ANSWERED:Malikis: Question re. Ibn al-Qasim

[Abu 'Abdillah al-Maliki]

Assalamu 'alaykum.

Some brothers from Algeria told me that Ibn al-Qasim left Malik 20 years BEFORE Malik died.

On the other hand, I have heard from other people that Ibn al-Qasim stayed with Malik for 20 years up to Malik's death.

What is the truth of this matter?

Jazakumullahu khayran.

[Omar HH]

Well it doesn't matter because Ibn al-Qassim is Malik's best student. And according to the stronger view the mashhur is the view of Ibn al-Qassim who was the freed African slave that taught Sahnun who wrote down his opinions (and Imam Malik's) in al-Mudawwana al-Kubra.

It is agreed upon by the Malikis that Ibn al-Qassim was Imam Malik's best student.

I was reading in Dr. `Umar's dissertation that there was another student of Imam Malik teaching and he was giving totally different views and Ibn al-Qassim said "It is like we learned from two different teachers."

I do not know when he left Imam Malik - but it is said that he knew the final view of Imam Malik before he died and thus would imply he stayed until his death.

BTW... for all things that are not cleared up by Imam Malik, or Imam `Abdul Rahman ibn al-Qassim's opinion - Ibn Rushd al-Kabir cleared them up in al-Muqaddimah fi Sharh al-Mudawwana al-Kubra which comes with the Mudawwana of Sahnun anyway (most of the time).

Wassalam.

[Kareem]

Well it doesn't matter because Ibn al-Qassim is Malik's best student. And according to the stronger view the mashhur is the view of Ibn al-Qassim who was the freed African slave that taught Sahnun who wrote down his opinions (and Imam Malik's) in al-Mudawwana al-Kubra.

It is agreed upon by the Malikis that Ibn al-Qassim was Imam Malik's best student.

I was reading in Dr. `Umar's dissertation that there was another student of Imam Malik teaching and he was giving totally different views and Ibn al-Qassim said "It is like we learned from two different teachers."

I do not know when he left Imam Malik - but it is said that he knew the final view of Imam Malik before he died and thus would imply he stayed until his death.

BTW... for all things that are not cleared up by Imam Malik, or Imam `Abdul Rahman ibn al-Qassim's opinion - Ibn Rushd al-Kabir cleared them up in al-Muqaddimah fi Sharh al-Mudawwana al-Kubra which comes with the Mudawwana of Sahnun anyway (most of the time).

Wassalam.

ive read that Imam Malik concidered ash Shafi'i his best student

[Omar HH]

The ijm`a of the Maliki madhab is that `Abdul Rahman ibn Qassim was the best student of Imam Malik.

Imam Shafi`i made his own madhab and there is no doubt he was one of the best scholars of Islam ever (his madhab is followed my thousands)- but at least under the "Maliki" madhab the best student he had was `Abdul Rahman ibn Qassim.

[Abu 'Abdillah al-Maliki]

Jazakumullahu khayran. It's just that some people have claimed that Ibn al-Qasim left Malik for Egypt quite some time before Malik died, and they say that after that, Malik changed some of his opinions, and that his final opinions are those narrated by the Madaniyyin.

I am aware of the ijma' of the Maliki madhhab regarding Ibn al-Qasim, and of course I have no trouble in accepting that. But I just need some clarification about the above point, because it would appear to be a very strong one (if it were established to be true), and that is precisely why so many "salafi"-influenced people from Algeria seem to be saying that the real and final view of Malik is not represented fully by Ibn al-Qasim. So we need to have this information available in order to explain the reality of the issue to them, as they will not necessarily accept it if you say to them that it is the ijma' of the madhhab...

[Shaykhs-Pir Sahib]

i heard ibn al-qasim was on par with imam shafi'i in terms of 'ilm. and its only because he agreed with Malik that we don't have a 'Qasimi' madhhab.

[lumumba_s]

Ibn al-Qasim is like Abu Yusuf and Muhammad Shaybani. He could have started his own madhhab, but he instead chose to support and transmit Malik's. The Mudawwana demonstrates when and where Ibn al-Qasim disagreed with Malik, and it also shows the adab of ikhtilaf that the `ulama had with one another.

[sufisticated]

and that is precisely why so many "salafi"-influenced people from Algeria seem to be saying that the real and final view of Malik is not represented fully by Ibn al-Qasim.

i dare say, what does represent the final view of Malik then?

[lumumba_s]

Khalil? And that doesn't seem quite right, because Qadi Sahnun came to Medina and studied under Ibn al-Qasim. He didn't meet him in Egypt. From what I remember, he was seeking Malik, but it took so long for him to get there, that Malik had died by the time he arrived. So he studied Malik's madhhab under Ibn al-Qasim . . .