A Simple Guide to ISLAM
Hadith – Traditions
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Sometimes he finds the wording of his heading in the traditions
themselves.
As we have seen, the main purpose of Bukhari’s quest was to
collect only genuine traditions. That is, he wanted to collect only
those traditions which were handed down to him on the authority
of reliable companions, who were unanimously accepted to be
honest and trustworthy. The next most important point in this
connection was also to see that these narrators possessed retentive
memories. Then the third point to be stressed was that the
accounts they gave should not be contradictory to those of other
reliable narrators.
He classified these traditions according to subject matter, such as
prayer, pilgrimage, jihad, etc., dividing his work into more than
100 books, which are again subdivided into 3450 chapters. Every
chapter has a heading. This heading provides the key to the
contents of the traditions in that chapter. This has made his
Sahih
,
very easy to consult, even for beginners.
Because of all these positive features, the Sahih Al Bukhari has
been rightly considered to be an authority next only to the Quran.
Many commentaries have appeared in which every aspect of the
book has been thoroughly discussed.
”His collection,” writes Philip K. Hitti, in his book
History of the
Arabs
“has acquired a quasi-sacred character. An oath taken on it
is valid, as if taken on the Quran itself. Next to the Quran this is
the book that has exerted the greatest influence over the Muslim
mind.”
