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HISTORY ON THE
NAME |
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Prophet
Muhammad
Imam Al Bukhari
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The
Life of Prophet Muhammad
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PART I
In Makkah |
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By
Mohammed Marmaduke Pickthall |
14/08/2003 |
The Prophet’s Birth
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The Ka`bah today |
uhammad, son of Abdullah,
son of Abdul Muttalib, of the tribe of Quraysh, was born
in Makkah fifty-three years before the Hijrah. His
father died before he was born, and he was protected
first by his grandfather, Abdul Muttalib, and after his
grandfather’s death, by his uncle Abu Talib.
As a young boy he traveled
with his uncle in the merchants’ caravan to Syria, and
some years afterwards made the same journey in the
service of a wealthy widow named Khadijah. So faithfully
did he transact the widow’s business, and so excellent
was the report of his behavior, which she received from
her old servant who had accompanied him, that she soon
afterwards married her young agent; and the marriage
proved a very happy one, though she was fifteen years
older than he was. Throughout the twenty-six years of
their life together he remained devoted to her; and
after her death, when he took other wives he always
mentioned her with the greatest love and reverence. This
marriage gave him rank among the notables of Makkah,
while his conduct earned for him the surname Al-Amin,
the “trustworthy.”
The Hunafa
The Makkans claimed
descent from Abraham through Isma`il and tradition
stated that their temple, the Ka`bah, had been built by
Abraham for the worship of the One God. It was still
called the House of Allah, but the chief objects of
worship here were a number of idols, which were called
“daughters” of Allah and intercessors. The few who felt
disgust at this idolatry, which had prevailed for
centuries, longed for the religion of Abraham and tried
to find out what had been its teaching. Such seekers of
the truth were known as Hunafa (sing. Hanif), a word
originally meaning “those who turn away” (from the
existing idol-worship), but coming in the end to have
the sense of “upright” or “by nature upright,” because
such persons held the way of truth to be right conduct.
These Hunafa did not form a community. They were the
non-conformists of their day, each seeking truth by the
light of his inner consciousness. Muhammad son of
Abdullah became one of these.
The First Revelation
It was his practice to
retire often to a cave in the desert for meditation. His
place of retreat was Hira’, a cave in a mountain called
the
Mountain of
Light not far from Makkah, and his
chosen month was Ramadan, the month of heat. It was
there one night toward the end of his quiet month that
the first revelation came to him when he was forty years
old.
He heard a voice say:
“Read!” He said: “I cannot read.” The voice again said:
“Read!” He said: “I cannot read.” A third time the
voice, more terrible, commanded: “Read!” He said: “What
can I read?” The voice said:
“Read: In the name
of thy Lord Who createth.
“Createth man from a clot.
“Read: And it is thy Lord the Most Bountiful
“Who teacheth by the pen,
“Teacheth man that which he knew not.”
The Vision of Cave Hira’
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The cave Hira’ in the
Mountain of
Light (Jabal Al-Nur)
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He went out of the cave on
to the hillside and heard the same awe-inspiring voice
say: “O Muhammad! Thou art Allah’s messenger, and I am
Jibril (Gabriel).” Then he raised his eyes and saw the
angel, in the likeness of a man, standing in the sky
above the horizon. And again the dreadful voice said: “O
Muhammad! Thou art Allah’s messenger, and I am Jibril
(Gabriel).” Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him)
stood quite still, turning away his face from the
brightness of the vision, but wherever he turned his
face, there stood the angel confronting him. He remained
thus a long while till at length the angel vanished,
when he returned in great distress of mind to his wife
Khadijah. She did her best to reassure him, saying that
his conduct had been such that Allah would not let a
harmful spirit come to him and that it was her hope that
he was to become the Prophet of his people. On their
return to Makkah she took him to her cousin Waraqa ibn
Nawfal, a very old man, “who knew the Scriptures of the
Jews and Christians,” who declared his belief that the
heavenly messenger who came to Moses of old had come to
Muhammad, and that he was chosen as the Prophet of his
people.
