Imam Bukhari (b. 810)

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Biography

Abū ʿAbd Allāh Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl ibn Ibrāhīm al-Juʿfī al-Bukhārī was a 9th-century Muslim muhaddith who is widely regarded as the most important hadith scholar in the history of Sunni Islam. Al-Bukhari's extant works include the hadith collection Sahih al-Bukhari, al-Tarikh al-Kabir, and al-Adab al-Mufrad.

Timeline

The story of Imam Bukhari, told in moments.

810 Birth

Born Abu Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari in Bukhara, in present-day Uzbekistan. His father, a hadith scholar, died when he was young. Left his son a modest inheritance and a library.

Your father leaving you a library. Was that the real inheritance? A hadith scholar's son. Was the path chosen or inherited?

826 Event

Performs the Hajj pilgrimage at age 16 with his mother and brother. He stays in Mecca and Medina for the next six years, studying under the leading hadith scholars of the Hejaz.

Performing the Hajj at sixteen, staying six years. Was Mecca a school? Studying under the leading scholars of the Hejaz. Who impressed you most?

846 Event

Completes Sahih al-Bukhari after 16 years of work. He reportedly examined 600,000 hadiths and selected 7,275 for inclusion based on their chain of narrators. The collection is considered the most authentic hadith compilation in Sunni Islam.

600,000 examined, 7,275 selected. What was the standard? Sixteen years of work. Was there a moment of doubt?

864 Event

Expelled from his home city of Bukhara after a dispute with the governor over a private teaching request. Settles in Khartank, a small village near Samarkand. He reportedly prays for death rather than live in exile from his city.

Expelled from Bukhara over a dispute. Was exile the deepest wound? Praying for death rather than live in exile. Was that despair or dignity?

870 Death

Dies in Khartank on the night of Eid al-Fitr. He was about 60. His grave becomes a pilgrimage site. His collection of hadith remains one of the two most authoritative sources in Sunni Islam, alongside Sahih Muslim.

Dying on the night of Eid al-Fitr. Was there peace in that timing? Your collection remains authoritative 1,150 years later. Would that surprise you?

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