The Maliki School of Jurisprudence

The Maliki school (al-Madhhab al-Maliki) is the second oldest Sunni school of jurisprudence, founded by Imam Malik ibn Anas (93-179 AH / 711-795 CE) in Medina, the city of the Prophet. It is the dominant school in North Africa (Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya), West Africa (Nigeria, Senegal, Mali, Mauritania), parts of East Africa, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Its unique emphasis on the practice of the people of Medina gives it a distinctive methodology among the four schools.

The Founder: Imam Malik

Imam Malik spent his entire life in Medina, rarely leaving the city of the Prophet. He studied under hundreds of scholars, including Nafi (the freed slave of Ibn Umar), Ibn Shihab al-Zuhri, and Rabi'ah al-Ra'y. His immense respect for Medina was reflected in his teaching: he would perform ghusl, apply perfume, and sit with dignity before narrating hadith. He was known for his caution in issuing fatwa, famously saying: "I do not know" was the shield of the scholar. He suffered persecution under the Abbasid governor who had him beaten until his arm was dislocated, yet he continued teaching until his death at approximately 86 years of age.

Al-Muwatta

Imam Malik's magnum opus, al-Muwatta ("The Well-Trodden Path"), is one of the earliest compilations of hadith and Islamic law. Imam al-Shafi'i said of it: "There is not on the face of the earth, after the Book of Allah, a book more authentic than the Muwatta of Malik." The work combines hadith narrations with the legal opinions of the companions and the scholars of Medina, presenting a unified picture of Islamic practice as it was understood in the Prophet's own city. It served as both a hadith collection and a legal manual.

Unique Methodology

The Maliki school's most distinctive methodological feature is its reliance on Amal Ahl al-Madinah (the practice of the people of Medina) as a source of law. Imam Malik argued that the living practice of Medina's scholars and people constituted a form of mass transmission (tawatur) of the Prophet's Sunnah, since the people of Medina inherited their practices directly from the companions who lived there. He also employed istislah (consideration of public interest), sadd al-dhara'i (blocking the means to harm), and gave significant weight to the opinions of the companions. The school is known for its practical approach to law and its emphasis on maslahah (public welfare).

Key Positions and Legacy

Distinctive Maliki positions include: continuity (muwalat) in wudu is obligatory; rubbing water over the limbs (dalk) during wudu is required; the prayer of a woman behind a man in the same house is valid without a barrier; the school has a unique method for calculating zakat al-fitr; and it gives particular weight to custom (urf) and local practice. Major Maliki scholars include Sahnun (al-Mudawwanah), Ibn Rushd al-Jadd and his grandson Ibn Rushd (Averroes), al-Qarafi, and Khalil ibn Ishaq, whose Mukhtasar became the primary teaching text. The school's influence in Africa is immense, carried by traders, scholars, and Sufi orders who spread Islam throughout the continent.