Sahih Bukhari Book Free Essay Example

It is honorable point that whenever we listens the name of Sahih Bukhari, Sahih Muslim comes automatically with this. There are some scholars like Abu Ali Hakim Neshapuri and Hafiz Abu Bakr Ismaili who preferred Sahih Muslim on Sahih Bukhari. Imam Abdul al-Rahman Nas?i said that Sahih Muslim is more marvelous than Sahih Bukhari. Ibn Hazm also prefers Sahih Muslim on Sahih Bukhari. Imam Muslim himself said that if Muhadditheen write a hadith two hundred years, even then they will revolve around this book.

Many Centuries have passed now but we all depend on Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. Shah Abdul Aziz said that someone saw Imam Ali Nasfarani in a dream after his death and asked about his cause of salvation. He indicated toward Sahih Muslim and said Allah granted me just because of this. This dream proved that Sahih Muslim is accepted by Allah Almighty.

The best narration of Imam Muslim was that in which four relations come to the Holy Prophet? in the chain of narration.

There are more than 80 a hadith in Sahih Muslim. Thulathiat in which, chain has three relations to the Prophet ?, these are approximately twenty two in Sahih Bukhari but no one mentioned in Sahih Muslim.

Methodology for the compilation of Sahihain

Sahih Bukhari

Imam Bukhari struggled with piety, kindness and Sincerity for the compilation of Sahih Bukhari. He used the unique methodology for the compilation of his most famous book of hadith “Al Jami’ Al Sahih Bukhari.” The scholar Farabi said that he listened from Imam Bukhari that he said: “I took a proper bath then offered two Raka’t prayers then wrote any hadith”.

Imam Bukhari also said that he wrote that book, sitting in Masjid Haram. He has done Istikhaarah then Nafl prayers and after the satisfaction of a chain of narration and the text he includes that hadith in the book. Abdul Quddus Hamam heard from his teacher that Imam Bukhari wrote the titles of Sahih Bukhari, sitting between the Holy grave and the pulpit of Messenger ?. He also offered two Raka’t Nafal prayers to write the title of Sahih Bukhari.

Imam Bukhari spent more than one-fourth part of his life for the compilation of his book and at the end he produced his epoch- making book which is accepted by all schools of thought. Imam Bukhari started journey to different areas and cities for the collection of hadith and he started his journey from the Holy city of Makkah. Imam Bukhari visited and stayed everywhere as long as his pursuits of hadith demand. He met traditionists and got a hadith from them and communicated to them for their own knowledge. Imam Bukhari didn’t hesitate to stay at one place for many years or more than one journey at a same place just for the sake of hadith knowledge. Hafiz Ibn Hajar said: “In starting Imam Bukhari visited these states to prepare his draft of book but for the final writing and compilation he sit in Masjid Haram”.

Legal issues and wise deduction

Imam Bukhari extracted many meanings from text of a hadith through his extraordinary abilities, and then divided it into different chapters. In some chapters he only wrote ayahs and didn’t discuss a hadith and sometimes not only wrote the interpretation of ayahs but also indicate the important points. Imam Nuwwi said that Imam Bukhari’s purpose was not only, the collection of Sahih a hadith but also the interpretation of problems related that hadith. That was the reason many of the chapters are empty from the chain of narration and he narrated that hadith with Prophet only and made it Mu’alaq, which is only used as a proof.

Some places there are many a hadith are included in a chapter and some chapters are without any hadith or ayah. So in a nutshell, all the styles used by Imam Bukhari for the compilation of Sahih Bukhari were deducted for the solution of all legal issues faced now a day.

Ibn Hajr wrote in Fatah Al Bari that the title of any chapter is for the easiness of the reader. The titles of Sahih Bukhari are the indication of Bukhari’s knowledge. Scholars concluded the purposes of his titles in these points which are briefly discuss as under:

