# Does the Maliki school distinguish between hadith and Sunnah, and did Imam Malik ever reject a hadith?

*'Attack on the Sunnah': hadith versus Sunnah in the school of Madinah, and Malik rejecting hadith*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/8u9-aslyrze/s/6/
- Date: 2018-02-21 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Reply to Sunni (Wahhabi) Defence Pt.I -Mufti Abu Layth (17:03–19:41)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U9-ASlyrzE&t=1023s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/8u9-aslyrze/

**Topics:** Sunnah versus hadith; The Maliki school; Responses to critics

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Yes: the school of Madinah embraces the Sunnah while remaining critical of individual hadith, and Imam Malik rejected several reports when the practice of Madinah did not reflect them. He says he stated clearly that scholars differed on the report's grading.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says the school of Madinah distinguishes hadith from Sunnah, embracing the Sunnah while remaining critical of individual hadith, and that Imam Malik did reject several hadith when the practice of Madinah did not reflect them.

**Evidence, his words at 17:03:** “I said that the school of Medina in mal Malik differentiates between hadith and Sunnah we wholeheartedly embraced the Sunnah we are critical when it comes to hadith” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8U9-ASlyrzE&t=1023s)

## Longer summary

Turning to the critics' title, Mufti Abu Layth says that in his lecture he stated that the school of Madinah of Imam Malik differentiates between hadith and Sunnah: the school wholeheartedly embraces the Sunnah and is critical when it comes to hadith, a distinction he says the Salafis do not make but the Hanafi school and Malik's school did. He calls the title a misleading way to attack someone. To the claim that he misquoted Imam Malik and that Malik never rejected a hadith, he replies that Malik rejected several reports presented to him, saying on many occasions that the practice in Madinah did not reflect them, and gives the example of the report about the dog licking the vessel, of which Malik said he did not know its reality [?]. He then addresses the critics' first point, that he showed weakness in the reports while making out that all the hadith scholars agreed with him: he says he very clearly stated that there was a difference of opinion and that he was going with the view of the critic he quoted, and asks why he must follow whom they follow when, on fiqh, they tell people not to blind-follow and, on creed, not to go with the majority.

## Sources and names cited

- Sunni Defence (YouTube channel)
- Imam Malik
- sunnah
- amal ahl al-Madinah (the practice of Madinah)
- Hanafi school
- report: the dog licking the vessel and malik said we do not know its reality
- the Sunnah is distinguished from hadith: embrace the Sunnah, be critical of hadith

## Transcript (machine tier, 17:03–19:41)

[16:40] didn't reach you or you don't know about them doesn't mean they don't exist so to start off with okay so that's examples and then there's many things and the other thing is that miracles when they did happen they had as bad they had causes to them and we can call them miracles but they would not go against God's law of nature right now let's stay focused so this refutation people need so they began by saying okay most ebolaids attack on the Sunnah and what did I say in my speech in my kind of lecture I said that the school of Medina in mal

[17:18] Malik differentiates between hadith and Sunnah we wholeheartedly embraced the Sunnah we are critical when it comes to hadith so there is a difference and I said the Sharia and the Salafis and these people don't differentiate but the Hanafi method did and imam malik smith of t so first of all them saying mafia blade attacks the sunnah I mean what a kind of [ __ ] mislead kind of way to just attack somebody at least we have some dignity in your approach secondly they they say that

[17:57] oh I misquote imamova honey Imam Ali Imam Malik has never rejected any hadith he's rejected several hadith several hadith Imam Malik rejected when they presented to him and yes on many occasions they were a murderer in Medina he said that but what did that mean the practice of the people was didn't reflect the hadith and in some examples like the dog licking the bowl and imam malik says la caja a hassle ha ba la caja del cobre well i am a dreamer ha take her to he says but we don't know

[18:34] what it's all about so they say we did in my mind there you go that is a famous incident and there's many others like that but anyway let's stay focused so they try to say that in this movie abou lathe has said one of the key first key points they bring out he is showing weakness in these hadith but he's making out that all the mahadba thene are in agreement with him What nonsense what utter nonsense I have not made out that all them I had the thing wrong with me in fact I very

[19:14] clearly stated I said that there is a difference of opinion on this and why do I have to go with other people I'm going with when I quoted about how to McGraw Co these people I said I'm going with it why do I have to go with who you go with why you know when it comes to fifth you tell me oh don't blind follow don't blind don't go with them when it comes to art either you say don't go with the majority oh the by say look the majority of the theologians all said this the majority of the scholars of this Ummah oh don't go with majority when it comes to a hadith go with majority why should I go

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment 8U9-ASlyrzE/s/6. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/8u9-aslyrze/s/6/

Not a fatwa: these answers were given to specific people at specific times. Ask a qualified scholar about your own situation.