Abu Abdullah Malik ibn Anas ibn Malik ibn Abi Amir Al-Asbahi al-Himyari al-Madani (93 AH – 179 AH / 711 – 795 CE) was a Muslim jurist and hadith scholar, the second of the four imams of Sunni Islam, and the founder of the Maliki school of Islamic jurisprudence. He was renowned for his vast knowledge, his exceptional memory of hadith, and his meticulousness in transmitting them. He was also known for his patience, intelligence, dignity, and good character. Many scholars praised him, including Imam al-Shafi’i, who said: “When scholars are mentioned, Malik is the brightest star, and Malik is God’s proof to His creation after the Tabi’in (the generation after the Companions).” His book, “Al-Muwatta,” is considered one of the earliest, most famous, and most authentic books of hadith. Imam al-Shafi’i even said of it: “After the Book of God, there is no book more correct than Malik’s Muwatta.” Imam Malik based his legal rulings on several sources: the Holy Quran, the Sunnah (Prophetic traditions), consensus (ijma’), the practice of the people of Medina, and analogical reasoning (qiyas). And the interests of the people, and preference, and custom and traditions, and blocking the means, and presumption of continuity.