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Muhammad eventually
accepted the tremendous task imposed on him,
becoming filled with enthusiasm of obedience |
His Distress
To understand the reason of the Prophet’s diffidence and
his extreme distress of mind after the vision of Hira’,
it must be remembered that the Hunafa, of whom he had
been one, sought true religion in the natural world and
regarded with distrust the intercourse with spirits of
which men “avid of the Unseen” sorcerers and soothsayers
and even poets, boasted in those days. Moreover, he was
a man of humble and devout intelligence, a lover of
quiet and solitude and the very thought of being chosen
out of all mankind to face mankind, alone, with such a
message, appalled him at the first.
Recognition of the Divine
nature of the call he had received involved a change in
his whole mental outlook sufficiently disturbing to a
sensitive and honest mind, and also the forsaking of his
quiet, honored way of life. The early biographers tell
how his wife Khadijah “tested the spirit” which came to
him and proved it to be good, and how, with the
continuance of the revelations and the conviction that
they brought, he at length accepted the tremendous task
imposed on him, becoming filled with enthusiasm of
obedience which justifies his proudest title of “the
Slave of Allah.”
First Converts
For the first three years,
or rather less, of his mission, the Prophet preached to
his family and his intimate friends, while the people of
Makkah as a whole regarded him as one who had become a
little mad. The first of all his converts was his wife
Khadijah, the second his first cousin Ali, whom he had
adopted, the third his servant Zayd, a former slave. His
old friend Abu Bakr also was among those early converts.
Beginning of
Persecution
At the end of the third
year the Prophet received the command to “arise and
warn,” whereupon he began to preach in public, pointing
out the wretched folly of idolatry in face of the
tremendous laws of day and night, of life and death, of
growth and decay, which manifest the power of Allah and
attest His sovereignty. It was then, when he began to
speak against their gods, that Quraysh became actively
hostile, persecuting his poorer disciples, mocking and
insulting him. The one consideration which prevented
them from killing him was fear of the blood-vengeance of
the clan to which his family belonged. Strong in his
inspiration, the Prophet went on warning, pleading,
threatening, while Quraysh did all they could to
ridicule his teaching, and deject his followers.
The Flight to
Abyssinia
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A
16th century map of Abyssinia
– modern day
Ethiopia
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The converts of the first
four years were mostly humble folk unable to defend
themselves against oppression. So cruel was the
persecution they endured that the Prophet advised all
who could possibly contrive to do so to immigrate to a
Christian country,
Abyssinia . And still in spite of persecution and
emigration the little company of Muslims grew in number.
Quraysh were seriously alarmed. The idol worship at the
Ka`bah, the holy place to which all
Arabia made pilgrimage, ranked for them, as guardians of
the Ka`bah, as first among their vested interests. At
the season of the pilgrimage they posted men on all the
roads to warn the tribes against the “madman” who was
preaching in their midst. They tried to bring the
Prophet to a compromise offering to accept his religion
if he would so modify it as to make room for their gods
as intercessors with Allah, offering to make him their
king if he would give up attacking idolatry; and, when
their efforts at negotiation failed, they went to his
uncle Abu Talib offering to give him the best of their
young men in place of Muhammad, to give him all that he
desired, if only he would let them kill Muhammad and
have done with him. Abu Talib refused.
Conversion of Omar
The exasperation of the
idolaters was increased by the conversion of Omar, one
of their stalwarts. They grew more and more embittered,
till things came to such a pass that they decided to
ostracize the Prophet’s whole clan, idolaters who
protected him as well as Muslims who believed in him.
Their chief men caused a document to be drawn up to the
effect that none of them or those belonging to them
would hold any intercourse with that clan or sell to
them or buy from them. This they all signed, and it was
deposited in the Ka`bah. Then for three years, the
Prophet was shut up with all his kinsfolk in their
stronghold which was situated in one of the gorges which
run down to Makkah. Only at the time of pilgrimage could
he go out and preach, or did any of his kinsfolk dare to
go into the city.
