He رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه replied.

(In Part 29, Surah Al-Mulk, verse 2) Allah Almighty has said:

لِیَبۡلُوَکُمۡ  اَیُّکُمۡ  اَحۡسَنُ عَمَلًا ؕ

that you may be tested, (as to) whose deed is best amongst you^[1]

   *Sayyidunā Ibn Wahb رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه has stated, “I have not seen a more pious person than Imām Mālik رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه.”

*   Ibn Qāsim رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه has stated, “The servant of Imām Mālik رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه told me that he رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه offered the Fajr Salah with the wudu of ꜤIshā most of the time for 40 years.”

*   Sayyidunā Ibn Wahb رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه has mentioned: “Imām Mālik رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه used to perform supererogatory (nafl) acts of worship day and night, preferring solitude so that nobody would see him.^[2]  

*   Shaykh Shuʿayb Ḥarīfīsh رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه said, “Sayyidunā Imām Mālik رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه used to offer Salah, do dhikr and recite litanies often before dawn, then he رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه would commit himself to teaching.”^[3]

صَلُّوۡا عَلَى الۡحَبِيۡب         صَلَّى اللّٰهُ عَلٰى مُحَمَّد

O devotees of the Awliyāʾ! You have heard that Imām Mālik رَحْمَةُ الـلّٰـهِ عَلَيْه was most devoted to worship, Quranic recitation and supererogatory deeds. He chose to worship alone to protect himself from ostentation and public praise. In contrast, our condition regarding worship is most