The Life of Imam Bukhari 1
Imam Bukhari His Life and Works
His Early Years
Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ismail ibn Ibrahim al-Bukhari al-Jufi was born in
194 A.H. in the city of Bukhara .
1
His father Ismail was a well-respected scholar and
was one of the students of Hammad ibn Zaid, and Imam Malik. Unfortunately, he died
when his son Muhammad was quite young. He did, though, leave his son a good
fortune such that he was able to spend most of his time in learning and did not have to
worry about financial matters.
He began his studies at a very young age, studying the Qur’an and other
essential topics, as was the practice of his day. But from his youth, he was especially
attracted to the study of hadith. By the age of ten, he was reading the available works;
by the age of sixteen, he had memorized the works of Waki and Abdullah ibn alMubarak and he was familiar with the opinions of the Iraqi jurists. According to ibn
Katheer, he could look at a book just once and memorize its contents.
2
In order to help
him memorize the chains of the hadith; he used to research the narrators, discovering
when exactly they lived, where they lived, who they studied from and so on. In this way,
the names in the chains were no longer simply names of strangers, but became the
names of people whom al-Bukhari was intimately familiar with. Abu Bakr al-Madini said,
“I was in Naisaboor with Ishaq ibn Rahawaih and Muhammad ibn Ismail [al-Bukhari]
was in the gathering. Ishaq passed by a hadith that mentioned Ata al-Kaikharani
instead of a Companion. Ishaq said, ‘O Abu Abdullah [al-Bukhari], what was
Kaikharan?’ He said, ‘A city in Yemen. Muawiya sent a Companion to Yemen and Ata
heard two hadith from him.’ Ishaq said to him, ‘It is as if you actually witnessed these
people.’”
According to his own narrative, he began to attend the lectures of the local
scholars around the age of ten. He attended al-Daakhili’s lectures in Bukhara. One
time he heard al-Daakhili read a hadith with the chain, “Sufyan from Abu al-Zubair from
Ibrahim.” He told the lecturer that that was a mistake. Obviously, al-Daakhili was taken
by surprise by being refuted by such a youngster. Al-Bukhari stated that the correct
chain was al-Zubair ibn Adi from Ibrahim because al-Zubair had never recorded hadith
from Ibrahim. He told a l-Daakhili to check his original if it was available to him. AlDaakhili admitted his mistake. Al-Bukhari was eleven years of age when that incident
took place.
1
Most of this biographical information comes from Ahmad ibn Hajr’s introduction to Fath al-Bari, Hady alSari (Riyadh: Dar al-Ifta), vol. 1, pp. 477-4 9 3. The interested reader may also consult Taqi al-Din alMudhari, Al-Imam al-Bukhari: Imam al-Huffadh wa al-Muhadditheen (Damascus: Dar al-Qalam, 1988);
Abdul Ghani Abdul Khaliq, Al-Imam al-Bukhari wa Sahihuhu (Jedda: Dar al-Manara, 1985).
2
Imad al-Din ibn Katheer, Al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-Ilmiyya, 1985), vol. 11, p.25The Life of Imam Bukhari 2
At the age of sixteen he left Bukhara with his mother and brother to perform the
pilgrimage to Makkah. After the pilgrimage, he stayed in Makkah and this became his
first real journey in search of knowledge. This occurred after he had gained whatever
knowledge he could in his homeland.
He stayed for some time in either Makkah or Madina. It was at this time that he
began his writing career. In Makkah, he wrote his Tarikh al-Kabeer which is a
biographical work concerning the narrators of hadith.
Concerning his travels, al-Bukhari himself once said, “I visited al-Sham [SyrianPalestine region], Egypt and al-Jazira [between Syria, Iraq and Turkey] twice. Four
times I went to Basra. I stayed in the Hijaz for six years. And I do not know how many
times I visited Kufa and Baghdad along with the scholars of hadith.”
It was in Baghdad that al-Bukhari met Ahmad ibn Hanbal. Ahmad ibn Hanbal
was always very pleased with al-Bukhari and he was disappointed whenever he left
Baghdad to return to Bukhara. Ahmad had great praise for the scholarship and
exactitude of the somewhat younger al-Bukhari.
1
Al-Bukhari’s Teachers
Al-Bukhari recorded hadith from 1,080 scholars. Ibn Hajr wrote that al-Bukhari’s
teachers are divided into five categories
2
:
The first category is those scholars who narrated hadith from the Tabieen
(Followers, one generation removed from the Companions), these included Muhammad
ibn Abdullah al-Ansar who recorded hadith from Humaid al-Taweel, Makki ibn Ibrahim
and Abu Asim al-Nabil both who heard from Yazid ibn Abu Ubaid, and Nuaim who
heard hadith from al-Amash.
The second category of scholars is those people of the same generation as the
first category but who did not have the fortune of receiving hadith from trustworthy
Followers. This category includes the following of al-Bukhari’s teachers: Adam ibn Abu
Iyas, Saeed ibn Abu Maryam and Ayyub ibn Sulaiman ibn Bilal.
_____________________________
1
At the same time, Ahmad’s name may only be found twice in Sahih al-Bukhari. The reason for that, as
ibn Hajr explains, is that in al-Bukhari’s early trips to Baghdad he was able to meet many of Ahmad’s own
teachers and get their hadith directly from them. In al-Bukhari’s later trips to Baghdad, after Ahmad faced
his inquisition, Ahmad was no longer occupied with narrating hadith and therefore al-Bukhari did not have
the opportunity to receive many different hadith from him. That is why, in Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Bukhari
often recorded hadith from Ali ibn al-Madini but not Ali’s colleague Ahmad ibn Hanbal. See Ahmad ibn
Hajr, Fath al-Bari (Riyadh: Dar al-Ifta), vol. 9, p. 1 3 2.
2
Ibn Hajr, Hady al-S a ri, p. 479.The Life of Imam Bukhari 3
The third category is the “intermediate” category. These scholars did not meet
any of the Followers but they received hadith from the leading scholars of the
generation immediately following that of the Followers. These teachers include
Sulaiman ibn Harb, Qutaiba ibn Saeed, Ali ibn al-Madini, Yahya ibn Maeen, Ahmad ibn
Hanbal, Ishaq ibn Rahawaih, Abu Bakr, and Uthman ibn Abu Shaiba and so on. Imam
Muslim also met many of these scholars and recorded hadith from them.
The fourth category is really al-Bukhari’s colleagues in learning hadith although
they started studying just prior to al-Bukhari. Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Dhuhli, Abu
Hatim al-Razi, Abd ibn Humaid and Muhammad ibn Abdul Rahim Saaiqa would fall into
this category. From these people, he used to record hadith that he did not hear directly
from their teachers (who were also al-Bukhari’s teachers) or the hadith that he did not
find with anybody else.
