A Call for Coexistence

Episode 7

In the name of Allah[1], the All-Merciful, the Ever-Merciful. Peace and blessings of Allah be
upon Prophet Muhammad (SAWS[2]).

Today we are going to look at the life of Imam Malik as one of the four Imams of Islamic
jurisprudence. However, it is important to stress before we start the meaning and idea
behind our program. Its name, A Call for Co-Existence, is inspired by the meaning of the
word “exist”. It is all about how people can exist and respect each other; how to understand
others; not necessarily to adopt their ideas and believe in them, but at least to reach out for
them and stretch a hand of friendship. It is to learn how to be decent in disagreeing with
others and how to see our differences as opportunities and not obstacles in the face of our
relationships.

Being different from one another is one of Allah’s greatest blessings. It is only through each
others’ different contributions to the world that our lives gains richness, content and value. If
everyone is to isolate self from others or to share the exact same thoughts as others, life will
hold no real value and will be so shallow!

Today as we briefly look at Imam Malik’s life, we look at an example of success of a person
who was able to gather people around him. Amazingly and unlike Imam ash-Shafi'y, who
only lived for 54 years, Imam Malik lived for 94 years during which he was able to build
continuous success and attract people who wanted to listen to his preaching and learn from
him.

Imam Malik started preaching about Islam when he was only 17 year old after 70 of great
Islamic scholars approved him to do so and confirmed his eligibility. Can you imagine! 77
years of continuous support and admiration for that man! That can only mean that he had a
special way or a secret of how to gather thousands of people from every color and way of
thinking and motivate them to keep listening to the same scholar! Today, we will try to find
that secret and discover how he managed to do so.

It is important to mention at this point that Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) actually predicted in
one hadith[3] that there would be a great Islamic scholar that people would seek from all
directions and would not find except in Madinah. The Prophet’s companions had no doubt
that the scholar mentioned in the hadith was Imam Malik Ben Anas that is why he was
known as Imam of Madinah. Can you imagine the honor!
Just so you can understand the importance of the work of the four Imams of Islamic
jurisprudence, we will mention the simple fact that after Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) passed
away, what was left from his legacy was a body of ahadith[4] and verses of Quran which
were relatively limited in number. The four Imams shouldered the responsibility of extracting
values, meanings, and solutions from that limited body to almost all issues to come in
people’s life thereafter!

It is also important to note that Imam Malik was born, lived his entire life and later died in
Madinah. He never left it except to Makkah to do Hajj [5] or Umrah[6]. That is an amazing
detail, especially in light of the fact that a great scholar such as ash-Shafi'y actually traveled
to 10 different countries to gain, confirm, and spread his knowledge. So how could Imam
Malik achieve such success and popularity on the span of 94 years while living in one city?!

The location of his lecture was always the same. It was at one of the noblest locations;
between the Prophet’s house and pulpit (where the sermon is typically delivered) which the
Prophet described as a piece of heaven. Imam Malik used to deliver two types of lectures.
The first one was to a limited number of people who were to be his successors in teaching.
The second one was for everybody else. To give you an indication of his popularity, you need
to know that he was sought by thousands that they could not all fit together in one place. He
used to have helpers who organized people by their nationalities. He would call on people
from each nationality one at a time to listen to his lecture because of lack of space!

How could he find the ways to attract those people from different cultures to keep coming
back in such large numbers! If we find the answer to that question, we will find the secret for
having a peaceful co-existence with others. His students were from various countries and
continents. Something that has been known to modern universities only recently! He had
students from Asia, Europe and Africa.

So what is his secret?! Can we follow his footsteps? Is it possible that conflicting people in
Iraq or Lebanon would be guided by Imam Malik’s example and stop fighting? Even on the
personal level, is it possible for a husband and wife or for all people in society to co-
existence in peace following his example? We are still to know his secret talent.

When we follow the legacy of Imam Malik, we see that for more than 70 years, he taught
thousands of people from different cultures. That means that he spoke to three generations
of people and I can not help wondering, how was he able to do that for that many years and
with him aging to reach 94 years of age! What is more surprising was who were among his
students! Look at his attendants including four caliphs; Al-Hady, Harun Al-Rasheed, Al-
Ameen and Al-Ma’mun. Among his students were princes, leaders and governors. Among his
students were great scholars as well, such as Abu-Hanifa, 13 years his senior and ash-
Shafi'y, 20 years old and learning! What an amazing pool of attendants!
To puzzle you even more, there were two big conflicting political powers at that time;
Umayyad and Abasside. The amazing thing was that people and leaders of both groups
loved Imam Malik and trusted his opinions in spite of the fierce conflict between them! So,
how could he reach that status while there were numerous scholars at that time?!

