al-Bukhārī, Muḥammad b. Ismāʿīl

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al-Bukhārī, Muḥammad b. Ismāʿīl (810–70 (AH 194–256)). Compiler of one of the main collections of ḥadīth, known as Ṣaḥīḥ (‘sound’, ‘genuine’). He travelled extensively in search of ḥadīth, which he subjected to careful scrutiny—much needed, since spurious ḥadīth were circulating. The Ṣaḥīḥ contains over 7,000 narratives, though because some are repeated, the total is under 3,000. Together with the Ṣaḥīḥ of Muslim (d. 875 (AH 261)), al-Bukhārī's collection is accepted as the main definitive compilation of reliable ḥadīth, and as such, comes second only to the Qurʾān as a source of principles for legislation and religious practice.