Malik on Compulsion: The Caliph should not force the Maliki school upon the people

Malik ibn Anas, may Allah have mercy upon him, said: When Abu Ja’far Al-Mansur performed the pilgrimage, he called me, so I entered upon him and he spoke to me and he asked me questions and I
replied. Then he said, “I have resolved to have several copies made of these books of yours (meaning, the Muwatta). I will send a copy to every region among the lands of the Muslims and their command shall be to abide by its contents without referring to any other, and they will set aside everything but this new knowledge, for indeed I see the source of knowledge in the narrations of the people of Medina and their teachings.” I said, “O leader of the believers, do not do this, for verily, the people have received sayings, heard narrations, and transmitted various accounts. Each people holds to what it has received and acts according to it. They deal with their differences accordingly and, indeed, to turn them away from their beliefs would be very difficult, so leave the people with what they are upon and with what the people of every country has chosen for themselves.” Al-Mansur said, “By my life, if you had complied with that, I would have ordered it.”

[Ibn Asakir, Fadl al-Muwatta 5; Tabaqat Al-Kubra, Ibn Sa’d 1/441]

مَالِكَ بْنَ أَنَسٍ رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ يَقُولُ لَمَّا حَجَّ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ الْمَنْصُورُ دَعَانِي فَدَخَلْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَحَادَثَنِي وَسَأَلَنِي فَأَجَبْتُهُ فَقَالَ إِنِّي قَدْ عَزَمْتُ أَنْ آمُرَ بِكُتُبِكَ هَذِهِ الَّتِي وَضَعْتَهَا يَعْنِي الْمُوَطَّأَ فَتُنْسَخَ نُسَخًا ثُمَّ أَبْعَثُ إِلَى كُلِّ مِصْرٍ مِنْ أَمْصَارِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِنْهَا بِنُسْخَةٍ وَآمُرُهُمْ أَنْ يَعْمَلُوا بُمَا فِيهَا لَا يَتَعَدَّوْنَهُ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ وَيَدَعُوا مَا سِوَى ذَلِكَ مِنْ هَذَا الْعِلْمِ الْمُحْدَثِ فَإِنِّي رَأَيْتُ أَصْلَ الْعِلْمِ رِوَايَةَ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ وَعِلْمَهُمْ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ يَا أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لَا تَفْعَلْ هَذَا فَإِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ سَبَقَتْ إِلَيْهِمْ أَقَاوِيلَ وَسَمِعُوا أَحَادِيثَ وَرَوَوْا رِوَايَاتٍ وَأَخَذَ كُلُّ قَوْمٍ مِنْهُمْ بِمَا سَبَقَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَعَمِلُوا بِهِ وَدَانَوْا بِهِ مِنَ اخْتِلَافِ النَّاسِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ وَإِنَّ رَدَّهُمْ عَمَّا اعْتَقَدُوهُ تَشْدِيدٌ فَدَعِ النَّاسَ وَمَا هُمْ عَلَيْهِ وَمَا اخْتَارَ أَهْلُ كُلِّ بَلَدٍ لِأَنْفُسِهِمْ فَقَالَ لَعَمْرِي لَوْ طَاوَعْتَنِي عَلَى ذَلِكَ لَأَمَرْتُ بِهِ

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