How many Hadith are there in Imam Malik's (Muwatta')?
"Al-Muwatta'" by Imam Malik is a great book that compiles prophetic traditions (marfu' hadiths), reports from the Companions and Successors (mawquf athar), in addition to the author's own legal rulings and fatwas. It was named as such because it was prepared and made easy for people, and Malik presented it to seventy jurists who approved of it. The reason for its compilation was Abu Ja'far al-Mansur's request to Malik to compose a book that would unify the people. Malik spent forty years reciting and refining Al-Muwatta', which led to multiple narrations of it, such as those by Yahya al-Laithi, Abu Mus'ab al-Zuhri, al-Qa'nabi, and al-Shaibani. These narrations differ in their arrangement, number of hadiths, and wording. The narration of Yahya al-Laithi contains approximately 1942 hadiths, while that of Abu Mus'ab contains 3069 hadiths due to its inclusion of Malik's sayings. Malik stipulated the strictest conditions for his book, selecting only the authentic, and both Al-Shafi'i and Sufyan al-Thawri praised its precision. In his Muwatta', Malik blends hadith with sayings of the Companions (613 reports) and Successors (285 sayings) and legal opinions. He presents the marfu' hadith first, followed by the athar, and emphasizes the practice of the people of Madinah. The book focuses on jurisprudence (fiqh), etiquette (adab), and daily and nightly practices, and it is devoid of topics such as monotheism, asceticism, or exegesis.
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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