Imam Bukhari, author of famous Ahadith, birthday in Shawwal
Imam al-Bukhari QS: author of famous Ahadith
Imam al-muhaddithin Hadrat Imam Abu `Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari was born on the 13th of the Islamic month of Shawwal, 194AH, in the famous city of Bukhara, of the land “beyond the canal” – present day Uzbekistan.
The father of Imam Bukhari, Isma`il ibn Ibrahim ibn Mughirah al-Ja`fi, was a great muhaddith and ascetic from whom he inherited his characteristics of literary zeal and excellence. During his childhood his father died and his mother took on the entire responsibility of bringing him up.
Imam Bukhari became blind at a young age. He had recourse to many famous and skilled doctors of his time but their treatments made no difference. His mother was a pious worshipper and a righteous woman. She cried out for help in the court of Allah the Almighty, for her child and begged for the restoration of his eyesight.
At last, “the river of mercy flowed over her,” and Almighty Allah accepted her invocation. One night, she visited Ibrahim `alayhis-salim in a dream and was told, “Allah has restored the sight of your son because of your intense and beautiful invocations.” In the morning, as Imam Bukhari got up from his bed, glimmers of light reached out into his eyes.
His mother woke up with a start and said happily: “What a pleasant dream! Allaah’s messenger Ibraaheem appeared in my dream, and said: “O woman! Allaah restored your son’s eye sight because of your frequent supplications”. She said: “O Allaah, make it a glad tiding. “O Allaah answer my supplications and restore the sight of my child.”
The pious mother walked to her son’s room, hardly able to move her feet. When she reached his bed, she was about to wake him up but she hesitated. Her broken heart was beating and she kept tenderly and kindly caressing his head with her shaky hands. She was still supplicating and hoping that Allah would answer her frequent supplications and cure her son. The young boy woke up and started looking in amazement and moving his eyelids in confusion. He said in a breaking voice:
“Mother!! I can see you, I can see your beautiful face! I can see my room and my toys!”
All perfect praise be to Allah! All perfect praise be to Allah! Allah gave me back my eyesight!”
She was so happy that she thought she was dreaming. But she soon realized that it was real when she saw her beloved son running and playing as he used to do. Filled with faith and happiness, she said: “All perfect praise be to Allaah! All perfect praise be to Allaah who has the power to do everything.”
One day, when the mother was tidying up the house in the morning, she came across a few papers containing some narrations of the Prophet SWS . She remembered her beloved husband and said sadly and painfully while wiping the tears off her cheeks: “May Allah have mercy on you, Muhammad’s father. You were a man who used to fear Allah. You dreamed for a long time that your son Muhammad would be a religious scholar!
I promise you that I will do my best to achieve your dear wish, Allah willing.” Then she called her son kindly, and Muhammad hurried to her obediently. Then, she said to him: “It is time for you, my son to seek religious knowledge and benefit yourself and the people around you. Tomorrow I will send you to a small school where you can memorise the Quran, learn Prophetic narrations and study the Arabic language to become an honourable scholar like your father, Ismaa’eel.
The young boy, Muhammad, said cleverly: “Mother! Was my father an eminent scholar?”
The mother replied: “Yes, my son.” Mohammad, then said politely: “I promise you, Mother, that I will follow his footsteps seriously and exert all my efforts.”
The city of Bukhaaraa (now in Islamic Uzbekistan) was located at that time in one of the greatest countries beyond the Transoxus (now Turkistan). Schools of knowledge where people could learn Arabic, the Quran, history, and Fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence) were spread throughout the city. The young boy, Muhammad Ibn Ismaa’eel Al-Bukhaari then set out to quench his thirst for knowledge from these sweet springs. Early in his life, he showed signs of intelligence that surprised everyone around him. He had a sharp mind, an attentive heart, an amazing memory, and an incredible ability to memorize. Before he was ten, he had memorized the whole Quran, mastered the Arabic language, covered much of the Fiqh, and memorized many Prophetic narrations. His pious good mother always encouraged her son and prepared a suitable atmosphere for him to acquire knowledge. When Al-Bukhaari finished his studies in the small schools, his wise mother thought to send him to the well-known study circles in Bukhaaraa, Samarqand, Bekend, Marw, and Nesabor. He became famous among the scholars to the point that he used to argue with his professors and even corrected them sometimes!!
