The Biography of Imam Bukharee (Rahimullah)

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The Biography of

Imam Bukharee

(May Allah have mercy on him)

Compiled by

Sallahud-Deen ibn ' Alee Ibn Abdul-Maujood

Translated by

Faisal Shafeeq

Published by Darussalam

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Bismillah Hir rahman nirrahim

His Life

His Name and Lineage

Imam Bukharee was primarily known by two titles that were bestowed upon him: 1) "The Imam of Hadeeth Scholars," and 2)"The Imam of the Believers in Hadeeth." And the following is his full name: Abu (Abu means father of) 'Abdullah Muhammad ibn(ibn means son) Ismaa'eel ibn Ibraaheem ibn Al Mugheerah ibn Bardizbah Al-Bukharee, Al-Ja'fee.

His Birth

'Muhammad' was his actual name(often in this work, he may be referred to as Muhammad or Muhammad ibn Ismaa'eel or Abu 'Abdullah) but he became famously known as Imam Bukharee because of his place of birth: He was born in the city of Bukharaa. It was during the Banu Umaayyah dynasty, or more precisely during the caliphate of Mu'aawiyah (ra), that Bukharaa was conquered by Muslims. The general who led the Muslim army in the invasion of Bukharaa was Sa'eed Ibn Uthmaan. This is the generally accepted view in the matter; however it has been said that it was Qutaybah ibn Muslim who, during the rule of Al Hajjaj ibn Yousuf Ath Thaqafee, led teh Muslim army that conquered Bukharaa.

Imam Bukharee(may Allah have mercy on him) was born on Friday, after Jumu'ah prayer,the 14th of Shawwaal, in the year 194 H.[1] Al-Mustaneer ibn
'Ateeq said, "Muhammad ibn Ismaa'eel (Al-Bukhaaree) related this fact himself,showing me the date of his birth in a document that was hand written by his father."[2]

In At Taqabaat Al kubraa, Imam As Subkee related that a man named Badh-dhabah was the father of Bardizbah - the very same Bardizbah who was the last known forebear of Imam Bukharee.Imam As Subkee was the only scholar to make mention of Badhdhabah; as for other scholars and histrorians, they mention Bardizbah as the last known ancestor of Imam Bukharee[3] . At any rate, the names of Bardizbah and Badh-dhabah - indicate that Imam Bukharee's ancestors were non-Arabs. Hadeeth scholars mention that "Bardizbah" is Persian for 'farmer'.

We know almost nothing about Badh-dhabah and Bardizbah;in fact, all that we know about them is that they were Persians, and that they were adherents of the religion of their people.Imam Bukharee's Muslim ancestry began when his great grandfather, Al-Mugheerah, embraced Islam at the hands of Yamaan Al-Juf'ee, the ruler of Bukharaa. After he embraced Islam,Al Mugheerah took up the residence in Bukharaa.One of the prevailing customs at the time was that,if a man embraced Islam at the hands of someone, he would owe him some form of loyalty.It is for this reason that even Al-Mugheerah's great grandson, Muhammad ibn Ismaa'eel Al Bukharee, was ascribed to Yamman Al Juf'ee(for,as is mentioned above, Imam Bukharee's full name was Muhammad ibn Ismaa'eel ibn Ibraheem ibn Al Mugheerah ibn Bardizbah Al-Bukhaaree , Al-Juf'ee). He was ascribed thus in accordance with the jurisprudential view that, if a person embraces Islam at the hands of someone , he owes him a kind of loyalty ( what that particular kind of loyalty is similar to the loyalty that is involved when someone emancipates his slave: the slave becomes free but still owes a form of loyalty to his former master).[4]

As for Ibraheem, the grandfather of Imam Bukharee, historians have not come across any information about his life [5]
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[1] Siyar A'lam An-Nubalaa(12/932) and Muqaddimutal-Fath (501)
[2] Muqaddimutal-Fath (501)
[3] Refer to Al- Insaan by As-Sam'aan(1/293); and to Tareekh Baghdad (2/6)
[4] Muqaddimutal-Fath (1/5)
[5] Muqaddimutal-Fath (501)

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His father

His father,Isma'eel, went by the kunyah(kunyah is a name by which one is usually , but not always , ascribed to one's son, in the form of 'Abu- so-and-so,' since Abu means 'father') Abul hasan. Ismaa'ee; was an eminent Hadeeth scholar in his own right, and was one of the students and associates of Imam Maalik (may Allah have mercy on him). A brief biography of Ismaa'eel is mentioned in Ath-Thoqaat, whic was authored by Ibn Hibban, the father of Al-Bukharee, related Hadeeth narrations from Hammaad ibn Yazeed and Maalik; and Iraqi scholars related narrations from him."

