Is Sahih Bukhari completely authentic?

Sahih Bukhari is a book of narrations and hadiths of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh). It was compiled a couple centuries after the Prophet by Sheikh Muhammed al Bukhari, and admittidely it is quite beautifully compiled. To maintain authenticity, there is a chain of narrators for each hadith, to pinpoint where the hadith comes from and who had originally narrated the message. It traces down to early Muslims, companions of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh), his family members and his wives.

For the time period, it was an excellent compilation. Bukhari is claimed to have memorized about 200,000 hadiths by the end of his life, and contained about 6,000 hadiths of what he believed were the most authentic. They concern everything such as interpretations of the Qur'an, parables, morals, the legal system, war, the day of judgment, prophecies, the future, etc. It was a rather useful tool, and until today, it can accurately shape the attitude of the Prophet.

But. Is it perfect?

There are many Sunni Muslims who claim this book is absolutely perfect, because according to them, the companions and wives never lied. They also see how Bukhari spent his whole life travelling the world and collecting hadiths, and rationalize that because of the effort, the book has to be "sahih" or authentic in every sense.

Muslims must remember that the only perfect book is the Qur'an. Although I agree Bukhari is a great source, and I do agree that it is probably mostly authentic, but to say it is the perfect representation of the Sunnah is absurd. It may be our best, but definitely not completely Sahih. Bukhari was good for its time period, but now with today’s technology, we have a much better ability at collecting hadiths and new methods in judging their authenticity.

Let us take a look at some inconsistencies in Bukhari.

1. Exaggeration of the rank Moses (as)

Prophet Moses (as) is of course one of the most important prophets in Islam, and definitely the most similar to Muhammed (pbuh). They were both not raised by their natural parents, they were both raised in elite families, they were both regarded as political and spiritual leaders, they both lead a mass exodus of people, they were both seen as lawgivers, they were both married with children, they both succeeded over their enemies, they both fathered a nation, they were both given revelations, and finally they both succeeded against their enemies.

However, we see an exaggeration in Moses’ rank in Bukhari, which leads to internal contradictions within the book. Most of these hadiths come from Abu Huraira, who was himself a former Jew and would therefore have a somewhat bias for Prophet Moses (as) over all of the other Islamic prophets. Let’s take a look at some of these hadiths:

Volume 4, Book 55, Number 581:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

One day some meat was given to the Prophet and he said, "On the Day of Resurrection Allah will gather all the first and the last (people) in one plain, and the voice of the announcer will reach all of them, and one will be able to see them all, and the sun will come closer to them." (The narrator then mentioned the narration of intercession): "The people will go to Abraham and say: 'You are Allah's Prophet and His Khalil on the earth. Will you intercede for us with your Lord?' Abraham will then remember his lies and say: 'Myself! Myself! Go to Moses."

You could already see what is wrong here without me explaining. Basically, on the Day of Judgment, people will all be asking Prophet Abraham (as) for intercession because of his high rank of “Khalilullah” or “Friend of God”. Then, Abraham (as) will “remember his lies”. This is absurd, because it suggests that Prophet Abraham (as) had lied during his lifetime. As a prophet and holy representative of God, how can one conceive that Abraham (as) had lied during his life? There is nothing in the Qur’an to suggest that he did. Do Sunni Muslims really believe this?

Abraham (as) will then allegedly tell people to go to Moses (as) out of fear for his own sins. This means Moses (as) will be free to intercede while Abraham (as) is not, which suggests Abraham will be afraid of his sins while Moses did not commit any sins and will have enough reassurance to intercede for the followers of Abraham (as). Do you see what I mean by exaggerating the rank of Moses?

Volume 4, Book 55, Number 619:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

The Angel of Death was sent to Moses when he came to Moses, Moses slapped him on the eye. The angel returned to his Lord and said, "You have sent me to a Slave who does not want to die." Allah said, "Return to him and tell him to put his hand on the back of an ox and for every hair that will come under it, he will be granted one year of life." Moses said, "O Lord! What will happen after that?" Allah replied, "Then death." Moses said, "Let it come now." Moses then requested Allah to let him die close to the Sacred Land so much so that he would be at a distance of a stone's throw from it." Abu Huraira added, "Allah's Apostle said, 'If I were there, I would show you his grave below the red sand hill on the side of the road."

How is it that one could ward off the angel of death? Your time is up when your time is up, and there is nothing you could do about it. In this hadith, the will of Moses (as) is put stronger than the will of God. As the Qur’an iterates, God will put death onto all and there’s nothing we could do to stop it. In this case, Moses (as) allegedly slaps the angel of death onto his eye. How is it that a human being, made of clay, could somehow hurt an Angel, made of spirit?

