Imam Bukhari: the founder of Hadith science

Abu Tariq Hijazi

Imam Bukhari is a name that creates a sense of reverence and respect in every Muslim's heart. He was one of the greatest scholars of Islam and the founder of Hadith science. His prestigious compilation named Jame Al-Sahih is regarded as the second authentic book of Islam after the Holy Qur'an.

It was in the second century Hijrah (Islamic calendar) when most of prophet’s companions, who had learned Islam from the Holy Prophet (PBUH) directly were diminishing one after another. The last of Prophet's companions passed away in 110 AH. Subsequently a possibility of misquoting the Prophet (PBUH) by some people with vested interest was quite apparent. So it was essential to collect and authenticate true Hadiths without sponsorship of any ruling authority, regional or national.

It was a gigantic work to collect all the prevailing statements and to classify them into the relevant categories, as authentic, good, poor and false.

This was a great task, which Imam Bukhari, a non-Arab from Khorasan, shouldered. He spent 16 years in searching, collecting and refining the material of Hadith. Not only this, he fixed the most rigid rules to evaluate and authenticate any circulating Hadith. Thus he is known as the Founder of Hadith science. The rest of his life was spent in teaching and propagating the Hadith literature. One of his students, Imam Muslim, rose to the second position in the world in Hadith compilation.

Imam Bukhari was born in Bukhara in 196 AH (810 AD, now in Uzbekistan). His father died when he was still young. He had lost his sight in infancy but his mother's prayers and invoking blessed him a sharp sight and sharp memory that enabled him to read and write in the moonlight and if he had read or heard something, it would remain in his memory forever.

He memorized the Holy Qur'an at the age of 9 and then began to learn Hadith from scholars of his region. At the age of 18 he travelled to Mecca and stayed there for 16 years collecting Hadiths. He visited Egypt and Syria twice, Basra four times, spent many years in Hijaz and went to Kufa and Baghdad many times. It is said that he learned about 600,000 Hadith from more than 1,000 scholars.

While returning to Bukhara after 16 years he began to compile Jame Al Sahih. He judged 7,275 Hadith from his large collection and arranged them in 93 chapters. Though Imam Bukhari wrote many books, he shot to prominence because of Tarikh Al-Kabeer, Adab Al-Mufrad and Sahih Al-Bukhari.

The first one he wrote in full moon nights at the Prophet's Mosque in Madinah. Imam Bukhari had a very sharp memory. He memorized 70,000 Hadiths at an early age and later in his life, this figure reached 300,000.

In 250 AH he settled at Neshapur where he met Muslim ibn Al Hujjaj as his disciple who compiled Sahih Al-Muslim which is regarded only second to Bukhari in the Muslim world.

Imam Bukhari's book on Hadith is regarded as the top of Sahah Sitta which are the most authentic six books of Hadith collected during 200-300 AH. These are: Sahih Bukhari by Imam Bukhari (D. 256 AH), Sahih Muslim by Muslim ibn Al Hujjaj (D. 261 AH), Sunan Al-Sughra by Al-Nasa'i (D. 302 AH), Sunan Abu Dawood by Abu Dawood (D. 274 AH), Jami Al-Tirmidhi by Al-Tirmidhia (D. 278 AH) Sunan ibn Majah by Ibn Majah (D. 273 AH).

Hafiz Ahmad bin Adi has described that when Imam Bukhari reached Baghdad, the leading scholars tried to test him and mixed 100 Hadith between the narrators’ chain and the text and gave to 100 persons to ask the authenticity of such Hadiths. Imam Bukhari said he never heard any Hadith like this. Then he repeated the incorrect Hadith as quoted by each questioner and then recited the corrected Hadith for each person separately.

The people were astonished on the depth of his knowledge and paid great respect to him.

Imam Bukhari was a rich person but he lived life of a very simple man giving most of his income to the poor. Mohammed Hatim Warraq, one of his disciples said that when Imam was establishing a Sarai (inn) near the city of Bukhara, he was laying bricks with his own hands. When Warraq said to him, leave this job for me, he replied, “On the Day of Judgment this work will be of benefit to me”.

Regarding his worship it is said that Imam recited the entire Qur'an daily in Ramadan and recited one third of it in the night prayers.

In 250 AH, Imam Bukhari moved to Neshapur where he was well received. Imam Muslim Neshapuri said he had never seen such a grand reception given to any scholar or ruler. Imam Bukhari began his lectures, which were attended by thousands.

