THE TA’ WIL OF IMAM AL BUKHARI ON THE HADITH OF ALLAH’ S DAHIK (‘ LAUGHTER’): A MANUSCRIPT ANALYSIS OF ITS VALIDITY

The Sahih of Imam Muhammad ibn Isma’il al-Bukhari (d. 256 AH) is the most significant, illustrious, and most dependable Hadith collection for the Muslim Ummah; in particular, Sunni Islam. Sahih al-Bukhari is the prime hadith collection to be consulted for many facets of the blessed life of the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), religious laws (Ahkam al-Sharia), worship (Ibada), Islamic beliefs (aqa’id) and so on. Due to its prestige the text of the Sahih has been verified and selecting the most precise wording is required when ascribing narrations back to the Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam), his Companions, the sub narrators and Imam al-Bukhari too.

In this work a presentation of a figurative interpretation (ta’wil) attributed to Imam al-Bukhari shall be proffered and analysed utilising historical quotations, and most importantly from a number of original handwritten manuscripts of Sahih al-Bukhari spread over a few centuries.  The latter practice is significant and momentous as the crux of this attribution to Imam al-Bukhari has been negated by some due to their claim that the ta’wil is absent from the original manuscripts of Sahih al-Bukhari spread all over the Muslim world, over hundreds of years after the time of al-Bukhari, and thus unproven to have originated from al-Bukhari.

In this monograph what was missed or lost to many scholars of the past and present with regard to the affirmation of the actual ta’wil shall come to light with the bringing forth of a significant batch of manuscripts of Sahih al-Bukhari as ultimate testimony.

The contents of this monograph:

PROLOGUE         4

THE HADITHS MENTIONING ALLAH’S DAHIK (‘LAUGHTER’)             5

COMMENTARY OF WHAT DAHIK (‘DAHIK’) MEANT TO IMAM AL-KHATTABI            9

CONTEMPORARY DENIAL OF THE TA’WIL ATTRIBUTED TO IMAM AL-BUKHARI      12

THE FIRST PUBLISHED EDITION OF SAHIH AL-BUKHARI     20

THE EARLY TRANSMITTERS OF SAHIH AL-BUKHARI            23

THE RELIABILITY OF IMAM MUHAMMAD IBN YUSUF AL-FIRABRI 25

IMAM AL-SAGHANI (577-650 AH) AND HIS RECENSION (NUSKHA) OF SAHIH AL-BUKHARI 32

AL-HAFIZ IBN HAJAR AL-ASQALANI AND THE NUSKHA OF SAHIH AL-BUKHARI COLLATED BY IMAM AL-SAGHANI     41

IMAM AL-KHATTABI (b.319 – d.388 AH) AND HIS AUTHENTIC TRANSMISSION OF THE TA’WIL OF DAHIK BY IMAM AL-BUKHARI IN HIS SAHIH   59

IMAM IBN USHNUWAYH AND HIS TRANSMISSION OF IMAM AL-BUKHARI’S TA’WIL         73

A LIST OF SOME ARABIC MANUSCRIPTS OF SAHIH AL-BUKHARI WITH THE TA’WIL OF IMAM AL-BUKHARI  77

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Waliuddin Effendi (Istanbul) manuscript collection, no.823, dated 759 AH               80

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Aya Sofya (Istanbul) manuscript collection, no. 784, dated 786 AH              83

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Damad Ibrahim Pasha (Istanbul) manuscript collection, no. 268, dated 832AH        84

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Shahid Ali Pasha manuscript collection, no. 398, dated 832AH       86

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Raghib Pasha manuscript collection (Istanbul), no. 338, dated 840AH         87

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Yeni Cami  manuscript collection (Istanbul), no. 272, dated 852AH              89

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Nuruosmaniye manuscript collection (Istanbul), no. 700, dated 861AH      90

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Waliuddin Effendi manuscript collection (Istanbul), no. 493m, dated 879AH            91

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Turhan Valida Sultan manuscript collection (Istanbul), no. 69-2, dated 899AH        92

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Aya Sofya manuscript collection (Istanbul), no. 807, dated 903AH                94

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Yeni Cami manuscript collection (Istanbul), no.270, dated 962AH 95

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Aya Sofya manuscript collection (Istanbul), no.770, dated 966AH 96

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Yozgat manuscript collection (Istanbul), no. 100, dated 1025AH    97

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Manchester University, John Rylands library collection no. 125, dated 1033AH      98

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Halet Effendi manuscript collection (Istanbul) no. 52, dated 1084AH           101

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Laleli manuscript collection (Istanbul) no. 607, dated 1088AH        102

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Nuruosmaniye manuscript collection (Istanbul) no. 688, dated 1088AH     103

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Antalya-Tekelioglu manuscript collection (Istanbul) no. 109, dated 1169AH             104

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Turhan Valida Sultan manuscript collection (Istanbul) no. 79, date unknown          105

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Hamidiye manuscript collection (Istanbul) no. 210, date unknown              106

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Yeni Cami manuscript collection (Istanbul) no. 269, date unknown             107

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Haci Selim Aga manuscript collection (Istanbul) no. 223, date unknown   108

Manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, Madrasa Muhammadiyya collection, Jama Masjid, Mumbai, India (catalogue number and date unknown)        109

The very first published edition of Sahih al-Bukhari by Shaykh Ahmed Ali Saharanpuri (used the Saghani copy)       110

WHY CERTAIN MANUSCRIPTS LACK THE TA’WIL WHILE OTHERS HAVE RECORDED IT           114

IMAM AHMED IBN HANBAL, IMAM IBN ABD AL-BARR AND IMAM AL-SINDI AND THE TA’WIL OF DAHIK (‘LAUGHTER’)                123

EPILOGUE           127

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