Sahih al-Bukhari is regarded as the most authentic book after the Book of Allah. Imam al-Bukhari spent over sixteen years compiling this collection — examining more than 600,000 narrations and selecting approximately 7,275 (with repetitions) whose authenticity he established beyond doubt. Every hadith in it was subject to the rigorous standards of verification the science of hadith had developed.About This BookSummarized Sahih al-Bukhari (Large Edition) is the classical abridgement of the collection made by al-Imam Zain-ud-Din Ahmad bin Abdul-Lateef az-Zubaidi, translated into clear, modern English by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan. The abridgement presents the full text of each hadith while removing the repeated chains of transmission that appear in the complete edition. The result is a single large volume giving the English-speaking Muslim direct access to the collection.What This Collection ContainsThe Words and Actions of the Prophet — AuthenticatedImam al-Bukhari organized his collection into chapters covering the complete range of Islamic life: purification, prayer, the call to prayer, Friday prayer, the two Eid prayers, witr prayer, supplication, zakah, fasting, Hajj, sales, marriage, divorce, inheritance, jihad, food, drink, clothing, medicine, manners and etiquette, matters of the heart, the events of the Hereafter, and the descriptions of Paradise and the Fire. Reading Sahih al-Bukhari is reading Islam from its most reliable primary source in English.Chapter Headings as FiqhImam al-Bukhari chose each of his chapter headings with deliberate care, to draw out a ruling or point of benefit from the hadith that follows — hence the well-known maxim that the fiqh of al-Bukhari is in his chapter headings. This dimension of the collection is preserved in this edition.About the Original CompilerImam Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari (194–256 AH) was born in Bukhara and travelled across Khurasan, Iraq, the Hijaz, Syria and Egypt gathering hadith and testing narrators. Alongside his Sahih he wrote al-Tarikh al-Kabir on the biographies and reliability of narrators. This abridgement is by al-Imam az-Zubaidi, translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan. Published by Darussalam Publishers.Who This Book Is ForEvery Muslim who wants to read the authentic words and actions of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) directly. The large format suits home study, halaqah use, and Islamic education. For any Muslim who has never read Sahih al-Bukhari, this summarized edition is an accessible starting point, and for students of knowledge it works as a companion to any course of Islamic study.Continue ReadingIts companion volume is Summarized Sahih Muslim — together the two form the foundation of any English hadith library. Browse the full hadith collection or see our guide to the best hadith books to start with the Sunnah.
