Imam Malik and Wisdom

Imam Malik رحمه الله commented on Allah’s verse: He brings wisdom to whomever He will {Qur’an, Chapter 2:269} by saying:

Indeed, it comes firmly to my heart {innahu layaqa`u fi qalbi} that “wisdom” means intelligence {fiqh} of Allah’s Religion, and a matter which Allah causes to enter into the hearts out of His mercy and grace.

The saint or scholar in Islam never brings a new Revelation, but his task is to distribute to the people the blessings of the Prophet in the form of his teachings and goodness, as in the following example, also from Imam Malik {May Allah have mercy on him} we have:

Abu Mus`ab رحمه الله said: I went in to see Imam Malik ibn Anas. He said to me:

“Look under my place of prayer or prayer-mat and see what is there.” I looked and I found a certain writing. He said: “Read it.” It contained the account of a dream which one of his brothers had seen and which concerned him.

Imam Malik رحمه الله said: “I saw the Prophet صلى الله عليه و آله و صحبه و سلم in my sleep. He was in his mosque and the people were gathered around him, and he said:

I have hidden for you under my pulpit {minbar} something good — or: knowledge — and I have ordered Malik to distribute it to the people.” Then Malik wept, so I got up and left him.

{Related by Ibn al-Jawzi al-Hambali in the chapter entitled “Layer 6 of the People of Madinah” of his book Sifat as-Safwa.}

– Originally posted by Ustadh Luqman al-Andalusi

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