And his more famous son mentioned him in Tareekh Al-Kabeer:"Ismaa'eel ibn Ibraheem ibn Al-Mugheerah heard narrations from Maalik and Hammam ibn Zaid, and with both of his hands, he shook hands with ibn Al Mubarak. And he would say around the time of his death that none of the wealth he earned throughout his lifetime was derived through unlawful or dubious means,"[1] Ahmad ibn Hafs related a similar account about Ismaa'eel's death: "I visisted Ismaa'eel, the father of Abu' Abdullah (Al Bukharee), when he was dying and he said,'I know of no dirham from my wealth that was earned through unlawul means , nor of any dirham (from my wealth) that was earned through dubious means.' When he said that, I thought very dispargingly about myslef." [2]

Although we do not know the exact year during which Ismaa'eel died, nor consequently how old Imam Bukharee was at the time, we do know that , when Ismaa'eel parted from this world, Imam Bukhaaree was still a young child. After the death of Ismaa'eel, Imam Bukharee was raised in the household of his mother.

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[1] Muqaddimul-Fath(502)
[2] Siyar A'laam An-Nubala (12/447) and Muqaddimatul Fath (502) (12/447)

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Jazak'Allah sister for contributing this biography! Informative & Interesting.

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His Mother

Although the name and lineage of Imam Bukharee's mother is not mentioned in any extant historical account, we do know that she was a pious woman and a prolific worshipper. She was even blessed with a Karaamah _ a miracle(both Karaamah and Mo'jizah are terms that denote the meaing of 'a miracle' ; however Mo'jizah is specific to Prophets, where as Karaamah occurs to other human beings). Muhammad ibn Ishaaq As-Simaar said that he heard his Shaikh say,"Muhammad ibn Ismaa'eel (Al -Bukharee) lost his eyesight when he was a young child.His mother then saw the Prophet Ibraheem Al-Khaleel (alaihis salam) in a dream, and he said to her,'O Woman, Allah has retuned to your son his eyesight because of your crying,'or' because of your many supplications.' When Muhammad ibn Ismaa'eel woke up [after that very night], he found that Allah had indeed returned to him his eyesight."[1] Not only did Imam Bukhaaree regain his eyesight, but it also became stronger than it was before, to the extent that, later on his life, he would write chapters of his book At-Taareekh Al Kabeer using no source of light other than the moonlight to see what he was writing down.[2]
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[1] Taareekh Baghdad (2/10), Siyar A'laam An-Nubala (12/393), and Muqaddimatul-Fath(502)

[2] Seeratul-Bukharee by Al-Mukaarakpooree.(43)

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His Early Years

Based on Imam Bukharee's acchievements as an adult, it should come as no surprise that he was raised in the best of households - household of piety and knowledge.Even though his father died when he was still a young child,he inherited from him his love of knowledge.

Muhammad ibn Abu Haatim Al-Warraaq related that he heard Imam Bukhaaree say,"I was inspired to memorize hadeeth narrations when I was still in school." How old were you then?" Muhammad ibn Abu Haatim asked.

"Ten years old or younger," Imam Bukharee replied. "Then I left school and attended the lectures of Ad-Daakhilee and others. One day while he was reading out (Hadeeth narrations) to the people , Ad Daakhilee said ,'Sufyaan (related from) Abu Az-Zubair from Ibraheem.' I said ,' Abu Az-Zubair didnt relate (Hadeeth narrations) from Ibraheem.' He scolded me, but I(insisted and) said,'Go back to the source ( where you have the narration written down).' He entered (his home perhaps), looked (at the reference where the narration was written down), and then came out and (realizing the mistake) said to me ,'O young child, what is it then?' I said ,'It is Az-Zubair ibn 'Adee from Ibraheem.' he then took my pen from me , corrected the mistake in his book, and said ,'You have spoken the truth. "

When Imam Bukharee( may Allah have mercy on him) was asked how old he was when he attended the study circles of Ad-Daakhilee, he responded,'I was eleven years old. And by the time I turned sixteen, I had memorized the books of Ibn Al-Mubarak and Wakee', and I knew what they said ( i.e., I knew what their views were about specific hadeeth narrations and about issues that pertained to Islamic jurisprudence)." [1]

To be sure, Imam Bukhaaree's parents were pious ; but beyond their religious virtues , they were wealthy as well. So in short, Imam Bukhaaree was raised in a household that was truly blessed. His father's wealth which he had partly inherited, was blessed, for as we have hitherto mentioned, it was all derived through lawful means. And it was blessed also in terms of how it was spent, for Imam Bukhaaree spent a great deal of it on his scholarly pursuits.