Destruction of the
Document
At length some kinder
hearts among Quraysh grew weary of the boycott of old
friends and neighbors. They managed to have the document
which had been placed in the Ka`bah brought out for
reconsideration; when it was found that all the writing
had been destroyed by white ants, except the words
Bismik Allahumma (“In thy name, O Allah”). When the
elders saw that marvel the ban was removed, and the
Prophet was again free to go about the city. But
meanwhile the opposition to his preaching had grown
rigid. He had little success among the Makkans, and an
attempt which he made to preach in the city of
Ta’if was a failure. His mission was
a failure, judged by worldly standards, when, at the
season of the yearly pilgrimage he came upon a little
group of men who heard him gladly.
The Men from Yathrib
hey came from Yathrib, a
city more than two hundred miles away, which has since
become world-famous as al-Madinah, “the City” par
excellence. At Yathrib there were Jewish tribes with
learned rabbis, who had often spoken to the pagans of a
Prophet soon to come among the Arabs, with whom, when he
came, the Jews would destroy the pagans as the tribes of
‘Aad and Thamud had been destroyed of old for their
idolatry. When the men from Yathrib saw Muhammad they
recognized him as the Prophet whom the Jewish rabbis had
described to them. On their return to Yathrib they told
what they had seen and heard, with the result that the
next season of pilgrimage a deputation came from Yathrib
purposely to meet the Prophet.
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Quraysh dreaded what the
Prophet might become if he escaped from them and
so plotted to kill him
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First Pact of al-‘Aqabah
These swore allegiance to
him in the first pact of al-‘Aqabah. They then returned
to Yathrib with a Muslim teacher in their, company and
soon “there was not a house in Yathrib wherein there was
not mention of the messenger of Allah.”
Second pact of al-‘Aqabah
In the following year, at
the time of pilgrimage, seventy-three Muslims from
Yathrib came to Makkah to vow allegiance to the Prophet
and invite him to their city. At al-‘Aqabah, by night,
they swore to defend him as they would defend their own
wives and children. It was then that the Hijrah, the
flight to Yathrib, was decided.
Plot to Murder the
Prophet
Soon the Muslims who were
in a position to do so, began to sell their property and
to leave Makkah unobtrusively. Quraysh had wind of what
was going on. They hated Muhammad in their midst, but
dreaded what he might become if he escaped from them. It
would be better, they considered, to destroy him now.
The death of Abu Talib had removed his chief protector;
but still they had to reckon with the vengeance of his
clan upon the clan of the murderer. They cast lot and
chose a slayer out of every clan. All these were to
attack the Prophet simultaneously and strike together,
as one man. Thus his murder would be blamed on all
Quraysh. It was at this time (Ibn Khaldun asserts, and
it is the only satisfactory explanation of what happened
afterwards) that the Prophet received the first
revelation ordering him to make war upon his persecutors
“until persecution is no more and religion is for Allah
only.”
The Hijrah (
June 20th, 622
C.E.)
The last of the able
Muslims to remain in Makkah were Abu Bakr, Ali and the
Prophet himself. Abu Bakr, a man of wealth, had bought
two riding camels and retained a guide in readiness for
the flight. The Prophet only waited for God’s command.
It came at last. It was the night appointed for his
murder. The slayers were before his house. He gave his
cloak to Ali, bidding him lie down on the bed so that
anyone looking in might think Muhammad lay there. The
slayers were to strike him as he came out of the house,
whether in the night or early morning. He knew they
would not injure Ali. Then he left the house and, it is
said, blindness fell upon the would-be murderers so that
he put dust on their heads as he passed by-without their
knowing it.
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The Hijrah counts as the beginning of the
Muslim era |
He went to Abu Bakr’s
house and called to him, and they two went together to a
cavern in the desert hill and hid there till the hue and
cry was past, Abu Bakr’s son and daughter and his
herdsman bringing them food and tidings after nightfall.
Once a search party came quite near them in their
hiding-place, and Abu Bakr was afraid; but the Prophet
said: “Fear not! Allah is with us.” Then, when the coast
was clear, Abu Bakr had the riding-camels and the guide
brought to the cave one night, and they set out on the
long ride to Yathrib.
