‫م‬

‫ممما‬
‫ت وم إ إن ن م‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ممما اعل أع م‬
‫مممال إبالن ني نمما إ‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ن م‬
‫إإ ن‬
‫إ‬ ‫ر‬ ‫م‬ ‫ع‬ ‫ا‬ ‫ن‬
‫ل‬ ‫ل‬ ‫ل إك‬
Inna-mal ‘a-mālu bin-niyyāt wa innama li kullimrī
Narrated 'Umar bin Al-Khattab: I heard Allah's Messenger (‫ )ﷺ‬saying,
"The reward of deeds depends upon the intentions and every person
will get the reward according to what he has intended. So whoever
emigrated for worldly benefits or for a woman to marry, his
emigration was for what he emigrated for."

Sahīh al-Bukhārī 1; Book 1, Hadith 1

The reason Bukhārī chose a longer chain was his teacher Abdul Zubair was from the
descendants of the Quraysh and he was from Makkah. So, he wanted to begin on a
blessed note, finding a teacher who was Qurayshi and Makkah so as close a teacher to
the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬as possible.

 Bukhārī wanted to get the closeness of the barakah of the teachers of Makkah.
 In the 2nd hadith he found someone from the ansaar of Madinah, Imam Malik ibn
Anas and his grandfather was a Sahabah.
 This level of genius is our first introduction to show that Bukhārī is not like you
and me, he was a super genius who was thinking on a totally different level than
any of us. The choice of isnād is just one example of this

 Before you begin this book, check your intentions. Why are you reading it? Bukhārī is
reminding himself too, asking himself about the purpose of even writing this book.
 Bukhārī is saying, dear reader you are embarking on a journey, on a hijrah not of the body but
of the mind. You will be transported to a different time and place. This is our hijrah in soul,
we will be transported to what the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬said and how he lived. It is literally like we are
in the place it is happening, so make sure the hijrah is for Allah and His Messenger and not
for fame.
 The hadith encourages you to cleanse your soul, to have a positive attitude and ikhlaas.

Context of this hadith:

• There was a non-Muslim man from Makkah who wanted to marry a woman from
Madinah. She told him he had to move to Madinah if he wanted to marry her.
• The Sahabah said to the Prophet (‫)ﷺ‬, the man did hijrah for the sake of marriage and
it is not fair because of what we went through in our hijrah.

The Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬said, it is not the outer deed but the inner psychology, Allah judges you
based on your niyyah (intention).
• So, whoever migrated for a worldly benefit, that is what he got and whoever migrated
for Allah and His messenger, then that will be for Allah and His Messenger.
• Another interesting point is that the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬did not say it is haraam to migrate for
worldly benefit or for marriage. The hadith says you will get what you intended; if you
intended a good purpose then it is good for you.
• There is no doubt that the one who leaves for the sake of Allah has a greater purpose.
• To migrate for the sake of this world is actually neutral; it is not inherently
praiseworthy or blameworthy!
1. Before you begin this book, check your intentions. Why are you reading
it? Bukhārī is reminding himself too, asking himself about the purpose of even
writing this book.

2. Bukhārī is saying, dear reader you are embarking on a journey, on a hijrah not
of the body but of the mind. You will be transported to a different time and place.
This is our hijrah in soul, we will be transported to what the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬said and
how he lived. It is literally like we are in the place it is happening, so make sure
the hijrah is for Allah and His Messenger and not for fame.

3. The hadith encourages you to cleanse your soul, to have a positive

attitude and ikhlaas.

Sahīh al-Bukhārī 2; Book 1, Hadith 2

Why did Allah start with Iqra as first revelation?

The second were verses of Surah Mudatthir and the third were from Surah
Muzammil.

Why did Allah reveal in this order?

• The first revelation is all about knowledge. Iqra has 2 types of knowledge:
1. From Allah directly - Islamic sciences.
2. From the pen, that Allah has allowed people to communicate to other people,
which is secular knowledge.

• We need both types of knowledge and you need to know before you act!
• The second revelation is all about action. You learn first and then you have to
do, after you know.
• The third revelation is about spirituality between you and Allah.
• These are the three pillars of being a good Muslim: knowledge, action and
spirituality. They are all in the first revelation:
Without knowledge, there is no action and spirituality.
From knowledge, you act and make sure you are spiritual.

Now we see Bukhārī’s clear methodology.

Why was the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬squeezed?

• Ibn Hajr said some scholars say it was to indicate that he was not dreaming.
• Others said it was to indicate that the wahy would be difficult and not easy.
• It was also said that it may have been to indicate that three times he would
come close to death and he would be saved from it.