As well, the act of being a “Muslim” is submitting your will to God. By rejecting death, Moses would have defied the will of God and would therefore be committing kufr. This is another case where Moses’ (as) rank is exaggerated.

Volume 4, Book 55, Number 620:

Narrated Abu Huraira:

A Muslim and a Jew quarreled. The Muslim taking an oath, said, "By Him Who has preferred Muhammad over all people...!" The Jew said, "By Him Who has preferred Moses, over all people." The Muslim raised his hand and slapped the Jew who came to the Prophet to tell him what had happened between him and the Muslim. The Prophet said, "Don't give me superiority over Moses, for the people will become unconscious (on the Day of Resurrection) and I will be the first to gain consciousness to see Moses standing and holding a side of Allah's Throne. I will not know if he has been among those people who have become unconscious; and that he has gained consciousness before me, or he has been amongst those whom Allah has exempted."

And again in another hadith…

…The Prophet became angry, till anger appeared on his face, and said, "Don't give superiority to any prophet amongst Allah's Prophets, for when the trumpet will be blown, everyone on the earth and in the heavens will become unconscious except those whom Allah will exempt. The trumpet will be blown for the second time and I will be the first to be resurrected to see Moses holding Allah's Throne.”… (Volume 4, Book 55, Hadith 626)

Another hadith in Bukhari states that Muhammed (pbuh) has five names: Muhammed (the one who is praised), Ahmed (the praiseworthy), al Mahi (the eraser of evil), al Hashr (the first to be resurrected), and al Aqib (that there will be no prophet after him).

These two hadiths contradict each other. While one says Muhammed (pbuh) will be the first to be resurrected, the other says Muhammed (pbuh) will be the first to regain consciousness, only to see Moses (as) already leaning on the throne of God. There are other hadiths scattered around Bukhari that say the same thing; that Moses will be conscious before Muhammed (pbuh). This creates an internal contradiction within Sahih Bukhari.

2. Bizarre Hadiths

Volume 4, Book 53, Number 324:

Narrated Ali:

I got a she-camel in my share of the war booty on the day (of the battle) of Badr, and the Prophet had given me a she-camel from the Khumus. When I intended to marry Fatima, the daughter of Allah's Apostle, I had an appointment with a goldsmith from the tribe of Bani Qainuqa' to go with me to bring Idhkhir (i.e. grass of pleasant smell) and sell it to the goldsmiths and spend its price on my wedding party. I was collecting for my she-camels equipment of saddles, sacks and ropes while my two she-camels were kneeling down beside the room of an Ansari man. I returned after collecting whatever I collected, to see the humps of my two she-camels cut off and their flanks cut open and some portion of their livers was taken out. When I saw that state of my two she-camels, I could not help weeping. I asked, "Who has done this?" The people replied, "Hamza bin Abdul Muttalib who is staying with some Ansari drunks in this house." I went away till I reached the Prophet and Zaid bin Haritha was with him. The Prophet noticed on my face the effect of what I had suffered, so the Prophet asked. "What is wrong with you." I replied, "O Allah's Apostle! I have never seen such a day as today. Hamza attacked my two she-camels, cut off their humps, and ripped open their flanks, and he is sitting there in a house in the company of some drunks." The Prophet then asked for his covering sheet, put it on, and set out walking followed by me and Zaid bin Haritha till he came to the house where Hamza was. He asked permission to enter, and they allowed him, and they were drunk. Allah's Apostle started rebuking Hamza for what he had done, but Hamza was drunk and his eyes were red. Hamza looked at Allah's Apostle and then he raised his eyes, looking at his knees, then he raised up his eyes looking at his umbilicus, and again he raised up his eyes look in at his face. Hamza then said, "Aren't you but the slaves of my father?" Allah's Apostle realized that he was drunk, so Allah's Apostle retreated, and we went out with him.

There are a lot of hadiths in Bukhari, which make you wonder why they are there in the first place. This hadith tries to portray Hamza (ra), the uncle and protector of the Prophet (pbuh), as a violent drunkard. Hamza (ra) was, of course, named the “Master of Martyrs” by the Prophet, and this hadith is not so befitting of this title. Even if this hadith were somehow authentic, why would it be in the Sunnah today, and what applicability does it have to my day-to-day life as a Muslim? What purpose does the hadith serve other than tarnishing the image of Hamza (ra) and Muslims?

Volume 4, Book 53, Number 334:

Narrated 'Abdullah bin 'Umar:

Once I went upstairs in Hafsa's house and saw the Prophet answering the call of nature with his back towards the Qibla and facing Sham.

