Manuscripts of Sahih al-Bukhari

One of the major reasons behind the objections raised concerning the compilation and preservation of Sahih al-Bukhari is a lack of familiarity with the history of Hadith documentation and the remarkable, careful, and continuous scholarly transmission of manuscripts and textual traditions.

In view of this important academic need, the following section presents a detailed yet accessible introduction to the famous manuscript traditions of Sahih al-Bukhari, together with an overview of its major transmitters and the successive generations through which the work was transmitted.

The Number of Students Who Heard Sahih al-Bukhari from Imam al-Bukhari

According to the statement of the renowned scholar Muhammad ibn Yusuf ibn Matar al-Firabri, approximately 90,000 students heard Sahih al-Bukhari from Imam Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him).

However, although a very large number of students heard the work from Imam al-Bukhari, its transmission and widespread recognition in the scholarly world became particularly prominent through a limited number of distinguished students who carefully preserved and transmitted the book to subsequent generations.

The Principal Manuscript Traditions of Sahih al-Bukhari

In the early period, four major manuscript traditions of Sahih al-Bukhari became known:

1. The Nasafi Manuscript

2. The Nasawi Manuscript

3. The Bazdawi Manuscript

4. The Firabri Manuscript — the most famous and widely circulated manuscript tradition in later centuries.

The Fifth Disputed Tradition: The Mahamili Manuscript

The status of a separate manuscript tradition attributed to al-Mahamili has been a matter of scholarly discussion.

The View of al-Kirmani

Imam al-Kirmani regarded the Mahamili tradition as an independent manuscript tradition. In his work Muqaddimat al-Kawakib al-Darari, he provided his chain of transmission reaching al-Qadi al-Mahamili.

Some scholars, however, maintained that al-Mahamili did not hear the entire Sahih from Imam al-Bukhari but only a portion of it.

The Investigation of Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani

Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani rejected the claim that al-Mahamili possessed a complete independent manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari.

In Fath al-Bari, Ibn Hajar explains that al-Mahamili did not possess the entire book. Rather, he possessed certain leaves that Imam al-Bukhari dictated during a few sessions when he came to Baghdad toward the end of his life.

Therefore, according to Ibn Hajar, those who transmit the entire Sahih al-Bukhari through al-Mahamili on the assumption that he possessed the complete work have committed a serious error.

The Five Major Students and Transmitters of Imam al-Bukhari

1. Abu Abd Allah Muhammad ibn Yusuf al-Firabri (241–320 AH)

Al-Firabri is the most famous transmitter of Sahih al-Bukhari, and the manuscript tradition transmitted through him became the principal basis of the widely circulated version of the book.

Details of His Audition

Al-Firabri heard the Jami' al-Sahih from Imam al-Bukhari on two occasions:

• The first time was in 247 AH, when he was approximately eight years old, in his village of Firabr.

• The second time was in 252 AH, when he was approximately eleven years old, in Bukhara.

• Some scholars have also stated that he heard it from Imam al-Bukhari for a third time in 256 AH, the year in which Imam al-Bukhari died.

2. Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Ma'qil al-Nasafi (d. 294 or 295 AH)

Ibn Ma'qil al-Nasafi heard Sahih al-Bukhari from Imam al-Bukhari and transmitted the work. However, he missed some of its leaves, and he transmitted the portions he had not heard through ijazah (scholarly authorization).

3. Abu Muhammad Hammad ibn Shakir al-Nasawi (d. 311 AH)

Hammad ibn Shakir al-Nasawi was also among those who had the honor of hearing Sahih al-Bukhari from Imam al-Bukhari.

However, some portions of the work were not heard directly by him, and he transmitted the portions he had missed through ijazah.

4. Abu Talhah Mansur ibn Muhammad al-Bazdawi (d. 329 AH)

According to Hafiz Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, al-Bazdawi was the last transmitter to narrate Sahih al-Bukhari directly from Imam al-Bukhari.

