# What did Imam Malik's teachers teach him about hadith and Sunnah?

*Malik's teachers and Rabi'a's 'a thousand from a thousand'*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/vhqvm47pns0/s/5/
- Date: 2023-03-10 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: The Legendary Imam Malik Ibn Anas | Mufti Abu Layth (22:12–23:27)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhqVM47pNS0&t=1332s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/vhqvm47pns0/

**Topics:** Imam Malik; Sunnah versus hadith

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Rabi'a taught him that a practice transmitted by a thousand from a thousand outweighs a hadith passed one from one, the living tradition of Madinah.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says Rabi'a's saying 'a thousand from a thousand is more beloved to me than one from one' perfectly instantiates the debate of hadith versus Sunnah.

**Evidence, his words at 22:46:** “this was the living tradition in Medina is such a powerful concept that not only that perfectly um instantiates this this debate of Hadith versus Sunnah” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhqVM47pNS0&t=1366s)

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth names Ibn Hurmuz and Rabi'a among Malik's teachers, saying Rabi'a always stressed the way of the people of Madinah. He quotes Rabi'a's famous saying, which Malik repeated throughout his life, that a thousand from a thousand is more beloved to him than one from one: the one-from-one being the hadith literature, and the thousand-from-a-thousand the living tradition of Madinah, which he says perfectly instantiates the debate of hadith versus Sunnah.

## Sources and names cited

- Imam Malik
- Ibn Hurmuz
- Rabi'a al-Ra'y
- 'amal ahl al-madinah (the practice of the people of Madinah)

## Transcript (machine tier, 22:12–23:27)

[22:12] um he had uh teachers Hypno Hormuz he had Arabia was one of the major teachers that would always emphasize to him this the way of the people of Madina it was a very famous statement of rabbit that Mali could continue to utter throughout his life that a thousand from a thousand

[22:46] is more beloved to me than this one-on-one foreign what was the one-on-one the one-on-one was the Hadith literature it's all one-on-one on one I heard from who heard from who heard from Alf thousand people have picked it have learned it from a thousand people this was the living tradition in Medina is such a powerful concept that

[23:26] not only that perfectly um instantiates this this debate of Hadith versus Sunnah so these were um Imam Malik's his teachers some of his teachers he he lived in Medina he was a Trader as he grew up he got into trade he was incredibly successful um in trade people said he would um he was a merchant in cloth and things like that he would have Investments coming to Madina he would then trade them in Medina and he made a lot of money from it so he was wealthy and he

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment VhqVM47pNS0/s/5. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/vhqvm47pns0/s/5/

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