Imam al-Bukhari (810-870)

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In the third (ninth century) AH, which was a golden age in the development of the science of hadith, great achievements were made in the study of hadith. For example, the authors of six reliable collections of hadiths (as-sihah as-sitta), which are recognized as the most authoritative sources in the entire Islamic world, have lived and worked. It is noteworthy that almost all of these six hadith scholars are from Central Asia: Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari, Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (206/819 - 261/874), Abu Isa Muhammad ibn Isa al-Termizi ( 209/824 - 279/892), Imam Abu Dawud Sulayman Sijistani (202/817 - 275/880), Imam Ahmad An-Nasa'i (215/830 - 303/915), Imam Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Yazib ibn Majja (209 / 824 - 273/886). Among them, Imam al-Bukhari, who was awarded the honorary title of "Amir al-Mu'minin in the science of hadith," is a great scholar of special note.

His full name was Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Isma'il ibn Ibrahim ibn al-Mughirah ibn Bardazbeh al-Juafi al-Bukhari, and he was born in Bukhara on the 194th of Shawwal, 13 AH (July 810, 20 AH). Unlike many other scholars, al-Bukhari's date of birth is accurate because his father, Ismail, was a scholar of his time, and the paper on which he wrote his son's birthday in his own handwriting was made available to contemporary scholars, and there is no doubt about its accuracy. Al-Bukhari's father died when he was young and he was raised by his mother. From an early age, he was intelligent, sharp-witted, and passionate about enlightenment, and studied various sciences, especially hadith, with great interest. Sources say that from the age of ten, he read and memorized hadiths he had heard from various narrators in his country, as well as collections of hadiths by scholars such as Abdullah ibn al-Mubarak and Waqi, and engaged in heated debates with his teacher, Sheikh Dahili. In 825, sixteen-year-old al-Bukhari set out for Hijaz with his mother and brother Ahmad, visiting the holy cities of Mecca and Medina, living in Hijaz for six years, and furthering his knowledge of hadith in Damascus, Cairo, and other major centers of science at the time. He lived in cities such as Basra, Kufa, and Baghdad, where he studied hadith with well-known scholars, as well as jurisprudence, participated in scholarly debates with prominent scholars, and taught science. Most of Imam al-Bukhari's life was spent in exile. He said: “I went to Egypt, Damascus, Mesopotamia twice and to Basra four times. I lived in Hijaz for six years and I don't know how many times I went to Baghdad and Kufa. " Both during his travels and while living in a city, he worked tirelessly to improve his knowledge and to translate the hadiths he had collected. According to the author, while living in Baghdad, he often wrote in the moonlight and wrote books by candlelight on dark nights.

Al-Bukhari studied with many scholars in order to increase his knowledge. According to al-Hakim of Nishapur (d. 1015), the number of teachers was about ninety, and they were known as Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Gharabi, Ubaydullah ibn Musa al-Abasi, Abu Bakr Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr al-Hamidi ibn Rahavih. Imam Ishaq ibn Ibrahim, Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ali ibn al-Madani and others.

Al-Bukhari, in turn, mentored many of his students. His students are Ishaq ibn Muhammad ar-Ramadi, Abdullah ibn Muhammad al-Masnadi, Muhammad ibn Khalaf ibn Qutayba, Ibrahim al-Harbi, Abu Isa at-Termizi, Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazi, Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj.

Abu Isa al-Termizi al-Bukhari, a well-known hadith scholar from Termez, was both a student and a comrade, and their relationship was exemplary. Towards the end of his life, al-Bukhari lived in Nishapur for five years (863-868) and taught hadith at a madrasah after traveling for many years to various countries in the East. At that time, Nishapur was one of the largest scientific centers in the Muslim East, so many famous scholars gathered in this city. Al-Bukhari's meeting with al-Termizi also took place in Nishapur, and there were unforgettable, heated scientific debates, and many creative and friendly meetings between the two famous muhaddiths from our country. According to al-Termizi, he obtained much information for his works from his meetings with al-Bukhari. At the same time, al-Bukhari praised al-Termizi's knowledge and expressed his deep respect for him, saying, "The benefit I receive from you is greater than the benefit you receive from me." Al-Tirmidhi respected his mentor and comrade al-Bukhari throughout his life and was loyal to him. According to the Arab historian Shamsuddin al-Dhahabi (1274–1374) in his Tazkirat ul-Hufaz (The Tazkira about the Hafiz), al-Termizi was deeply saddened by the death of his teacher and wept for so many years that he became blind. he lived helplessly. ”

Imam al-Bukhari was not only a great scholar, but also distinguished by his good character, humaneness, kindness, generosity and incomparable generosity. He was also famous for his sharp wit and strong memory. Sources say that al-Bukhari memorized about 600 hadiths.

