Do you know Imam Bukhari was blind at young age?

Imam Bukhari, who collected 600,000 Hadith and compiled Sahih Al Bukhari, was born in Bukhara. It is reported that while Imam Bukhari was a young boy, he suddenly lost his eyesight and became blind.

Childhood of Imam Bukhari

Abu Abdullah Mohamed bin Ismail Al-Bukhari was born in Bukhara in 194AH. He was raised by his mother alone, as his father died during childhood.

She educated her intelligent son. Imam Bukhari was a bright student; he could memorize and learn quickly.

Imam Bukhari turned blind

Imam Bukhari got an eye disease, and soon he turned completely blind. He was taken to skilled and renowned doctors, yet none were able to restore his sight.

His mother, who was a pious and righteous lady, did not give up. She would ask Allah Almighty to bless his son with sight again. She would make supplications day and night. She kept on knocking on the doors of Allah Almighty’s blessings. At last, her prayers were accepted.

Prophet Ibrahim in a dream

Allah accepted the mother’s prayers, who kept asking for the sight of her son. One night, she slept after making dua for her son’s sight. That night, Prophet Ibrahim عَلَيْهِ ٱلسَّلَامُ came in her dream. He told her that Allah loved the way she prayed and kept on knocking on the doors of mercy.

Imam Bukhari’s sight was restored

As a reward, the sight of his son was restored: her prayers had finally been accepted. She was excited to see her son awake in the morning. When Imam Bukhari woke up, he could see all the beautiful colors around him.

The Youth of Imam Bukhari

As a young boy, Imam Bukhari memorized the Quran completely. He also memorized thousands of Hadiths and visited religious scholars.

When he performed his Hajj, he was only 16 years old; he went to Makkah with his mother and brother. He then stayed there to learn more about Islam.

The journey of collecting Hadiths

After visiting Makkah and staying there, he decided to collect the Hadiths. He remained in Makkah for six years to collect the Hadiths.

After that, he went to different countries for that very purpose. He traveled to Baghdad, Kufa, Damascus, Egypt, Khorasan, and many other nations.

He studied the Prophet’s life and then hunted for Hadiths. He devoted all his time and effort to the very purpose. This was a difficult task, but he had a passion for it.

Imam Bukhari Hadith collection criteria

Imam Bukhari sticks by an approach that does not let anyone doubt the authenticity of Hadiths he has collected.

He would first perform a Wudu (a virtue performed before offering Salah) followed by two Rakat Salah and then jot down a Hadith.

He would choose a Hadith after carefully inquiring about the;

• narrators and the references to it.
• The person who was narrating a Hadith or an event related to Prophet  Muhammad ﷺ shall be trustworthy, disciplined, and honest.
• Only then the Hadiths would be selected.

Source: Al Arabiya