The fifth category is those people who were younger in stature or age than alBukhari whom he recorded from due to some benefit in their narrations. This category
includes Abdullah ibn Hammad al-Amali and Abdullah ibn Abu al-Aas al-Khawarizmi.
By narrating from those scholars, al-Bukhari was applying the statement of Waki; “A
person does not become a real scholar until he records from those older than him,
those of the same age and those younger than him.” In Sahih al-Bukhari, there is one
hadith from al-Bukhari’s student al-Tirmidhi (who is famous for his own collection of
Sunan). Al-Tirmidhi was very proud of this fact and he boasted about it.
Those who learned from al-Bukhari include al-Tirmidhi (of Sunan fame), al-Nisai
(of Sunan fame), Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (of Sahih fame), ibn Khuzaima (of Sahih fame),
Abu Zara al-Razi (an expert in illah) and Abu Hatim al-Razi (the author of al-Jarh wa alTadeel).
Al Bukhari’s Scholarship
From the time of his youth, al-Bukhari demonstrated an amazing memory and
encyclopedic mastery of hadith.
Hashid ibn Ismail and others narrated that al-Bukhari used to attend hadith
lectures with them but he never recorded anything. The others chided him for wasting
his time. After fifteen days, al-Bukhari proceeded to read all of those hadith from
memory. At that time, they knew that he had not wasted his time and they also realized
al-Bukhari’s scholastic ability. It was his habit to memorize the hadith and then to
record it later. He said, “Perhaps I hear a hadith in Basra and record it in al-Sham. Or I
hear it in al-Sham and record it in Egypt.”The Life of Imam Bukhari 4
One time a scholar by the name of al-Faryabi (d.212 A.H.) narrated a hadith with
the following chain to his students: Sufyan from Abu Urwa from Abu al-Khitab from Abu
Hamza. Al-Faryabi was testing his students by committing tadlis al-shuyukh.
1
The
students had no clue as to who these narrators were until al-Bukhari correctly identified
them for the students.
On a number of occasions his colleagues tested al-Bukhari. In Samarqand, four
hundred students of hadith gathered for seven days trying to stump al-Bukhari. They
would mix the chains of the hadith with different hadith in an attempt to confuse alBukhari but he was never daunted. One of al-Bukhari’s most famous examinations
came in Baghdad. Al-Bukhari was still young at that time but his reputation had
preceded him. The people of Baghdad were very anxious to meet this young and gifted
scholar of hadith. The scholars of Baghdad, though, had prepared to test al-Bukhari as
soon as he arrived. They met with al-Bukhari and began to read hadith to him. Each
scholar, they were ten in number, read ten hadith to al-Bukhari and yet after every
hadith the scholar read, al-Bukhari was forced to reply, “I do not know [that hadith].”
Those in the audience who were unaware of what was going on began to look at each
other and doubt this young scholars ability. After the ten scholars were finished, alBukhari reread all one hundred hadith but he read them correctly. The scholars had
mixed the hadith with the wrong chains. Al-Bukhari stated all of the hadith with the
correct chains. Commenting on this incident ibn Hajr stated, “It is not surprising that alBukhari corrected their [intentional] mistakes since he was a scholar of hadith. What is
more amazing than his knowing the mistakes is that he was able to recant the hadith
back to them in order after hearing them just once.”
By the time al-Bukhari reached Basra, the scholars of the town were looking
forward to his arrival. They asked him to narrate hadith to them. Thousands of scholars
gathered to hear al-Bukhari lecture. He began by saying, “O people of Basra, I am a
young man and you have asked me to narrate to you. I will narrate to you hadith that
you will benefit from [although they are hadith] from the people of your town.” His
statement surprised the people. He began to lecture, “Haddathana Abdullah ibn
Uthman al-Utaki who said: Akhbarana my father from Shuba from Mansur and others
from Slim ibn Abu al-Jad from Anas who narrated that a Bedouin came to the Prophet
(peace be upon him) and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, a person loves his people…’ You
do not have that hadith from Mansur [who was from Basra]. You have it from people
from other than Mansur.” And the whole lecture was of that nature.
____________________
1
This is where he hides the identities of the narrators by giving them names that most people do not
know them by.The Life of Imam Bukhari 5
Scholars’ Statements Concerning Al-Bukhari
Al-Bukhari received the praise and admiration of almost all of the scholars of his
time and afterwards. Ibn Hajr once wrote, “If we were to open the door [to recording]
the words of praise for him from those who came after his time, the pages would be
exhausted… It is an ocean that no seashore can contain.”
From his contemporaries, the following statements are noteworthy:
His colleague and scholar of hadith, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said, “Khurasan has
never produced anyone like Muhammad ibn Ismail [al-Bukhari].” Al-Bukhari once said
about himself that he never discounted himself in front of anyone save his teacher Ali
ibn al-Madini. When this was told to Ali ibn al-Madini, he stated, “Disregard his
statement. Al-Bukhari never saw anyone who was similar to himself.” And his student
Imam Muslim, famous for his own collection of Sahih, stated, “No one could be mad
with you except an envious person. I bear witness that there is no one in the world
similar to you.” Imam Muslim once came to al-Bukhari and kissed him between his
eyes and said, “Allow me to kiss your feet, o teacher of teachers, master of the scholars
of hadith, and doctor or defects in hadith.” Ibn Khuzaima said, “There is no one under
the skies more knowledgeable in hadith than Muhammad ibn Ismail.” Abu Amr al-Khifaf
al-Naisaboori stated, “I have never seen anyone like him. He is more knowledgeable in
hadith than Ahmad and Ishaq (ibn Rahawaih) and others by twenty degrees. Upon
anyone who says anything about him one thousand curses.” He also said, “If he enters
the door and I am narrating hadith, I am filled with fear of him.”
Fadlak al-Razi was asked which scholar was greater, al-Bukhari or Abu Zara. He
replied that he had traveled with al-Bukhari and changed his travel plans in order to stay
with him. He said, “All the time I was trying to narrate some hadith that he did not know,
but I was not able to do so. As for Abu Zarah, I can recite several hadith that he does
not know, although no one can deny his excellence as a scholar of hadith, especially
since he was the teacher of al-Tirmidhi, ibn Majah, and al-Nisai.”
The science of illah (spotting hidden defects) in hadith is considered one of the
most difficult sciences to master. It is state that very few of the scholars of hadith ever
really mastered it. It is agreed upon that al-Bukhari, though, is one of those who did
master this science. Al-Tirmidhi said, “I have never seen anyone more knowledgeable
concerning illah and narrators than al-Bukhari.” He even admitted that much of the
information that he included in his work on illal came from al-Bukhari.The Life of Imam Bukhari 6
Al-Bukhari’s Character
Al-Bukhari was known to be a very pious person. He did not care for the
pleasures of this world. He would give a lot in charity and would eat very little. He was
also willing to sacrifice for the sake of hadith. He once stated that he went to visit Adam
ibn Abu Iyas and his money was late in arriving. He was forced to eat grass until
someone whom he did not know gave him a pouch full of money.
