Maliki

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This page deals with Islamic thought. For the Prime Minister of Iraq, see Nouri al-Maliki. For the Saudi Islamic scholar, see Muhammad Alawi al-Maliki. For the Middle East Christians, see Melkite.

The Maliki madhab (Arabic مالكي) is one of the four schools of Fiqh or religious law within Sunni Islam. It is the third-largest of the four schools, followed by approximately 15% of Muslims, mostly in North Africa and West Africa.

Madhabs are not sects, but rather schools of jurisprudence.The other three schools of thought are Shafi, Hanafi, and Hanbali.

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[edit] Less reliance on hadith

The Maliki school derives from the work of Imam Malik. It differs from the three other schools of law most notably in the sources it uses for derivation of rulings. All four schools use the Qur'an as primary source, followed by the sunnah of Muhammad transmitted as hadith (sayings), ijma (consensus of the scholars) and Qiyas (analogy); the Maliki school, in addition, uses the practice of the people of Medina as a source.

This source, according to Malik, sometimes supersedes hadith, because the practice of the people of Medina was considered "living sunnah," in as much as Muhammad migrated there, lived there and died there, and most of his companions lived there during his life and after his death. The result is a much more limited reliance upon hadith than is found in other schools.

Imam Malik was particularly scrupulous about authenticating his sources when he did appeal to them, however, and his comparatively small collection of ahadith, known as Al-Muwatta ("The Approved"), is highly regarded. Malik is said to have explained the title as follows: "I showed my book to seventy jurists of Medina, and every single one of them approved me for it, so I named it ‘The Approved’."

[edit] Imam Malik

Malik was once sentenced to a lashing by the caliph Abu Ja`far al-Mansur for narrating a hadith to the effect that a divorce obtained under coercion was invalid. The hadith in question had momentous political implications, because it supported those who argued that the caliph's authority was similarly invalid -- because it, too, had been secured by means of coercion.

Eventually, Malik was paraded through the streets in disgrace and ordered to insult himself publicly. He is reported to have said: "Whoever knows me, knows me; whoever does not know me, my name is Malik ibn Anas, and I say: The divorce of the coerced is null and void!" When the incident was reported to the governor of Medina (who was also the cousin of al-Mansur), Malik was ordered released.

[edit] Differences in prayer from other madhabs

There are slight differences in the preferred methods of salaat, or prayer, in the Maliki school.[citation needed]

  • It is said to leave the hands to dangle at one's sides during prayer, though this was confused during the time when Imam Malik had damaged his back; however it is more correct, and a common Sunni practice of joining the hands beneath the chest, right hand over left, does not invalidate the prayer, since leaving the hands down is just a recommended act (in fact, several famous Maliki scholars, including Qadi Iyad, were of the opinion that the hands should in fact be folded across the chest like other Sunnis do).
  • Looking straight ahead at eye-level (i.e. literally "facing" the Ka'aba) during the standing and sitting parts of the prayer, rather than looking down towards the place of prostration
  • Not reciting any supplications before the Fatihah in obligatory prayers (the Bismillah, reciting "in the name of Allah, the most Gracious, the most Merciful" before the Fatihah, is frowned upon in obligatory prayers).
  • Turning the right-handed fist is on its side (such that smallest finger is touching the thigh) and moving the right index finger back and forth horizontally during the sitting parts of the prayers
  • Saying the ending tasleem only once ("As-salaamu 'alaykum" while turning the head to the right); anything more is frowned upon (except for followers behind an imam, who are recommended to face the front again and say "wa 'alaykum as-salaam" to the imam and, if anyone is to their left, turn their head to the left and say "wa 'alaykum as-salaam" to the person on their left).
Map showing some core areas of Maliki, Shafi, Hanbalis and Hanafi Muslims in Africa, Asia and Europe.
Map showing some core areas of Maliki, Shafi, Hanbalis and Hanafi Muslims in Africa, Asia and Europe.

[edit] Notable Malikis

[edit] See also

[edit] External links