First published in 1989. This is the first translation of the Muwatta' in the English language. Imam Malik came from a family of learning and grew up in Madina al-Munawarra which was the capital of knowledge at that time, especially the knowledge of hadith. Known as one of the great reciter’, Malik's predisposition for retention and understanding of knowledge he took it upon himself to serve the shari'a and to preserve the Prophetic sunna. He did this by relaying it from those notable Tabi'un with whose knowledge he was satisfied and whose words he thought worthy of conveying and by his work he opened the way for all later writers and cleared a path for the compilation of Islamic law.

Compiled during the reign of Mansur, the second Abbasid Caliph, Muwatta' of Imam Malik passed his entire life in Medina and, therefore, had direct access to the most reliable authorities on hadith because most of the leading Companions and their Successors lived and died there and narrated traditions. The Muwatta' is based on the traditions narrated by them and the juristic verdicts given by them, and thus it deals only with such ahadith as have a bearing on juristic verdicts. The translator is a well-known scholar. he has done full justice to the work undertaken by him. He has provided exhaustive explanatory footnotes wherever necessary.Read more

Rijal is a biography of the narrators of the Muwatta of Imam Muhammad, most particularly their standing as scholars of hadith. Since the majority of narrators here are among the great authorities of the Companions, the Followers, and Followers of the Followers later confirmed by al-Bukhari and Muslim and the rest of the major hadith scholars, this work will prove indispensable for the serious student of the sciences of the narrators of hadith.

Abu Hamid al-Ghazali, in his Book of Counsels, compiles powerful spiritual lessons and reminders, weaving hadith into direct speech and presenting it to the reader. This is a book that is intended to stir the heart to submission and mindfulness of Allah. This translation has sought to retain the literary aspects of this collection while also applying an attentive engagement with the hadith employed within.

The Muwa a' contains a record of the exemplification by the last Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, of the message of the Qur' n, the practice ('amal) of the people of Mad nah of the first generations, a transmission of the ethos that permeated the city, and Im m M lik's painstaking clarification of the Sunna, the ad ths, the practice and legal judgements. Ash-Sh fi' said, "After the Book of Allah, there is no book on the face of the earth sounder than the book of M lik." 'Al ' ad-D n Maghla y al- anaf said, "The first person to compile the a was M lik." Ibn ajar said, "The book of M lik is sound by all the criteria that are demanded as proofs in the mursal, munqa i' and other types of transmission." As-Suy followed Ibn ajar's judgement and said, "It is absolutely correct to say that the Muwa a' is sound ( a ) without exception." Al-Bukh r and Muslim transmitted most of its ad ths and included them in their a collections. The authors of the rest of the six books, the Im m of the ad th scholars, A mad ibn anbal, and others did the same."

Birr al-Wālidayn is a short treatise on the subject of being dutiful to parents which was published recently for the first time. This treatise is significant because Imam Bukhārī appears to be the first person to pen a treatise specifically on this subject. It comprises 75 hadiths which are transmitted under various chapter headings focusing on two broad themes: being dutiful to parents and maintaining family ties. This English translation is accompanied by succinct and insightful commentary from Mufti Yusuf Shabbir, in addition to appendices featuring the narrations transmitted by Imam Bukhārī on the same topic in his Ṣaḥīḥ and Al-Adab al-Mufrad, chains of transmission and biographies of the narrators.

Kitab Ash-Shifa bi ta'rif huquq al-Mustafa, (Healing by the recognition of the Rights of the Chosen One), of Qadi 'Iyad (d. 544H/1149CE) is perhaps the most frequently used and commented upon handbook in which the Prophet's, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, life, his qualities and his miracles are described in every detail. Generally known by its short title, Ash-Shifa, this work was so highly admired throughout the Muslim world that it soon acquired a sanctity of its own for it is said: "If Ash-Shifa is found in a house, this house will not suffer any harm... when a sick person reads it or it is recited to him, Allah will restore his health." Ash-Shifa gathers together all that is necessary to acquaint the reader with the true stature of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with the esteem and respect which is due to him, and with the verdict regarding anyone who does not fulfil what his stature demands or who attempts to denigrate his supreme status - even by as much as a nail paring. QADI 'IYAD His full name was Abu al-Fadl 'Iyad ibn Musa ibn 'Iyad ibn 'Imran ibn Musa ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abdullah ibn Musa ibn 'Iyad al-Yahsubi, the famous Imam. He was born in Ceuta in the month of Sha'ban, 496 AH and lived there although his family originated from Andalusia. According to his son, Muhammad, his ancestors originated in Andalusia and then moved to the city of Fes, staying in the Qarawiyyin at some point. 'Imrun moved to Ceuta after having lived in Fes. Qadi 'Iyad was the Imam of his time in hadith and its sciences. He was a scholar of tafsir and its sciences, a faqih in usul, a scholar in grammar, language and Arabic speech, as well as in the battles and lineages of the Arabs. He had insight into judgements and had the legal competence to write contracts. He preserved and knew the Maliki madhhab. He was an excellent poet, familiar with literature and an eloquent orator. He was steadfast, forbearing and a good companion. He was generous and gave a lot of sadaqa. He was constant in action and tenacious in the truth. He died in Marrakesh in the month of Jumada al-Akhira or Ramadan in 544 AH. AISHA BEWLEY Aisha Abdurrahman at Tarjumana Bewley is one of today's most prolific translators of classical Arabic works into English. For more than thirty-five years she has been concerned with making the contents of many classical Arabic works more accessible to English-speaking readers. She is co-translator of The Noble Qur'an A New Rendering of its Meaning in English. Other works include Al-Muwatta of Imam Malik, The Meaning of Man, Mu'awiya - Restorer of the Muslim Faith, A Glossary of Islamic Terms, Islam: The Empowering of Women and Muslim Women, a Biographical Dictionary.