With respect to speaking about others, al-Bukhari was very careful. He once
stated, “I have not backbitten anyone since I learned that backbiting is forbidden.” He
was soft when it came to the terms he used in jarh or the “discrediting of narrators”. He
would not call others liars or words similar to that. The most he would say about
somebody is that the person’s narration is to be avoided. He stated that if he says that
about somebody, it means that it is not allowed to narrate that person’s hadith.
He demonstrated his honesty and dedication to hadith on many occasions.
Uthmani mentions the following incident, “Bukhari was very careful in respect of his
works and loaned them only to the people he could trust. Once a person happened to
mention a hadith that gave rise to the suspicion of tadlis upon al-Bukhari, which is he
had concealed one weak link in the transmitted chain. Bukhari replied that, in order to
obviate such suspicion, he had relinquished more than ten thousand hadith reported by
a particular [scholar of hadith].”
1
He also recorded the following incident;
During his studentship al-Bukhari had to sail in a boat on a river. He had a thousand ashrafis
(golden coins) in his possession. He was joined by someone who also boarded the boat and met him
reverentially, and gradually developed cordial relations so that al-Bukhari happened to mention to him
about the money he had with him. One morning the man began to raise hue and cry, saying that his bag
containing one thousand ashrafis was missing. The passengers began to be searched and al-Bukhari,
appraising the situation, threw the bag into the river. The Imam’s belongings were also searched but the
money could not be found… When the journey was over the man asked al-Bukhari about the bag of
money. Al-Bukhari replied that he had thrown it away into the river. When the man asked him why he
thought it necessary to jettison it into the river and sustain such a big loss, al-Bukhari said, “All my life I
have spent in collecting and compiling the hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) and my integrity has
assumed proverbial proportions. Ho w could I afford to lose the far greater wealth that I have acquired
against my life’s blood by acquiring the taint of a theft?”
2
_________________
1
Shabbir Ahmad Uthmani, Fadl al-Bari: Commentary on the Sahih al-Bukhari (Karachi: Idarah Ulum-IShariyyah), p. 79.
2
Ibid, p. 79.The Life of Imam Bukhari 7
One time he was cheated out of 25,000 dirhams. He was told that he should go
to the governor of the area to have the dispute settled. He replied, “If I do that for a
worldly purpose, the governor might request a legal ruling from me on a religious
matter, and I am not going to barter away my faith for money and the Hereafter for this
world.” The person finally agreed to pay al-Bukhari ten dirhams a month as payment for
the 25,000 dirhams that he took.
On another occasion al-Bukhari had received some gifts. A trader came to him
and offered him 5,000 dirhams for them. He said that he would think about it and give
him the answer on the following day. He made up his mind to sell the goods to that
trader. Before telling that trader his decision, another trader came and offered him
10,000 dirhams for the same goods. Al-Bukhari declined the offer stating that he had
already made the intention to sell it to the first trader and he did not wish to go against
what he had intended in his heart.
The Fiqh of Al-Bukhari
Some narrators of hadith were known for simply passing on hadith without having
any idea as to the meaning of the hadith they disseminate. Such was not the case with
al-Bukhari (and most, if not all, of the early scholars of hadith). Besides being a premier
scholar of hadith, he was also known as a great jurist. His contemporaries praised his
knowledge of fiqh. Naeem ibn Hammad al-Khuzai called him the faqih (jurist) of this
nation. And Bandar (Muhammad ibn Bishr) said that he was the most knowledgeable in
fiqh of his time.
1
In Fadl al-Bari, it states, “Abu Musab has claimed that Bukhari enjoys a
rank higher than Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal in jurisprudence. One of his pupils, when he
heard this statement, could not but express his amazement. Abu Musab’s rejoinder to
this was: ‘Why do you express your surprise over this? I should go rather further and
say that, if you compare al-Bukhari and Malik, you would find theme bearing
considerable resemblance.’”
2
Al-Bukhari himself stated that he did not begin to narrate
hadith until he had studied the books of the ahl al-ra’i (or the jurists of, in particular,
Iraq).
In fact, his al-Jami al-Sahih is not simply a collection of authentic hadith but is
also a classic work of fiqh. It is for this reason that al-Bukhari did not record the entire
hadith each time he mentions a particular hadith. It was his practice (though not
always) to record only that portion of the hadith that was relevant to the chapter. This is
why he repeats many hadith throughout his work (many times without mentioning their
chains)
Al-Bukhari’s fiqh is clearly seen in his Chapter Titles (tarajim) of Sahih. In those chapter
titles, he states fiqh conclusions that he derived from the hadith and verses of the
Qur’an of the chapter. This is what led Abdul Rauf to write:
_________________________
1
Abdul Khaliq, p. 137
2
Uthmani, vol. 1, p. 92. It is not stated who wrote the introductory portion on the life of Imam al-Bukhari.The Life of Imam Bukhari 8
Readers of Sahih with a deep insight will realize that the author had two objectives of writing his book –
not one. On the one hand, being himself a great scholar and a leading jurist in his own right, al-Bukhari
sought to make his work a rich fountain of knowledge in all areas of the Islamic religion. Apparently he
used the tarajim [chapter headings] as a convenient and relevant place for expounding his own views or
the opinions of others that he supported and wanted to advocate.
3
In many cases, his chapter titles or fiqh conclusions can be easily derived from
the hadith but in other cases his chapter titles demonstrate a keen perception and true
scholarship of fiqh. These chapter titles have been the topic of study for a number of
scholars, since they show both the fiqh and fiqh methodology of Imam al-Bukhari.
There have been at least nine books written solely on the chapter titles,
4
not to mention
the discussion of these chapter titles in the different commentaries on Sahih al-Bukhari.
Unfortunately, in the later years, there was a great deal of envy and competition
between some jurists and some scholars of hadith. Some of these jurists began to
attack al-Bukhari and belittle his knowledge of fiqh. Indeed the following story was
fabricated concerning a supposed ruling from al-Bukhari. They claim that he gave a
ruling that the infant who drinks milk from a sheep will be forever “forbidden” with
respect to that sheep, that is, he can never marry that sheep and all of the bonds of
kinship will apply to them. There is no truth to that story and it is obvious that it was
fabricated simply to show that al-Bukhari, the scholar of hadith, was completely ignorant
when it came to matters of fiqh. It seems that the people who made such attacks on alBukhari had neither seen nor read Sahih al-Bukhari or at least, they did not understand
it.
