Mālik ibn Anas

Mālik ibn Anas (c. 93–179 AH) taught in Medina. A foundational figure of the Maliki school, he compiled Al-Muwaṭṭaʾ.

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Al-Muwaṭṭaʾ brings together hadith, reports from the early generations and legal discussion, arranged by topic.

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The Muwaṭṭaʾ combines prophetic hadiths, Companions’ reports and legal opinions. Attention to Medinan practice is important to his reasoning, without meaning any local custom. The book reflects a period when transmitting reports and developing law were closely connected.

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The Muwaṭṭaʾ survives in several transmissions, including Yaḥyā ibn Yaḥyā al-Laythī’s. The Maliki school developed through disciples and later generations, notably in the Maghreb and al-Andalus. The Mudawwana reflects that collective development and is not a book directly written by Mālik.

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Identify the question and the author’s legal school. Distinguish the quoted evidence, its interpretation and the preferred ruling. Technical discussions often require prior knowledge: definitions and other schools’ arguments clarify the reasoning without making every position a unanimous consensus.

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