Maliki

Maliki refers to Malik ibn Anas (c. 711–795 CE), an Islamic scholar from Medina who founded the Maliki school of Sunni jurisprudence. The Maliki madhhab is one of the four major Sunni legal schools and is named after Malik’s teachings. It is characterized by its emphasis on the Quran and Sunna, the practice (amal) of the people of Medina, and, where appropriate, local customs (urf). The school also accepts analogical reasoning (qiyas) but prioritizes established precedent and tradition, with a distinctive reliance on the practices of Medina as a source of law. Malik’s Muwatta, an early compilation of hadith and legal opinions, serves as a foundational text for the school and has influenced later Maliki jurisprudence.

Geographically, the Maliki school has been historically dominant in North Africa and parts of West Africa. It spread through the Islamic West, shaping legal and religious life in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Mauritania, and regions of Mali, Niger, and Nigeria. It also had a significant historical presence in medieval Al-Andalus (Islamic Iberia). In the modern era, Maliki jurisprudence remains influential in Morocco and in various communities across West and parts of Central Africa, with smaller but notable presence in other regions.

A follower or practitioner of this school is commonly described as a Maliki. The Maliki madhhab is one of the distinct Sunni schools of fiqh, contributing to doctrinal diversity within classical Islamic law and continuing to inform Islamic legal interpretation in areas where it is influential.