Some of the attacks on al-Bukhari, such as the one quoted above, came from the
Hanafis because they felt that al-Bukhari showed some disrespect to Abu Hanifa. AlBukhari did refute Abu Hanifa on a number of occasions in his Sahih. But he would
never mention Abu Hanifa by name. Whenever he refuted one of Abu Hanifa’s
opinions, he would always preface the discussion by saying, “Some people say…”
instead of saying, “Abu Hanifa says…”He did this either out of respect to Abu Hanifa,
thereby not refuting him directly, or to show that Abu Hanifa was not isolated in the
opinions that he held and that al-Bukhari refuted. The following passage from Fadl alBari, written by a Hanafi, is quite perceptive:
In the Jami al-Sahih, al-Bukhari has criticized Imam Abu Hanifah at different places, particularly in the
Kitab al-Hiyal (The Book of Stratagems)
1
and the Kitab al-Ikrah (The Book of Indictment)
2
. It is likewise
true that there was some intellectual disputation between the famous Hanafite of his time, Abu Hafs Kabir
and al-Bukhari, but it would be questioning al-Bukhari’s intellectual integrity to hold it to be at the heart of
these criticisms. What probably is nearer the truth is that al-Bukhari has criticized the Hanafite approach
as it reached him on the basis of nothing but what he thought was the best. For us, both the Imams are
worthy of respect.
3
3
Muhammad Abdul-Rauf, Imam al-Bukhari and Al-Sahih (Washington, D.C.: The Islamic Center, n.d.), p.
16.
4
Al-Mudhahiri, pp. 1 3 1-134 lists them.The Life of Imam Bukhari 9
Some of Al-Bukhari’s Fiqh Opinions
Abdul Khaliq is of the opinion that the chapter titles in the Sahih are not all
indicative of al-Bukhari’s first priority to collect together the most authentic hadith even if
he felt that those hadith have been made conditional, particularized, or abrogated by
other hadith or rulings.
4
Abdul Khaliq’s thesis is questionable though as al-Bukhari was
free to write any chapter heading he wished. If he recorded a chapter title or hadith that
he only partially agreed with, he could have easily noted that point in the chapter title by
writing, “The proof that such and such was valid but was later abrogated [or
particularized],” or something of that nature. For example, in one chapter heading he
wrote, “While urinating or defecating, never face the Qibla except when you are
screened by a building or a wall or something like that.’” It is clear from this chapter
heading that al-Bukhari felt free to state particularizations or state certain conditions for
specific hadith. This goes against Abdul Khaliq’s thesis. Hence, one has to conclude
that al-Bukhari’s chapter headings do convey his fiqh opinions unless there is some
strong proof to believe otherwise. (Allah knows best.)
Abdul Khaliq lists some of al-Bukhari’s fiqh opinions that may be derived from his
chapter headings. Here are some examples: (1) It is not obligatory for a couple to make
ghusl (the complete washing after sexual intercourse) simply due to contact of the
genitals, although it is better to do so. (2) It is permissible to recite the Qur’an in the
bathroom. (3) Water does not become impure if something falls into it unless the
impurity changes its color or taste, regardless of the amount of the water. (4) It is
permissible for men to sleep in the mosques and for women to do so also if they have a
tent set up for them. (5) It is permissible to delay the prayer for specific necessities,
such as fighting or protecting one’s self from the enemy. (6) It is acceptable to perform
the qunut (the saying of supplications) before or after the ruku (bowing) in prayer.
6
As-Subki gave an example of al-Bukhari’s clever reasoning in fiqh. According to
al-Bukhari, it is permissible for a man to see a woman that he might marry; his evidence
is the hadith in which the Prophet (peace be upon him) was presented his wife in a
dream and he uncovered her face and saw that it was Aisha. Al-Bukhari did not
mention exactly how that could be a proof for his position but Taqi al-Din al-Subki
understood him and stated that the proof was that what the Messenger of Allah (peace
be upon him) did either while awake or asleep (such as his dreams which were also
inspirations) are both hujja or proofs from a legal theory point of view.
1
______________________________________________
1
Translated by Khan as the “Book of Tricks”
2
Translated by Khan as the “Book of Coercion”
3
Uthmani, vol. 1, p. 90.
4
Abdul Khaliq, p. 1 4 5.
5
Muhammad Muhsin Khan, trans. Sahih al-Bukhari (Chicago: Kazi Publications, 1976), vol. 1, p. 106
6
Abdul Khaliq, pp. 1 4 6-7.The Life of Imam Bukhari 10
Was al-Bukhari a Mujtahid?
There is no question that al-Bukhari was a Mujtahid in the field of hadith but there
is some question whether al-Bukhari was a Mujtahid in the field of fiqh. According to
Abdul Khaliq, the early scholars did not discuss this question with respect to al-Bukhari.
Some of the later scholars, such as al-Qasimi and Tahir al-Jazairi, call him an “absolute
Mujtahid” (Mujtahid mutlaq). Abdul Khaliq hesitates in calling him such although he also
states that al-Bukhari may have more than a mujtahid of a specific school of fiqh.
2
Al-Bukhari did not write a work of usul al-fiqh or legal theory (although he did
touch on a few points related to usul al-fiqh in his Sahih) nor does it seem that people
took him as the leader of a new school of fiqh. For example, it was al-Tirmidhi’s custom
to record the opinions of the different jurists yet he only quoted al-Bukhari’s fiqh opinion
once. Furthermore, many of the early scholars of hadith were so engrossed in the
narration and compilation of hadith that they did not have the time to also try to
disseminate principles of legal theory or jurisprudence and, therefore, some of them
followed the leading Imams of fiqh of their time.
For these reasons, scholars have tried to determine what school of fiqh Imam alBukhari belonged to. Due to al-Bukhari’s fame and reputation, different scholars have
claimed him for their own school of fiqh. For example, ibn al-Qayyim and Abu Yala
include him as one of the followers of Ahmad; some even said that he was a Hanafi
since he was a student of ibn Rahawaih.
3
The most popular opinion of the later
scholars, who were the ones who discussed this question, is that he was a Shafi. AlSubki and Sadiq Hassan Khan both consider him a Shafi.
4
_______________________________________
1
Ibid., p. 1 4 7.
2
Abdul Khaliq, p. 142. For a discussion of the different types of mujtahid, see Jamaal al-Din Zarabozo,
“Ibn Taymiyya: Mujahid, Mujtahid and Mujaddid II,” Al-Basheer (Vol. 3, No. 4, Nov.-Dec 1989), pp. 20-2 1.
3
Uthmani, p. 90.
4
Al-Mudhahiri, p. 55.The Life of Imam Bukhari 11
And in Fath al-Bari, ibn Hajr, who was also a Shafi, wrote that in matters of language,
al-Bukhari followed the scholars in that field (Abu Ubaid, al-Nadhir ibn Shameel and alFarra) while in matters of fiqh he mostly followed al-Shafi and Abu Ubaid. Of course,
this might have been because he studied under many of the companions of al-Shafi,
including al-Zafrani, Abu Thaur, al-Karabisi and al-Humaidi. In Fadl al-Bari, it states,
“Then on many a problem, he has supported Imam Abu Hanifah against Imam Shafi. He has, thus,
recorded differences with both the Hanafite and Shafiite schools, and, like an independent-minded person
who does not leave premises unquestioned, he was not bound by a single madhhab [school of fiqh] but
had his own interpretive approach.”