Again, this is irrelevant to Islam. I don’t know what the narrators hopes to achieve by talking about the direction in which the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) answered the call of nature once in his life.

Anyways. I don’t want to make this blog too long, and I don’t think anyone will ever be able to fit all of the inconsistencies, contradictions, or downright bizarre hadiths in one blog. If Muslims want a Sahih book, they must critically study Bukhari as well as other books, erase what is not applicable to Muslims, and go from there. Sahih Bukhari is a good start, but it should definitely not end at that.

Imam Ali (as) and Nahjul Balagha

Nahjul Balagha literally means the "Peak of Eloquence". It is a compilation of the sermons of the cousin and son in law of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh), Ali. Ali is revered by Sunni Muslims as the 4th Righteous Caliph and by Shi'i Muslims as the 1st Imam.

Nahjul Balagha holds a very different image of Imam Ali (as) than what I feel the Shi'ah offer. We see a very realistic Ali, and not a mythological eternal figure seen in Shi'i hadith books such as Bihar al Anwar and al Kafi. In NB, we are exposed to Imam Ali (as) as a wise and humble human being. I will outline some little-known facts of Imam Ali (as) using Nahjul Balagha in this post:

Imam Ali (as) did not hate the Companions of the Prophet.

As many Shi'i Muslims hate and curse the companions of the Prophet (pbuh), some even go as far to say that they were apostates, and that Satan himself gave allegience to them. What does Imam Ali (as) say about the companions?

Imam Ali (as) said: "I have seen the companions of the Prophet but I do not find anyone resembling them. They began the day with dust on the hair and face (in hardship of life) and passed the night in prostration and standing in prayers. Sometimes they put down their foreheads and sometimes their cheeks. With the recollection of their resurrection it seemed as though they stood on live coal. It seemed that in between their eyes there were signs like knees of goats, resulting from long prostrations. When Allah was mentioned their eyes flowed freely till their shirt collars were drenched. They trembled for fear of punishment and hope of reward as the tree trembles on the day of stormy wind." (Nahjul Balagha, Sermon 96)

Imam Ali (as) is a counsellor, not a politician.

Taken directly from the words of Ali, he says he is best as a counsellor, ie a spiritual guide (Imam) rather than a chief of a nation. It is true; although Imam Ali (as) was probably the most fit to lead the Muslims after the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) due to his wise character, the reality of the issue was that he was not the most liked person around. After the death of Fatima, people began losing respect for Imam Ali (as), so at the crucial time after the death of the Prophet (pbuh), it may have been in best interest that Ali would wait for Caliphate rather than receive it right away. Again, I am in no way saying the first 3 Caliphs were better than Ali, but rather that it is TOO BAD FOR US that many did not give Imam Ali the respect he deserved. But don't take it from me, take it from Ali ibn abi Talib in the following quote -

When people swore allegiance to Ali after Uthman's murder, Ali said:

"Leave me and seek some one else. We are facing a matter which has (several) faces and colours, which neither hearts can stand nor intelligence can accept. Clouds are hovering over the sky, and faces are not discernible. You should know that if I respond to you I would lead you as I know and would not care about whatever one may say or abuse. If you leave me then I am the same as you are. It is possible I would listen to and obey whomever you make in charge of your affairs. I am better for you as a counsellor than as chief." (Nahjul Balagha, Sermon 91)

"By Allah, I had no liking for the caliphate nor any interest in government, but you yourselves invited me to it and prepared me for it." (Nahjul Balagha, Sermon 204)

Imam Ali (as) loved and seeked unity, not hate:

Many people seek sectarianism and seperatism from other Muslims. We see Sunni Muslim sheikhs calling the Shi'ah heretics, and we see the Shi'ah cursing the wives and companions of the Prophet Muhammed (pbuh). Who has the truth?

Do we all have the truth? Yes and no. We have the same Qur'an, which is the purest form of tangible proof. But, with our extreme interpretations and opinions, many people of different sects curse personalities when it is totally not recommended to do so. I challenge the Sunni Muslims by saing, what is it about the Shi'ah that make them heretics? O Shi'ah, do you believe cursing the companions brings you closer to Allah and His Messenger?

On the contrary. God, the Qur'an, the Prophet, the Imams, the Companions, and the learned scholars of all sects all emphasized unity among Muslims. No extremist beliefs and no cursing, but rather pure unity, devotion to prayer, love, fasting, and abstinence from sin and temptation.

