Imaam Al-Bukhari met more than one thousand scholars

19-4-2016 | IslamWeb

Question:

Assalaamu alaykum. Is the following report authentic? Imam Al-Bukkaari stated that he met with nearly 1000 scholars, and he said that they all agreed on the definition of 'iman' (faith).

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Answer:

All perfect praise be to Allaah, The Lord of the worlds. I testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allaah and that Muhammad is His slave and Messenger.

This report about Imaam Al-Bukhari is authentic. Al-Laalakaa'i cited in his book Sharh Usool Iʻtiqaaad Ahl As-Sunnah, "It has been narrated on the authority of Abu Al-Husayn Muhammad ibn ʻImraan ibn Moosaa Al-Jurjaani that he said, 'I heard Abu Muhammad ʻAbd Ar-Rahmaan ibn Muhammad ibn ʻAbd Ar-Rahmaan Al-Bukhari in Ash-Shaash say, 'I heard Abu ʻAbdullaah Muhammad ibn Ismaaʻeel Al-Bukhari say, 'I met more than one thousand men from the people of knowledge from Hijaaz, Makkah, Madeenah, Koofa, Basrah, Waasit, Baghdad, Shaam and Egypt.'''"

Al-Haafith Ibn Hajar declared this report authentic in his book Fat-h Al-Baari.

Ath-Thahabi reported that Muhammad ibn Abi Haatim, the scribe of Imaam Al-Bukhari, said, "A month before his death, I heard him say, 'I have written narrations from a thousand and eighty men, all of them narrated hadeeth. They all used to say, 'Eemaan (Faith) is qawl (saying/utterance) and 'amal (action/deed), it increases and decreases.'" [Siyar Aʻlaam An-Nubalaa']

Allaah knows best.