To further prove that he was an exceptional figure; let’s see what he was offered by Harun
Al-Rasheed as a symbol of the peak of power in the Islamic history of rulers. Al-Rasheed
requested that Imam Malik would accept to go to Iraq to teach his children; an idea that did
not appeal to Imam Malik since he believed that people should make an effort to seek
knowledge and not the opposite! Malik in his wisdom sent a note to the caliph that said “To
the Emir (commander) of believers, may you be graced and honored by Allah! The
knowledge that I have is only part of what your family contributed to the world. If you honor
it, it gains grace. If you humiliate it, it becomes worthless! O’ Emir of believers, knowledge is
sought and it should not seek people!” After Al-Rasheed read that he agreed with Malik and
ordered his sons to travel to where Malik is in Madinah to learn from him. As a sign of
modesty, he asked that they get treated as common attendants and not as the caliph’s
sons.

Later Al-Rasheed visited Al-Madinah and requested that Malik would go to him in his palace
where he stayed. Malik repeated his famous phrase “Knowledge is sought and it should not
seek anyone!” The caliph then argued that he would go to Malik; however, he wanted it to
be a private lecture with no one else attending. Malik suggested that if knowledge goes to
the elite privately denying the public the right of learning, then neither the public nor the
elite gets its benefit. Once more, Al-Rasheed agreed and went to where Malik is giving his
lecture. His servants offered him a seat while all of Imam Malik’s students were seated on
the floor. Malik, not wanting to offend Al-Rasheed, greeted people as usual and started his
lesson with a Qudsi (sacred) hadith[7] saying that Allah (SWT[8]) says that he raises those
who humble themselves in his worship and he puts down those who look down on others.
Malik then sends a smile to Al-Rasheed who gets what Malik intended to politely tell him
and then he gives away his seat and joins the rest of the students on the floor.

So, what was it then that gave Malik such influence on others?! Was it his leadership
qualities? He was known for his exceptional charisma as narrated by Saeed Ibn Hend who
said that he never feared anyone more than Abd Al-Rahman Al-Dakhel, however, when he
saw Imam Malik, he feared him more. We know that he had a fair complexion unlike most
of the Arabs at that time with blonde hair and blue eyes. However it can not be his charisma
or alone that placed him in such a high status.

Was it his intelligence then?

He was known for that as described by his teacher, Rabiia, who said that he never met
someone wiser than Malik. Rabiia used to refer to Malik as the ‘wise one’ among his
students. However, it can not only be his mental qualities that gave him success and
influence.

Was it his piety and strong faith?

For he was known for that as well, he was often seen crying while giving his lectures when
he reflects on the place where he was sitting and that it was once occupied by Prophet
Muhammad (SAWS). He never related to any hadith except while he was in a state of
ablution. His students would knock his door for their lesson time. If it was a day of regular
lecture, he would be with them shortly. However, when it was a day to speak of Prophet
Muhammad (SAWS), he would take his time to dress up and wear perfume before
mentioning the Prophet. His relationship with Allah and the Prophet was so special that he
never mounted an animal in Madinah just out of respect to the Prophet (SAWS) who lived
there! However, it can not be that faith alone that made him this exceptional; since there
were so many others in his time that were known for their piety but never had his influence!

We may agree that all the above qualities contributed to Imam Malik’s success. However,
there were two main things that made him excel and exceed everyone else’s efforts. He
used to think of two things that made him gain the trust and respect of others. First, he
always placed others’ interests above his; second, he always tried to ask people to do only
what they could handle.

And that is the art of co-existence which we are trying to reach today! He always placed
himself in others’ place. Can you do that? Imagine if everyone adopted the same goal.
Imagine if a husband puts himself in his wife’s place and asks himself why she is disagreeing
with him the way she is! Or if you place yourself in the place of your teenage son and try to
understand why he is acting the way he is. Imam Malik used to think that way. He used to
think of others and try to look for what benefits them.

Hence, two inspiring approaches were initiated by him. The first one was that he always
believed that wherever the benefit of the peoples was, then Allah’s rules were supportive.
That was his approach in reading and interpreting the Qur’an and ahadith. He always looked
at the rules knowing that he would find benefits for people. The second one was that he
believed that Islam is based on allowing people all pleasures except for the things that was
named as sinful deeds. He preferred to define the best scholar as the one who gave people
permission to enjoy Allah’s blessings as long as it was proven by Islam. He always tried to
look at the situation beforehand and try to see how to make it easy on people. When he
could not, then he would say that he did not know the answer to the issue raised instead of
saying something harsh that would burden people.
That is why thousands of people followed him and gathered around him because he wanted
the best for others and the easiest for them in the light of Shariah[9]. He built his approach
on three verses from the Qur’an, which can be translated as:

“..and has not laid upon you in religion any hardship…“ (TMQ[10], 22: 78).

“Allah wills for you ease, and He does not will difficulty for you...” (TMQ, 2:185).

“Allah wills to lighten (things) for you, and man was created a weakling“(TMQ,
4:28).

