Imam al-Bukhari رحمه الله – Sheikh Aziz bin Farhan Al Anizi [Video|Ar-En Subtitles]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-eGf0lzpBk [32 min]
Introduction: The Sun of Knowledge
All praise is due to Allah, and may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah. Welcome, my brothers and sisters, to a new session from the series: “Biography of an Imam“. Today’s session will be about an individual whose mention Allah has made everlasting and whose knowledge He has blessed. He is a shining sun that illuminated the world, he is the role model of scholars, the leader of the jurists, the heir of the prophets, the Rabbani scholar, the pride of the Hadith scholars, the Leader of the Believers in Hadith, the noble Imam: Al-Bukhari, may Allah have mercy upon him. He is the author of the well-known book which is the most authentic book after the Book of Allah. Speaking about al-Bukhari, in reality, requires many sessions, because this scholar is a giant among the giants of knowledge and an Imam among the leaders of the religion. I will speak briefly about the biography of Imam al-Bukhari, his upbringing, and some aspects of his life.
Name, Lineage, and His Father’s Piety
As for his name, he is Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Isma’il ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Mughirah al-Ju’fi. Imam al-Bukhari became known by this title in ascription to Bukhara, which is among the lands beyond the river. His grandfather, Bardazubah, some scholars vocalized his name with a fat’hah on the ب, a sukūn on the ر, and a kasrah on the د. “Bardazubah” in Persian means “farmer,” and he was Persian, following the religion of his people. As for his grandfather al-Mughirah, he accepted Islam at the hands of Yaman al-Ju’fi of Bukharah, so he was attributed to him due to loyalty through Islam. The scholars have written about the father of al-Bukhari, who is Isma’il. They mentioned that he narrated from Hammad ibn Zayd and Malik ibn Anas, and that the people of Iraq narrated from him. He was pious, to the extent that Ahmad ibn Hafs said: “I entered upon Isma’il, the father of Abu Abdullah (meaning al-Bukhari), at the time of his death, and he said: ‘I do not know of a single dirham in my wealth that is from the unlawful, nor even a dirham that is doubtful.'” Look at the effects of this piety and righteousness regarding the father of al-Bukhari.
Birth, Orphanhood, and the Miracle of Sight
As for al-Bukhari, he was born in the city of Bukhara on the night of Friday, the 13th of Shawwal in the year 194 AH. Al-Bukhari grew up as an orphan, because his father died while he was still a young child. His mother raised him in the best manner. The life of Imam al-Bukhari from his early upbringing was not easy or comfortable; rather, he lived a life truly full of surprises and sorrowful incidents, and Allah has wisdom in that. Among the major incidents in his life is that he lost his eyesight in his childhood. This deeply saddened his mother. She was greatly grieved for her son, this orphan who did not grow up under the care of his father. This sorrow drove her—as she was a righteous and devout woman—to turn to supplication. Then she saw Ibrahim, peace be upon him, in a dream. She saw Ibrahim saying to her: “O woman, Allah has restored your son’s sight because of your abundant supplication.” The mother returned and found that her son had been cured and his sight restored after having been blind, may Allah have mercy on him and the mother of al-Bukhari.
Early Brilliance and Sharp Memory
Al-Bukhari began to show signs of brilliance from a young age. The indications of his intelligence and excellence were apparent while he was still a small child. He was remarkable in memorization, and his mother had a great role in him reaching this high rank. She would make knowledge beloved to him. Before he even completed ten years of age, he had memorized the entire Qur’an. Then he began attending the gatherings and circles of the great scholars of hadith and jurists. He said: “I was inspired to memorize hadith while I was in primary school at ten years old or less. Then I left the school after ten and began attending the gatherings of al-Dakhili and others. One day, al-Dakhili was reading to the people and said: ‘Sufyan from Abu al-Zubayr from Ibrahim.’ So I said to him: ‘Abu al-Zubayr did not narrate from Ibrahim.’ He rebuked me… So I said to him: ‘Return to the original source.’ So he went in and checked the original, then came out and said to me: ‘How is it, O boy?’ I said: ‘It is al-Zubayr ibn ‘Adi from Ibrahim.’ So he took the pen from me and corrected his book, and said: ‘You are correct.'” He was only eleven years old at the time.
