Imam Malik ibn Anas

Imam Malik ibn Anas (711-795 CE), known as the Imam of Dar al-Hijrah, was born and died in the city of Medina, never leaving the Prophet's city permanently. He was raised in a family of scholars and began studying hadith at a young age, memorizing al-Muwatta under the guidance of his teachers. His lineage traced back to the Yemeni tribe of Asbah, and his family had settled in Medina after the Islamic conquests.

Malik's jurisprudential method gave special weight to the practice (amal) of the people of Medina, arguing that the continuous practice of Medina's scholars represented a living transmission of the Prophet's Sunnah. This principle distinguished his school from others and reflected his deep connection to the city's scholarly heritage. He was known for his profound respect for hadith, often weeping when narrating traditions of the Prophet, and he would perform ritual ablution and dress in his finest garments before teaching hadith.

Malik endured hardship for his principles. When the Abbasid governor of Medina ordered him to endorse a political position, Malik refused and was publicly flogged, dislocating his shoulder. He bore the punishment with dignity and never retracted his position. His al-Muwatta became the standard legal text across much of the Muslim world, and the Maliki school he founded remains dominant across North and West Africa, parts of the Gulf, and historically in al-Andalus. He died in 179 AH (795 CE) and is buried in al-Baqi cemetery in Medina.