Imam Malik bin Anas was the most notable scholar of Madinah in 2nd year Hijri. One of his special characteristics was his great love for Prophet Muhammad (sa).
It was his custom to take a purification bath, put on perfume and wear beautiful garments before starting the Ahadeeth classes. One of his students, Musab bin Abdullah, narrated that whenever Imam Malik uttered the name of the Prophet (sa), the colour of his face would change, and he would bow down his head in respect.
Another of his students, Abdullah bin Mubarak narrated the following incident. They were sitting in class one day, and Imam Malik was relating some Hadeeth. Suddenly, a scorpion bit him and kept on biting him quite a few times. The Imam’s face showed signs of being in pain, but he did not stop his lecture. When the class ended, Abdullah bin Mubarak went up to him and asked him, what the matter was. The Imam told him about the scorpion and said that in normal circumstances, he would not have sat so patiently – but because he was narrating a Hadeeth of the Prophet (sa), he did not dare stop the flow of words.
During the Imam’s Ahadeeth classes, if any student or scholar raised his voice, the Imam would tell him to lower it immediately. This was because of the Quranic Ayah, in which the believers were commanded not to raise their voices above the voice of the Prophet (sa). Imam Malik felt that raising one’s voice in an Ahadeeth class was similar to raising one’s voice above the Prophet’s (sa).
After reading the above, we need to ask ourselves – do we try to reach the same level of reverence for the Prophet (sa)?
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