• Sometimes Imam Bukhari wrote those a hadith with titles which are not reliable for him and because of his title brings those a hadith which fulfills his requirement. In which the title proofs the text of hadith.
• Sometimes he discussed the problem with the title, in which Quran evidence is available. He proof the hadith as a Sahih hadith in the light of Quran
• Sometimes he wrote the problem as a title which is proved by the first scholars then Imam Bukhari affirmed that problem with his own investigation and with the help of consensus.
• Sometimes Imam Bukhari discussed the problem with the title, which is discussed several times in the hadith. He collected all those a hadith in this chapter. The purpose of the collection of all a hadith is to choose the most reliable hadith among them.
• Sometimes arguments are different in a same case. On that stage, according to Imam Bukhari, preference of similarity among the a hadith should be clear so Imam Bukhari discussed that adaptations in the title.
• Sometimes Imam Bukhari wrote many a hadith for the support of his title which is necessary according to him. So Imam Bukhari feels necessary to inform the readers about its benefits so he uses the word “Baab” (chapter) instead benefits, ignore or warning. The reader thinks that it’s a new issue, but Imam Bukhari used a different word among the scholars.
• Sometimes Imam Bukhari wrote an argument of someone else as a title but he himself is not agreed with that argue so he used it as a title just to deny it.
• Sometimes he wrote weak hadith has a title but attached some Sahih hadith with it just for those people who used this weak hadith as a fundamental of their religion so that they make true themselves.
• Sometimes Imam Bukhari discuss an ordinary problem as a title which apparently didn’t seem important such as a chapter of azan, the title is “Someone says to the Prophet he didn’t pray.” Apparently it didn’t seem important but when we came to know that scholars dislike using these words “Maa Sallenaa” (What we prayed) then Bukhari’s purpose declares that the title is used to forbid people to use these words.
• Sometimes Imam Bukhari used the views of companions, successors or wrote any Quranic verse as a title. That situation came when Imam Bukhari didn’t found any authenticated hadith but the point is reliable.
• Sometimes Imam Bukhari used the Quranic verse as a title and on the behalf of that verse used a hadith for the interpretation of Quranic verse. Sometimes Imam Bukhari took ordinary meanings of a word as an extraordinary word.
• Sometimes Imam Bukhari derived any important point from many hadith and used them as a title. That point is quite different from other scholars but Imam Bukhari used this and for the interpretation he related that a hadith with specific and related incident.
• Sometimes Imam Bukhari made a title in a question form but he didn’t demand for the answer of “yes” or “no.” The purpose of Questioned title is to know either the commandment is right or not? Means the interpretation of problems in the light of that title.

Terms by scholars

In short, other narrators didn’t claim, but gives some other terms which were used by Imam Bukhari for a compilation of his book Al Jamai’ Al Sahih which are as under:

• Narrators should be trustworthy and there should be consensus about the authenticity means the narrator should be Muslim, Honest, sane, sound mind intelligent, believable and doubtless.
• The chain of narration of a hadith must not be broken.
• If the tradition is Mu’anan means narrator narrate a hadith from his teacher by using the word “??”means he heard from his teacher then the proof of their meeting should be there.
• There should be a consensus of scholars before Imam Bukhari or his followers on the correction of hadith.
• Hadith must be free from defect and abnormality.

Five terms of authenticity of hadith:

So the narrators should be on the 1st rank in these terms. There is an example of Hafiz Ibn Hajr in which he elaborated the authenticity of hadith based on five Segments of memory and company of teachers, which are discussed as under:

• 1st stage:(Strong memory and company with many teachers)

In 1st category the narrators who are intelligent and strong in their memory and they met many teachers for the learning of hadith. These narrators are considered the highest ranked narrators such as Younas bin Yazid, A’qeel bin Khalid, Malik bin Anus, Sufyan bin A’yneeyah and Shuaib bin Abi Hamza

• 2nd stage: (strong memory but shortage of teachers company)

Those narrators come in the second stage, who have strong memory which can be God gifted but they didn’t spend more time in the company of teachers. These types of people didn’t become expert in hadith so they came in 2nd category, such as Imam Awzaa’i, Laith bin S’aad, Abdul Rahman bin Khalid and Ibn Abi Za’ib. Imam Bukhari brought a hadith mostly from the narrators of 1st category. Sometimes, he chose a hadith from them, but after a lot of investigation.

• 3rd stage: (short memory but having company with many teachers)

The third category is for those who haven’t strong memory but they spend most part of their life with the teachers of a hadith such as Jafar bin Burqaan, Sufyaan bin Hussain and Ishaq bin Yahyah kalbi. Imam Muslim narrated a hadith from them but Imam Bukhari refused them.

• 4th stage: (short memory and shortage of teachers company)

They are the people who are neither strong in their memory nor having teachers for a hadith such as Zam’aa bin Saleh, Mua’awiyyah bin Yahya Al Sadfi and Munaa bin Sabah. They are the narrators to whom Imam Abu Dau’d narrated a hadith.

Abdul Qudus bin Habib, hakam bin Abdullah and Muhammad bin Saeed are included in the fifth category in which the narrators are weak. Imam Tirmizi sometimes took their hadith but Imam Maja took a hadith from them continuously. Imam Bukhari and Imam Muslim never took any hadith from them.

Bukhari’s hadith repetition & briefly description:

Imam Bukhari narrated same hadith in many places of Sahih Bukhari but at all stages he narrated hadith with a different chain of narration. He always produced thought provoking meanings from them which are the requirement of title. Sometime Imam Bukhari narrated hadith many times with the same chain of narration, but with some special purposes. Allah knows better about that purposes. Here I try to extract some of these purposes which are as under:

• Imam Bukhari narrated one hadith from one companion at the same time he narrated same hadith from other companions just to prove that this hadith is not weak. He used thesame procedure with the narration of his teachers. Some people are not expert in hadith studies consider it just repetition, but the reality is that it is beneficial for the authenticity of hadith
• Imam Bukhari narrated many hadith in which he gave different meanings that is why Imam Bukhari, he narrated same hadith in different chapters but with different meaning.
• Some narrators discuss hadith briefly and describe it in some detail. So, Imam Bukhari narrated them as it is, so that further narrators not face any difficulty or doubt.

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