Malik’s Muwatta (“the well-trodden path”) is a collection of two items:-
– The sayings and deeds of the Prophet Muhammad (SAW), also known as the Sunnah. The reports of the Prophet’s sayings and deeds are called ‘Ahadith.’
– The legal opinions and decisions of the Prophet’s Companions, their Successors, and some later authorities.
Imam Malik (93 – 179 AH) was born in Madinah. He was a preeminent scholar of Islam, and is the originator of Maliki Judicial School of Thought. He is reputed to have had over one thousand students. During his lifetime, he steadily revisited Muwatta, so it reflects over 40 years of his learning and knowledge. It contains a few thousand hadith.
Malik’s collection is not complete. There are other scholars who worked as Malik did and collected other reports.