What wealth Bukharee had left he used for business, not doing business himself - his lofty purpose in life left little for him to do business himself - but instead entering into business partnerships with others who would manage the business side of affairs while he provided the capital. Completely free from having to worry about matters that pertained to business, Imam Bukharee was able to spend all of his time on the great purpose of his life: to server the religion of Islam by helping to preserve divinely revealed knowledge. In every way possible, Allah (subhana wa tallah) provided for him, so that he could devote himself to realize that purpose.

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[1] Tareekh Baghdad (2/6 , 7) ; Siyar A'laam An Nubala (12/983); Muqaddimul -Fath (502)

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His Married Life

In the past, scholars have, given the lack of evidence about the matter, speculated about whether or not Imam Bukhaaree ( may Allah have mercy on him) was a married man. Some scholars doubted that he ever got married; for example, Al-Ajloonee (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote , " Had Bukharee gotten married, we would have found some mention of his marriage (in the books of Hadeeth and history)." Al-Mubaarakpooree refuted Al- Ajloonee's claim , saying, "The sad reality is that,as a general custom historians do not make mention about the marriages ( of scholars when they are relating their biographies ) ; as such there are hundreds of names (of scholars) in history books, and nothing is mentioned regarding whether they were married or whether they never got married. It therefore must not be thoughtor suggested that Imam Bukhaaree was deprived of following a stressed Sunnah(i.e.) getting married; one must not assert such a weak possibility until it is established with an authentic chain that he remained a bachelor throughout his life." [1]

In spite of the above mentioned statements by eminent scholars , I have all all praise is for Allah found a narration which indeed have a wife. Tha narration is mentione in Adh-dhahabee ( May Allah have mercy in him) in Siyar A'laam An Nubalaa. The narration is long, and its details are not revelant to this chapter but I will mention in its entirety in a later chapter , In Shaa Allah (Allah Willing)
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[1] Seraatul Bukharee by Al- Mubaarakpooree (71)

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His Children

As for the question of whether or not Imam Bukharee had any children, Al-'Allamah Waliyyud -Deen Al- Khateeb wrote in Sharh Al-Mishkaat: Imam Bukharee - may Allah have mercy on him - did not leave behind any offspring."[1] And the author of Al- Ikmaal wrote ," Imam Bukharee did not leave behind any male children." In As-Siyar , however , Adh-Dhahabee asserted that Imam Bukharee did in fact have children- Ad Dahabaee it seems was the only historian to make such an assertion; he was , after all the only historian to refer to Imam Bukharee's marriage.

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[1] Al-Mirqaat (1/15) and Seeratul Bukhaaree by Al- Mubarakpooree (105)

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His Children (Contd)

Supposing that Imam Bukharee did not have children, we would do well to ask: Why was he named Abu Abdullah - The father of Abdullah. In Arabic it is common for a man to have a Kunyah, a title with which he is ascribed to his eldest son. A kunyah is expressed in the form, "Abu so and so", since Abu means 'father of' . So how could Imam Bukharee have been given the Kunyah , 'Abu ' Abdullah', when as was asserted by,'Allahmah Waliyyud Deen and others , he did not have any children? Al-Ajloonee gave a plausible answer this question when he said: It was customary among arabs for people to give their young sons and daughters a kunyah before they grew up to have any offspring. There are innumerable examples of this throughout Arab History ." Even today , in fact some Arabs assume a Kunyah title before they get married or have any children.

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The fact is,however that Adh-Dhahabee related a narration is As-Siyar which, if conformed to be authentic, proves that Imam Bukhaaree did indeed have children. According to that narration, Bakr Ibn Muneer said, "Some merchandise was delivered Al-Bukharee,and the person who sent it to him was his son, Ahmad[1]. Some businessmen approached Al-Bukhaaree and offered to purchase it from him, and the the price they offered , he would earn a profit of five thousand dirhams. But he said to them, 'Go back tonight (and give me time to consider your offer)' On the following day, another group of businessmen approached him and offered to purchase his mechandise from him, and at the price they offered , he would have made a profit of ten thousand dirhams. He said to them,'(It is too late) for I have already made an intention to sell it to those who came to me last night" Interestingly , Al Haafiz ibn Hajar related the same story in the introduction of Al-Fath; however in his narration, it is not mentioned that Imam Bukharee's son Ahmad sent the merchandise; instead, it is mentioned that a man named Abu Hafs sent the merchandise. But it is very possible that Aby Hafs and Ahmad was one and the same person, since Abu Hafs might have been the Kunyah of ahmad, It is therefore safe to conclude that Imam Bukharee did leave children behind and that they weren't famously known perhaps because they were not from the people of knowledge and Allah knows best.
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[1] Tareekh Baghdad (2/11,12) , Tabaqaat As Subkee (2/227) . Siyar A'laam An Nubala (12/447) . Muqaddimatul Fath(504)