The Madhhab of the Ahl al-Hadith
Perhaps the strongest argument can be made for al-Bukhari being a member
and one of the leading scholars of the ahl al-hadith (“People of Hadith”) school of fiqh
but since this madhhab, like many of the other early schools of fiqh, was lost to
obscurity and never received the attention it deserved from the scholars, it is neglected
by most later scholars when they discuss the madhhab of early scholars like al-Bukhari.
Recently, Dr. Abdul Majeed Abdul Majeed has written a work showing that the madhhab
and most of the major scholars of hadith of the time of al-Bukhari can be considered
members of that madhhab. Unfortunately, the later scholars of hadith did not possess
the same insight into fiqh as the earlier scholars of hadith so this independent madhhab
and way of approaching fiqh problems began to die. All that is left of it is the
conclusions of its early leaders who, according to Abdul Majeed, were Ahmad ibn
Hanbal (d. 241), Ishaq ibn Rahawaih (d. 238), al-Bukhari, Muslim, al-Tirmidhi, Abu
Dawud, al-Nasai, ibn Majah, al-Darimi and ibn Abu Shaiba.
1
Abdul Majeed shows that al-Bukhari, in particular, was following this particular
madhhab and it was based on the principles of this school of fiqh that he refuted the ahl
al-ra’i (“people of opinion”) like Abu Hanifa and others. Here are two examples of the
opinions of ahl al-ra’i that al-Bukhari attempted to refute in his Sahih.
2
According to Abu Hanifa, khamr (“wine” or “alcohol”) is only what has been derived from
grapes and concerning which both a small or large amount is forbidden. If intoxicating
beverages come from sources other than grapes, the small amount that is not
intoxicating is not forbidden while the large amount that is intoxicating is forbidden. AlBukhari included a number of chapters intended to refute this opinion, showing that the
word khamr applies to all intoxicating beverages and, hence, a small or large amount of
all those beverages are forbidden. The following are his chapter titles concerning this
matter:” “Alcoholic drinks may be prepared from grapes and other things,” “Liquor
prepared from honey,” “Alcoholic drink is that drink which disturbs the mind,” “To drink
date syrup as long as it does not intoxicate.”
3
_______________
1
Abdul Majeed Abdul Majeed, Al-Ijtihihat al-Fiqhiya Ind Ashab al-Hadith (1979), p. 641.
2
Abdul Majeed, pp. 5 7 7-5 8 0; also see pp. 598-6 4 0.
3
See Khan, trans., vol. 7, pp. 340, 342, 3 4 4 and 349.The Life of Imam Bukhari 12
According to Abu Hanifa, the Friday prayer is only to be held in cities and not in
small villages. To refute this view, al-Bukhari included a chapter entitled, “Offering
Friday prayer in villages and towns.”
1
In fact, it seems that al-Bukhari included an entire “Book” in the Sahih, the Book
of Tricks, just to refute the errant views of ahl al-ra’i on that topic. In that book he uses
the expression, “Some people say” fourteen times. Furthermore, all of the hadith he
presented in that “Book” can be found elsewhere in the Sahih; that is, the Book was not
added because of a relevant hadith, since there were no new hadith, but only to refute
some fiqh opinions that al-Bukhari objected to.
2
The Major Characteristics of Al-Bukhari’s Madhhab
Since al-Bukhari’s school of fiqh, madhhab ahl al-hadith, is only scantily
discussed in the literature it will be discussed in some detail here.
3
Abdul Majeed
describes three major characteristics of al-Bukhari’s madhab.
Their Position Toward Transmitted Reports
.4
This school of fiqh was somewhat unique with respect to its stance vis-Ã -vis the
reports coming from the Prophet (Peace and Blessings be upon him) as well as the
Companions and Followers. Under this minor heading there are three characteristics:
(a) The scholars of this school would prefer not to give an opinion on matters in which
there were no texts or reports. That is, this group strongly stressed reliance on texts
(meaning revelation in the Qur’an and Sunnah and the opinions of the earliest scholars
____________________
1
Khan, trans. Vol. 2, p. 7. Note that al-Bukhari has less criticism of ahl al-ra’i than his teacher ibn Abu
Shaiba. This is because some of ibn Abu Shaiba’s criticisms are unfounded and al-Bukhari supported the
opinions of Abu Hanifa in those cases. Abdul Majeed concludes that al-Bukhari was more influenced by
his teacher ibn Rahawaih than his teacher ibn Abu Shaiba. Abdul Majeed, p. 580.
2
Abdul Majeed, p. 598 and p. 614.
3
In fact, the only work that discusses the madhhab in detail is Abdul Majeed’s obscure work; it is obscure
in the sense that it mentions no publishing company or city. It seems to be a Ph.D. dissertation. The
author would like to express his thanks to Br. Abdul Aziz al-Zaum for lending him his copy of this book.
4
Abdul Majeed, pp. 2 8 4-3 3 1.The Life of Imam Bukhari 13
of the Companions and Followers) to such an extent that they would prefer not to
give an opinion if they could not find a clear answer in a related text. This is why
they would often answer the question “I don’t know”. They inherited this behavior
from the early scholars who used not to speak on any issue without knowledge.
In their opinion, knowledge is equivalent to transmitted reports and if someone
holds an opinion that is not based on transmitted reports then his opinion is not
based on knowledge. This approach points to the person’s great fear of Allah as
well as lack of fear of the people who might consider him stupid for responding, “I
don’t know.” But, as the Companion Abu al-Darda said, “To say ‘I don’t know’ is
one half of the knowledge.” Abdul Majeed, though, points out an extremely
negative effect that this approach has: when the ahl al-hadith continually
answered “I don’t know” o a number of questions, it drove the people to ask
others who would give answers on the basis of their opinions. Hence, the ahl alhadith drove the people to the ahl al-ra’i due to their fear of answering any
question without certain knowledge or texts to back them up.
(b) The scholars of this school also showed a great dislike for hypothetical
discussions. Al-Bukhari has a chapter entitled, “What is disliked concerning
asking too many questions and discussing things that do not concern a person.
And Allah says, ‘Do not ask about something that if it were to be made known to
you, it would harm you.’”
(c) And these scholars also showed a dislike for recording the opinions of the
jurists without the accompanying texts that are the proofs for those positions.
The foundation of fiqh is the Qur’an and the Sunnah and not people’s
opinions. Therefore, to record the opinions without the foundations for the
opinions is an approach that is lacking. Furthermore, the reader of the
opinion must be able to verify for himself that the conclusion a scholar derived
from a text is actually warranted in the text itself. Ibn Hanbal considered it an
innovation to record the opinions of scholars only without the accompanying
proofs. This idea they also took from the Companions, like Zaid ibn Thabit
who disliked having his personal opinions recorded.