His popularity irritated the local ruler and Imam Bukhari decided to leave Neshapur for Bukhara where again he was received with great enthusiasm. He began his lectures and also established a school for regular teaching. But after some time due to differences with the local ruler he decided to leave his hometown for Samarqand.

But when he was still a few miles away from the city he was prevented from entering it. When he found he had no place to go, he prayed to Almighty Allah saying, O Allah, the Earth despite its grandeur is becoming narrow for me and is troubling me greatly. So take me back to You. His prayers were answered and he died at Khartang, a place between Samarqand and Bukhara. It was on the night of Eid Al-Fitr, the first night of Shawwal 256 AH. He is buried in Muhammad Al-Bukhari mausoleum at Khartang near Samarkand, in Uzbekistan

Abd Al-Wahid ibn Adam Awaysi states: I saw the Holy Prophet (PBUH) in a dream standing with a group of Sahaba and asked, “For whom are you waiting?” He replied, “For Bukhari.” After a few days I heard the news of Imam Bukhari's death. He had died at the very moment that I saw the Prophet (PBUH) in my dream.

Sahih Al Bukhari is regarded as the most authentic collection of Hadiths, which covers almost all aspects of human life in providing proper guidance from the Holy Prophet.

As for piety, Imam Al-Bukhari never wrote any Hadith in this book without performing prayer of guidance from Allah and when he was sure of its authenticity, only then he wrote it in the book.

Imam Bukhari lived for 62 years only but during his span of life he did a marvelous work, which has been guiding the Ummah for the last 1,200 years. Tens of commentaries have been written on his treatise and hundreds of scholars are teaching Bukhari to thousand of students daily around the world. May Almighty Allah grant him the best reward.

Courtesy-Arab News

The 99 percent versus the 1 percent - an Islamic perspective

M S M Liyawdeen

‘The many’ are unhappy about the actions of ‘the few’. Some of the amazing news stories that captured the headlines in newspapers, journals and electronic media worldwide were the ‘Arab Spring’ and the ‘Occupy movements’ in London, New York and other major cities which had the above mentioned common underlying narrative.

Much has been written said and reported elucidating the causes for these uprisings.

Suffice to state in brief that whilst the ‘Arab Spring’ is all about quest and struggle for freedom from oppression, suppression and tyrannical rule, the ‘Occupy Movements’ in the developed world is a remonstration by the ‘Squeezed Middle’ against unbridled capitalism, corporate greed and unethical self-centered business practices to amass wealth by the few by any means and at any cost.

Leopold Weiss, the Austrian journalist in his book ‘Road to Mecca’ put it succinctly when he wrote, “at all times people have known greed but at no time before this had greed outgrown a mere eagerness to acquire things and become an obsession that blurred the sight of everything else; an irresistible craving to get, to do, to contrive more and more – more today than yesterday and more tomorrow than today; a demon riding on the necks of man”.

This critical observation made in the 1930’s is yet more appropriate and relevant to this phantom ridden modern technological age. Leopold Weiss’s experience during a routine train journey in September 1926 transformed into a moral vision. Whilst travelling in the Berlin Subway, he observed well-dressed wealthy men in his compartment seemingly worried and acutely unhappy. He discerned an expression of hidden suffering on the faces of these men.

When he returned home, he chanced upon his copy of the Holy Quran which had fallen open to the 102nd chapter called “Hoarding”:

“You are obsessed by greed for more and more until you go down to your graves.

Nay, but you will come to know, Nay, but you will come to know, Nay, if you but only knew it with the knowledge of certainty, you would indeed see the hell you are in. In time, indeed, you shall see it with the eye of certainty.

On that day you will be asked what you’ve done with the boon of life”.

Leopold Weiss was shocked by his vision of people who were ‘taking care of themselves’ in the fires of anxiety juxtaposed with the voice of God as it speaks through the Quran trying to reach such people. He went on to become Europe’s famous convert to Islam, Muhammed Asad.

Another contemporary of Muhammed Asad, Pakistani Philosopher-Poet Sir Muhammed Iqbal expressed similar critique of modern man when he stated: “In the domain of thought he is living in open conflict with himself, and in the domain of economic and political life he is in open conflict with others. He finds himself unable to control his ruthless energy and infinite gold hunger which is gradually killing all higher striving in him and bringing him nothing but life weariness”.

The need for a revitalized ‘work ethic’ that embraces spiritual growth and inculcates self- restraint has never been greater. It is a factor that can contribute to countering the depredation of the current world order.