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His Brothers

Muhammad Ibn Abu Hatim related that Imam Bukharee said,"By the time I turned sixteen , I had memorized the books of Ibn Al-Mubarak and Wakee',and I knew what they said (i.e., I knew what their views were about specific Hadeeth narrations and about the issues that pertained to Islamic jurisprudence). I then went with my mother and my brother, Ahmad , to Makkah. After I (i.e. we) completed the rites of Hajj, my brother returned with my mother (to Bukharaa, our homeland). As for me I stayed behind in order to seek out the knowledge of Hadeeth." [1] Based on this narration it is clear that Imam Bukhaaree had a brother named Ahmad; it is not clear however whether he had other brothers as well.The confusion on this issue stems on the fact that, later on in Bukhaaree's life, it is established,according to an account which is related by Muhammad ibn Abu Hatim, that the wife of Bukhaaree's brother visited Bukhaaree and askfed him a question; however , it is also established that Ahmad returned to Bukhaara with his mother and died there. Al- Haafiz ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote in Al-Fath," Ahmad returned with his mother to Bukhaaraa and died there."[2] If Ahmad got married before he did , then the woman who visited Bukhaaree later on his wife was perhaps the wife of Ahmad. But if Ahmad didnt get married before he died , then the woman was not Ahmad's wife , which obviously means that Imam Bukhaaree (may Allah have mercy on him) had nother brother as well - And Allah Subhanawa Tallah knows best.
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[1] Tareekh Baghdad (2/7) and Muqaddimatul-Fath (2-5)
[2] Muqaddimatul-Fath (502)

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The Era in which He lived

Imam Bukharee ,lived through the rule of the following nine Khaleefahs:

1) Al-Ma'moon: His full name was Abul-'Abbas Abdullah ibn Haroon Ar-Rasheed ibn Muhammad Al- Mahdee ibn Abu Ja'far Al-Mansoor Al-'Abbaasee. Al-Ma'moon was born in the year 170 [H], [1] and he became Khaleefah of the Muslim nation at the end of the year 195 H , when Imam Bukharee was approximately one and a half years old. [2]

Al- Ma'moon was the first to persecute scholars regarding the issue of the creation of the Qur'an: He claimed that the Qur'an was created, while scholars of the Sunnah affirmed that the Qur'an was Allah's speech __ which is one of His attributes __ and was therefore not created. Imam Bukharee was still a young child and therefore not put to trial at the hands of Al-Ma'moon.

When Imam Bukhaaree (may Allah have mercy on him) was twenty-four years old, in the year 218 H, Al-Ma'moon died.

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[1] Siyar A'laam An-Nubala (10/273)

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The Era in which He lived (Contd)

2) Al-Mo'tasim: His full name was Abu Ishaaq Muhammad ibn Rasheed Haaroon ibn Muhammad Al Mahdee ibn Mansoor Al- Abbaasee and he was born in the year 180 H. Before Al-Ma'moon died, he declared that Al-Mo'tasim should become the next Khaleefah of the Muslim nation; and so based on Al-Ma'moon's declaration, the people pledged allegiance to AL- Motasim on the 14th of Rajab in the year 218[H] [1]

During his rule , he took the issue of the creation of Qur'aan to the next level, forcing scholars to say that the Qur'aan was created, torturing scholars who refused, and even killing some of them. In the regard , Imam Ahmed (may Allah have mercy on him) was subjected to great deal of torture at the hands of Al-Mo'tasim (a topic that we will, In Shaa' Allah discuss in the biography of Imam Ahmad)

In spite of his flaws and his ruthlessness, Al Mo'tasim was a brave and determined ruler at whole hands Allah subhana wa tallah granted victory of various occasions to the Muslim army in its battles against the Romans and other enemies of Islam.

Al-Mo'tasim died on Thursday, the 12th of Rabee'ul Awwal , in the year 227[H] [2] at which time Imam Bukharee (may Allah have mercy on him) was approximately thirty three years old.