After traveling for many
days of unfrequented paths, the fugitives reached a
suburb of Yathrib, whither, for weeks past, the people
of the city had been going every morning, watching for
the Prophet till the heat drove them to shelter. The
travelers arrived in the heat of the day, after the
watchers had retired. It was a Jew who called out to the
Muslims in derisive tones that he whom they expected had
at last arrived.
Such was the Hijrah, the
Flight from Makkah to Yathrib, which counts as the
beginning of the Muslim era. The thirteen years of
humiliation, of persecution, of seeming failure, of
prophecy still unfulfilled, were over.
*Taken,
with some editorial changes, from Pickthall’s
introduction to his translation of the Qur’an.
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Imam Al Bukhari
(may
Allah have mercy on him) |
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"The most
authentic book after the Holy Qur'an." This is the
conclusion that every learned religious Scholar came to.
No matter how great these Scholars were, they were
forced to unanimously agree that 'Sahih Al-Bukhari' is
the most authentic work in Hadith literature ever
compiled.
We seem
to have heard a lot about the magnificence of this
compilation, but how much do we really know about the
person who actually compiled this book? How much do we
know about the man who had spent endless years traveling
to many lands in search of people who had picked up the
gems that had fallen from the lips of the Noble
Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) so that he may
gather these precious gems and present them to the world
in the form of 'Sahih Al-Bukhari.' |
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Imam al-Bukhari
is one of the most eminent of those pious people who
have gave endless bliss upon the Muslim Nation of
Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). This is made manifest in the
book of Ahadith an-Nabawi that Imam Al Bukhari has
compiled, commonly known as Sahih al-Bukhari. It is
universally acknowledged as the most authentic book
after the Holy Qur'an. So long as there is one Muslim
left on the Earth, the blessings of Imam Bukhari will
have a place in his or her Iman and Islam. Let us
briefly examine below a short survey of his life and
works. |
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His Early Years |
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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. |
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Primary Education and
Interest in Hadith |
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When Imam
Bukhari reached the age of ten and after acquiring his
elementary education, Almighty Allah inserted the
interest in the science of Ahadith into his heart and he
obtained admission in the Hadith class of Bukhara. He
obtained his educations after vigorous study. A year
later, he had such a good retention of the text and
chains of transmission of Ahadith, that sometimes
teachers got their corrections from him. Imam Bukhari
had been acquiring religious education with competence
and swiftness and at the tender age of sixteen, he had
completely learnt by heart the books of `Abdullah ibn
al-Mubarak, al-Waki` and other learned companions of
al-Imam Abu Hanifa (may Allah be pleased with him). |
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The Visit to the
Haramayn and the Commencement of His Ahadith Compilation |
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At the age
of eighteen, He visited Mekkah 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
al-kabir, 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 al-Furyabi said that at the time he
had copied Tarikh al-kabir, Imam Bukhara did not yet
have any facial hair. |
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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." |
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His Remarkable Memory |
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Imam
Bukhari was a man with a very strong memory. When we
look at his memory, it is as if his body from head to
toe stored it. Seeing his memory, the memory of Abu
Hurayrah (may Allah be pleased) is rekindled in the
hearts of Muslims. Hashid ibn Isma`il states that in his
childhood: "Imam Bukhari used to go with us to the
Scholars of Basra to listen to Ahadith. All of us used
to write Ahadith down, except Imam Bukhari. After
sixteen days, we thought about it and we condemned Imam
Bukhari saying that, 'you had wasted so many days work
by not writing down Ahadith.' Imam Bukhari asked us to
bring our notes to him. So we all brought our notes,
upon which Imam Bukhari began to read Ahadith one by one
from the top of his head until he narrated to us more
than fifteen thousand! Hearing these, it seemed that
Imam Bukhari was reteaching us all of the Ahadith we had
noted." |
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Muhammad
ibn Azhar Sajistani says: "I used to go to Sulayman ibn
Harab accompanied by Imam Bukhari for listening to
Ahadith. I used to write the Ahadith, but Imam Bukhari
wouldn't. Someone said to me, 'Why doesn't Imam Bukhari
note the Ahadith down?' I told him, 'if you missed any
Hadith in writing, you could obtain it from the memory
of Imam Bukhari." |
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Imam
Bukhari's memory could be understood by knowing that if
he glanced through a book, it would be committed to
memory instantly. In his early period of acquiring
knowledge, he memorized seventy thousand Ahadith and
later in his life, this figure reached three hundred
thousand. Of these, one hundred thousand were sahih
(rigorously authenticated) and two hundred thousand were
not sahih (hasan, da`if, etc). Once he went to Balkh and
the inhabitants asked him to recite one Hadith from each
of his sheikhs. Then he orated from one thousand Sheikhs
one thousand Ahadith. |
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Sulayman
ibn Mujahid says about Iman Bukhari: "One day I was
present in the company of Muhammad ibn Salam Baykandi.