• We do not know the actual reason for this and Allah knows best.

What is Wahy ?
• We know of several types of wahy from the Quran and Sunnah. The Prophet (‫)ا صلى عليه وسلم‬
mentioned two types:
1. ‘Like a ringing of a bell.’ Sometimes it is very difficult and then the state passes.
2. The angel comes in the form of a human. Jibra’eel uwould come in the form of Dihya Al-Kalbi

The GOLDEN CHAIN is is a title given to the most authentic isnād known to the Ummah
and is one of approximately 10 ahadith.
1 Aishah – to her nephew,
2 Urwah ibn Zubayr - his son was:
3 Hishaam – the teacher of:
4 Imam Malik (Malik ibn Anas) – teacher of:
5 Abdullah ibn al Yusuf at Tanmisi – teacher of:
6 Al Bukhari – NOTE: all this needs to be checked, taken from qshams notes

 Urwah ibn Zubayr narrated from his aunt Aishah, he was the youngest son of
Asmaa. He is the main narrator from Aishah as he was her mahram and his son was
Hishaam who was the teacher of Imam Malik.

 The main narrator between Imam Malik and Bukhārī is Abdullah ibn al Yusuf at
Tanmisi (an African from Tunis).

 In 179, Imam Malik passed away and in 194 Imam Bukhārī was born so they did
not meet.

Sahīh al-Bukhārī 3; Book 1, Hadith 3

Sahīh al-Bukhārī 4; Book 1, Hadith 4

Narrated Jabir bin 'Abdullah Al-Ansari (while talking about the period of pause in revelation)
reporting the speech of the Prophet: "While I was walking, all of a sudden I heard a voice from
the sky. I looked up and saw the same angel who had visited me at the cave of Hira' sitting on a
chair between the sky and the earth. I got afraid of him and came back home and said, 'Wrap me
(in blankets).' And then Allah revealed the following Holy Verses (of Quran): 'O you! (i.e.
Muhammad ) wrapped up in garments!' Arise and warn (the people against Allah's Punishment)...
up to 'and desert the idols.' (74.1-5) after this the revelation started coming strongly, frequently
and regularly."
Page 17
• The Prophet ( ‫ )صلى ا عليه وسلم‬saw the same angel here and he became terrified
again as he had not recognized him. At this point he also has not heard from
Waraqah either; to hear is different to knowing.
• The Prophet ( ‫ )صلى ا عليه وسلم‬was being told that you don't have the luxury of
being snuggled up anymore, stand up, go out and warn the people. He was then
appointed a nabi at the beginning of these ayaat.
• Iqra was just the beginning of the revelation; here the commandment is to tell the
people about the truth.
• We do not know how long the period of pause was (the period after “Iqra” as
revealed) but after this the revelation was strong, frequent and regular.
• Following this the Prophet’s ( ‫ )صلى ا عليه وسلم‬hesitation and fear were gone.
• The symbolism of being wrapped out meant that, O you who is living a
comfortable, sheltered and protected life, you can no longer live
like this; you need to be active.

Sahīh al-Bukhārī 4; Book 1, Hadith 4

Sahīh al-Bukhārī 5; Book 1, Hadith 5

16. (O Prophet,) do not move your tongue (during revelation) for (reciting) it (the Qur’an) to receive it in hurry.
17. It is surely undertaken by Us to store it (in your heart), and to let it be recited (by you after revelation is completed).
18. Therefore, when it is recited by Us (through the angel), follow its recitation (by concentration of your heart).
19. Then, it is undertaken by Us to explain it.

Sahīh al-Bukhārī 6; Book 1, Hadith 6

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas: Allah's Messenger (‫ )وسلم عليه صلى ا‬was the most generous of all the people
and he used to reach the peak in generosity in the month of Ramadan when Gabriel met him.
Gabriel used to meet him every night of Ramadan to teach him the Qur'an. Allah's Messenger (
‫ )وسلم عليه صلى ا‬was the most generous person, even more generous than the strong
uncontrollable wind (in readiness and haste to do charitable deeds).

The Prophet (‫ )وسلم عليه صلى ا‬was the most generous of all people. Jibra’eel came each Ramadan
to teach him ‫ ﷺ‬the Quran.