The success and physiognomy of Al-Bukhaari didn’t end there. His shaykh and teacher Mohammad Ibn Salaam Al-Bekandy the scholar of Buhaaraa and the scholar of Prophetic narrations across the Transoxus (now Turkistan), used to ask him to revise some of his books and corrected any mistakes he found. Scholars used to wonder in astonishment: “Who was that boy who edits the books of his professor?!”
Imaam Bekandi used to say proudly about his clever student: “This boy is unique of his kind.”
On many occasions Imaam Bekandi talked to his colleagues about his student, Al-Bukhaari who memorized seventy thousand Prophetic narrations by heart. In addition to this, he never reported a narration of the companions or the generation following them unless he knew when and where they were born, as well as where they lived and died!
The years passed and Mohammad Ibn Ismaa’eel reached the age of sixteen years. He felt a great need to go and seek knowledge in every corner of the world to satisfy his thirst for knowledge. He headed to Makkah, accompanied by his mother and elder brother, Ahmad, in 210 AH to perform Hajj (pilgrimage) and seek more knowledge. After the pilgrimage, his mother and brother Ahmad returned to Bukhaaraa while he stayed in Makkah to move between its domes of knowledge: East, and west; North and South. Before the end of two years in this sacred city, he started writing his book The Issues of the companions and their Followers which marked the beginning of his renowned books.
At the age of eighteen, He visited Makkah accompanied by his mother and elder brother, Ahmad ibn Isma`il. After performing the pilgrimage, his brother returned with the company of his mother, but Imam Bukhari stayed there for further education. Meanwhile, he wrote a book called, Qadaya as-Sahabah wat -Tabi`in. After this he went to Madinah al-munawwarah to compile the famous book of Asma` ar-rijal (Names of men of transmission) called, Tarikh alkabir, while sitting by the tomb of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) during moonlight hours. Immediately after completing this, a series of imitations had begun. Mohammad ibn Yusaf alFuryabi said that at the time he had copied Tarikh al-kabir, Imam Bukhara did not yet have any facial hair. Imam Bukhari traveled to cities far and wide for the transmission of Ahadith and had gained immense knowledge while sitting far from his own country for several years. He stated himself, “To seek knowledge, I traveled to Egypt and Syria twice, Basra four times, spent six years at the Hijaz and left for Kufa and Baghdad on so many occasions accompanied by Muhaddithin.”
Al-Bukhari always loved to visit Madeenah. Among the fruits of his visits to that blessed place was writing his book: “The Big Book of History” which is considered the first book that comprises the names of the narrators of Prophetic narrations and the details of their lives. From that wonderful sacred spot, Al-Bukhari set out on a relentless endeavour to visit all the Islamic territories out of his love for compiling the Prophetic narrations. He traveled to Hijaaz (Saudi Arabia), Levant (Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon), Egypt, and Khurasaan (a vast area between north east Iran, southern Russia, and western Afghanistan). He visited Basrah and settled for some time in Baghdad which was the capital of the Abbasid state at that time. He greatly benefited from these journeys seeking knowledge. He had the pleasure of meeting most the narrators of Prophetic narrations at that time, sat with them, listened to the narrations, and memorised whatever knowledge they had.
One night, Al-Bukhaari had a strange dream that later had a great impact on his life. He saw himself standing before the Holy Prophet SWS holding a palm-leaf fan in his hand with which he pushed all evil away from the Holy Prophet SWS. He was so confused and surprised that he went to his scholars asking them to interpret his dream. They said happily: “You will clear the lies and false claims away from the Prophet SWS.” Al-Bukhaari then remembered his teacher, shaykh Is-Haaq Ibn Raahawayh, the prominent scholar of Khurasaan, when he told his students once: “It would be great if you can compile a concise and brief book containing the authentic narrations of the Prophet.”
