In 174 A.H Harun-ar-Rashid, arrived in Madinah with his two sons Amin and Ma’mun. He summoned Imam Malik to his inner court to deliver a lecture on the Muwatta’.
The Imam refused to comply with his orders. Arriving in the inner court, he told the Caliph,
‘Rashid! [You want me to teach] Traditions in a learning cultivated and patronized by your ancestors, if you don’t pay it due respect, no one else would,’ This argument convinced the Caliph, who, along with his two sons, then chose to attend the class taken by the Imam.
{100 of the Greatest Muslims}
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May Allah have Mercy on Imam Malik, he truly was a man of Allah. Spoke the Haqq even in the face of the ruler. Takes a huge heart of a lion.