Imam Bukhari’s Legacy in the Malay World

An international conference entitled “Imam Bukhari’s Influence on the Malay World: The Cases of Brunei Darussalam and Malaysia” was jointly organized by the Imam Bukhari International Scientific Research Center and Universiti Islam Sultan Sharif Ali (UNISSA) in Brunei Darussalam.

The conference brought together researchers from the Center, representatives of the Hadith Science School, leading Orientalists and manuscript specialists from Brunei Darussalam, Malaysia, Indonesia, Türkiye and Egypt, as well as international research fellows.

At the opening ceremony, Professor Shovosil Ziyodov, Director of the Center, and Dr. Hajah Siti Sara binti Haji Ahmad, Vice-Rector of UNISSA, highlighted the strong historical foundations of the centuries-old scholarly and intellectual ties connecting the peoples of Transoxiana and Southeast Asia.

During the conference, Professor Muhammad Fawzi bin Hamad of the Academy of Islamic Studies at Universiti Malaya and other international experts delivered presentations on the development of Islamic civilization and manuscript studies in the Malay world.

The discussions focused primarily on the academic significance of Sahih al-Bukhari in shaping the education systems and standards of manuscript studies in Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam. Participants emphasized that Imam Bukhari’s research methodology continues to serve as a key benchmark in contemporary Islamic studies.

It was also noted that conducting research in Malay, Arabic and English at leading academic institutions in Malaysia and Brunei provides a strategic bridge for introducing the scholarly heritage of Transoxiana to the wider international academic community.

The discussions also explored the cultural and ethnographic commonalities between Central and Southeast Asian societies, along with the anthropological manifestations of Islamic values and hadith in everyday life and traditions through the concept of “living hadith.”

Participants identified several areas for future cooperation, including the preservation and cataloguing of rare manuscript collections in Brunei Darussalam and other countries across the region, as well as their comparative study alongside archival sources held in Central Asia.

As part of the conference, the Imam Bukhari International Scientific Research Center and UNISSA signed a protocol relating to their Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation.

During the signing ceremony, Dr. Hajah Siti Sara binti Haji Ahmad described Uzbekistan as a blessed land that had produced some of the greatest representatives of Islamic civilization. She also emphasized the global significance of Imam Bukhari and his rich scholarly legacy.

She noted that the newly formalized partnership would extend beyond serving as a platform for dialogue and provide a practical foundation for advancing manuscript studies, joint research projects and academic exchanges to a new level.

At the conclusion of the conference, the international guests visited the Imam Bukhari Complex, paid their respects at the scholar’s resting place, and toured the innovative museum and mosque equipped with modern technologies.