Al-Imam al-Bukhari

Who is al-Bukhari?

His name was Muhammad ibn Ismail ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Mughirah ibn Bardizbah al-Bukhari. He was known as al-Bukhari, a name attributed to his birthplace, Bukhara. His father, Ismail, was a well-known and respected hadith narrator in his time. He had the honor of studying under prominent scholars such as Imam Malik, Hammad ibn Zayd, and Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak (may Allah have mercy on them all). However, Ismail passed away during al-Bukhari’s childhood.

Al-Bukhari was an exceptionally intelligent child, which enabled him to memorize the Qur’an at a very young age. He was blessed with an extraordinary memory; after hearing a hadith once, he could repeat it accurately from memory. It was widely known that during his childhood he had memorized two thousand ahadith.

He began studying and recording Hadith at the age of sixteen. Thereafter, he traveled extensively in search of knowledge, visiting many regions and cities such as Bilad al-Sham, Kufa, the Hijaz, Baghdad, Egypt, Basra, Samarqand, and others. Through these journeys, he collected Hadith for his most renowned work, Sahih al-Bukhari.

Imam al-Bukhari eventually attained an eminent status in the science of Hadith. Scholars tested him by presenting Hadith with deliberately disordered chains of narration, and he successfully corrected and rearranged them, demonstrating his remarkable mastery. He set strict and precise conditions for accepting Hadith and devoted sixteen years to compiling and writing Sahih al-Bukhari, which is regarded as the most authentic book of Hadith in Islam.

Al-Bukhari’s Conditions for Accepting Sahih Hadith

Imam al-Bukhari set precise criteria for accepting a Hadith as authentic (sahih), including:

1. All narrators in the chain must be upright, pious, and trustworthy.
2. All narrators must possess strong and reliable memory.
3. The chain of narration must be continuous, with no missing narrators.
4. It must be proven that each narrator actually met the narrator from whom he reported (this is Imam al-Bukhari’s distinctive additional condition).

Sahih al-Bukhari contains more than 7,000 authentic Hadiths, which he carefully selected from approximately 600,000 Hadiths.

Al-Bukhari’s end life

The Final Years of His Life

Imam al-Bukhari was known for his humility, integrity, and courage, even when dealing with rulers. The governor of Bukhara once sent a messenger asking al-Bukhari to come to the palace to teach him and his children from Sahih al-Bukhari. Al-Bukhari refused, stating that knowledge should not be taken to people’s doors; rather, people should come to knowledge.

His famous statement on this matter was:

“I do not humiliate knowledge, nor do I carry it to people’s doors. If you have any need, then attend my mosque or my home.”

As a result of this stance, he was banished from Bukhara. He then traveled to Samarqand, where he passed away in 256 A.H. (870 A.D.). May Allah has mercy on him and reward him for his immense service to the Sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ.

References

islamweb.net   سير أعلام النبلاء

mawdoo3.com تعريف بالإمام البخاري

sunnah.com About Sahih al-Bukhari

https://sunnah.com