5. Qadi Abu Abd Allah Husayn ibn Isma'il al-Mahamili (235–330 AH)

Al-Mahamili was among Imam al-Bukhari's students in Baghdad. He survived al-Bazdawi and remained one of the later surviving students associated with the transmission of what he had heard from Imam al-Bukhari.

The Twelve Students of al-Firabri

The Firabri transmission became the most famous route through which Sahih al-Bukhari was preserved and transmitted. Twelve students are reported to have transmitted the book from al-Firabri.

Nine of them were mentioned by Hafiz Ibn Hajar, two by Imam al-Nawawi, and one by Shah Wali Allah al-Dihlawi.

1. Ibn al-Sakan: Abu Ali Sa'id ibn Uthman (d. 353 AH).

2. Al-Mustamli: Abu Ishaq Ibrahim ibn Ahmad (d. 376 AH).

3. Al-Akhsikathi: Abu Nasr Ahmad ibn Ahmad (d. 376 AH). He was associated with the city of Akhsikath in Farghana. Scholars differed regarding the precise pronunciation of the name, with the form ending in t considered preferable by some.

4. Al-Marwazi: The jurist Abu Zayd Muhammad ibn Ahmad (d. 371 AH).

5. Al-Shabbuwayhi: Abu Ali Muhammad ibn Umar ibn Shabbuwayh.

6. Al-Jurjani: Abu Ahmad Muhammad ibn Muhammad (d. 373 AH). He was associated with Jurjan, the well-known city located between Tabaristan and Khurasan.

7. Al-Sarakhsi al-Hamawi: Abu Muhammad Abd Allah ibn Ahmad (293–381 AH). He was associated with Sarakhs, a city of Khurasan, as well as with his grandfather Hamuyah.

8. Al-Kushmihani: Al-Haytham ibn Muhammad ibn Makki al-Kushmihani (d. 389 AH). He was associated with Kushmayhan, a settlement near Marw. He studied Sahih al-Bukhari with al-Firabri in 316 AH.

9. Al-Kushani: Abu Ali Isma'il ibn Muhammad (d. 391 AH). He is regarded as the last surviving student of al-Firabri.

10. Abu Sa'id Ahmad ibn Muhammad: Mentioned by Imam al-Nawawi without a chain of transmission.

11. Muhammad ibn Ahmad Matt: Also mentioned by Imam al-Nawawi without a chain of transmission.

12. Abu Luqman Yahya ibn Ammar al-Khuttalani: He was reported to have lived for approximately 143 years. Shah Wali Allah al-Dihlawi mentioned his complete chain of transmission in al-Fadl al-Mubin.

The Third Generation: Students of the Students of al-Firabri

A number of prominent scholars transmitted Sahih al-Bukhari from the students of al-Firabri mentioned above. Among them were:

• From Ibn al-Sakan: Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Asad al-Juhani.

• From al-Mustamli: Abu Dharr al-Harawi (355–434 AH) and Abd al-Rahman ibn Abd Allah al-Hamdani.

• From al-Akhsikathi: Isma'il ibn Ishaq al-Saffar al-Zahid.

• From Abu Zayd al-Marwazi: Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani (d. 430 AH), Abu Muhammad al-Asili (d. 392 AH), and Abu al-Hasan al-Qabisi (d. 403 AH).

• From Abu Ali al-Shabbuwayhi: Sa'id ibn Ahmad al-Sayrafi al-Ayyar and Abd al-Rahman ibn Abd Allah al-Hamdani.

• From Abu Ahmad al-Jurjani: Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani and Abu al-Hasan al-Qabisi.

• From Abu Muhammad al-Sarakhsi: Abu Dharr al-Harawi and Abu al-Hasan al-Dawudi al-Fushanji (d. 476 AH).

• From al-Kushmihani: Abu Dharr al-Harawi, Abu Sahl al-Hafsi (d. 462 AH), and Karimah bint Ahmad al-Marwaziyyah (d. 456 AH).

• From al-Kushani: Abu al-Abbas al-Mustaghfiri (d. 432 AH).