Islam is an all comprehensive pattern of living with a strict code of ethics and moral behaviour - reverence, restraint, humility, the ability to listen and respond to human distress are hallmarks of exemplary behaviour expounded by Islam, as by all other faiths.

Imam Gazzali, the renowned scholar of Islam said “The object of trade and commerce is to gain the necessary livelihood or to gain enormous wealth. The latter is the root of attachment to the world which is the basis of all sins”.

Almighty Allah ordered us to adopt good and just dealings and to do good to the people.

Almighty Allah says: “Show kindness as Allah has shown kindness to you. Allah Almighty enjoins justice and doing good”: 16-90 Al Quran.

The Holy Prophet (Sal) said, “I have been sent to perfect good conduct”. He also said “What will be heaviest in the balance will be good conduct”.

Once the companions of the Messenger of Allah (Sal) mentioned to him the life of this world, he said “Do you not hear? Do you not hear? Simplicity in life is part of faith. Simplicity is part of faith.” (Abu Dawud)

Hazrath Ali (Ral) said: “There is no distinction higher than Islam; no honour more honourable than piety; no asylum better than self restraint; no intercessor more effective than repentance; no treasure more precious than contentment and no wealth is a bigger remover of destitution than being satisfied with mere sustenance. He who confines himself to what is just enough for maintenance, achieves comfort and prepares abode in ease. Desire is the key of grief and the conveyance of distress. Greed, vanity and jealousy are incentives to falling into sins and mischief-mongering is the collection of all bad habits”.

Hazrath Ali also said: “Contentment is the wealth that does not diminish, no wealth is more profitable than wisdom, no loneliness is more estranging than vanity, no wisdom is good as tact, no honour is like fear from Allah, no companion is like the goodness of moral character, no inheritance is like civility, no guide is like promptitude, no trade is like virtuous acts, no profit is like Divine reward…”.

All thoughtful people acknowledge that civilization can thrive when based upon the cultivation of self-restraint. Muslims along with other religious leaders insist that their religious traditions offer indispensable recourses for the cultivation of self-restraint. Many are falling back to religion to seek recourses that they can offer in the form of ‘ancient wisdom’ that might restore lost sense of simplicity, tranquility and meaningful destiny to our lives.

However any search for religious consolation must lead to a pragmatic assessment of our selfish drive to consume, control and hoard. It must be radical in being characterized by psychological depth, political acuteness and ecological realism.

Knowing God-knowing Allah

Imtiaz Muhsin

The most centric theme in Islam is the belief in ‘One God’. Muslims refer to God as Allah. I prefer to refer to Him as ‘Allah Ta’aalah’, meaning ‘Allah the Most Exalted’

One of the main purposes of the life of a Muslim would be to seek God, identify God through the systems and processes that He has established in the skies (the universe), on earth and in the space in between (the atmosphere).

In this search Muslims turn for assistance to the Holy Quran and to the exemplary life of the Holy Prophet Muhammad (Sal).The world is full of wonders. The Quran provides pointers to these wonders. These pointers are known as Aayath or Signs. When we read and contemplate on these Aayath, then we will be able to appreciate these wonders in the manner God wants us to appreciate them.

Today, I wish to draw attention to the pointer at the beginning of verses No 2, in Surah No 13 as follows; ‘Allah is He who raised the heavens (skies) without any pillars that you can see’. Amazing isn’t it? Let me give you an example that highlights this phenomenon.

The Metrological Department informs us that the highest recorded rainfall over a period of 24 hours for Colombo, is 493.7 mm and this was on June 4, 1992. The area of the City of Colombo is 3,694.2 sq km. When we multiply the area of Colombo by the height of rainfall, then we would obtain the volume of water that rained or rather poured on Colombo, on that eventful day. We adjust our figures so that we get the answer in Cubic Meters, and we get the stupendous figure of 1.824 X 109 Cubic Meters. One Cubic Meter weighs 1 Ton and contains 1,000 Liters. Thus, we see that 1,824 Million Tons of water rained on Colombo.

So if we were to get the figures in Liters it would work out to; 1,824 Billion Liters of rainwater. I like playing around with figures, so let us go another step. The population of Colombo is 647,100. That means that Colombo has 647,100 citizens. If we were to divide this volume of water, that is 1,824 billion litres, amongst all its citizens we would get the astounding figure of 2,818,729 Liters of water per citizen of Colombo.

I repeat, 2.8 Million liters per person – in just 24 hours of rainfall. Now I ask this question, actually you might think it is a stupid question. Where did all this rain or all this water come from?

