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He is the ever renowned scholar of hadith and his hadith collection Sahih Al-Bukhari is considered the most authentic book next to the Qur’an.
He is Abu `Abdullah Muhammad ibn Abu Al-Hasan Isma`il ibn Ibrahim ibn Al-Mughirah Al-Ga`fi Al-Muhkari, known as Al-Bukhari, the ever renowned scholar of hadith and his hadith collection Sahih Al-Bukhari is considerethe most authentic book following the Qur’an. This article sheds light on some of the sides of Imam Muhammad ibn Isma`il Al-Bukhari’s biography, works, sheikhs and students.
His Birth and Early Life:
Abu `Abdullah Al-Bukhari was born on Friday 13 Shawwal, 194 A.H. in the city ofBukhara in Khorasan (Uzbekistan) in a family renowned for their uprightness and righteousness. His father Isma`il was a practicing scholar and a noble man, but he did not remain long and passed away while his son was young. The mother of Al-Bukhari bent on instilling in her child the love for knowledge since his tender age. She sent him to the circles of the Qur’an and Hadith to learn in them.
Imam Al-Bukhari showed peerless learning capacities, and he excelled all his classmates. He was once asked, “When did you start seeking Hadith knowledge?” He said, “I was bestowed the talent of memorizing Hadith while I was in the kuttab (school). He was asked, “How old were you at that time?” He answered, “10 years or less.” He was exceptionally talented in memorization so that he memorized thousands of hadiths while he was so young. Once, his classmates censured him for not writing hadiths like them. He told them that he committed all the hadiths they had to memory and he related all of the hadiths to them. Among the stories related about his unique talent while he was a child is what is narrated from Salim ibn Mujahid who said, “I was with Muhammad ibn Salam Al-Baikandari who said to me, “If you came a little while ago, you would saw a young boy memorizing 70000 hadiths.” Salim said, ‘I went out searching for him until I met him. I said, to him, ‘You allege that you memorize 70000 hadiths?’ He said, ‘Yes, and more than that. In addition, I will not tell you a hadith from the Sahabah or their followers but I will know the birth, death and residence of each one of them.” Al-Bukhari was a nonpareil man.
His Devoutness:
Imam Al-Bukhari was a pious, practicing and devout knowledgeable scholar. He was distinguished with his exact observance of the Sunnah without any slackness or indolence. There is nothing more evidencing on his sincerity than the spread of his “Sahih Al-Bukhari” that is considered as the most authentic book next to the book of Allah, the Qur’an. Imam Al-Bukhari was a shining star in the space of piousness and fear of God. He said, “I hope that I meet Allah and that He does not call me into account for backbiting anyone.” His absorption with Hadith did not impede him from observing Jihad. It is reported that he would frequent places of archery to be prepared for Jihad. He was reported to go to borderline cities defending the Muslim state.
His Pursuit of Knowledge:
Al-Bukhari started knowledge seeking in the Kuttab. He memorized the whole Qur’an at the age of 10 years then he moved to Hadith learning. When he reached 16, he has memorized the entire hadiths narrated by Ibn Al-Mubarak and Waki`. He travelled for seeking Hadith to Balkh and Nishapur. Then, he went to Makkah and remained in it for a time, then traveled to Baghdad, the Levant and Egypt. He got a lot of knowledge and narrated many hadiths. His Sheikhs is counted as more than 1800 scholars. He started teaching Hadith when he was 17 years old and his circle was attended by great masses of people, thousands of people, although in this young age. He used to say, “I memorized one hundred thousand authentic hadiths, and I memorized two hundred inauthentic hadiths.” Among the Sheikhs of Al-Bukhari were: Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Hammad ibn Shakir, Makki ibn Ibrahim and Abu `Asim An-Nabil. Among those who narrated from Al-Bukhari were: Muslim ibn Al-Hajjaj, At-Tirmidhi, An-Nasa’I, Muhammad ibn Nasr Al-Marwazi; and many others.
His Books:
Imam Al-Bukhari compiled numerous books but the most widely known of them is “Al-Jami` Al-Musnad As-Sahih Al-Mukhtasar Min Umuri Rasullillah wa Sunanih wa Ayyamih.” It can be translated as “The Abridged Collection of Authentic Hadith with Connected Chains regarding Matters Pertaining to the Prophet, His practices and His Times.” It is known as Sahih Al-Bukhari.