Muhammad ibn Salam said, 'If you had come earlier, I
would have shown you the child who has seventy thousand
Ahadith in his memory.' Sulayman stood up from his
company and started looking for Imam Bukhari. Shortly he
found him and asked, 'Are you the one who has committed
seventy thousand Ahadith to memory?' Imam Bukhari
replied, 'I have learnt more Ahadith than this by heart.
I even know the place of birth, death and residence of
most of those companions from whom the Ahadith are
narrated." |
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His Extraordinary
Intellect |
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Along with
his extraordinary memory, he also had an outstanding
fascinating intellect. He did not depend on pen and
paper as much as he relied on his sharp memory. People
examined the extraordinary capabilities of Imam Bukhari
in the science of Hadith repeatedly but he always
remained successful as a result of Allah's gift of
intelligence and superb memory. |
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Hafiz
Ahmad ibn `Adi said about Imam Bukhari: "When the people
of Baghdad had learnt that Imam Bukhari was due to
arrive there, the Muhaddithin of Baghdad decided to test
him by changing the text and chains of transmission of
one hundred Ahadith. They joined the chain of one Hadith
with the text of another and attached the chain of this
Hadith with the text of the prior. Like this, they mixed
up the text and chains of transmission of one hundred
Ahadith and gave these to people who would test Imam
Bukhari with these.
"When
Imam Bukhari arrived at Baghdad, the people held a
gathering in his honour, in which most of the scholars,
nobles and public were present. One person stood up
according to the plan and asked a question regarding a
Hadith with its altered chain of transmission. Upon
this, a second person stood up and recited in similar
manner. Like this, the people completed the hundred
Ahadith and awaited Imam Bukhari's reply. He said that
he had not apprehended those Ahadith. When he saw that
everyone had asked the questions he need, he stood up
and started describing the chain of transmission of the
first Hadith that was read and then gave its correct
chain. Like this, he traced the faulty chains on the
Ahadith of all one hundred set up by the scholars. He
had given the correct chains of transmission to every
Hadith. When he finished, the entire audience was full
of praise and recognition of the superiority and
greatness of Imam Bukhari." |
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Glimpses of his private
life |
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1. Self sufficiency: |
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Imam
Bukhari's father, Muhaddith Isma`il ibn Ibrahim was very
rich and Imam Bukhari had inherited a huge share of his
wealth. He used to give his wealth on the basis of
silent partnership ( e.g. if a person is in possession
of a shop, the profits are shared equally, but only one
partner does all the work). Abu Sa`id Bakr ibn Munir
narrated: "Once Abu Hafs sent some goods to Imam Bukhari
and when traders learnt of this, they came to him and
offered five thousand dirhams. He asked them to come in
the evening. A second group of traders came and offered
ten thousand dirhams, but he told them, 'I have already
made an agreement with someone else. I do not want to
change my intention for the sake of ten thousand
dirhams." |
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2. Simplicity and
humbleness: |
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Imam
Bukhari was a simple and hard working person. He used to
look after his own needs. Despite being a wealthy and
honorable man, he always kept a little number of
servants and never indulged himself in this matter.
