LESSONS OF AHAADEETH FROM KITAABUR- RIQAAQ OF SAHEEH BUKHAARI EXPLAINING THE REALITY OF THE WORLD AND THE IMPORTANCE OF PREPARNG FOR THE EVERLASTING LIFE OF THE HEREAFTER BY HADRAT MOULANA ABDUL HAMID SAHEB (DAAMAT BARAKAATUHU) 1 بسم اهلل الرحمن الرحيم ِِٰ ِ ِ ِ ِ ٰ ۃ ٰ ٍ ِ اَلْ َح ْم ُد لل ه َر ِّب الْٰعلَميْ َن َوالَْعاقبة للْ ُمتَّقيْ َن َوال َّصلو َوال َّسﻻَُم َعلی َر ُسْوله ُم َحَّمد َّوٰاله َواَ ْص َحابه اَ ْج َمعيْ َن، اََّما بَ ْع ُد INTRODUCTION This book is a series of lectures delivered by my honourable ustâdh and sheikh, Hazrat Moulana Abdul Hamid Ishâq Saheb (dâmat barakâtuhu) to the final year students, in the beginning of the final year. One chapter of Bukhâri Sharîf is taught to the students, in which Hazrat Moulana’s experiences of life, lessons he learnt from his elders and beneficial points of islâh (reformation) are explained, which will guide each and every person to the object of his life, which is to acquire the pleasure of Allâh . These lessons are not taught as students are formally taught, with deep academic and theoretical discussions. Here, more emphasis is placed on imbibing within oneself noble qualities, removal of evil qualities, cultivation of taqwâ and preparation for the life of the hereafter, which is the actual soul and object of knowledge. The lessons are delivered in the Urdu language, which has been translated into English, but not verbatim. At places, certain sentences were placed earlier or later, and slight changes might have been made to keep the flow of the text. We make duâ that Allâh accepts this weak effort, forgives us for our shortcomings, makes this work a means of our reformation and salvation. May Allâh keep Hazrat’s shadow over us for a long time, and let the ummah continue to benefit tremendously from him! Âmîn 2 BRIEF BIOGRAPHY OF IMÂM BUKHÂRI Name: Abu Abdullah Muhammad son of Ismâîl, son of Ibrâhîm, son of Mughîrah, son of Bardizbah Al-Ja’fî Al-Bukhâri Title: Amîrul-Mu’minîn fil hadîth (the leader of the believers in hadîth) Physical description: He had a slim build and was of medium height. He was blessed with qualities of abstinence and piety from an early age. He inherited a large sum of wealth from his father, which he subsequently spent in the path of Allâh on other ulamâ and students. His diet was minimal. He was very intelligent and knowledgeable. His memory was unequalled; at the age of sixteen, he had memorized all the books of Abdullâh ibn Mubârak and Wakî’. Birth: 13th Shawwâl 194 A.H. after Jumuah Salâh in Bukhâra. Imâm Bukhâri was born blind. His mother was a very pious and ardent worshipper who constantly supplicated for her son. One day, she saw Ibrâhîm in a dream, who told her, “On account of your constant crying and supplicating for your son, Allâh will cure his blindness. When she awoke in the morning, she discovered that her son had been cured and was able to see again.” Education and upbringing: His father Ismâîl passed away while he was in his childhood and his mother then saw to his upbringing. It was in his childhood days that he was infused with a great zeal and desire for the acquisition of knowledge and the science of hadîth. Imâm Bukhâri was once asked how old he was when it first occurred to him that he should memorize hadîth. He replied that he was ten years old. 3 At this young age, he began sitting in the discourses of the muhaddithîn. One day, it so happened that he was sitting in the discourse of Allâmah Dâkhili, who was one of the senior muhaddithîn of Bukhâra and whose discourses were attended by a multitude of people, when he narrated the chain of narration of a hadîth in the following manner, سفيان عن ابي زبير عن ابراهيم Sufyân narrated from Abu Zubair, who narrated from Ibrâhîm Imâm Bukhâri interjected, “Abu Zubair did not narrate any hadîth from Ibrâhîm.” On hearing the voice of Imâm Bukhâri, Allâmah Dâkhili was slightly annoyed. However Imâm Bukhâri, very respectfully, asked Allâmah Dâkhili to recheck its chain of narration if he has it recorded. When Allâmah Dâkhili rechecked his record of the hadîth, he discovered that Imâm Bukhâri was correct and he asked, “O child! What is its correct chain of narration then?” Imâm Bukhâri replied, زبير عن عدي عن ابراهيم Zubair narrated from Adi, who in turn narrated from Ibrâhîm Allâmah Dâkhili then acknowledged his error. Imâm Bukhâri began his journey at the age of sixteen even though he had already begun seeking knowledge and listening to hadîth prior to this from the age of ten. This began when Imâm Bukhâri went to perform Hajj in the year 210 A.H. along with his mother and elder brother, Ahmad. After