These words echoed in Al-Bukhaari’s heart and he remembered that dream which was always in his mind since he started learning the Prophetic SWS narrations. Thereupon, he immediately made an intention to actively and seriously pursue this mission and started to strive in his long journey of writing this great book in 217 AH when he was twenty three.
Because of that dream, Al-Bukhari traveled thousands of miles moving from one Islamic territory to another, undergoing all sorts of difficulties, hardships, and weariness, sometimes to obtain only one narration of the Holy Prophet SWS. He eat grass to satisfy his extreme hunger after he had spent all his money. Even the few hours of night in which he snatched short naps to rest a while, were not so resting for him, as he used to wake up fifteen to twenty times a night to lit his lamp and sit to classify the narrations he had collected. Al-Bukhari made a pact with himself that he wouldn’t include a narration from any narrator until he had personally met him, and listened to the narration with his own ears. He never accepted narrations except from the ones who were known for being honest, diligent, accurate, fearing Allaah, and having a sharp memory. After this process, he would have a ritual bath; pray two Rak’as and then include only the narration that had met all these conditions in his book.
After sixteen years of continuous effort and hard work, Al-Bukhari finished his valuable book that comprised around 7000 authentic narrations which he selected from amongst 600,000 authentic and non-authentic narrations. He overlooked many authentic narrations so that his book wouldn’t be too long. He chose to name the book “The Authentic Book Encompassing a Brief Authentic Narrations of the Holy Prophet SWS, his Tradition and Life” to become the title of the most authentic book after the Quran. The book is known as ‘Saheeh Al-Bukhaari’ (The authentic narrations reported by Al-Bukhaari). This book became well known and it gave him a high rank that someone like him truly deserved to achieve. He had a vast knowledge, great manners, a tolerant nature, dignity, and an untainted tongue. He cared so little for this life, he had deep faith, and had Allaah’s consciousness at all times. After Imaam Al-Bukhaari became famous throughout the world, thousands of scholars came to him as students of the leader in memorization of authentic narrations until the number of people who attended his study circles in Baghdad reached 20,000. Among the most remarkable figures of his students were Imaams At-Tirmithi, An-Nasaa’ee, Muslim, and others,, May Allah bless and raise them and their families higher eternally.
In 250 AH, Al-Bukhari left to Nisabor, a city in Khurasaan and stayed there for a while teaching the people. Then he decided to return to his dear city, Bukhaaraa, and when he did the people rushed to welcome him in a great celebration in which huge tents were pitched and decorations were hung. They threw flowers and golden and silver coins on the Imam upon his arrival into the city. There was an overwhelming atmosphere of happiness that prevailed throughout all Bukhara.
Allah Willed, out of mercy to the Imam, that Al-Bukhari would only meet his Lord after peace and happiness had found their way into his heart again.
After returning from Bukhara, Imam Bukhari decided to go to Samarqand. He was still many miles from the city, when he heard that the people there had two views about him. So he decided to stay at a village called “Kharteng”. There, he made the following invocation one night after the late-night prayer, saying: “O Allah, the Earth despite its grandeur is becoming narrow and is troubling me greatly. So take me back to You.” After this invocation, he became ill.
One day, the people of Samarqand sent a message for him asking him to come. He agreed and packed with great joy. When he started walking towards his animal he said: “Take me back, I have become weak and very ill”. When they took him back to his house, he said some supplications then he laid on his bed sweating a lot, then his pure soul ascended to its Creator.
His meeting with His Lord was on a Friday night, the beginning of the month of Shawwaal, 256 AH (870 AD). He was sixty-two years old when he died. He was buried in the village of Khartank which is now known as ‘Khawaajah Saaheb’. May Allaah have mercy upon the great Imaam and may Allaah admit him into Paradise. Ameen.
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Other books Imam Bukhair QS also wrote include:
Al Aadaabul Mufrad
Juz – Raf-e-Yadain
Juz – Qiraat-Kalful-Imam
At-Taareekh-Al Kabeer – Al Awsat-As Sageer
Kitabul Ashribah
Kitabul Hibah
Mabsoot
Kitabul Ilal
Kitabul Wuhdaan
Af’aalul Ibaad
Al-Aadabul-Mufrad