Muhammad ibn Hatim Warraq, who was one of his main
disciples, narrated: "Imam Bukhari was establishing an
inn near the city of Bukhara and as he was placing the
bricks with his own hands, I came forward and asked him
to leave laying the bricks for this building to me.' But
he refused; saying: 'On the day of judgement, this act
will be of benefit to me." |
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Warraq
goes on to say: "When we accompanied Imam Bukhari on a
journey, he would gather us in one room and stay in
another room alone. Once I saw Imam Bukhari get up
between fifteen and twenty times during the night and
every time, he lit the lamp. He took some Ahadith out,
marked them and then placed his head on his pillow and
laid on his couch. I said to him, 'Why did you go
through all this trouble during the night, you could
have woke me up to help you.' He said: 'You are young
and in need to get sufficient amount of sleep and I did
not want to disturb your sleep." |
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3. Generosity |
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Just as he
was generous with this wealth, he was also generous with
his heart and emotions. Sometimes, he would give three
thousand dirhams as a donation in one day. Warraq says
that Imam Bukhari's earnings were five hundred dirhams
per month and he would spend all of it on his students. |
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4. His abstention (Zuhd) |
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Imam
Bukhari used to stay away from all worldly desires and
temptations. In his quest for knowledge, he used to
spend his time eating dried grass (hay). Usually he
would eat only two or three almonds in a whole day. Once
he became ill and the doctors told him, "Your intestines
have become dry because you have been eating dried
leaves." It was at that moment that Imam Bukhari told
the doctor that he had been eating dried leaves for
forty years and during this span of time he never even
touched any kind of curry. |
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5. Fear of Allah |
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He was
blessed with the highest rank of piety and
righteousness. He feared Allah in everything he did. He
kept himself away from backbiting and suspicion and
always respected people's rights. |
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Imam
Bukhari was so vigilant in his worship, that he would
pray Sunnah and keep fasts in abundance. He would read
the whole Qur'an on each day in the month of Ramadan and
also recited ten chapters of the Holy Qur'an late at the
night. He would complete the Holy Qur'an in the Tarawih
prayers and always reciting twenty verses in each rak`a.
He was very polite, tolerant and gentle. He never got
angry when mistreated by others and prayed forgiveness
for those who attributed evil to him. If he needed to
correct any person, he would never embarrass him in
public. |
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His Arrival in Nishapur
and the issue of the creation of the Qur'an |
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In 250 AH,
Imam Bukhari went to Nishapur. After hearing this news,
joy and happiness spread among its people. In those
times, Muhammad ibn Yahya adh-Dhuhli was the head of the
literary kingdom of Nishapur. He advised and led the
inhabitants of the city to gather together to welcome
Imam Bukhari. A large amount of people went to the
outskirts of the city to welcome Imam Bukhari, with
extreme magnificence and honour. Imam Muslim ibn Hajjaj
says that in all his life, he had never seen such a
reception ever given to a scholar or even a ruler. |
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Imam
Bukhari started giving lectures on Hadith in Nishapur.
In each session, a huge crowd always packed the area to
listen and many included people who had arrived
specifically to learn about Hadith. However, some
unpleasant people were envious about the reputation and
popularity of Imam Bukhari. These people set up Muhammad
ibn Yahya adh-Dhuhli to become his opponent. In this
incident, Muhammad ibn Yahya considered the
*pronunciation* of the Qur'an as eternal..." and "Imam
Bukhari said, 'Our actions are created and the
pronunciation is one our actions.'". |
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Once, a
man came to Imam Bukhari and asked him whether the
Qur'an was created (makhluq) or not created (ghayr
makhluq). Imam Bukhari paused for a while. The man
insisted on getting a reply, so Imam Bukhari told him:
"The Qur'an are the words of Allah and they are not
created (ghayr makhluq)." The asked some more questions
about the words of the Qur'an, upon which Imam Bukhari
said, "Our actions are created and the pronunciation is
one our actions." |
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After
this, mass propaganda was stirred against Imam Bukhari,
which led to accusations that he believed the words of
the Qur'an to be created. When Dhuhli heard these
rumours, he disconnected his ties with Imam Bukhari and
became his enemy. He started warning people by
announcing that they should not attend the lectures of
Imam Bukhari. As a result, people refrained from
attending the Imam's lectures, except Muslim ibn Hajjaj.