________________________________The Life of Imam Bukhari 14
Somewhat of a Literal Approach to Fiqh.
1
What is meant by the literal or dhahiri approach to fiqh is “not going beyond the
literal meanings of the words stated by the Lawgiver, [that is,] without studying its cause
and purpose and without making a consideration of the circumstances and environment
surrounding the wording at the time of its revelation.”
2
But this does not mean that the ahl al-hadith were like the later Dhahiri school of
fiqh. What is implied here is that the ahl al-hadith would usually take a dhahiri (literal)
approach to texts but this was not always the case. That is, in cases in which it is
obvious that something beyond the wording is meant, they would apply the non-literal
meaning of the revelation also. This is similar to the case of the Companion ibn Umar
who definitely had a literal leaning but who at times would go beyond the literal
meanings of the words to the intent of the law. This is in opposition to the famous
Dhahiri madhhab of ibn Hazm who went strictly by the literal meaning of the text and
would never go beyond it.
3
But according to Abdul Majeed, every Dhahiri is from ahl al-hadith but not vise-versa.
4
An example of the ahl al-hadith sticking to the literal wording of a text may be
found in their handling of the expiation for the breaking of the fast of Ramadhan. The
Prophet (peace be upon him) ordered him to make the expiation by freeing a slave, and
if not possible by fasting two consecutive months and if not possible by feeding sixty
poor people. According to al-Shafi, Ahmad and the other scholars of ahl al-hadith the
expiation mentioned in this hadith is only to be made by the person who breaks his fast
by sexual intercourse and does not concern the one who breaks his fast by either eating
or drinking. When Ahmad was asked about someone who broke his fast by eating, he
said that such an expiation for them is not mentioned in the hadith so how can one say
that it is obligatory upon them.
5
___________________________________________________
1
Ibid, pp. 332-409.
2
Ibid, p. 3 3 5.
3
An example of Ibn Hazm’s extremism is the case of urinating in stagnant water. According to ibn Hazm,
it is forbidden to urinate in a pool of stagnant water as that is clearly stated in the hadith but it is permitted,
according to his literal reasoning, to urinate in a bowl and to then throw that urine from the bowl into
stagnant water as, in that case, the person did not literally urinate in a pool of stagnant water. Many other
examples of this type of reasoning could be given. Strangely enough, when it comes to matters of aqida,
he takes a completely different approach. This is what led Shaikh Abdul Aziz ibn Baz to say about him,
“He was very strict in matters that requires one to be loose, and he was very loose in matters that require
one to be strict.”
4
Ibid., p. 2 4 5. Ishaq ibn Rahawaih differed with the other ahl al-hadith on this question.
5
See Abdul Majeed, pp. 4 1 0-4 5 2.The Life of Imam Bukhari 15
A More Ethical Approach to Fiqh.
1
Their approach to fiqh is not just based on words and forms but they were very
concerned with individuals’ intentions and they also related the action to its results and
the purposes of the religion itself. On this point, they clearly stand distinct from the
Shafis and Hanafis.
They are perhaps the only school of fiqh that kept in mind that the religion is not
a set of laws but religion is something to reform humans and take them closer, by both
their actions and intentions, to their Lord. They kept in mind that this world is not the
end of one’s life; the life to come is the real life. In this matter they truly reflected the
approach of the early scholars of Islam who did not distinguish or compartmentalize life
into fiqh, aqida, iman and so on. To them, all of these were one of the same and the
goal of each of them, to please Allah, was one. It was the fiqh of the ahl al-hadith that
most stressed this ethical aspect of the law. This tenor can be noted to their
methodology of deriving rules, their manner of discussion of specific fiqh topics and their
way of viewing deeds (by considering both the internal and external aspects of the
deed).
2
With respect to deriving rules, they were very careful not to say anything unless
they were certain about it. In general, they would not explicitly state that something was
permissible (halal) or forbidden (haram) but would prefer to use some terms that simply
show approval or disapproval of specific acts. This approach clearly distinguishes them
from both the Dhahiri school of ibn Hazm and the ahl-ra’i (“People of Opinion”)
approach. This approach is very clear in the rulings of al-Darimi and Ahmad ibn
Hanbal. Many times Ahmad would not give a clear answer to a question out of fear that
he might say something is permissible in Allah’s sight while it is actually not so. In fact,
according to ibn al-Qayyim, sometimes Ahmad would say something like, “I dislike it but
do not say that it is haram (forbidden),” even though the action was indeed forbidden in
his opinion. Ibn al-Qayyim says that examples of this nature from Imam Ahmad are too
many to count.
3
They took this approach out of fear of Allah and God-consciousness
realizing that there is a direct relationship between fiqh or deeds and one’s relationship
to Allah.
4
__________________________________________________________________
1
See Abdul Majeed, pp. 4 1 0-4 5 2.
2
Note that this goes against the reputation that the people of hadith usually possess – sticklers to the
external aspects of the law only; the real situation of the early scholars of hadith was very much different
from their reputation.
3
See Shams al-Din ibn al-Qayyim, Ilam al-Muwaqieen (Beirut: Dar al-Jeel, 1973), vol. 1, pp. 44-46. This
shows the importance of knowing a scholar’s terminology before can make any conclusion from his
statements.
4
Abdul Majeed, p. 421.The Life of Imam Bukhari 16
Their unique approach can also be seen in how they discuss the different fiqh
topics. For example, with respect to zakat, they go well beyond what is usually
mentioned in the books of fiqh. Both the other jurists and the ahl al-hadith mention the
following points concerning zakat: proofs that it is obligatory, obligation to fight those
who refuse to pay it, the amount and types of wealth upon which it is to be paid and the
amount of the nisabs.
1
But the scholars of ahl al-hadith also mention the reports that make the payment
of zakat beloved to the person and that give him the incentive to pay the zakat properly
and timely with the proper intention. They also record the reports that intimidate the
person from being stingy in giving for the sake of Allah. In fact, their writings go beyond
that to encouraging the person to give voluntarily to the point that it becomes part of his
nature to give freely for the sake of Allah and to benefit others. And the ahl al-hadith
stress that whatever is given must be given for the sake of Allah and not for the sake of
reputation or show.
2
Concerning the importance of intention in deeds, Abdul Rahman ibn Mahdi, alBukhari’s teacher, once said, “If I were to write a book on different fiqh topics, I would
place the hadith of Umar ibn al-Khattab, that actions are based on intentions, in every
chapter.”
3 Without proper intention, the deed is worth nothing even if it is performed
exactly as described in the books of fiqh.
The overriding importance of intention is why al-Bukhari began his Sahih with the
hadith of Umar ibn al-Khattab. Furthermore, on this point, they make no distinction
between the ritual acts of worship and other deeds, such as business transactions. All
of them revolve around intention and it is intention that will make them effective and
legal or not so. For any act to be proper and rewarding for the individual it must be
correct according to the shariah and it must be done with the proper intention.