Sahīh al-Bukhārī 7; Book 1, Hadith 7

There is no explicit saying of the Prophet ‫ صلى ا عليه وسلم‬in this narration, just an incident which
took place in his lifetime. It was in the 7th year of the hijrah, before the conquest of Makkah.
• Abu Sufyan, the leader of the Quraysh went to Bozrah, an hour away from Damascus to buy and
sell. This was before he became a Muslim.
• Dihya was sent to give a letter from the Prophet ‫ صلى ا عليه وسلم‬to the Governor of Bozrah who
gave the letter to Heraclius.
• Heraclius was a very intelligent and wise man who was knowledgeable of the scriptures too.
• He knew Abu Sufyan was an enemy of the Prophet ‫ صلى ا عليه وسلم‬so he wanted to extract
information about an enemy from his enemy.
• To get the truth from him, he devised a simple mechanism as Heraclius knew the people loved their
power and money more than they hated the Prophet ‫صلى ا عليه وسلم‬
• Heraclius said he would ask Abu Sufyan a series of questions, if he lied those around him would
motion and be rewarded for this.
• Abu Sufyan said had it not been that my friends would have exposed me, I would have lied.
• Heraclius said by Allah, a man who does not lie about gold and silver, you expect him to lie about
God?
• This is an amazing episode; Heraclius is rebuking Abu Sufyan who later became a Muslim.
• Not even 10 years after this, after 400 years of battles between the Romans and Persians for
Jerusalem, an unknown and discarded society with no civilization, challenged both of these
superpowers and conquered Jerusalem.
• This is a famous incident, Heraclius knew that Islam was true and he wanted to embrace it but he did
not want to lose his kingdom. His love of power was more powerful than his love for Allah and His
Messenger ‫صلى ا عليه وسلم‬age 24
• Allah took away his akhirah and dunya as well, as his kingdom came to naught. He died a miserable
ignoble death.
• Contrast this with the King of the Abyssinia; Allah gave him this world and the next. When you
give up something for Allah, he gives you something more in return!

The purpose of this hadith:

• It is here because there is a verse in the Quran that has been written down, during the lifetime of the
Prophet (‫ )وسلم عليه ا صلى‬and it was even being sent to dignitaries - at least verses were sent for
dawah. This demonstrated that the Quran has been protected from the beginning of wahy (revelation).

1. The fiqh of Bukhārī is in his chapter headings. It is like his commentary mentioning his goal and
what he is trying to convey.
2. He very commonly used statements of the Sahabah and ahadith at times, inside the chapter
headings without an isnād. They do not form part of the collection of the Sahīh - as it was
narrated as part of it. They are called the mu'allaqat – the suspended (without isnād).
3. He only chose from the Sahīh, but they were not all included.
4. He was the first ever person to write a book containing only Sahīh ahadith.
5. It was also the first work ever to give summaries of all branches of Islam!

Al Bukhari had some very unique conditions for selecting Ahadith for his Sahih work
• The highest calibre of narrators; it was an honour for the narrator to have been chosen (if you
find a narrator Imam Bukhārī mentioned in his Sahīh, then the research has been done for you.
There is no need for additional research. This is the standard position of most ahadith schools in
the world as every single narrator was of the highest calibre.
• Each and every narrator had to be a known student of the teacher he narrated from. There
must be an explicit statement or proof of it. It was insufficient to merely know that they were
alive at the same time. Others accepted that if two people lived in the same timeframe, the
assumption will be that they heard it directly as they were teacher and student.

Imam Bukhārī spent 16 years compiling his Sahīh.

• He was primarily based in Basra for 5 years; he would go on Hajj each year and talk to scholars
to check his work.
• He then moved to Madinah where he finalized his work, this move was for barakah.
• For each hadith chosen, he prayed a special istikhara with fresh wudhu! There are over 7000
hadith in Sahīh al-Bukhārī (and imagine how many hadith he did not choose).
He memorised more than half a million Ahadith and he memorised them with their chains so he
would have had multiple chains for the individual hadith.

The name of this work of Al Bukhari is al-Jāmi ‘al-SṢahṢīhṢal-Musnad min HṢadīth Rasūlillāh wa
Sunanih wa Ayyāmih.
Jami - means the comprehensive so Imam Bukhārī is saying that his book is not just a book of fiqh,
aqeedah or Tafsīr, but instead covers multiple topics altogether. (In contrast, other books called
Sunan concentrate on law or fiqh only. By looking at the range of chapter headings, you will see
how comprehensive he was!)
Sahih - this means he will choose the best hadith.
Al Mukhtasar is added to the name which means it is a selection and summary, not the full
encyclopaedia
Min sunnee - from what the Prophet (‫ )ﷺ‬said, did and what happened during his lifetime
Al Musnad means the isnād will be given. It will mention where the teacher and their teacher
heard this from, going back to the Sahabah and naming them to include all the sources and the
actual hadith.

