• It has been unanimously recognized that the work of Imam Al-Bukhari is the most authentic of all others in the field of Hadith literature. All Muslim exegetes are unanimous in affirming that Sahîh Al-Bukhari is the most authentic work after the Book of Allah (the Koran).

Imam Al-Bukhâri was born on the 13th day of the month of Shawwâl in the year 194 AH, in Bukhârâ, in the territory of Khourâsân (present-day West Turkestan). His full name is Mohammed ibn Ismâil ibn Al-Moughîrah Al-Bukhari.

Orphaned by his father at a young age, he was raised by his mother. From the age of ten, he began to study the Hadiths. He visited Baghdad several times, where he met many scholars, including Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal.

Thanks to his integrity, his benevolence and his reliability, he remained at a distance from princes and sovereigns for fear of compromising the truth to please them.

The stories of Imam Al-Bukhari's perseverance in collecting Hadith are numerous. He continued to travel to Islamic territories to collect the precious words of the noble Prophet Mohammed. It is said that he collected over 300,000 Hadiths, memorizing 200,000, some of which were unreliable.

He was born at a time when Hadiths were falsified to please rulers and kings, or to corrupt the religion of Islam.

• Compilation by: Al-Imam Zain-oud-dine AHMAD and Ibn Abdoullatif AZ-ZOUBAIDI.

• Translation: Daroussalam (Arabic-French).