Everyone, even a small child would answer, ‘from the sky’ But then, I again ask this question, how was such a massive volume of water or such a heavy mass of water being held up in the sky without any pillars, or tanks, or any support that we can see? How? Not a single visible pillar to support this massive weight! We are all very good at observing, recording and giving some explanation of what we see of the workings – but we just do not meditate on how this came about.

Who thought it out? Who designed it? Who modulates it? Who regulates it? Every aspect of this phenomenon which we simply call the ‘water cycle’ is amazing and too neat to be called ‘some order in this random chaos!’

This is how we try to detect God, recognize God and then try to work out what God expects from us. Try to work out how we can be guided in our lives by the benevolent God.

Brazil’s famous footballer ‘Kaka’:

'Holy Quran is a Miracle'

Brazil’s famous footballer “Kaka” said that Holy Quran is beyond human words, it is considered as one of miracles.

A player of Spain’s football Club Riyal Madrid ‘Ricardo Kaka’ said that with one study of the Holy Quran, he got to know that the words of Holy Quran are beyond human words, rather they are a miracle.

An editor of a religious institute in Brazil said that Kaka is a religious Christian but he also respects other religions. In Brazil, prayer leader of a Mosque while denying the news saying Kaka is a Muslim said that Kaka is still a Christian and he goes to Church but he likes to listen to the recitation of Holy Quran.

Another leader of an Islamic institute in Brazil said that after hearing the recitation of Holy Quran, Kaka has changed a lot and he is convinced of the dignity of Islam and Muslims. It is to be noted that Brazil’s famous foot ball player Kaka said during his visit to a specific tourist Mosque in Dubai that Islam is a religion of forgiveness, I am impressed by the attitude and characteristics of Muslims and I want to study more about Islam.

(Ahlul Bayt News Agency)

The Merchants of Venice

Although the Crusades raged, Arub Saqib discovers that the trading interaction between Venice and the Islamic world meant cross fertilization of ideas and architectural influences continued.

Of all of Europe’s grand medieval cities, perhaps the one where the influence of the ‘Orient’ is most notable is Venice. Historically, this city was the economic trading centre of the Mediterranean, especially in the 11th and 12th Centuries, when the Sultanate of the Ottoman Empire was establishing its global presence. From the 11th to the 16th Century, complex religious and political issues dominated Venetian history, placing the city in an uneasy cultural balance between East and West. Despite the Crusades, Venice tried to maintain good relations with the Muslim world, in the interests of trade. In Medieval Italy, coming onto the period of the Renaissance, each major city demanded its own sort of architectural monument. The source material of Venice’s monumental works was vast; given the exposure of its peninsula to all the varied, powerful cultures of the Mediterranean world, in particular Byzantium and Islamic.

After the great fire of 1105 destroyed most of Venice’s timber constructed houses, a process of rebuilding was initiated. This expansion of the city was in parallel to the remarkable growth in the use of the Venetian dialect, which is infused with Arab words, even in official documents, where one would expect to find Latin or Greek.

An example is the Arabic word for ‘trading post’, inspiring the Venetian word fondaco. This is the first point of entrance that the Orient made into Venetian architectural identity. The family palace of established traders served not only as the home but also as the headquarters of the merchant’s trading; ie a trading post.

Courtesy: Emel

The Seven Stages in the Life of a Muslim

Mohamed Ebrahim Sulaiman

Continuation from last week

Stage 3 - Life in this World.

At the fetal age of 36 to 40 weeks (pregnancy) the baby is born. The baby breaths the first time and cries.

Whereas the nurses, friends, parents and relatives laugh, are happy and praise the baby. When the same baby becomes old and dies, the relatives and friends cry. Some practice infanticide (kill babies) if the baby is female. Islam does not allow infanticide and abortion.

The newly born baby is clean, innocent, free from sins, grows, develops, learns and is brought up in Muslim families or in Non-Muslim families. The soul in the baby forgot Allah and the promise (covenant) given in the heaven that Allah is his Creator and Lord.

The babies brought up in Muslim families will be taught the Quran and reminded about Allah and Islam to worship only The One Allah. Muslims only worship one creator (Allah) but not the creations. Muslims do not associate anything with Allah. Allah has sent 124,000 Prophets from the time of Adam to the time of Prophet Muhammad (SAW), the last Prophet, to remind all mankind to worship one God Allah. There were divine revelations (books) sent down through Prophets including Abraham, David, Solomon, Moses, Jesus and Muhammad (Pbuh).

Muslims believe all the Prophets and their books (psalms, Torah, Bible and Quran).

To be continued