His Trials
Near the end of his life, al-Bukhari had decided to move to Naisaboor. By this
time, obviously, he was a well-known scholar. All the people of Naisaboor came to
greet him; some even setting up tents outside of Naisaboor was Muhammad ibn Yahya
al-Dhuhli. Al-Dhuhli was also anxious to meet al-Bukhari and encouraged the people to
give him a good greeting.
___________________________________________________
1
Minimum below which one does not have to pay zakat.
2
See, for example, Khan, trans., Sahih al-Bukhari, vol. 2, pp. 2 7 1-338. Al-Ghazali was greatly praised for
his work Ihya Ulum al-Din because he pointed out the spiritual aspects of the fiqh deeds. Actually, he
was just reviving the understanding of the early generations of Islam and the ahl al-hadith.
3
Quoted in Abdul Majeed, p. 4 2 4. The Life of Imam Bukhari 17
But things changed drastically after al-Bukhari had spent some time there. AlDhuhli and the other scholars of Naisaboor’s popularity were greatly reduced while alBukhari’s lectures were always full. Finally, they conspired against al-Bukhari by
claiming that he believed that a “person’s wording of the Qur’an is created.” Someone
went to al-Bukhari’s lectures to confront him on this matter. When al-Bukhari was asked
about the matter, he declined to answer but the questioner insisted. Eventually, alBukhari answered by saying, “The Qur’an is the speech of Allah and is not created.
But the actions of the slaves are created. And to ask about such mattes is an
innovation.” The person immediately misinterpreted al-Bukhari’s position and stated
that al-Bukhari said that the wording of the Qur’an is created. Al-Dhuhli took this
opportunity to oppose al-Bukhari and stated that no one should sit in al-Bukhari’s
lectures anymore since he is an innovator. Everyone except Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj and
Ahmad ibn Salama listened to al-Dhuhli and left al-Bukhari. When these two left alDhuhli’s lecture, al-Dhuhli finally declared, “That person should not be allowed to live in
this land.” Al-Dhuhli’s influence was great and al-Bukhari took this as a warning that he
must leave Naisaboor. Al-Bukhari stated that he had no desire of fame or fortune or
power in Naisaboor and that it was just envy that led his expulsion from that city.
Due to this incident, Imam Muslim refused to record any of the hadith that he had
heard from al-Dhuhli. In fact, he sent all of his books from al-Dhuhli back to him. AlBukhari had a different approach. He knew that al-Dhuhli was wrong but at the same
time he knew him to be an honest person and a trustworthy narrator and, therefore, he
recorded some of al-Dhuhli’s hadith in his Sahih. But he did not record them with the
name Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Dhuhli but he just called him Muhammad. He did this,
some say, so people would not think that he admitted to the accusations of al-Dhuhli.
1
(Unfortunately, both Abu Hatim al-Razi and Abu Zarah al-Razi were affected by the
propaganda against Imam al-Bukhari and they stopped narrating his hadith.
2
)
Al-Bukhari left Naisaboor to go to his home of Bukhara. Again he was greeted
with a grand reception and he began to lecture there. But troubles soon began again in
Bukhara. The governor of the area, Khalid ibn Ahmad al-Dhuhli
3
wanted al-Bukhari to
come to the governor’s mansion and lecture privately to his children. Al-Bukhari refused
saying that it would be unacceptable for him to lecture privately to some people only
and not allow others to listen. He also told the governor’s messenger, “Tell your master
that I shall never humiliate knowledge, and shall never carry it to the doors of the
people. If he needs me, let him come to my mosque or to my house.”
___________________________
1
Uthmani, p. 97.
2
Abdul Khaliq, p. 164.
3
Not to be confused with Muhammad ibn Yahya al-Dhuhli whom al-Bukhari left in Naisaboor.The Life of Imam Bukhari 18
The governor became upset and began to rouse the people against al-Bukhari
and he was finally expelled from Bukhara also.
1
After leaving Bukhara, al-Bukhari was then invited to Samarqand to lecture to the
people there. When he reached a town called Khartank, he heard that there was some
commotion in Samarqand and some of the people there did not want al-Bukhari to move
there. At that time, al-Bukhari made what seems to be his farewell supplication, saying,
“Oh Allah, your earth has become too straitened for me despite its vastness. I beseech
you to call me to yourself.” He received the news that the people of Samarqand had
reconsidered and wanted him to come. Just as he was about to start his journey, he fell
ill and finally died on the night of Eid al-Fitr, 256 A.H. He was buried the next day in
Khartank.
Imam Al-Bukhari’s Writings
Al-Bukhari had many writing besides the monumental Al-Jami al-Sahih.He wrote
at least twenty-one works. Unfortunately, not all of them have survived to this day. His
most importing works include the following:
(1) Al-Jami’ al-Sahih
The Name
The full title was called al-Jami’ al-Musnad al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar min Umur
Rasulillah wa Sunanihi wa Ayaamihi. Al-Jami’ meaning it comprised all of the hadith
pertaining to various subjects (Creed, Legal Rulings, etc.). Al-Musnad meaning all of
the hadith were mentioned with their corresponding chains of narration. Al-Sahih
meaning the hadith fulfilled all of the conditions of authenticity. Al-Mukhtasar meaning
he did not mention every single authentic hadith in this collection. He did so avoiding
redundancy, and concentrating only on those that pertained to the fundamental
understanding of the different issues relating to creed and legal matters. Min Umur
Rasulillah meaning the affairs and circumstances in which these hadith were uttered.
Wa Sunanihi meaning the legal judgments that these hadith entailed. Wa Ayaamihi
meaning the biographical and military escapades of the Prophet.
________________________________________
1
Al-Bukhari made a supplication, “O Allah, give to them, their children and their families what
they had intended to do to me.” Ibn Katheer describes how Allah answered this supplication in Al-Bidaya
wa al-Nihaya. Al-Nasafi, in Kashf al-Asrar Sharh al-Manar, states that the reason al-Bukhari was expelled
from Bukhara was that he gave a ruling that the infant who drinks milk from a sheep will be forever
“forbidden” with respect to that sheep, that is, he cannot marry it and on. As mentioned earlier, there is
absolutely no truth to this story and it is simply another case of the jurists trying to attack the scholars of
hadith for not being people of sound understanding. To make such a claim against al-Bukhari is even
more ridiculous when one considers what a great jurist he also was. Unfortunately, this rivalry existed for The Life of Imam Bukhari 19
some time between the specialists in the two fields, fiqh and hadith, that mean so much to the Muslim
nation. Concerning this story, see Abdul Khaliq, pp. 140-1 4 2.
