Muwatta Malik 1569

These are the words of a Successor — the generation after the Companions — not of the Prophet ﷺ.

حَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ، كَانَ ابْنُ شِهَابٍ لاَ يَرَى ذَلِكَ وَأَنَا لاَ، أَرَى فِي نَافِذَةٍ فِي عُضْوٍ مِنَ الأَعْضَاءِ فِي الْجَسَدِ أَمْرًا مُجْتَمَعًا عَلَيْهِ وَلَكِنِّي أَرَى فِيهَا الاِجْتِهَادَ يَجْتَهِدُ الإِمَامُ فِي ذَلِكَ وَلَيْسَ فِي ذَلِكَ أَمْرٌ مُجْتَمَعٌ عَلَيْهِ عِنْدَنَا ‏.‏ قَالَ مَالِكٌ الأَمْرُ عِنْدَنَا أَنَّ الْمَأْمُومَةَ وَالْمُنَقَّلَةَ وَالْمُوضِحَةَ لاَ تَكُونُ إِلاَّ فِي الْوَجْهِ وَالرَّأْسِ فَمَا كَانَ فِي الْجَسَدِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَلَيْسَ فِيهِ إِلاَّ الاِجْتِهَادُ ‏.‏ قَالَ مَالِكٌ فَلاَ أَرَى اللَّحْىَ الأَسْفَلَ وَالأَنْفَ مِنَ الرَّأْسِ فِي جِرَاحِهِمَا لأَنَّهُمَا عَظْمَانِ مُنْفَرِدَانِ وَالرَّأْسُ بَعْدَهُمَا عَظْمٌ وَاحِدٌ ‏.‏

Malik related to me, "Ibn Shihab did not think and nor do I, that there is a generally agreed on way of doing things regarding a piercing wound in any of the organs or limbs of the body, but I think that there is ijtihad in the case. The imam uses ijtihad in it, and there is no generally agreed on way of doing things in our community about it." Malik said, "What is done in our community about the wound to the brain and the wound which splinters the bone, and the wound that bares the bone is that they apply only to the head and face. Whatever of that occurs in the body only has ijtihad in it." Malik said, "I do not think the lower jaw and the nose are part of the head in their injury because they are separate bones, and except for them the head is one bone