Mālik b. Anas

Imam Malik ibn Anas (711-795 AD) was born in Medina and was a prominent Islamic scholar and the founder of the Maliki school of jurisprudence, one of the four major Sunni schools of law.

Imām Mālik b. Anas and Reverence for the Prophet

Facing the Prophet in al-Masjid al-Nabawī Imām Mālik ibn Anas (d. 179 AH), the Imām of the Salaf, was asked: "Should one face the Qiblah or the Messenger while in al-Masjid al-Nabawī?" He replied: "Face the Messenger and seek intercession through him." Source: Narrated by al-Qāḍī ʿIyāḍ in al-Shifā with a good chain.

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Intercession Through the Prophet Abu Ja'far once asked: "O Abu ʿAbdullāh (Imām Mālik), should I face the Qiblah and pray, or should I face the Messenger of Allah?" Imām Mālik responded: "Why would you turn your face away from him, when he is your means and the means of your father Adam to Allah on the Day of Resurrection? Rather, face him and seek intercession through him, and Allah will intercede for you."

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Reverence and Emotional Responses to the Prophet

Imām Mālik’s Reverence

Musʿab ibn ʿAbdullāh reported: “Whenever Imām Mālik mentioned the Messenger of Allah, his complexion would change, and he would bow his head so much that it was difficult for his companions to bear.”

When asked about this, he said: “If you had seen what I have seen, you would not criticize me. I used to see Muhammad ibn al-Munkadir, the leader of the reciters, and we could hardly ask him about a ḥadīth without him crying until we pitied him. I also saw Jaʿfar ibn Muḥammad, who was often playful and smiling, but when the Prophet was mentioned, he would turn pale. I never heard him speak about the Messenger of Allah except in a state of purity.”

Other Scholars’ Reverence

ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn al-Qāsim: “When the Messenger of Allah was mentioned, his complexion would change as if blood was draining from him, and his tongue would dry up out of reverence for the Prophet.”

ʿĀmir ibn ʿAbdullāh ibn al-Zubayr: “When the Messenger of Allah was mentioned, he would cry until no more tears remained in his eyes.”

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Tawassul, Tashaffuʿ, and Istighāthah in Mālikī Jurisprudence

Ibn al-Ḥājj (d. 737 AH), a Mālikī Faqīh, permitted acts of Tawassul (seeking means), Tashaffuʿ (intercession), and Istighāthah (seeking aid) through the Prophet.