Excerpt from the up and coming book called the Jewels of Imam Malik:
The name of the favorite teacher of Imam Malik was Shaykh ‘Abd ar-Rahman ibn Hurmuz {May Allah have mercy upon him}
He was from the Tabi’in because he studied and met with some of the most famous among the Sahaba, he loved to especially study Ahadith with the likes of Abu Hurayrah and Abu Sa’id al-Khudri {May Allah be pleased with them}.
Shaykh ibn Hurmuz was a scholar of Hadith and he is one of the top reporters of Abu Hurayrah’s Ahadth.
Imam Malik said of him:
“He was without peers in his knowledge of how to answer the advocates of erring creeds, and in his knowledge of the areas in which scholarly views diverge.”
Shaykh Janun relates that Imam Malik {May Allah have mercy upon him} said:
“For 13 years I sat from Fajr prayer until Maghrib attaining knowledge from the scholars. A different one in a different period. And I also have knowledge from the Tabi’in and the Tabi’ Tabi’in who got that knowledge from the Companions/Sahaba; although I never mentioned that to any human being and I also never wrote it in any books.”
Imam Malik {May Allah have mercy upon him} also said:
“ I would visit ibn Hurmuz every day from morning to night for a period of about 8 years. Ibn Hurmuz is the Shaykh whom Imam Malik said: “ I learnt absolutely everything from him. ”
Imam Malik loved his teacher ibn Hurmuz dearly and hence he would give gifts to the kids of the neighborhood and would order them to tell the other students that the Shaykh was busy at the time.
He said:
“I would come to Ibn Hurmuz, whereupon he would order the servant to close the door and let down the curtain, then he would start speaking of the beginning of this Ummah, and tears would stream down his beard.”
Imam Malik was very connected with his Shaykh and they remained friends for 30 years and he would help him throughout his life. May Allah Ta’Ala bless Imam Malik with the highest levels of Paradise.
> Some people have asked me before, well if Ibn Hurmuz is so great why then didn’t Imam Malik mention him more in the Muwatta?
The answer to this is that –> Shaykh ibn Hurmuz asked him not to place him within the book so that he could stay sincere and humble. Because they were also like best friends as well, Imam Malik agreed to this request and only placed him a few times within the Muwatta.
May Allah Ta’Ala bless the Shaykh and his student Imam Malik and give them the highest ranks of Paradise. Amin!