Al-Muwatta' 2 volumes

Author's name: Imam Anas ibn Malik

Al-Zuhri's novel

Al-Muwatta' was Malik's book, better, more beneficial and more influential than all the books written up to that time. Caliph Abu Ja'far al-Mansur (d. 158 AH) sought refuge in Imam Malik during the Hajj season, asking him to write a book on jurisprudence that would unite the scattered and organize the writing according to scientific standards that he had set for him, saying: "O Abu Abdullah, write jurisprudence and write books from it, and avoid the strict statements of Abdullah ibn Umar, the concessions of Abdullah ibn Abbas, and the deviations of Abdullah ibn Mas'ud. Aim for the middle ground and what the imams and companions agreed upon, so that people will be persuaded, God willing, to accept your work and your books, and we will spread them throughout the regions and enjoin them not to contradict them." Al-Mansur asked Imam Malik to unify people around his book, but he did not respond to him, due to his complete knowledge and fairness. He said: "People have gathered and learned about things that we have not learned about." From the Sciences of Hadith by Al-Hafiz Ibn Kathir