After returning from abroad, Imam al-Bukhari taught hadith to many students and scholars in his native Bukhara. Many respected him, but some jealous, malicious people could not see al-Bukhari. As a result, al-Bukhari's relationship with the Emir of Bukhara, Khalid ibn Ahmad az-Zuhali, was severed due to jealousy. The reason for this was that the Amir asked the scholar to come to him and read the books Al-Jame 'as-Sahih and At-Tarikh. However, al-Bukhari said, "I do not despise science and do not take it to the door of the rulers. Whoever needs knowledge, let him seek it." But Allah will forgive me on the Day of Resurrection for not hiding knowledge and spending it on the Taliban. ” The Emir did not like the answer and ordered al-Bukhari to leave the city, following the words of the conspirators and slanderers. Al-Bukhari then set out for Samarkand, where he lived with his students and relatives for some time. He became seriously ill and died at the age of 256 in 870 AH (September 1, 60 AH) and was buried there.

Imam al-Bukhari left a rich and valuable scientific legacy for generations, and he wrote more than twenty works. Among them are Al-jameʼ as-sahih, Al-adab al-mufrad, At-taʻrih as-sag'ir, At-taʻrih al-awsot, At-taʼrihal-kabir, Kitab al-ilal. ”,“ Barr ul-Walidayn ”,“ Asomi us-Sahaba ”,“ Kitab al-Kuna ”and others. Undoubtedly, the most important work of the great scholar is Al-Jameʼ as-Sahih. This work is also known as Sahih al-Bukhari. The most important aspect of this is that the hadith scholars before Imam al-Bukhari did not select all the hadiths they heard in their collections. Imam al-Bukhari, on the other hand, divided the hadiths he had heard from the various narrators into sections, divided their beliefs, and created a separate book.

According to allama ibn Salah, the number of authentic hadiths included in al-Bukhari's work is 7275, including 4000 hadiths, which are repeated.

This glorious work was first started by al-Bukhari, and later a number of scholars imitated him and created a collection of hadiths. This great work of Imam al-Bukhari was written about 1200 years ago, and from that time until now, it has been highly regarded as the second most important source in Islamic teaching after the Qur'an. Many copies of this work by Imam al-Bukhari have been distributed in various cities. Even for some medieval writers and calligraphers, copying of this work was a source of livelihood. For example, the famous writer and historian al-Nuwairi (died 1332) copied eight copies of this work by al-Bukhari and sold them for a thousand dirhams each. A beautiful copy of the eight volumes, copied in 1325, is now preserved in Istanbul. Al-Jame 'al-Sahih has received many reviews and has been reprinted as an important source. The hadiths included in Imam al-Bukhari's collections are a set of true human qualities and exemplary disciplines, such as love, generosity, openness, respect for parents, women and adults, kindness to orphans, compassion for the poor, love for the motherland, diligence and honesty. . It contains instructions, counsels and instructions on what is good, what is bad, what to do, what to refrain from, which are of great educational importance for the people of our modern society, especially for the younger generation.

In 1974, at the initiative of the Spiritual Administration of Muslims of Central Asia and Kazakhstan, the 1200th anniversary of the scholar was celebrated in our republic with the participation of representatives of the entire Islamic world. The reprinting of his masterpieces Al-Jameʼ as-sahih and Al-adab al-mufrad in Tashkent was of great importance in the study of al-Bukhari's legacy. The naming of the supreme religious mahad in Tashkent after Imam al-Bukhari is a symbol of deep respect for the great scientist who made an invaluable contribution to science twelve centuries ago. Alloma's majestic mausoleum in the village of Khartang is revered as one of the most prosperous and beautiful shrines, and is known as a sacred shrine for Muslims and all visitors. In 1998, the 1225th anniversary of the great hadith scholar was celebrated with great respect and reverence by the President of the Republic of Uzbekistan, and his mausoleum was reconstructed.

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"Stars of Spirituality" (Abdulla Qodiri National Heritage Publishing House, Tashkent, 1999) taken from his book.