Sixteen Scorpion Stings and the Extraordinary Sincerity of Imam Mālik

Scorpion stung 16 times

Sayyiduna ‘Abdullah Bin Mubarak رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْہِ has narrated that a scorpion stung Sayyiduna Abu ‘Abdullah Imam Maalik رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْہِ 16 times while he was giving a Hadees lesson. Due to the severity of the pain, his blessed face turned pale but he continued to give the lesson. (He رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْہِ even did not change his sitting posture.) After the lesson ended and people left, I [i.e. the narrator] asked, ‘O Abu ‘Abdullah! Today, something strange appeared on your face. I noticed it!’ He said, ‘Yes! But I had patience showing reverence for the Hadees of the Rasool صَلَّى اللهُ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْهِ وَاٰلِہٖ وَسَلَّمَ!’

(Ash-Shifa, vol. 2, pp. 46)

Sincerity of Imam Maalik

A great devotee to Madinah, Sayyiduna Imam Maalik رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْہِ was the first to compile a technically excellent book on the knowledge of Hadees. The book is known as ‘Muwatta Imam Maalik’. He was the embodiment of sincerity. Sayyiduna Shaykh Muhammad ‘Abdul Baaqi Zurqaani رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْہِ has narrated: After Imam Maalik رَحْمَةُ اللهِ تَعَالٰی عَلَيْہِ compiled the book ‘Muwatta’, he put all the pages of its manuscript into water, saying, ‘If any of these pages gets wet, I will no longer use them.’ Amazingly, none of the pages got wet. This was the proof of his sincerity and the fruit of his true intention.

(Sharh-uz-Zurqaani 'alal Muwatta, vol. 1, pp. 36)