5 categories of hadith
Sahīh – highest calibre
Hasan – good/acceptable
Da’eef - weak
Da’if Jiddan – very weak
Mawduh – fabricated

Section II – Life of al-Bukhārī - His birth and name:

• His full name is Abū ‘Abdullāh MuhṢammad b. Ismā‘īl b. Ibrāhīm b. Mughīrah b. Bardizbah al-
Jū‘fī al-Bukhārī - this is as much as we know of it.
• The name comes from the city of Bukhara where he was born in the modern day Russian
republics/Uzbekistan in 194 AH.
• Bukhārī’s great grandfather Mugheera embraced Islam from Zoroastrianism. We do not know
much about his great grandfather who had embraced Islam at the hands of tribe of al Juhfaa.
Bukhārī was Persian so he was not from the tribe. In that period, every Muslim was required to
have some tribal affiliation. You were either born into the tribe or a token member (maula).
• Bukhārī was ethnically Persian and spoke fluent Persian whilst Arabic was an acquired
language. The majority of scholars of ahadith, Quran and fiqh were actually of non-Arab origin.
The reason for this is that they appreciated Islam and wanted to excel in the sciences and
dedicated themselves to Islam. Imam Muslim, Nisa’i and Tirmidhi were all Persian too.
• His father was a merchant, who would wander around the various lands. He was also
interested in hadith but was not a scholar. He would sit in gatherings of scholars of hadith - it was
because of this that he eventually met Imam Malik and wrote down a few hadith from him. Imam
Bukhārī grew up hearing his father sat at the feet of Imam Malik. He is not mentioned in any
books of hadith as a narrator, just someone who learnt. He passed away when Bukhārī was a
young boy. Of the blessings of Allah is that his father left enough wealth that his son could be
looked after well. His mother was righteous so wanted the best education possible for her son.
• He had a love of ahadith from a young age and began to attend the scholars of hadith in his
own city Bukhara.

His memory:
• He had what we now know as photographic memory. One in 5 million people have this
• Ibn Katheer said he never needed to read the same page twice. It became etched in his
memory and he never made any mistakes - this was proven in his life and times. The people of
Baghdad and Samarqand tried to trick him multiple times by mixing up hadith and isnād, but each
time he figured out the correct from incorrect.
Page 27
His manners and morals:
• He was known to be a righteous person in his own personal life.
• He said I have not backbitten anyone ever since I learnt it was Haraam. It is a necessary part of
the job as a hadith scholar to be categorising people to determine credibility and trustworthiness.
He tried his best to use the softest terminology; he refused to use a disparaging term against
anyone else even when someone was confirmed to be a liar. Instead he would use a different
term for it e.g. the scholars of hadith abandoned this man.
• He protected his own honour and dignity. Bukhārī said I have spent a lifetime protecting my
reputation in order to protect the ahadith of the Prophet (‫ )صلى ا عليه وسلم‬and that is more
precious to me than the gold coins! He did not want any suspicion regarding him as people may
then doubt the hadith he was collecting.
• He was also an observant Muslim, constantly reading Quran and read 10 juz each night in
tahajjud. He was completing the Quran every 3 days and fasting often.
• He was not just a scholar of hadith. He wrote many treatises on theology including the fact that
the actions of men are created by Allah.

His beliefs and fiqh:

• Bukhārī was Athari in creed. He had unique fiqh positions not found in any of the 4 madhabs.
• The various madhabs tried to claim him but the reality is that he was not a part of any of the
consistent madhabs but was independent.

His teachers and students:

• He studied with Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Yahya ibn Maeen and over 1000 scholars. Of the greatest of
them were Ibn Maeen and ‘Ali ibn Al-Madini. Bukhārī was 30 years old when Ibn Hanbal met him;
he said the province of Khurasan (Iran where there were thousands of ulama) has not produced
any man like Bukhārī.
• Bukhārī narrated his book to over 90,000 students. Muslim, Tirmidhi and Nasa’i were inspired
by him. Other scholars such as Abu Hatim Ar Razi and Ibn Abi Dunya were students of his.
• He wrote over 20 books but sadly some of them no longer exist.
• The most famous after Bukhārī is Adab al Mufrad, which is translated as ‘The Separate Book of
Manners.’ In his Sahīh, one of the books is also called ‘The Book of Manners.
• He also wrote other books such as Man’s Actions are Created which was a refutation against a
group who rejected qadr.
• Another which was the first book he wrote was Al Tareekh al Kabeer, (the big history). It was a
history of narrators, covering 9 volumes and was written when he was 18 years old.
o He compiled the list and biography of narrators of ahadith, from his time to Prophet’s ( ‫صلى‬
‫ )ا عليه وسلم‬time.
• Other books include: The Book of Little Defects of Ahadith and a book on raf al yadain in salaah,
little treatises and narrations.
Page 30
The trials and death:
• He was one of very few people who achieved worldwide fame in their own lifetime.
• He travelled the world seeking knowledge and did not return to his home in Bukhara during
this time.
• At 60 he decided to retire to the land of his birth
• Bukhārī was publicly humiliated and both major issues happened at the same time. So, when
the trials reached a great point in his life, he decided to leave Bukhara. He left on the first of
Shawwal, on Eid al Fitr, in 256 AH - literally waiting for Ramadan to finish. As he left, he made a
Duʿāʾ to Allah: this earth as vast as it is has become congested for me and I ask you to return me
to you. He died on the spot and is buried in Bukhara.
Section IV - Book 2: The Book of Imān - Chapter 1
Sahīh al-Bukhārī 8; Book 2, Hadith 1

