Yahya ibn Yahya al-Laythi

Yahya ibn Yahya ibn Kathir al-Laythi al-Andalusi, from al-Andalus. He came to Malik ibn Anas in Medina and took the Muwatta' from him, so that his transmission became the best known and the most widely spread of the transmissions of the Muwatta' in the Maghrib and al-Andalus ¹.

al-Maqqari transmits from Ibn Hazm that Yahya's word was accepted by the sultan in the matter of judges, so no judge was appointed in al-Andalus except on his advice, though he himself never took up the judgeship ².

al-Maqqari transmits from Ibn al-Faradi that none of the people of al-Andalus was given the favour and the high rank that were given to Yahya ².

A story is told of him in Malik's assembly: it was said "the elephant has come", and everyone went out except Yahya. He said that he had come from al-Andalus to learn from Malik, not to see the elephant, and Malik named him "the intelligent one of al-Andalus" ³.

The sources give his death as the year 234 AH, in Rajab, and his grave is in Cordoba ³.

• His date of birth (152 AH) and of death need a second source. The reading of the year of death in the edition is not certain (244 or 234). The entry needs an additional source.

Al-Dhahabi gives him as Yahya ibn Yahya ibn Kathir ibn Wisalas, the great imam and jurist of al-Andalus, Abu Muhammad al-Laythi of Berber Masmuda stock, from Cordoba, born in 152 AH. ⁴

He travelled east late in Malik's life and heard the Muwatta from him except for some chapters of i'tikaf, which he doubted hearing and narrated instead from Ziyad Shabtun from Malik; he also heard al-Layth ibn Sa'd, Sufyan ibn 'Uyayna, 'Abdallah ibn Wahb and 'Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Qasim, from whom he carried ten volumes of questions and legal issues. He stayed until Malik died and witnessed his funeral, then returned to Cordoba with abundant knowledge, took the lead in teaching, and students thronged to him. ⁴

It is reported that he took hold of al-Layth's stirrup, and when al-Layth's servant moved to stop him, al-Layth said "leave him", then told him: "knowledge has served you" — and the days proved it so. ⁴