# Why does the Muwatta contain hadith that Imam Malik did not follow?

*Reports in the Muwatta that Malik did not follow, and Jesus telling a pig to pass in peace*

- URL: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/zz85auzek5w/s/25/
- Date: 2021-04-06 · Kind: lesson · Transcript tier: machine · Recording: Monday Nights with Mufti #209 | Q&A Unscripted & Unrestricted! 😉 | Mufti Abu Layth (2:25:05–2:30:54)
- Status: general teaching
- Watch from the start of the segment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ85AUzeK5w&t=8705s
- Recording page: https://muftiabulayth.org/r/zz85auzek5w/

**Topics:** The Muwatta and the Mudawwana; Hadith in legal reasoning and hadith absolutism; The second coming of Jesus

**Summary (not a quotation; machine-made, unchecked):** Malik included in the Muwatta reports he did not practise, and the only report about Jesus there shows him telling a pig to pass in peace. Mufti Abu Layth reads this as a sign Malik rejected the reports that Jesus will return to kill pigs.

**Checked position (checked by two independent reviews, not by the channel):** Mufti Abu Layth says Imam Malik included in the Muwatta reports he did not practise, and infers from the only report about Jesus there, in which Jesus tells a pig to pass in peace, that Malik had a problem with the reports that Jesus will return and kill pigs.

**Evidence, his words at 2:29:08:** “I infer from this that he is showing that we have a problem with the narrations that people are saying Jesus will come flag and he will kill pigs.” (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zZ85AUzeK5w&t=8948s)

## Longer summary

Mufti Abu Layth says Imam Malik brings hadith in the Muwatta that he openly does not follow: of the report that a dog's saliva is impure he says he does not know what it is about, since the Quran permits hunting dogs. Sometimes he does not comment, as with the report of Abu Hurayra that the Prophet forbade every carnivorous animal and predatory bird, though the Maliki school, as in Khalil [?] and the practice of Madinah, holds almost all animals halal; Mufti says Malik leaves a clue that its narrators are all Iraqis, and asks how a dietary rule could be known in Iraq and not in Madinah where the Prophet lived and died. He says Malik brings no hadith at all about the second coming, and the only report about Jesus in the Muwatta describes his kindness to a pig, telling it to pass in peace, which Mufti infers was included to counter the reports that Jesus will return and kill pigs. He concedes that this is an inference, but says attributing the belief to Malik because others held it is equally arbitrary.

## Sources and names cited

- Imam Malik
- Isa (Jesus)
- al-Muwatta
- report: the dog licking the vessel and malik said we do not know its reality
- report: the prophet forbade every carnivorous animal with fangs and every predatory bird (abu hurayra, in the muwatta, unresolved)
- Abu Hurayra
- Mukhtasar Khalil [?]
- the practice of the people of Madinah
- report: jesus passed a pig and said pass by in peace
- report: isa will descend break the cross and kill the pigs

## Transcript (machine tier, 2:25:05–2:30:54)

[2:24:43] has or some kind of uh a ch uh a chest container now and it's only after his death they are people discover them but he had said to people I have that I refuse to teach because he realized a lot of what he was teaching didn't add up so okay that's one important point I have said that before but just to reiterate that the other thing is Imam Malik in his ma in his m brings hadith which he openly does not follow but he's bringing them for these other reasons sometimes he's very

[2:25:20] vocal he says that we do not practice here is the hadith we don't follow it IM Malik says in his yeah there's a hadith that a bowl sorry if the the saliva of a dog is impure he said I don't know what that hadith is on about because the verse So the Quran says you can use hunting dogs. He says don't know what it's on about.

[2:25:47] So just because Malik transmit and Malik transmits that hadith that the dog you know being impure but he says we don't follow it. Sometimes he doesn't comment. So for example I just answered the question just a few minutes ago. What is permissible to eat in the Malik Madab? And I mentioned that all pretty much most animals are not haram in the Maliki Mhab.

[2:26:13] Now this is the Mhab of Imam Malik. This is what you find in the Khal the relied upon cannon and you find was the understanding of the people of Medina. However, in the ma, I im Malik brings the hadith of Abu Hurra that the prophet forbade every kind of uh every animal sorry every uh whether it's an animal that has carnivorous animal, it is made haram.

[2:26:48] And every every kind of hunting uh bird every bird that kind of predatory bird sorry uh is also haram. This hadith is in the m of Imam Malik and he doesn't even comment on it but he does not accept it. He brought it to show that this hadith look who's transmitting it.

[2:27:14] They're all bloody Iraqis. [laughter] How can it be that Immalik is saying like he's he's leaving this clue that how can it be that there is a hadith to do with diets, food, dietary which is an everyday issue and yet we in Medina don't have this hadith. How can that be?

[2:27:37] Did is not did not the prophet live and pass away in Medina? How can you people in Iraq know this and we don't have it? You see, Imam Malik brings hadith in his m and does not sometimes doesn't comment but does not practice according to them. That said, he does not bring any hadith about the second coming or anything like this in his m.

[2:28:03] So just to be clear on that point, okay? But he does bring a hadith in the ma you he does bring one about Jesus I Malik and he says describing the character of Jesus and guess what he's describing Jesus's conduct and kindness towards pigs.

[2:28:29] So you see here this is the hadith that you see that Imam Malik transmits in his M that Jesus comes across a pig whilst walking and then he says to the pig and in some I think some narrations also like pass it means pass go by peacefully now that's interesting because really this hadith is quite very arbitrary it provides very little meaning you know there's no uh because one could question what is the purpose of this hadith because there's many things to

[2:29:08] bring the good character of Jesus his kind of qualities his kindness him saying to a pig pass by this seems very clear to me I mean I infer from this that he is showing that we have a problem with the narrations that people are saying Jesus will come flag and he will kill pigs.

[2:29:31] So you can I mean that's I I seem to to me that seems to make a certain amount of sense. Now one could say that look but he's not stating it clearly true but one could infer that it doesn't seem like such a huge claim that Imam Malik didn't accept these hadith of the second coming and accept that Jesus killing pigs and by one removing every single such narration from his book not having any transmission in his book never teaching it as a fatwa never like where Does he teach this?

[2:30:10] Where does he say? And then the hadith he does bring about Jesus in his only book that he vouches for is where he shows contradictory behavior. To me that speaks volumes. But fair enough. One could say well you know to me that's arbitrary. But then so is that to say well just because other people believed in uh in the second coming therefore Imam Malik did is also arbitrary.

[2:30:41] Right now speaking of certain beliefs creeping in I want you to pay attention people. You see this whole thing of Jesus is linked pretty much with the antichrist. Okay? Because this is what people think. People think Jesus is coming back to obviously establish the kingdom of God on earth but to also wipe out the antichrist.

## Cite

Mufti Abu Layth Archive, segment zZ85AUzeK5w/s/25. https://muftiabulayth.org/r/zz85auzek5w/s/25/

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