Imam Malik's creed mirrored that of the Prophet Muhammad and his esteemed companions

والصَّلَاةُ والسَّلاَمُ عَلَى سَيّدِنَا مُحَمَّدٍ أَشْرَفِ اْلمُرْسَلِيْنَ وَعَلَى آلِهِ وَصَحْبِهِ الطَّيّبِيْنَ الطَّاهِرِيْن

Imam Malik steadfastly adhered to the Sunnah, the pristine path of the Prophet Muhammad. His creed mirrored that of the esteemed companions and the noble family of the Prophet. Imam Malik was the one who articulated the profound principle: "One does not inquire about the 'how' regarding the Creator. Asking 'how' about Allah is inconceivable. Hence, Allah transcends such inquiries."

Imam Malik was born and raised in Medina the Illuminated, where he received his education in jurisprudence from the esteemed scholars of the city. This upbringing afforded him a deep understanding of the authentic beliefs of the Prophet Muhammad and the customs of the people of Medina, the city to which the Prophet had emigrated. Thus, Imam Malik firmly believed in Allah's absolute transcendence beyond any resemblance to His creation. He held that Allah is exempt from attributes such as place, form, image, movement, displacement, and change.

He interpreted the equivocal hadith of the descent (an-nuzul)

It has been definitively established that Imam Malik, akin to Imam Abu Hanifah before him, interpreted hadiths concerning Allah that are not explicit and seemingly imply corporeal attributes, movement, displacement, or immobility, by assigning them a meaning other than their literal interpretation.

For example, Imam Malik is reported to have interpreted the hadith of nuzul (descent) which mentions a descent that occurs every night to the sky of this earth in a manner different from its apparent sense. and succeeded by the following declaration: "Whoever is invoking Allah shall be heard." The hadith is:

((يَنْزِلُ رَبُّنَا كُلَّ ليلة إلى السماء الدنيا فيقولُ هل من داعٍ فأستجيبُ له))

(yanzilu Rabbuna kulla laylatin ‘ila s-sama’i d-dunya fayaqul hal min da^in fa’astajibu lah)

Indeed, Imam Malik stated: "This refers to the descent of God's mercy and does not mean that God moves from one place to another."

The hadith of nuzul therefore means that the manifestations of God's mercy swell in the last third of the night through granted invocations and accepted repentances. This is the correct meaning of this hadith. Those who have understood it according to the meaning that commonly comes to mind that God would move from one place to another have gone astray.

Al-Bayhaqiyy reported, with his chain of transmission, that when Al-'Awza^iyy, Malik, Sufyan Ath-Thawriyy, and Al-Layth ibnu Sa^d had been questioned about these equivocal hadiths, they responded:

"أَمِرُّوهَا كَمَا جَاءَتْ بِلاَ كَيْفية"

(‘amirruha kama ja’at bila kayfiyyah)

That is to say, one should not infer from these hadiths any implication regarding a ‘how’ (kayfiyyah) concerning Allah. Al-Bayhaqiyy documented this in his book Al-'Asma'u was-Sifat.

He explained the istiwa' of Allah

Al-Bayhaqiyy relayed from ^Abdu l-Lah Ibnu Wahb, who recounted: "We were in the company of Malik when a man entered and addressed him as 'O Abu ^Abdi l-Lah'—Imam Malik's nickname. The man then asked, Ar-Rahmanu ^ala l-^arshi stawa , how is that (kayfa stawa)?'

Malik observed a moment of silence and began to perspire. He then lifted his head and said:

"الرحمـنُ على العرشِ استوى كما وَصفَ نفسَه ولا يُقالُ له كيفَ وكيفَ عنه مرفوع"

 (Ar-Rahmanu ^ala l-^arshi stawa kama wasafa nafsah wala yuqalu lahu kayf wakayfa ^anhu marfu^)

 "Ar-Rahmanu ^ala l-^arshi stawa as Allah has taught us. One does not inquire about a ‘how’ (kayf) concerning the Creator. Indeed, to question how (kayf) about Allah is inconceivable," signifying Allah's exemption from such inquiries. Addressing the man, he stated, " It's clear to me that you are a malevolent innovator. He then instructed, "Escort him out."

Malik's statement, "to ask how about Allah is impossible," implies that the istiwa' of Allah cannot be characterised by an establishment, as establishment entails a 'how.' It is not to suggest that Allah is installed, as installation implies a 'how.' Likewise, claiming that Allah is sitting is not permissible, as sitting also connotes a 'how.' Instead, it is stated istiwa' as it has been revealed in Arabic in the Qur'an, with the addition: without how. In other words, it is not a form of settlement or a sitting position, nor is it comparable to the istiwa' of created beings. This elucidates the meaning behind Imam Malik's statement. This is termed a ‘global interpretation’ (ta'wil 'ijmaliyy), which involves negating what is impossible concerning the creator without specifying a particular meaning among the various possible meanings in the Arabic language that befits the Creator.

Al-Bayhaqiyy relayed from Yahya Ibnu Yahya, a disciple of Imam Malik, that the latter asserted:

"الاِستواء غيرُ مجهول"

 (al-‘istiwa' ghayru majhul)

 "istiwa' is not unknown."

 The significance of " ghayru majhul " is that the term "istiwa'" of the Creator is mentioned in the Qur'an:

﴿الرحمـنُ على العرشِ استوى﴾

[suratuu Taha / 5] (Ar-Rahmanu ^ala l-^arshi-stawa).

And Imam Malik's saying:

والكيف غيرُ معقول

(wa l-kayfu ghayru ma^qul)

"The concept of 'how' is beyond comprehension i.e., it is rationally impossible regarding Allah." Imam Abu Hanifah has similarly interpreted this verse.

What is the how (al-kayf)?

The 'how' encompasses all attributes that pertain to creatures, such as motion or immobility—all of which are impossible for the Creator. It is neither asserted that the Creator is in motion nor that He is motionless, as motion and motionlessness are attributes of bodies, and Allah transcends corporeality. Allah is not subject to motion or immobility. This is the reason why Muslims exempt Allah from ‘how’.

Regarding istiwa', as sitting is deemed a 'how,' it is inconceivable about Allah. Sitting or establishment is inconceivable regarding the Creator because sitting is one of the attributes of creatures. Indeed, sitting is only conceivable and applicable to beings composed of parts, possessing upper and lower parts; attributes Allah ta^ala is exempted from.

Regarding the assertion attributed to Imam Malik, claiming that he said (wal-kayfu majhul), implying that the 'how' is unknown, it lacks reliability (sahih). It has not been validated by any scholar of the first three centuries (salaf), and neither Malik himself nor any other Imam has confirmed it as an authenticated version. Al-Bayhaqiyy did convey it, specifying that it was circulated by some without confirming its authenticity.