al-Zurqani (d. 1710), Egyptian scholar. Author of Sharh al-Mawahib al-Ladunniyyah, a commentary of Al-Qastallani's Al-Muwahib al-Ladunniyyah
Abd al-Aziz al-Dabbagh (d. 1718/19), Moroccan Islamic scholar and Sufi mystic
Al-Bannani (d. 1780), Moroccan scholar. Author of Al-Fath ar-Rabbani (The Endowment of Divine Grace). The text is a sub-commentary on the classical Mukhtasar of Khalil
Ahmad al-Dardir (d. 1786), Egyptian Sufischolar, poet and theologian. Author of both Sharh as-Saghir and Sharh al-Kabir two of the most important books of fatwa (Islamic legal rulings) in the Maliki school

Contemporary Malikis

Usman dan Fodio (1754–1817), founder of the Sokoto Caliphate
Abdullahi dan Fodio (1766–1829), Sufi and brother of Usman dan Fodio
El Hadj Umar Tall (1794–1864), founder of the Toucouleur Empire
Emir Abdelkader (1808–1883), Algerian Sufi and politician, religious and military leader who led a struggle against the French colonial invasion
Ahmad At Tijânî Ibn Bâba Al 'Alawî (d. 1888), Mauritanian jurist and imam
Omar Mukhtar (1862–1931), Libyan resistance leader
Ahmad al-Alawi (1869–1934), Algerian Sufi leader
Muhammad al-Tahir ibn Ashur (1879–1973) Tunisian Islamic scholar and qadi
René Guénon (1888–1951), French metaphysician and scholar of the Traditionalist school
Rodolfo Gil Benumeya (1901–1975), Spanish Arabist and historian of Al-Andalus
Abdalqadir as-Sufi (1930–2021), Scottish shaykh and founder of the Murabitun World Movement
Abdallah bin Bayyah (born 1935), Mauritanian scholar and professor of Islamic studies at King Abdulaziz University
Hassan Cissé (1945–2008), Senegalese scholar for Tijani Sufism
Sa'adu Abubakar (born 1956), 20th Sultan of Sokoto and spiritual leader of Nigeria's Sunni Muslims
Hamza Yusuf (born 1958), American scholar and co-founder of Zaytuna College
Abu Layth (born 1978), British scholar and teacher
Ahmed Saad Al-Azhari (born 1978), Egyptian–British Islamic scholar and a graduate of Al-Azhar university. Saad was formerly a Shafi’i before adopting the Maliki school
Abdullahi Aliyu Sumaila (1946–2003), Nigerian scholar, administrator and politician