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Did Imam Malik say: "Whoever practices Sufism without jurisprudence has become a dissolute transgressor, and whoever practices jurisprudence without Sufism has become a heretic"? And did he have books other than Al-Muwatta'?

1 min readAlso available in العربية

This statement, attributed by later scholars to Imam Malik—may Allah have mercy on him—has not been proven authentic to him, because the term 'Sufism' (الصوفية) was not known in the early centuries. Furthermore, Imam Malik's well-known books, such as 'Al-Muwatta' and 'Al-Mudawwana al-Kubra', contain no mention from him about Sufism. Some have attributed this statement to Sheikh Ibrahim al-Dessouki. It is advisable to seek the truth and worship Allah according to what has been legislated, to study the Quran and books of encouragement and deterrence, to accompany people of knowledge and uprightness, and to regularly attend circles of knowledge and perform prayers in congregation.

Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026

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