# What is the difference between a hadith and the Sunnah in the Maliki school?

*Why the Muwatta was left out of the six books, and hadith relativism*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/vhqvm47pns0/s/9/
- Date: 2023-03-10 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: The Legendary Imam Malik Ibn Anas | Mufti Abu Layth (37:24–42:25)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhqVM47pNS0&t=2244s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/vhqvm47pns0/

**Topics:** Imam Malik; Sunnah versus hadith; The Maliki school

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** The school of Madinah is 'hadith relativist': it accepts a hadith where it matches the living Sunnah and not otherwise, since hadith is historical data and the Sunnah is the Prophet's teaching.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says those who follow the school of Madinah are not hadith dogmatists but hadith relativists, embracing a hadith where it correlates with the Sunnah.

**Evidence, his words at 38:42:** “we who follow the school of Medina are not Hadith dogmatists Hadith relativists as in we embrace the Sunnah where the Hadith correlates with the Sunnah” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VhqVM47pNS0&t=2322s)

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth says this is perhaps one reason the Muwatta is not counted among the six major books, which he calls a Shafi'i project of hadith dogmatists. He says Malik is hard to criticise: other imams had a weak spot, Abu Hanifa and al-Shafi'i being criticised in hadith and Imam Ahmad in fiqh, but Malik was held in awe unanimously. He says the school of Madinah built on its living tradition is not hadith dogmatist but hadith relativist, embracing a hadith where it correlates with the Sunnah and not where it does not, since hadith is historical data while the Sunnah is the Prophet's teaching. He adds that Malik's fatwas follow his teacher Rabi'a, the voice of reason, in making exceptions for public welfare, maslaha, and that the Maliki school spread across Spain, the Middle East and Central Africa.

## Sources and names cited

- Imam Malik
- al-Muwatta
- the six books
- Abu Hanifa
- al-Shafi'i
- Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal
- Rabi'a al-Ra'y
- maslaha (public welfare)
- 'amal ahl al-madinah (the practice of the people of Madinah)
- Maliki school

## Transcript (machine tier, 37:24–42:25)

[37:24] this was a nuclear fission fusion fission bomb in the face of the later Hadith dogmatist project therefore this is perhaps also one of the reasons that Imam Malik's is not factored into when they say the six major books because the six major books project is a Chevrolet project it's not it's done by people who belong to the shaf who were for the most part are these dogmatists so it it was at loggerhead and and you see it's difficult to criticize Imam

[38:04] Malik he's he's very you know to criticize him you know well good luck it's difficult people there's other imams who are soft targets every other Imam has some apparent vulnerability Imam was not as good in Hadith people criticized him Imam sure he was not actually as well trained in Hadith people criticized him he wasn't as reliable Imam Ahmed was not as trained in the understanding in the of the team many scholars did not recognize him as much they came up you name the imams many of them

[38:42] had some weak spot Malik was one of the few Legends of Islam that unanimously everybody held him in all but he just had this Authority about him and so and this is why his mother you see his mother is built on his what his school is built on the Medina the living tradition of Medina this is why we are not Hadith dominates not we who follow the tradition of Medina his school was known as the school of Medina we who follow the school of Medina are

[39:19] not Hadith dogmatists Hadith relativists as in we embrace the Sunnah where the Hadith correlates with the Sunnah we embrace it where it doesn't we don't Hadith is simply a historical it's just a historical data the Sunnah however is the teaching of the prophet sallallahu in the teen Hadith is a written document Samsung now were documented some so now were never documented some non-sunna actions were documented you see so this is

[39:55] this is where you appreciate wow the wealth that Imam Malik brings to the Islamic Legacy by documenting these things because if somebody today had tried this they would have been anathematized they would have been excommunicated deemed a car Fair chucked out of Islam they would have all but Imam Malik good luck trying any of that so yeah so this was his and then his mother was built on muscle which is wealthy

[40:34] so you see his mother of his fatawa this is why Imam Malik is his teacher was rabiatora he is from the people of reason the voice of reason he would make exemptions he would say that even if there is a ruling that has come to us from Islam if the day and age had a welfare that dictated something we would derogate from and make an exception we would make an exemption and an exception from this ruling and you call that

[41:08] in the molecule so this is why Imam Alex fatawa I like that and his mother is a continuation of that so another cataclysmic Cosmic meteor in the face of dogmatism because Imam Malik's mother was then all about not all about it but people disagree that even malikism always agree on things amongst themselves but this is what it was and we've got to speak about the mother on another day because it's

[41:45] the only method of the the of Islam that had so much diversity throughout the globe from Spain to the Middle East to Central Africa I mean that's wow Nomad have did that no matter reached that kind of uh geographical diversity so yeah that that's about his um his mother but coming back to him Imam Malik he as a person he spent his early portion of his life

[42:24] learning knowledge like he says his life could have in hindsight been divided into three he spent the first third learning the second third learning and giving back and the last third primarily just giving back and yeah he was criticized by people for not being seen as someone who was very um immersed in worship so he would not I mean he would pray his and his daily prayers but he wouldn't pray many nothing you wouldn't see him praying

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment VhqVM47pNS0/s/9. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/vhqvm47pns0/s/9/

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