It is interesting to note that one of the easiest approaches towards marriage was indeed
Imam Malik’s. He built his approach on a story that happened during Prophet Muhammad’s
time when a man came to him saying that he and his wife had fair complexion, however, his
wife gave birth to a boy with a dark complexion. The man was doubtful of his wife’s fidelity!
The Prophet asked him if he had animals to which the man said yes. He then asked him if his
animals included one that was not of the same color. The man said yes. The Prophet
inquired how that could happen. The man guessed that perhaps it took its color from an
ancestor. Then the Prophet suggested that it could be the same case with his son. The
Prophet did not wish to open a door of doubt between the man and his wife and that is
where Imam Malik extracted his approach.

Ablution is another example of Imam Malik’s search for uncomplicated solutions for
Muslims. When you make ablution and then later you are not sure whether or not your
ablution is still valid, Malik would ask such questions: Can you swear that your ablution is
not valid? Are you sure it is not?

If you can not say a clear yes, then your ablution is valid according to Malik. Malik is the
scholar who would lose appetite when asked by someone to find a way out of a problem! He
would keep thinking hard to find that way out. He would ask the person to stay in the city till
he found that solution. That was one of the great reasons behind his success.

Imam Malik is the writer of the first book in Islam; ‘Al-Mu’ata’ which contained all his
thoughts and ideas. The name of the book itself is driven from an Arabic word which mean
easiness and sensitivity to others. That book contained 12,000 ahadith with their
interpretations by scholars and hence it was the first of its kind. It gained huge popularity
and it paved the way to many notable scholars such as al-Bukhari and ash-Shafi'y.
Imam Malik was once asked about the thing that was closest to his heart. He said it was to
bring happiness to a Muslim through dedicating his work and life to take away his/her
burdens. He used his knowledge to help others. He would follow Prophet Muhammad’s
example of taking the easier option that complied with shariah.

It is time now to see how he came to think that way!

This is a message to all parents for a certain situation in Malik’s childhood inspired him to be
so. Malik used to be a playful child who loved to chase pigeons and follow singers. He never
cared about studying, something that bothered his family which was known for its
knowledge and status. Malik’s father decided to handle this situation by holding a
knowledge competition for his sons. In the competition, Malik’s younger brother won!

All the father did was to smile at Malik saying that chasing the pigeons kept him away from
seeking knowledge. Malik got upset and said that he would excel in something else such as
signing. His mother said gently that a singer without a good voice was worthless even if he
enjoyed good looks! He asked her what to do then! She said that singing would not get him
far, but knowledge might! On the next day, she bought him clothes usually worn by scholars
at their time. Imam Malik was very excited and immediately asked and asked her how to
go about seeking knowledge. His mother then suggested that he go to Rabiiah in order to
learn manners before knowledge.

That story was told by Imam Malik himself at the age of 70! It was the wisdom of his
parents in dealing in a gentle way with their son’s issue that helped to raise such a great
scholar! That is another example of coexistence! His parents did not force him or insult him.
They just gave him hints on how to be better. This is a message to all. Do not force people to
do things. It is a message to the West. Do not force us to follow your lead.

I hope you got the idea. Put yourself in the place of others. Do not force others or pressure
them in any way. Go easy on them and respect them. This is a message to every husband
and wife, to our brothers and sisters in Iraq to end the bloodshed. I urge you to think about
other people’s benefits and interests. I hope we all benefit from that powerful message.

[1]The word Allah is the Arabic term for God. Although the use of the word
"Allah" is most often associated with Islam, it is not used exclusively by
Muslims; Arab Christians and Arabic-speaking Jews also use it to refer to the
One God. The Arabic word expresses the unique characteristics of the One
God more precisely than the English term. Whereas the word "Allah" has no
plural form in Arabic, the English form does. Allah is the God worshipped by
all Prophets, from Adam to Noah, Abraham, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad.

[2]SAWS= Salla Allah alayhe Wa Salam [All Prayers and Blessings of Allah
be upon him].

[3]Hadith= The Prophet’s (SAWS) actual sayings or actions as narrated by

his companions.

[4]Ahadith= Plural form of hadith [The Prophet’s actual sayings or actions as

narrated by his companions].

[5] Hajj= The pilgrimage to Makkah during the first half of the month of Dhul-
Hijjah, and is the fifth pillar of Islam.

[6] Umrah= A voluntary short pilgrimage that can be performed at any time
of the year.

[7]Hadith Qudsi= The words of Allah, repeated by Muhammad (SAWS) and

recorded on the condition of an isnad (chain of verification by witness(es)
who heard prophet Muhammad say the hadith).

[8] SWT = Suhanahu wa Ta'ala [Glorified and Exalted Be He].

[9] Shariah= The ethical and moral code based on the Qur'an and sunnah.

[10] TMQ=Translation of the Meaning of the Qur'an. This translation is for

the realized meaning, so far, of the stated (Surah:Ayah) of the Qur'an.
Reading the translated meaning of the Qur'an can never replace reading it in
Arabic, the language in which it was revealed.

Courtesy:AmrKhaled.net