Passion for Knowledge and Vast Travels
Al-Bukhari grew up loving knowledge from a young age, seeking it earnestly. He was extremely diligent in memorizing the Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ in narration, understanding, and comprehension at the age of sixteen. He had the readiness and ability to memorize everything he read, saw, and heard. He memorized the books of Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak, and the books of Waki’ ibn al-Jarrah. He had an insatiable desire for knowledge that could not be satisfied. He seized every opportunity, moving between the circles of scholars in his land. When he saw that these wide lands were not sufficient for him, he traveled far and wide in pursuit of hadith. He traveled to the Hijaz on his first journey for Hajj, accompanied by his mother and his brother. He remained behind after his mother and brother left, staying in Makkah for six years sitting with scholars. After that, he set out traveling between the major centers of the Islamic world, entering al-Sham, Egypt, al-Jazirah, Basra, Kufa, and Baghdad. He endured the hardships of travel without modern means, often walking on foot.
An Extraordinary Mind: The Story of 15,000 Hadiths
Al-Bukhari was an exceptional case in terms of intelligence. Among the remarkable aspects of his memory is what Muhammad ibn Abi Hatim al-Warraq mentioned: “Abu Abdullah al-Bukhari used to attend the gatherings of the scholars of Basra with us while he was still a young boy, and he would not write. This continued for some days, so we said to him: ‘You attend with us but you do not write, what do you do?’ After sixteen days, he said to us: ‘You have insisted and pressed me enough—show me what you have written.’ So we brought out what we had written, and it amounted to more than fifteen thousand hadith. He recited all of them from memory, until we began correcting our books based on his memorization. Then he said: ‘Do you think I am wasting my time and squandering my days?’ And we realized that no one could surpass him.”
Teachers, Students, and Peer Recognition
The teachers of Imam al-Bukhari cannot be counted because of their large number. Al-Bukhari said: “I wrote from a thousand teachers, and more. I mention the chain of narration for every hadith I have.” Among his teachers were Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Yahya ibn Ma’in, Ishaq ibn Rahawayh, and Ali ibn al-Madini. As for his students, the most prominent among them was Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, the author of Sahih Muslim, who said to al-Bukhari: “Let me kiss your feet, O teacher of teachers, leader of the scholars of hadith, and the physician of hadith in its hidden defects.” Other students included al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasa’i, and Ibn Khuzaymah. His teachers and peers praised him highly. His teacher Ali ibn al-Madini, when told of al-Bukhari’s humility toward him, said: “Leave his statement. By Allah, he has never seen anyone like himself.” And Ishaq ibn Rahawayh said: “O people of hadith, look at this young man and write from him.”
Methodology, Piety, and Worship
His methodology in hadith was characterized by extreme precision. He said: “When I wrote from a man, I would ask him about his name, his kunyah, his lineage, and about his carrying of the hadith. If not, I would ask him where it was recorded in his original source.” He also said: “I did not sit to teach hadith until I knew the authentic from the weak.” Al-Bukhari was a devout worshipper, ascetic, pure, and pious. When he entered into prayer, he would detach from everything else. Once, a wasp stung him seventeen times during his prayer, yet he did not interrupt his prayer. When he finished, he said: “Look at what harmed me during my prayer.” They found the wasp had swollen his body, yet he never broke his prayer! He used to say: “I have never backbitten anyone since I came to know that backbiting is impermissible.” He also had a refined taste in poetry, such as his words: “Take advantage of your free time by performing extra bowing, for perhaps your death will come suddenly. How many a healthy person have you seen without illness, whose sound soul suddenly departed.”
Dignity of Knowledge vs. Rulers
The ruler of Bukhara, Khalid ibn Ahmad al-Dhuhli, requested that Imam al-Bukhari come to him to narrate hadith for him and his children. What did al-Bukhari say to the ruler’s messenger? He said: “Tell him that I do not humiliate knowledge, nor do I carry it to the doors of rulers. If you have a need for something, then come to me in my Masjid or in my house. If this does not please you, then you are the ruler, so prevent me from teaching, so that I may have an excuse before Allah on the Day of Judgment that I did not conceal knowledge.” Of course, this ruler felt something in his heart because of that, and he incited some foolish people to speak against Imam al-Bukhari and stir people against him. This is what I will discuss regarding the Imam’s trials and tribulations.
Conclusion
My brothers and sisters, I believe that time has caught up with us, and perhaps I will stop here. In the next session, I will point out the other side, particularly the trials and tribulations that Imam al-Bukhari faced, so that he could be positioned among this unique assembly of prophets, scholars, and righteous people whom Allah tested in this world. Wait for me, so that you may know some of the significant events that might be hidden from all of us. I entrust you to Allah. Peace, mercy, and blessings of Allah be upon you.
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