Sahih Bukhari

Imam Bukhari is a famous Hadith expert together with Imam Ahmad, Imam Muslim, Abu Dawud, Tirmidhi, An-Nasai, and Ibn Majah. It has been unanimously agreed that Imam Bukhari's work is the most authentic of all the other works in Hadith literature put together. As agreed by all the scholars, Sahih Al-Bukhari is the most authentic book after the Holy Quran. The full name of Imam Bukhari is Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ismail ibn Ibrahim Ibn Al-Mughirah ibn Bardizyah Al-Jufri Al-Bukhari. His great grandfather, Al-Mughirah, settled in Bukhara after accepting Islam. He was born on Friday, 13 Shawwal 194 AH (July 21, 810 CE) in the city of Bukhara (a city in present-day Uzbekistan). His father was an Alim (Islamic Scholar) and learned from number of famous scholars including Imam Malik ibn Anas. His father died when he was an infant and his mother took on the entire responsibility of bringing him up. Imam Bukhari began studying Hadiths while he was still young. He completed his initial studies, especially of Hadith, in Bukhara (his birthplace). At the age of 16, he had memorized many books of famous scholars including Abdullah Ibn Al-Mubarak's book 'Al-Waki'. Besides memorizing the Hadith and the book of early scholars, he also started studying the biography of all the narrators (Ravi) who take part in the transmission of Hadith, the date of their birth and death, their place of birth and etc. At the age of eighteen, Imam Bukhari visited Makkah accompanied by his mother and brother. After performing the Hajj (pilgrimage), his brother and mother returned to Bukhara but Imam Bukhari stayed there for further education. He spent two years in Makkah and learned Hadith and other religious studies from Islamic Scholars of Makkah. After that, he went to Madinah and get further education in the field of Hadith, Fiqh and Islamic jurisprudence for four years. After spending six years in Makkah and Madinah, he left for Basra, Kufa, and Baghdad and visited Egypt and Sham (Syria). He himself said: "To seek knowledge, I traveled to Egypt and Syria twice, Basra four times, spent six years at the Hijaz (Makkah & Madinah) and left for Kufa and Baghdad on so many occasions accompanied by Muhaddithin (Hadith collectors or Hadith Experts)." Imam Bukhari had an extremely strong memory from an early and his memory was considered to be inhuman. In his early period of acquiring knowledge, he memorized seventy thousand Hadiths, and later in his life, this figure reached three hundred thousand. Mohammad ibn Azhar Sajistani said: "I used to go to Sulaiman Ibn Harab accompanied by Imam Bukhari for listening to Hadiths. I used to write the Hadiths but Imam Bukhari wouldn't. Someone said to me, 'Why doesn't Imam Bukhari note the Hadiths down?' I told him, 'if you missed any Hadith in writing, you could obtain it from the memory of Imam Bukhari." There is one remarkable incident took place in Baghdad when Imam Bukhari visited the place. The people having heard of his many accomplishments, and the attributes which were issued to him decided to test him so as to make him prove himself to them. In order to do that they chose one hundred different Hadiths and changing the testimonials and the text of the Hadiths. The Hadiths were recited by ten people to Imam Bukhari. When the Hadiths were recited, Imam Bukhari replied to all in one manner, "Not to my knowledge." However, after the completion of all the Hadiths, he repeated each text and testimonial which had been changed followed by the correct text and testimonial. Such was the amazing memory of this great Hadith Scholar. On 1 Shawwal 256 AH (870 CE), Imam Al Bukhari passed away at the age of 62 years in a Khartang, Samarkand. The grave of Imam Bukhari is in Khartang, Samarkand.