Reason of Compilation
Imam al-Bukhari compiled this work due to the existing compilations of hadith in
his time consisting of a mixture of authentic (sahih), good (hasan), and weak (da’eef)
reports. So Imam al-Bukhari sought to compile a collection with only the most authentic
reports included. His resolve was greatly strengthened by his teacher Ishaq ibn
Rahawaih. Al-Bukhari stated regarding his teacher: “We were sitting with Ishaq ibn
Rahawaih and he said ‘If only you would collect a concise compilation of the authentic
narrations.’ Upon hearing this I developed a strong desire in my heart so I began
compiling Al-Jami’ al-Sahih. Muhammad ibn Sulaiman ibn al-Faaris said: “I heard alBukhari say: ‘I saw the Prophet (sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) in a dream, I was standing
in front of him with a fan in my hand, and I was shooing the flies from around him. So
asked someone who was skilled in dream interpretation about this. He said ‘You are
deflecting away from him the lies, so thus he encouraged me to compile al-Jami’ alSahih.
His Methodology
Imam al-Bukhari would only collect the hadith that met all of the conditions of
authenticity. He categorized it in the same fashion of the scholars of fiqh, in that each
chapter addressed different issues of fiqh. In many places he would entitle the chapters
of the book with his opinion on a certain matter in fiqh. For example in the “Book of
Salat” there is a chapter entitled “Chapter on the obligation of takbeeratu al-ihram”. On
different occasions Imam al-Bukhari would repeat, summarize, or mention a portion of
the hadith. He did this for various reasons that dealt with the chain of narrators, for
example sometimes you would have the same hadith being narrated by two different
companions. On other occasions it was done to remove some doubt as to the reliability
of the narrators in the chain. For example some narrators would narrate the text in full
while others would narrate the text in a summarized manner. In other instances there
might be an addition of a narrator in the chain, while the same narrator was left out of
another chain, so he would mention both chains to resolve the seemingly conflicting
chains and to clarify why the narrator was added in one chain and not the other.
Another reason he did this was due to the text (matn) of the hadith itself. For example
sometimes the hadith was very long so he split it up and placed parts of it in different
chapters, but these hadith were never mentioned in their entirety. Sometimes the text
was short, but there was more than one legal judgment resulting from it, in such
instances the text was reiterated.
Commentaries on al-Jami’ al-Sahih
Hajji al-Khalifah author of the book “Kashf al-Dhunun” stated: “There are eighty
two commentaries on Sahih al-Bukhari.” the most prominent of which are:The Life of Imam Bukhari 20
1. A’laam al-Sunan – by al-Khataabi
2. Sharh ibn Bataal – by ibn Bataal
3. Al-Khair al-Fadih – by bin al-Teen al-Safaaqasir
4. Al-Kawkab al-Durari – by al-Karamaani
5. Al-Fath al-Bari – by Ibn Hajr
6. ‘Umdah al-Qari – by al-‘ini
7. Irshaad al-Shaari – Al-Asqalaani
Other Works
(1) Al-Adab al-Mufrad– This is a collection of hadith that are mostly concerned
with the manners and ethics of the Prophet (peace be upon him). This work
has been published a number of times and there are also some
commentaries on it.
(2) Al-Tarikh (“The History”) – These are a collection of biographies in the style
of the scholars of hadith. Actually, al-Bukhari wrote three such works: alKabeer (“The Large”), al-Sagheer (“the small”) and al-Ausat (“the
intermediate”). The most important of these is al-Kabeer.
(2a) Al-Tarikh al-Kabeer – This is one of the first works that al-Bukhari
compiled. He wrote it while in Madina. It contains biographical information on
some 40,000 narrators. He said that for each narrator in the book he could
reproduce an incident concerning his life but he did not do so as that would
make the book too long. Al-Bukhari’s teacher Ishaq ibn Rahawaih praised the
book immensely. In fact, it has been passed on to posterity and stands as
one of the classic biographical works. Abu Ahmad al-Hakim stated that no
compiler of any biographical work who came after al-Bukhari could do without
referring to this work.
1
It has been published in eight volumes.
(3) Asami al-Sahaba – Al-Bukhari was the first to compile an entire work solely
on the Companions of the Prophet (peace be upon him). Perhaps this work
laid the foundation for the works to come later on this topic.
(4) Al-Musnad al-Kabeer – It is said that al-Bukhari wrote a work containing one
hundred thousand hadith. From the title of this work, it seems that this would
be it. Some of the later scholars have mentioned this work but it seems that it
no longer exists today.
(5) Kitab al-Kuni (“The Book of Patronyms”) – Many narrators were referred
to as Abu Fulan (“Father of so and so”) and sometimes it is difficult to identify
exactly whom the referred narrator is. This work by al-Bukhari is of
monumental help in identifying such narrators. According to Abu Ahmad alHakim, Imam Muslim’s work on this same topic is almost simply a transcript of
al-Bukhari’s work with the addition of only simple comments.
1
Later scholars,
such as al-Nasai, al-Hakim and al-Dhahabi also wrote on this topic and
benefited greatly from al-B ukhari’s work.
(6) Khalq Afaal al-Ibad (“The Creation of the Acts of the Slaves [of God]”) –
The early enemies of Islam were not able to drive the Muslims away from The Life of Imam Bukhari 21
Islam so they had to turn to trying to destroy Islam from within. They tried this
first by casting doubts on the Qur’an by saying that it was created.
2
They
denied the attribute of speech to Allah although it is clearly confirmed on a
number of occasions in the Qur’an. Another group of people arose who
denied qadr, saying that Allah did not know about something until that event
actually occurred.
3
This innovation began during the last days of the period of
the Companions. After that there began a discussion of the actions of the
humans – are they created by Allah or is the person of complete free will.
Two extremes appeared, one claiming no role for human beings while the
other claimed that humans created their own deeds themselves. Al-Bukhari
wrote this book to address these three innovations and to confirm Allah’s
attribute of speech, confirm qadr and the knowledge of Allah of all things and
confirm Allah’s creating of the actions of the slave. This book was written
during al-Bukhari’s last years after he was accused by al-Dhuhli of being an
innovator.
(7) Kitab al-Illal – This is a work on the most difficult science of the sciences of
hadith: the spotting of defects or mistakes in what look like sound hadith. AlBukhari, his teacher Ali ibn al-Madini and Abu Hatim al-Razi were all experts in
this field.
With the exception of Khalq Afaal al-Ibad, all of the above works deal with hadith
or hadith sciences but al-Bukhari also had some works on specific fiqh topics,
such as the following: Kitab al-Hibah (“The Book of Endowments”), Rafa alYadain (“Raising of Both Hands [in the Prayer]”, a refutation of the Hanafis), alQirat Khalf al-Imam (“Reciting behind the Imam”), Kitab al-Ashriba (“The Book of
Drinks”) and Qadhaya al-Sahaba wa al-Tabieen (“Judgments of the Companions
and Followers,” this was his first work, written while he was eighteen years old).
A tafsir of the Qur’an has also been ascribed to him but it was either part of the
Sahih or it has been lost over time.