The first book covered the beginning of revelation and this is the book of Imān. It is a logical format and
building up of the content as right after the Quran was revealed, you needed to have faith.

Narrated Ibn 'Umar: Allah's Messenger ( ‫ )صلى ا عليه وسلم‬said: Islam is based on (the following)
five (principles):
1. To testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and
Muhammad is Allah's Messenger ( .(‫صلى ا عليه وسلم‬
2. To offer the (compulsory congregational) prayers dutifully and perfectly.
3. To pay Zakat (i.e. obligatory charity).
4. To perform Hajj. (i.e. Pilgrimage to Mecca)
5. To observe fast during the month of Ramadan.

Imān exists in the heart,

is manifested on the tongue and
is shown through the limbs
Bukhārī said Islam consists of statements and actions and Imān increases and decreases. It is
insufficient to say you only believe.
Orthodox Islam and the Athari school believe it increases and decreases. This is the position
which is clear from the Quran and Sunnah. If you read the Sahīh, it is clear that Imam Bukhārī is of
the Athari school and he does not agree with other strands of Sunni Islam which are
predominant.

Imān is more than knowledge, it has some actions it leads to.

Section V - Book 3: The Book of Knowledge - Chapter 4

After understanding when the Quran came down and how revelation began, then you need to believe,
following this you need to start studying knowledge.

haddathana, akbarana and anbaana.

ohaddathana - he narrated us
oakbarana - he informed us
oanbaana - he conveyed to us

There are many benefits here regarding how the Prophet ( ‫ )وسلم عليه ا صلى‬used interesting
techniques to teach students:
• Quiz students
• Draw diagrams
• Give parables
• Ask unrelated questions
• Physically change posture
• Raise your voice

Scholars say there are many similarities between a good Muslim and a date palm tree:
• It is always green and the leaves never fall. This means it is beneficial to others, the leaves
never fall so it is always giving oxygen and shade. The bark is used for firewood and the tree is
literally the symbol of life. Likewise, the Muslim should be the symbol of life in being giving and
useful wherever you go.
• Each aspect of the date palm tree was of benefit. Arabs would use it from infancy to its death
and even after to make use of all of it.
• You can live off the dates and water for months on end as it is one of the most efficient fruits.

Section VI – Book 18: The Book of Shortening the Prayer - Chapter 1

What has been narrated regarding shortening the prayer and how long can he remain shortening.
Bukhārī does not mention a specific length of time for shortening

• Ibn Abbas mentioned that at Tabuk, the shortening of salaah took place for 19 days.

What is the distance one shortens in?

Ibn Taymiyyah dismissed the whole notion of having a number in your mind.
• You do not need to ask anyone if you are a traveller or not, you know you are a
traveller by your psychological frame of mind.
When you consider yourself a musafir, you are a musafir. The one who does a journey every day is
different to the one who does a journey once every six months.

What is allowed when in the state of safr?

• To shorten and combine Dhuhr and Asr at one time and Maghrib and Isha. This is apart from
the Hanafis who do not allow combining aside from the Day of Arafat. With the shortening, all of
the 4 rakaats become 2 rakaat.
• In the journey itself, you can shorten and combine. However, once you arrive, the majority of
madhahib say 4 days and Hanafis say 15 days to remain as a traveller.

Ibn Taymiyyah said 4 is a good number but not a hard and fast rule as it is not explicit in the
Shari’ah you can do shortening beyond this.
• Once you reach your temporary destination, the default is that you only shorten
but do not combine. It is allowed for you to combine if needed but this is not
recommended.

Section VII – Book 59: The Book of the Beginning of the Creation
Chapter 1