Risalat al-Imam Malik fi al-Sunan wa al-Mawaiz wa al-Adab
- Author died
- 179 AH
- Editions
- Sharikat Maktabat wa-Maṭbaʿat Muṣṭafā al-Bābī al-Ḥalabī wa-Awlāduh bi-Miṣr
Risalat al-Imam Malik fi al-Sunan wa al-Mawaiz wa al-Adab (Epistle of Imam Malik on Sunan, Exhortations, and Etiquette) is an epistolary work attributed to Malik ibn Anas (93–179 AH / 711–795 CE), framed as a letter of moral counsel and religious instruction addressed to the Abbasid caliph Harun al-Rashid.
Content and Structure
The treatise is composed in an exhortatory style as a direct counsel (nasiha) to the ruler, reminding him of his accountability before God. It opens with reflections on the agony and inevitability of death, the soul's presentation on the Day of Judgment, the reckoning, and eternity in the afterlife. The text vividly contrasts the torment and despair of the inhabitants of Hellfire—citing the divine reprimand اخْسَئُوا فِيهَا وَلَا تُكَلِّمُونِ ("Remain despised therein and do not speak to Me")—with the bliss and honor reserved for the obedient in Paradise.
Throughout the text, the author counsels the caliph on cultivating piety, maintaining self-discipline, and carrying out the obligations of governance in accordance with prophetic practice (sunnah) and proper conduct (adab).
Transmission and Authenticity
The treatise circulated through several transmission paths:
- In al-Andalus, it was first transmitted by Abd al-Malik ibn Habib from his authorities from Malik, and later narrated by Abu Ja'far ibn Awn Allah and Qadi Ibn Mufarrij from Ahmad ibn Zaydawayh (or Dizawayh) al-Dimashqi.
- Other chains trace through Abu Muslim al-Kajji from Amr ibn Muhammad al-Uthmani from Abd Allah ibn Nafi' from Abu Bakr Abd al-Aziz ibn Abd Allah from Malik. A variant transmission recorded by al-Kajji relates that the epistle was addressed to the caliph's vizier, Yahya ibn Khalid al-Barmaki.
The attribution of the letter to Malik was rejected by several prominent scholars. The Maliki jurist Asbagh ibn al-Faraj denied its authenticity and took an oath that it was not authored by Malik. Ibn al-Abhari and other critics remarked that it contained uncorroborated traditions, noting that had Malik heard someone narrate them, he would have disciplined him. Al-Dhahabi considered its chain broken (munqati') and described the work as fabricated (mawdu'). Despite these objections, excerpts and versions of the letter were preserved in biographical and legal literature, such as Ibn Yunus al-Siqilli's al-Jami' li-Masa'il al-Mudawwanah and Qadi Iyad's Tartib al-Madarik.
Publication History
The epistle was printed several times in Cairo, including editions at Bulaq (1311 AH and 1319 AH), Matba'at al-Mahmudiyya (1315 AH), and al-Matba'a al-Maymaniyya (1325 AH). It was also published by Maktabat Mustafa al-Babi al-Halabi in Cairo (second edition, 1373 AH / 1954 CE), corrected under the supervision of Ahmad Sa'd Ali.
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