After removing repeated names, the total number of distinct transmitters in this generation is twelve.

The Seventeen Recognized Manuscript Traditions of Sahih al-Bukhari

In his introduction, Mawlana Ahmad Muhaddith al-Saharanpuri mentioned nineteen symbols used to identify different manuscript traditions and textual authorities of Sahih al-Bukhari.

However, since the symbol “K” represents the majority tradition, and since al-Hamawi and al-Sarakhsi are regarded, according to the investigation of Shaykh Zakariyya, as two nisbahs referring to the same individual, the practically recognized manuscript traditions amount to seventeen.

They may be classified as follows:

1. Two Manuscripts Transmitted Directly from Students of Imam al-Bukhari

• The Firabri manuscript

• The Nasafi manuscript

2. Seven Manuscripts Transmitted through Students of al-Firabri

• Ibn al-Sakan

• al-Mustamli

• al-Marwazi

• Ibn Shabbuwayh

• al-Jurjani

• al-Hamawi/al-Sarakhsi

• al-Kushmihani

3. Four Manuscripts Transmitted through Students of the Students of al-Firabri

• Abu Dharr al-Harawi

• al-Asili

• al-Qabisi

• Karimah al-Marwaziyyah

4. Four Manuscripts Associated with Later Major Scholars

• Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani

• Abu al-Waqt

• Hafiz Ibn Asakir

• Radi al-Din al-Saghani

A Brief Introduction to the Less Familiar Later Authorities

1. Abu al-Waqt (458–553 AH)

He was the famous Sufi scholar Abd al-Awwal ibn Isa al-Sijzi al-Harawi. He became well known for his transmission of Sahih al-Bukhari and was buried in Baghdad. He was among the final transmitters through whom the work was transmitted from al-Dawudi.

2. Ibn Asakir (499–571 AH)

He was the renowned Syrian hadith scholar and historian, Thiqah al-Din Abu al-Qasim Ali al-Dimashqi. He was one of the most prominent scholars of Hadith and history in Syria.

3. Al-Saghani (577–650 AH)

He was the eminent jurist, linguist, and hadith scholar Radi al-Din Abu al-Fada'il al-Hasan ibn Muhammad al-Saghani al-Lahori al-Baghdadi al-Hanafi.

Symbols Used for the Manuscript Traditions

In some Indian editions of Sahih al-Bukhari, abbreviated symbols were used to refer to different manuscript traditions and textual authorities. Among the principal symbols are:

• F: al-Firabri

• H: al-Kushmihani

• H: al-Hamawi

• S: al-Mustamli

• AS: Ibn Asakir

• MH: Karimah bint Ahmad al-Marwaziyyah

• S: al-Asili

• QA: al-Qabisi

• MR: al-Marwazi

• DH: Abu Dharr al-Harawi

• SHJH: Shaykh Ibn Hajar

• QT: Abu al-Waqt

• SF: al-Nasafi

• SG: al-Saghani

• KN: Ibn al-Sakan

• JA: al-Jurjani

• BO: Ibn Shabbuwayh

A study of these manuscript traditions, chains of transmission, and successive generations of transmitters makes one fact particularly clear: Sahih al-Bukhari did not reach later generations through an unknown manuscript or through a single isolated chain of transmission.

Rather, it was transmitted through a broad and carefully maintained scholarly network involving direct audition (sama'), written transmission, scholarly authorization (ijazah), comparison of manuscripts, and textual verification. Its transmission developed through multiple routes, and its various manuscript traditions were preserved, compared, and studied by generations of hadith scholars.

Understanding this history is therefore essential for appreciating the methodology employed by the classical hadith scholars in preserving the Prophetic Sunnah. It also helps remove many misconceptions that arise from the assumption that major hadith collections suddenly appeared in their later form or were transmitted through only one route.

Source: Dar al-Ulum Monthly, Issue 2, Vol. 96, Rabi al-Awwal 1433 AH / February 2012.