Bukhari: The Sublime Tradition (Volume 1)

Bukhari: The Sublime Tradition
A new English translation and modern commentary of Sahih al-Bukhari, the first ever to be written in the United Kingdom for the twenty first century audience.

Almighty Allah has rendered the glorious life of the final Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and grant him peace), an excellent example to follow and commanded, “And whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatever he prohibits you, refrain from it.” (Qur’an 59:7)

According to Islamic law, hadith (prophetic tradition) refers to the report that describes the saying, action or tacit approval of the final Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace). In order to fully comprehend the message of the Qur’an and to understand Qur’anic injunctions, the knowledge of hadiths is essential, and indeed hadiths and wahy (divine revelation) both emanate from the same tongue; that of the final Prophet Muhammad (Allah bless him and grant him peace).

The Sahih al-Bukhari is a compilation of over seven thousand prophetic traditions recorded by the distinguished Imam Muhammad b. Isma‘il al-Bukhari (194-256 AH). The writings and authorships of Imam al-Bukhari number over twenty, however it is the Sahih al-Bukhari that has enjoyed more popularity than them all, generation after generation throughout the course of the centuries. It is known as ‘the most authentic book after the Qur’an’.

There are many valuable commentaries on the Sahih al-Bukhari available in the Arabic and Urdu languages, however as for those Muslims who are not fluent in Arabic or Urdu and those who wish to develop a contemporary and straight-forward understanding of the prophetic traditions in the English language, for them a concise commentary to the sublime tradition is presented here.