Imom Buxoriy xalqaro ilmiy-tadqiqot markazi bukhari.uz
Imam Bukhari’s creative legacy amazes with its scope and comprehensive coverage of the religious and social sciences of his time. Muhammad ibn Ismail Bukhari began writing books at a very young age. According to sources, the scholar created more than 20 works during his creative career. Khatib Baghdadi narrates from the Bukhari himself: “When I reached the age of eighteen, I began to classify the issues and sayings of the companions and followers. This was during the time of Ubaidullah ibn Musa. At that time, I classified the “Kitab At-Tarih/Book of History” on moonlit nights near the graves of the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace”.
Historians who have studied the life and works of Imam Bukhari have particularly noted the following of his works:
1. “Al-Jāmiʾ al-Ṣaḥīḥ” (“Reliable collection”). We will discuss this masterpiece of Imam Bukhari in more detail later.
2. “Al-Adab al-Mufrad ” (“Masterpieces of manners”). This work, which contains the most authentic hadiths of Imam Bukhari on ethics, is a unique collection of unrivaled educational value. The book contains 1,322 hadiths and reports in 644 chapters. It has been published several times in India, Turkey and Egypt. Several handwritten copies of the work have also survived.
3. “Al-Tarikh al-Kabir” (“The Great History”). As mentioned above, Imam Bukhari compiled this book on moonlit nights near the grave of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) in Medina when he was about eighteen years old. This book is not about general history as we understand it today, but rather about the history of the narrators of hadith, in other words, their biographies and their qualities in narrating hadith.
Imam Bukhari himself said about this book, “I have a story about every name in history. I just didn’t like the book being too long.”
Abu Ahmad Hakim in his Kitab al-Kuni says: “There is no book that can compare with the history of Muhammad ibn Ismail. Those who wrote books on history, names and kunyas after him did not do so without his help. Some of them, such as Abu Zar’ah, Abu Hatim and Muslim, referred to him. Some of them narrated from him. May God have mercy on this man, he is the best of the best.”
Muhammad ibn Abu Hatim Warraq al-Bukhari said: “I heard Al-Bukhari say, ‘Is’haq ibn Rahawayh came to Abdullah ibn Tahir with the book “Tarikh” that I had classified and said, “O Amir! Shall I show you magic?” Abdullah ibn Tahir looked at the book and said, “I do not understand how it is classified.”’”.
Abul Abbas ibn Sa’eed says: “Even if a person has recorded thirty thousand hadiths, he cannot do it without the book of Tarikh classified by Muhammad ibn Ismail.”.
The manuscript of the book is stored in Darul Kutubil Misriya under the inventory number 10340. The work was published in Turkey in 9 volumes. Also published in India in 1361/1942.
4. “Birr al-wālidayn” (“being dutifull to parents/ hadith collection on filial piety”). According to the sources, this work was narrated by Muhammad ibn Dallavih from Imam Bukhari. Its content is also known by its name. Haji Khalifa wrote in “Kashf az-Zunun” “This book belongs to the pen of Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ismail Bukhari, who died in 256. It was narrated from him by Muhammad ibn Zakrumah Waraq. This is one of his existing interpretations. Ibn Hajar also mentioned this.” It is believed that this work of the scholar has not reached us.
Also, various sources, including the introductions to “Tabaqat ash-Shafi’iyya” and “Fath al-Bari,” provide information that Imam Bukhari also wrote some poetry in Arabic, and provide examples of those poems.
Description of “Al-Jāmiʾ al-Ṣaḥīḥ” hadith collection
The book recognized as the second source after the Holy Qur’an in Islam is “Al-Jāmiʾ al-Ṣaḥīḥ” – (“Collection of authentic Hadiths”). This work, written by the sultan of the science of hadith and the commander of the faithful, Muhammad ibn Ismail Bukhari, was distributed among Muslim nations in numerous copies, hundreds of commentaries were written on it, and it was translated into various languages of the world, and is still being translated today. What is the reason why this work, which is second only to the Holy Qur’an in terms of the number of copies and usage, has reached such a high level? Let us dwell separately on the history and style of writing of this book, which is known in the Islamic world as “al-Sahih”, “Al-Jami’ Al-Sahih”, and “Sahih al-Bukhari”, which is the path to happiness in both worlds.
One of the reasons for writing this work is stated to be the words of Is’haq ibn Rahawayh, the teacher of Imam Bukhari and the leader of the believers in the science of hadith. It was narrated from Ibrahim ibn Ma’qal al-Nasafi that Imam Bukhari said: “Is’haq ibn Rahawayh once said: ‘If you were to compile a book of authentic hadiths from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)’. This word stuck in my heart. As a result, I began to compile “Al-Jami’ Al-Aahih – a collection of reliable hadiths.”
It would not be wrong to say that Imam Bukhari not only received instructions from his teachers before writing this book, but also received divine guidance from Allah Almighty. Because Imam Bukhari’s dreams are a clear proof of this. It is narrated from Muhammad ibn Sulaiman ibn Faris: Imam Bukhari said: “I saw the Prophet, may God bless him and grant him peace, in my dream. I was standing in his presence, fanning our Prophet with the fan in my hand. When I asked some interpreters about the interpretation of this dream, they said, “You are defending the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him) from a lie.” “This dream prompted me to write al-Jami’ as-Sahih,” I heard him say . It is also worth noting that whoever sees our beloved Prophet in a dream is considered to have seen him in real life. These dreams of Imam Bukhari were also actually a divine revelation from Allah Almighty.
