Is the narration attributed to Imam Malik, which states that whoever introduces something new into this Ummah that was not present during the time of its predecessors has claimed that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, betrayed the Message, citing the verse: {This day I have perfected for you your religion...}, authentic or weak, especially after the innovator Barelwi claimed that Abd al-Malik ibn Habib is weak and prone to error?

This narration from Imam Malik is well-known, mentioned by Ibn Hazm and Al-Shatibi. Although Abd al-Malik ibn Habib was weak in hadith (definition) narration, he was an imam in Maliki jurisprudence. His statements are accepted in matters where he specialized in the knowledge of Imam Malik, just as the statements of Ibn al-Kalbi are accepted in genealogy, Al-Waqidi in biographies and military expeditions, and Sayf ibn Umar in history, despite their weakness in hadith narration. In conclusion, the narration of Abd al-Malik ibn Habib for this tradition is acceptable because he is one of the imams of the madhhab (definition), and he narrated it from Ibn al-Majishun, and both of them are among the most knowledgeable people regarding the sayings of Imam Malik.