# Did one of al-Bukhari's teachers call Imam Malik a disbeliever?

*Did a teacher of al-Bukhari declare Imam Malik a kafir? Ibn Abi Dhi'b*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/8xuhmcz2n3u/s/38/
- Date: 2021-04-13 · Kind: question · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #210 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (2:33:20–2:35:57)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XuHMCz2N3U&t=9200s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/8xuhmcz2n3u/

**Topics:** Imam Malik; Hadith in legal reasoning and hadith absolutism

**Question as asked:** Is it true that the grand teacher of Imam Bukhari made takfir of Imam Malik?

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Mufti Abu Layth knows of no such takfir by a teacher of al-Bukhari; harsh words against Malik came from a contemporary who objected to his not acting on some sahih hadith.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says he knows of no teacher of al-Bukhari who declared Imam Malik a disbeliever, and that harsh statements against Malik came from a contemporary, Ibn Abi Dhi'b [?], over Malik not acting on some sahih hadith.

**Evidence, his words at 2:35:05:** “there are some harsh statements that he said about imam malik but he was a contemporary” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XuHMCz2N3U&t=9305s)

## Longer summary

After noting a question on how to perform ghusl properly without answering it, Mufti Abu Layth takes a question on whether the grand teacher of Imam al-Bukhari made takfir of Imam Malik. He says he has never come across this, that a teacher of al-Bukhari would have lived well after Malik, and that even if someone did, it would be no great matter, since people call others kafir today too. He says that in Malik's own time some dogmatists disagreed with him, such as Ibn Abi Dhi'b [?] of Madinah, a contemporary he thinks was older than Malik, who objected to Malik saying a hadith was sahih yet not acting on it, and who made harsh statements, in the way extremists today say someone should repent or be killed. He says Malik would collect hadith from anyone and then sift them.

## Sources and names cited

- Imam Malik
- Imam al-Bukhari
- Ibn Abi Dhi'b [?]
- takfir

## Transcript (machine tier, 2:33:20–2:35:57)

[2:33:08] person making take fear of imam malik like that not sure of that i've never come across it but i know there's been people they were the odd person who you know disagreed with imam ali that would have been more so in his time because this person that you're saying i don't know who you're saying but if he's a teacher of imam bukhari then he's way after imam malik so i don't think anybody after malik would have done it but even if somebody did it so what what's the big deal you know people today

[2:33:48] call you know these people calling everybody a calf it isn't there like what's the big deal i'm not familiar with it but even if they did so what like you know i mean are you even have you even made any waves unless somebody's called you a cafe [Laughter] you know because in imam alex time one i know like some or maybe like one or two of his teachers were they didn't you know because some people were dogmatists as well obviously they were dogmatists

[2:34:26] back then as well so uh so like people like ibn abi the of medina who i suppose if you want to say is a teacher of imam malik then yes of course but he's a contemporary he obviously didn't agree with imam malik but imam malik would take hadith he'd take his from anyone i mean you know teach hadith as well so if you had a hadith that was worth collecting he would collect it but then he would sift through it now it gonna be there had an issue with imam malik saying that this is the sahaya deeth and we don't act according to it

[2:35:05] and that really used to you know make his that that if nobody's blood boil on certain matters so there are some harsh statements that he said about imam malik but he was a contemporary i if i'm correct i think he was even older in age than imam malik if i'm correct um now if i if i remember correctly so i think he made some harsh statements as in harsh as in you know uh like how today extremists will make it that you know he should repent otherwise he should be killed you know like that kind of statement about imam malik but so what

[2:35:43] you know what's the big deal great right so thoughts on ibn rush's double truth theory it's not double truth but i totally agree with all of that and i've got videos explaining it that i do believe that there are dimensions [Music] to to the message right this paradigms this dimensions dimensionality of uh you know of of of the divine message so now

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment 8XuHMCz2N3U/s/38. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/8xuhmcz2n3u/s/38/

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