Imam Muhammad ibn Isma`il compiled other books including, Al-Adab Al-Mufrad, At-Tarikh Al-Kabir, Khalq Af`al Al-`Ibad, Raf` Al-Yadain fi As-Salah, and Al-Kuna.
Scholarly Praise:
- Raja’ Al-Hafiz said, “He (Al-Bukhari) is one of Allah’s signs walking on the Earth.”
- Al-Husain As-Samarqandi said, “Muhammad ibn Isma`il is singled out with three characteristics in addition to his praised ones. He was a reserved man, unambitious about what people have and completely bent on seeking knowledge.”
- An-Najm ibn Al-Fudayl said, “I saw in a dream the Prophet was walking and Muhammad ibn Isma`il was walking behind him, wherever the Prophet place his foot Muhammad Ibn Isma`il would place his foot.”
- Yahya ibn Ja`far said, “If I was able to give to Muhammad ibn Isma`il from my lifetime, I would do that because my demise equals the death of one man while the demise of Al-Bukhari means the demise of knowledge.”
- Na`im ibn Hammad said, “Muhammad ibn Isma`il is the Faqih of this Ummah.”
- Ibn Khuzaymah said, “I have never seen underneath the sky one who is more knowledgeable and memorizer of the hadith of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) than Muhammad ibn Isma`il.”
- Al-Hafiz Abu `Amr Al-Khaffaf said, “Muhammad ibn Isma`il is more knowledgeable of hadith than Is-haq ibn Rahawayh, Ahmad ibn Hanbal and other scholars with 20 degrees. Whoever speaks badly about him, I curse him 1000 curses. Muhammad is the most pious and purest scholar and I have not seen anyone like him.
- `Abdullah ibn Hammad said, “I hoped that I was a hair in the chest of Muhammad ibn Isma`il.”
His Words:
- I know nothing that people may need but is found in the Qur’an and Sunnah.
- I hope that I meet Allah and that He does not call me into account for backbiting anyone.
- I did not start teaching hadith until I became full-aware of the authentic and the inauthentic narrations, reviewed all the books of opinion and visited Basra 5 times or about that, and left no authentic hadith but I wrote it except what I deemed it not authentic.
- I never willed to start any speech that included the worldly life but I will start with praising and commending Allah.
His Trail and Death:
When Imam Al-Bukhari reached Nishapur he was majestically welcomed. The scholar of Nishapur at that time was a man called Muhammad ibn Yahya Adh-Dhahli. Shortly after Al-Bukhari’s arrival, ِAdh-Dhahli’s hadith circle became empty. He got furious and enraged against Al-Bukhari, and thus started spreading false rumors about Al-Bukhari. He disseminated that Imam Al-Bukhari believed that the Qur’an is created. Although Al-Bukhari never said so and he was completely innocent of this, Muhammad ibn Yahya continued his allegations and fight against Al-Bukhari until he compelled Al-Bukhari to leave the whole city and return to his homeland Bukhara.
Then, Al-Bukhari was subject to another ordeal by the ruler of Bukhara who asked A-Bukhari to visit him and narrate Sahih Al-Bukhari to his children. Imam Al-Bukhari was a self-proud man, he refused saying, “Knowledge is to be sought,” meaning that if anyone wanted to learn Sahih Al-Bukhari, he should come to the circle of Hadith. This caused alienation between him and the ruler. In addition, the former rumors reached that ruler who was already aggravated by Al-Bukhari’s reaction. Thereupon, He expelled Imam Al-Bukhari out of Bukhara.
As he has grown old, the expulsion of Imam Al-Bukhari caused painful aches inside him. On 1 Shawwal 256 A.H. Imam Al-Bukhari passed away at the age of 62 years in a small town near Samarkand called Tadzhikistan. May Allah confer His Mercy upon our greatest Imam!
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Sources:
- Tarikh Baghdad by Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi
- Siyar A`lam An-Nubala’ by Adh-Dhahabi
- Tadhkirat Al-Huffaz by Adh-Dhahabi
- Al-Bidayah wa An-Nihayah by Ibn Kathir
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