. J '-Ɵ  (cont.)

In fact, many have stated that he could look at a work just once and have it memorized. He used this great ability that Allah had granted him in the service of Islam and the hadith of the Prophet (peace be upon him) in particular. At the age of sixteen, he left Bukhaara and made the pilgrimage to Makkah. He stayed in Makkah for some time and he wrote his first book there. Before he was eighteen years old, he wrote his, al-Tareekh al-Kabeer, to this day a standard work of biography of narrators ofhadith. Al-Bukhari had numerous teachers; he recorded hadith from 1 ,080 scholars. Those who learned from al-Bukhari included famous subsequent scholars such as al-Tirmidhi, al-Nasaai, Muslim ibn al-Hajjaaj, ibn Khuzaima and numerous others. He is best known for his Sahih but he also compiled a number of other books, including a book on manners and ethics entitled al­ Adab al-Mufrad.2 Imam Muslim' Muslim ibn al-Hajjaaj was born in the year 204 or, most likely 206 A.H. His city of birth, Naisaboor, was famous for being a city of scholars. It seems that his father was himself a scholarly figure.4 According to al-Dhahabi, 1 Biographical data recorded here is from Taqi al-Deen al-Mudhari, al-Imaam al-Bukhaari: lmaam al-Huffaadh wa al-Muhadditheen (Damascus: Daar al-Qalam, 1988), passim. 2 His Sahih has been translated into English: Muhammad Muhsin Khan, trans. Sahih al-Bukhari (Beirut: Dar al-Arabia, 1985). Al-Adah al-Mufrad has recently been translated into English: Muhammad al-Bukhari, Imam al-Bukhari's Book of Muslim Morals and Manners (Alexandria, VA: Al-Saadawi Publications, 1997). 3 The biographical information recorded here is from Mahmood Fakhoori, al-lmaam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj (Cairo: Daar al-Salaam, 1985), passim. 4 Fakhoori, p. 36. Commentary on the Forty Hadith of al-Nawawi Muslim began his study of hadith in the year 218 A.H., when he was 12 years old. It is also known that he was a man of means and was therefore free to pursue hadith. Like all scholars of hadith, Muslim journeyed to further his studies. He traveled to many areas, including Iraq, the Hijaz, Greater Syria and Egypt. In Khorasasn, he studied under Qutaiba ibn Saeed, Y ah ya ibn Yahya al­ N aisaboori and others. In Rayy, he studied with Muhammad ibn Mihran al­ Jamaal among others. In Iraq (including Baghdad, Kufa and Basra), he heard hadith from Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Khalf ibn Hishaam al-Bazzaar, Umar ibn Hafs ibn Ghayaath and others. In Greater Syria, he met with Waleed ibn Muslim. Among the other scholars he met were Saeed ibn Mansoor, Ismaaeel ibn Abu Uwais, Isa ibn Hammaad and Abu Bakr and Uthmaan ibn Abu Shaiba. Among Muslim's students were Muhammad ibn Mukhlad, al-Tirmidhi, Ahmad ibn Salama, Abu Amr al-Mustamli and many more. He was respected during his time. Some even considered him the best when it came to differentiating between authentic and weak hadith. It was said that there were four great scholars of hadith during his time: Abu Zara, Abdullah al-Daarimi, al-Bukhari and Muslim. He had a very close and good relationship with Imam al-Bukhari. Apparently, he met al-Bukhari in the year 250 A.H. when al-Bukhari came to Naisaboor, although it cannot be denied that he might have met al-Bukhari earlier during his travels. He stayed with al-Bukhari during the latter's entire stay in Naisaboor. When al-Dhuhali had a dispute with al-Bukhari on a matter of creed and announced that anyone who wants to listen to al-Bukhari should leave his gathering, Muslim got up in front of the whole crowd and walked out on al-Dhuhali. Later he sent all of his books that he got from al-Dhuhali back to him. Muslim continued to study and travel in search of hadith throughout his life. In fact, his last visit to Baghdad was only two years before he died. Muslim died on the 281h of Rajab in 261 in Naisaboor. Although he compiled a number of works, he is best known for his Sahih. 1 Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim The complete title of al-Bukhari's book is al-Jaami al-sahih al-Musnad al-Mukhtasar min Umoor Rasoolullahi wa Sunanihi wa Ayaamihi (A..Ay1_, .... Oi .... f. \ L' L' . ... ' ' o ড s' ' , Ë o ' c;" ৮' c;" ,s.0 sto ,.ć ' ., [::u t;0 'r" C: 0 L' Ët:., প" ՚' sv, 'w0 'C· ৭" , .... _ ' ... o C· c s , - I... ' _,., fi!' f;\' \' r r SB C· 0 ট • .. , -.. , , L. , • L... 1" , i' ., ՞"' vi. ՗ ࣑ .o _,., (:' c;., L' J-' C:.· ' IL- , sx ' '--. f(' ' · ৬' ' ՘ • '"°o \... \ \ r:-. পফ \y [ ._ , ' Vo t •' •'i\. ._ \ ._ - c:._ ... , \ • \. ,, - - ஼ - - \ .c l-.. • 0 ' \ " 0 I... \ , .,. 0 • \ ... , \ ,,... • --.:.,"- \ • '9 ... . , '- , " c· 0 , ..