There are different opinions in the sources about where this masterpiece of Imam Bukhari was compiled. Of these, Imam Bukhari wrote the comments and explanations of this work in the place between the tombs and minbars of our Prophet, may God’s prayers and peace be upon him. Abu Fazl al-Maqdisi wrote that he classified it in Bukhara. Some sources state that the place of writing of this work is Basra, while others state that it is Mecca. It is narrated from Umar ibn Muhammad ibn Bajir al-Samarkandi that Imam Bukhari said: I classified my book “Al-Jami’” in “Masjid al-Haram”. I have heard him say that before including a hadith in this book, I would take a bath, pray two rak’ahs of istikhara (prayer to ask Allah for good in a matter), and then only include it in my book after I was completely convinced of its authenticity . These narrations seem to contradict each other on the surface. If we summarize these sources and examine them carefully, it becomes clear that they are all correct, because Imam Bukhari began writing this work in the Masjid al-Haram in approximately 833 AD (217 AH), at the age of 23, and completed it in the Masjid al-Haram in 849 AD (233 AH), before he was forty, over a period of 16 years, and it is certainly not possible for him to have remained confined to the Masjid al-Haram during this period. Although Imam Bukhari translated and classified this sahih work in other cities, he divided it into chapters and organized it only in Masjid al-Haram. After Imam Bukhari finished writing the book, he showed it to Imam Ahmad, Yahya ibn Mu’in, Ali ibn Madini and other Muhaddith scholars. They acknowledge the authenticity of this book and praise Imam Bukhari’s work.
Before Imam Bukhari’s work, hadiths were not classified into sahih according to their level. At that time, it was popular among the scholars of hadith to study the theoretical status of the narrator of a hadith, whether he was reliable or unreliable. Hadiths narrated from them were included in books without being classified according to their level. Imam Bukhari discovered a completely new way in the field of hadith studies, which began the “golden age” in the field of hadith studies.
Before learning each hadith, Imam Bukhari paid close attention to the narrators, their piety, whether they followed the Sharia, and their religious and worldly justice. He did not take hadith from people who were known for their weak faith and lying. It is narrated that Imam Bukhari heard a hadith that was unfamiliar to him and traveled a long distance to the narrator’s house to ask him about its chain of transmission and authenticity. But it is said that this narrator went out into the field, onto the land that belonged to him. When Imam Bukhari came to this field, he saw that a man was lifting the hem of his robe to catch a runaway horse, pretending to try to feed it, and calling it. Imam Bukhari said: “This man is deceiving a dumb animal, what can you expect from him?” and turned away without hearing a single hadith from him. Yes, Imam Bukhari collected authentic hadiths with such care and diligence. He only memorized the fake hadiths to inform others. Imam Bukhari selected the blessed hadiths of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) with a consistent chain of transmission (Mutassil) and reliable narrators, and compiled them into a book. After that, the field of hadith studies began to separate and compile authentic hadiths.
Imam Bukhari showed unimaginable courage in collecting the hadiths in his collection Al-Jami’ al-Sahih. When we consider the fact that the hadiths in Al-Jami’ al-Sahih were selected from six hundred thousand hadiths, and the number of narrators mentioned in the chain of narration was between three and seven, that Imam Bukhari studied the complete biographies of the narrators in the chain of narration before including each hadith in the collection, and included it in the collection of hadith after it reached the level of authenticity, we understand the unparalleled courage and hard work of Imam Bukhari (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) (may Allah have mercy on him) in writing the collection of hadith Al-Jami’ al-Sahih and his unrivaled knowledge of the hadiths and narrators of his time.
The collection consists of 97 books and 3881 chapters, and the total number of hadiths in it, including repetitions, is 7563. There are 1391 Mu’allaq hadiths in the frame of the book, 344 hadiths dependent on a hadith, and the total number of hadiths in this book is 9082 . If we consider that Imam Bukhari selected the most authentic hadiths from among six hundred thousand hadiths, another incomparable value of this book becomes clear to us. If we also remember that he included each hadith in his collection after performing a bath and praying two rak’ahs, this value becomes even clearer.
The more this work, which is the epitome of the scientific and spiritual heritage of Imam Bukhari, is read, the more its unexplored aspects and wisdom will be revealed.
Not only this, but also other works of the scholar demonstrate his profound knowledge and maturity. In addition to the study of hadith, Imam Bukhari also made a great contribution to the development of history, ethics, and Islamic jurisprudence.
In our time, the legacy of the Sultan of Hadiths is being recognized internationally. The international scientific research center named after the scholar in Samarkand is working tirelessly in this regard, supporting the government of Uzbekistan and collaborating with international scientific institutions to study and promote the works of Imam Bukhari.
Every work of Imam Bukhari is a source of knowledge for Muslims and is still important for moral education, religious practical guidance and enrichment of historical knowledge. His scientific heritage, which clearly shows the power of knowledge, patience and faith, is not only a part of the history of Islam, but also a source of guidance for the spiritual development of society.