completing Hajj, his mother and brother returned to 4 Bukhâra, and Imâm Bukhâri remained in Makkah Mukâramah in order to seek knowledge. Imâm Bukhâri said, “I went to Syria, Egypt, twice to Jazîrah, four times to Basra. I spent six years in Hijâz, and the number of times I went to Baghdad and Kufa with the muhaddithîn, I cannot even count.” Places he went to acquire the knowledge of hadîth: Makkah Mukarramah, Madînah Munawwarah, Syria, Bukhâra, Marw, Balkh, Herat, Rai, Nishhâpur, Baghdad, Wâsith, Kufah, Egypt, Jazîrah, Asqalân, Hims. Imam Bukhâri had approximately 1800 teachers from whom he recorded hadîth. The number of students who benefited directly from Imâm Bukhâri number approximately 90000, which included pioneers in various sciences of dîn as well as the following authors of the Sihâh Sittah: Imâm Muslim, Imâm Tirmidhi and Imâm Nasâi. Amazing memory: 1.) Imâm Bukhâri was gifted with a photographic memory such that if he read a book once, he would have all its contents memorized. 2.) Imâm Bukhâri himself stated that he had memorized one hundred thousand sahîh ahâdîth and two hundred thousand that were not sahîh. 3.) When Imâm Bukhâri arrived in Baghdad, the muhaddithhîn gathered together and decided to test the memory of Imâm Bukhâri . They took one hundred ahâdîth and mixed up their 5 chains of narration, whereby each one of them memorized ten ahâdîth with its correct chain of transmission. When Imâm Bukhâri arrived, they narrated the ahâdîth to him (with the changed chain of narration) and to each of the ahâdîth, he replied, “I do not know it.” After they had finished relating all one hundred ahâdîth, Imâm Bukhâri addressed each one of them, one at a time saying, “The hadîth you related is not like that, but reported in this manner…”and he rectified the chain of narration of each of the one hundred ahâdîth that they related. Imâm Bukhâri first mentioned the incorrect manner they had narrated it in and thereafter the correct manner that it should be narrated with. All of them were forced to acknowledge the superiority and excellence of Imâm Bukhâri . Hafiz Ibn Hajar expressed his astonishment at this incident saying, “My astonishment is not on account of Imâm Bukhâri narrating these ahâdîth with their correct chains of narration, but that Imâm Bukhâri memorized the incorrect manner that they had narrated it in after hearing it only once. Piety 1.) Imâm Bukhâri said, “I have never backbitten any person since the day I learnt that backbiting is harâm.” He also said, “No person will be able to seize me on the Day of Qiyâmah on account of backbiting.” 2.) On one occasion, Imâm Bukhâri was travelling by boat and he had in his possession one thousand dirhams. A swindler posed as an admirer and friend of Imâm Bukhâri , and Imâm Bukhâri in turn, trusting him, informed him of the money he had in his possession. The next morning, the deceptive person awoke crying 6 and weeping, claiming that someone had stolen his thousand dirhams. It was decided that everyone on the ship will be searched. As soon as Imâm Bukhâri learnt of this, he quietly threw the bag of coins into the sea. After searching everyone on the ship and the coins were not found, they expressed their condolence to him on losing his money. This deceptive man then went to Imâm Bukhâri and asked him what had happened to the thousand dirhams he had in his possession and Imâm Bukhâri replied that he had thrown it into the ocean. The man was astonished and said, “Such a great amount of wealth, you just threw it into the ocean!” Imâm Bukhâri replied, “The reputation of reliability which I have spent my entire life building is my actual wealth, I did not wish to destroy that for a few dirhams.” 3.) Once Imâm Bukhâri invested some of his money into an undertaking so that preoccupation with worldly income will not distract him from his scholastic responsibilities. On one occasion, the person who he had given his money to, approximately 25000 dirhams, left the country. People urged Imâm Bukhâri to report that person to the authorities so that he would at least get his wealth back, but Imâm Bukhâri refused to do so saying, “If I seek the assistance of the authorities today to get my wealth back, then tomorrow they will attempt to impose upon me in my dînî activities; I cannot allow my knowledge and my dîn to be destroyed in exchange for greed of this world.” 4.) It was the practise of Imâm Bukhârî to recite thirteen rak’ats of tahajjud and witr salâh in the last portion of the night. In Ramadhân, he would perform tarâwîh salâh with his students and then still spend a third of the night in ibâdah.