Imam Ali (as) said, concerning the unity between his followers and the Muslims of Syria: "The thing began in this way: We and the Syrians were facing each other while we had common faith in one Allah, in the same Prophet and on the same principles and canons of religion. So far as faith in Allah and the Holy Prophet was concerned we never wanted them (the Syrians) to believe in anything over and above or other than what they were believing in and they did not want us to change our faith. Both of us were united on these principles. The point of contention between us was the question of the murder of Uthman. It had created the split. They wanted to lay the murder at my door while I am actually innocent of it." (Nahjul Balagha, Letter 58)

What I Believe

Many people ask me about my personal beliefs, since I am neither here nor there. There are some things which I share in common with Sunni and Shi'ah sects of Islam, but I do not completely agree with either. There are also very extreme cases of beliefs in both sects which I try to politely condemn through use of the Qur'an.

We must realize that the difference between conventional Sunni Islam and conventional Shi'ah Islam is quite small. The biggest of our problems are mainly political issues; events that had taken place after the seal of Prophets, Muhammed (pbuh)

Beliefs I hold:

-The Qur'an is the main source. There are many Muslims today who are looking far more into Sahih Bukhari, al Kafi, Bihar al Anwar, the Bible, and other books, but are quick to forget that all hadith books and the Bible have had human intervention. They're not in their purest form, and never will be. The only book that will ever remain pure is God's direct words of the Qur'an, which is His final Message to humanity.

-I believe in the 12 Imams which the Shi'i Muslims revere. I see them as spiritual guides and successors to the Prophet (pbuh) and I get this belief from the Sunnah. In Sahih Muslim, Kitab al Imara section, it is noted that many prophets had "caliphs", or "successors" which carried the message of the prophet to his people. The Prophet Muhammed (pbuh) said he will have "12 successors from Quraysh", and it is also noted that there will be 1 Caliph around at all times.

This does not fit the traditional Sunni Muslim definition, because in Sunni Islam there have been dozens of Caliphs, and the Caliphate is not around today. Scholars have never agreed on 12 specific Caliphs, nor do they acknowledge any Caliphate today. The Prophet (pbuh) was indeed talking about 12 Imams, starting with Ali, son of Abu Talib (as) and ending with Muhammed al Mehdi, son of Hasan al Askari.

-I do not believe the 12 Imams had higher statuses than Prophets. The Imams did not receive divine orders, but rather acted on the ones delivered by Prophets. The Prophets, though, had either direct contact with God, or with His angels and viceroys. The idea that Imams are greater than Prophets emerges in Shi'i hadiths in Bihar al Anwar and al Kafi, and is recently trying to be backed up with a Qur'anic verse which says God "promoted" Abraham an Imam among men. What people are quick to forget is that the word "Imam" means "leader" - God made Abraham a leader, and a rolemodel among men. Imams and Prophets are essentially apples and oranges - the Prophets deliver the commandments, and Imams reiterate the message.

-I do not practice tawassul. I call on God exclusively in prayer and do not see a rational reason to call on any men (or women) who lay in their graves.

-I do not curse any companion of the Prophet, or any of his wives. I do speak critically on some of their actions, but judgment is for God in the afterlife and not for us today. I do not hate the first 3 Caliphs at all.

-I do not regard any book of hadith as perfect sources of the Sunnah. Sahih Bukhari and Sahih Muslim do gain a lot of my respect and attention, but I do not believe they are completely perfect. At the same time, I can find all of the hadiths I need in these two sources alone. I do not regard Bihar al Anwar or al Kafi to be authentic in any sense and will never use or consider any of their hadiths. The Qur'an is of course my primary source.

-I use the Bible when talking and debating with missionaries, because every Islamic belief can be found within the Bible.

-I believe that the best way to get to know Imam Ali (as) is by reading Nahjul Balagha. It is not a completely authentic source, but it paints a very clear, unity-loving picture of the 4th Caliph and 1st Imam which is somewhat threatening to the Shi'i Muslim image of Ali. Read it and you will see that Ali was in fact a very extraordinary human being, who did not curse the companions, who wanted unity for the Muslims, who also did not practice tawassul, never said he was infallible, never said he was one of fourteen lights existing since creation, helping all of the prophets and those who called upon him before his birth.

-I do not believe anyone was infallible. On the contrary, the Qur'an says that if God judged all men only based on their actions, every man, there wouldn't be a single one left on the back of the earth unpunished.

-I do not believe the Companions were somehow naturally more special or more obediant than men of other generations.

-I am a believer of unity, and I intend to sew the differences and build bridges between both sects. People will always have their differences, and not everyone is capable of being an inbetweener like myself, but we must love our Muslim brothers for God's sake. Keep your sects private and limited to you and your family, and go out and be Muslims in the public. Pray with brothers from fellow sects, learn about their beliefs, recite the Qur'an together, and rejoice in monotheism. This is the one and only way to succeed as an Ummah.