camels would be struck to urge them toward him in pursuit of knowledge—is found in Mālik, not in al-ʿUmarī. People did not urge their camels toward al-ʿUmarī in pursuit of knowledge. Rather, his practice was to go out into the desert, whose inhabitants neither travelled to the towns to seek knowledge nor received visits from scholars. He would teach them their religion and give them understanding of it, encourage them to pursue what would bring them closer to their Lord, and warn them against what would distance them from Him.
Although this was undoubtedly meritorious, the merit Allah bestowed upon Mālik, may Allah have mercy on him, through the knowledge he spread and the religion he revived, surpassed it to a degree known only to Allah, who bestows His bounty upon whomever He wills and whose bounty is immense.
For his knowledge did not cease with his death. Those who urged their camels toward him in pursuit of knowledge acquired it from him, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said: “Successive generations took it from those who had taken it from him, and so his reward continues until the Day of Resurrection.” As he, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
“The deeds of the son of Adam cease except for three: knowledge from which benefit is derived, charity whose benefit continues, and a righteous child who supplicates for him.”
Were it not for Mālik, may Allah have mercy on him, and scholars like him, knowledge would have vanished and religion would have been lost.
The work of al-ʿUmarī the worshipper ceased with his death, since the benefit of the knowledge he taught people in the desert did not extend beyond them. The merit of worship therefore does not equal the merit of knowledge, by scholarly consensus. The scholars have all stated that, when one of two men is more learned and the other more virtuous, the more learned has the greater right to serve as imam. This is so only because the merit of knowledge exceeds that of deeds.
It is related that the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, said:
“The superiority of the scholar over the worshipper is like the superiority of the full moon over all the other heavenly bodies.”
It is also related that the aforementioned al-ʿUmarī the worshipper wrote to Mālik, may Allah have mercy on him, urging him to withdraw into seclusion for worship and cease sitting with people. Mālik, may Allah have mercy on him, wrote back:
“Allah has apportioned deeds among His servants just as He has apportioned their provision. One man may be enabled to undertake one kind of deed but not another, while another may be enabled to undertake a different kind but not the first.”
He enumerated various kinds of righteous deeds, then said:
“I do not think that what you are engaged in is better than what I am engaged in. Both of us are pursuing good, if Allah wills.”
Section on
[The Merits of Mālik]
His merits are too numerous to count. Among them is the report that ʿAbd al-Rahmān ibn al-Qāsim said: