Islamic Studies Paper 2 WASSCE (SC), 2023

Question 4

 

  1. Outline the contributions of Imam Bukhari to the development of Hadith


          Despite the question being popular among the candidates, their performance was average. Candidates were expected to write the contributions of Imam Bukhari to the development of science of Hadith and also explain the numbers of Ahadith he collected. Candidates were expected to narrate the following points thus:
Imᾱm Bukhᾱrī (Muhammad b. Ismᾱ’il Abū Abdallah b. Ibrᾱhim) was born in 194/810 CE at Bukhᾱra and was one of the greatest contributors to Hadith Studies (Introduction).

  • He travelled far and wide in search of Hadith for 16 years.
  • He returned to Bukhāra to sift the numerous Hadith he had collected.
  • He collected about 600,000 traditions (Hadith).
  • He applied critical standards in sorting out the Hadith.
  • He selected over 7,000 traditions.
  • His collection came down to 4,000 when repetition were accounted for.
  • His book on traditions contained 3,450 chapters (abwᾱb).
  • The selected traditions were arranged into 97 books.
  • The Ḥadith are of the Musannaf type.
  • He often included notes in the chapter headings.
  • He sometimes drew attention to traditions which are not sound.
  • His Ḥadith collection is of the Ṣaḥih (sound) type.
  • Through his collections, hadith studies became a science with rules.
  • The laws protected the field of the science of Ḥadith from innovations and corruption.
  • His books were the most authentic among the six books of Ḥadith.
  • His work covered all aspects of Fiqḥ.
  • He was critical with his collections.
  • He influenced Muslim b. Hajjāj, Ibn Khuzayma, an-Nasā‘i, at-Tirmidhī, Ibn. Abī Āsim and other muḥaddithūn in their works on Ḥadith.
  • He memorized several apostolic traditions.
  • He spent his life teaching the traditions he had collected.
  • He is also the author of Tārikh al-kabīr, Tārīkh al-Awsat, Tārīkh as-Saghīr as well as Qadhā yas-Ṣahābah.
  • Others include al-Kunā (patronymics), aḍ-Ḍu‘afā aṣ-ṣaghīr and Ādābul Mufrad etc.
  • He died in 256/870 CE and buried near Samarkand
   
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