At last, due to his disappointment, Imam Bukhari left
the city of Nishapur and returned to Bukhara. |
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Banishment from his
homeland |
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When the
people of Bukhara heard that Imam Bukhari was coming
back to his homeland, they were extremely happy and
erected tents many miles outside the city to welcome
him. They greeted him with splendour for his return. He
established a school there where he spent a great deal
of time teaching with satisfaction. |
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Even here,
there were envious people who never stopped disturbing
him. They met the governor of Bukhara, who was a
representative of the Khilafat `Abasiyya, Khalid ibn
Ahmad. They told him to call Imam Bukhari to his house
and make him as busy as possible with teaching his son.
When told Imam Bukhari about this suggestion, he was
told, "I do not want to abuse knowledge and carry it to
the footstep of the rulers. If anybody wants to learn,
they should join my school." The governor said:" If my
son was to attend your school, he should not sit with
ordinary people. You would have to teach him
separately." Imam Bukhari answered: "I cannot stop any
person from hearing Ahadith." Upon hearing this, the
governor of Bukhara got mad at him and got a fatwa
(verdict) from the time wasting opportunist (ibn al-waqt)
`Ulama against Imam Bukhari to banish him from the city. |
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Imam
Bukhari was majorly upset at the thought of being
banished from his homeland. Not even a month passed,
before the Khalaf of Baghdad dismissed the governor of
Bukhara, Khalid ibn Ahmad adh-Dhuhli. The governor was
expelled from his palace in extreme disgrace and
dishonour, being mounted on a she-ass and then thrown
into prison, where he died after few days. |
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Writings and Other
Compilations |
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Imam
Bukhari wrote many kitaabs besides Bukhari Shareef (Al
Jamius Sahih).
Hereunder are some books written by Imam Bukhari
-
Al
Aadaabul Mufrad
-
Juz -
Raf-e-Yadain
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Juz -
Qiraat-Kalful-Imam
-
At-Taareekh-Al Kabeer - Al Awsat-As
Sageer
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Kitabul Ashribah
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Kitabul Hibah
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Mabsoot
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Kitabul Ilal
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Kitabul Wuhdaan
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Af'aalul Ibaad
-
Al-Aadabul-Mufrad
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His passing |
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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. Meanwhile, the people of
Samarqand sent a messenger to bring him there. Bukhari
got up and was ready to travel, but his strength gave
way. He began to invoke Allah at length, then he took to
his bed and his soul passed away to his Lord - may Allah
have mercy on him. An indescribable amount of
perspiration came out of him even after he consigned his
life to the Creator of life. When this abated, he was
shrouded. He died on the night of `Id al-Fitr, the first
night of Shawwal in the year 256 AH, at the age of 62
years. |
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Imam
Bukhari devoted his entire life, in the search for the
way of life given by Prophet Mohammad (PBUH), in acting
upon his sayings and researching into this science. His
each and every action was a fragment of the way of the
Messenger. |
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Imam
Bukhari was not only a scholar, worshipper, a devotee
and a prosperous man, but he always feared Allah and
shone with the love of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH). The
knowledge he gave to the world during his life is still
being given today and as the Muslim Nation goes about
its daily acts of worship, they realize how important
the role played by Imam Bukhari was. He used to spread
the Ahadith of Prophet Mohammad (PBUH) everywhere he
goes and Allah spread his status to every corner of the
world. |
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References: |
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Minhaj-ul-Qur'an Monthly Magazine (By: Sheikh al-Hadith
`Allama Ghulam Rasul Sa`idi Translation: Allamah
Ishfaq Alam Qadri and M. Iqtidar)
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