My Brother, Do You Know the Path to Paradise? (In Praise of Imam Malik and His School)

Salam

Over the past few days, for a reason unknown to me, I kept on thinking about the Arabic for the famous statement in praise of Imam Malik, namely, “If the scholars are mentioned, then Malik is the star (amongst them)”.  Yesterday whilst reading I happened to by chance come across this praise of Imam Malik by Imam al-Dhahabi, who additionally mentioned the following verses in praise of Imam Malik and his legal school  [Siyar 18/77-83]:

“Abu Amr al-Dani said:

My brother, do you know the path to paradise?

        Its path is the Quran, then the Sunnah

Both of them are in the city of the Messenger

        And the abode of the companions, the best of generations

So follow the group of Madinah

        For they narrate the knowledge of their Prophet

They are the goal of all those other than them

       In their narrating, words and legal verdicts

And place reliance upon Imam Malik

       For he encompasses all of this

In fiqh and fatwa to him is the mastery

        And likewise in the correct transmission and knowledge of those who went before

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From Fawaid al-Gharra (2/212-213)