ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Light On the Muhammadan Sunnah Or Defence of the Hadith Al-bukhari and His Book Full name of al-Bukhari is Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Isma’il al-Bukhari al-Farsi. He was born in Bukhara in 194H. He made trips to several countries, seeking for hadith, starting to compile chapters of his book in the Holy Sanctuary. It took him sixteen years to compile and classify it in Basrah and other places till completing it in Bukhara.

He died in Khartang near Samarqand in 256 H. In Muqaddimat Fath al-Bari, 557 Ibn Hajar reported that Abu Ali al- Ghassani quoted al-Bukhari as saying: I brought out al-Sahih from among six hundred traditions. Al-Isma’ili also quoted him as saying: I haven’t brought out in this book but only the sahih 558 traditions, and the sahih ones that I haven’t cited being more. 559 He also said: I know by heart a hundred thousand sahih traditions, and two hundred thousand non-sahih traditions.

560 It is not to be shocked at the presence of these hundreds of thousands of traditions during the time of al-Bukhari, as it is reported from al-Imam Ahmad that he said: The number of correct traditions amounted to seven hundred thousand plus ones ...

referring by this to Abu Zar`ah, who learnt by heart seven hundred thousand traditions… Abu Bakr Muhammad ibn Umar al-Razi says: Abu Zar'ah could learn by heart seven hundred traditions, and one hundred and forty thousand ones through their tafsir … (Tawjih al-nazar’, p. 4).

Reason Behind Compilation of al-Bukhari’s Book: Ibn Hajar in his Muqaddimah says: The motive that incited resolution of al-Bukhari to collect the sahih traditions, and made him determined to do so, was what he heard from his instructor chief of hadith and fiqh Ishaq ibn Ibrahim al-Hanzali, known with the name of Ibn Rahawayh.

Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Isma’il al-Bukhari says: We were with Ibn Rahawayh who said: Would it be better if you compile an abridged book containing the sahih traditions of the Messenger of Allah? Being impressed by this statement, I embarked on compiling the comprehensive Sahih in which including six hundred thousand traditions.

561 Al-Bukhari Narrating Through Meaning: In Ta’rikh Baghdad, al-Khatib al-Baghdadi reported from al-Bukhari as saying: There might be a hadith I heard in Basrah writing it in the Sham, and there might be a hadith I heard in the Sham writing it in Egypt! Thereat it was said to him: O Abu Abd Allah, (did you write it) completely? when he kept silent.