The Most Widely Cited Work in Islamic History After The Quran: The Hadith Collection of al-Bukhari

After the Quran, the most widely cited text in Islamic history is the Sahih al-Bukhari: the compendium of authentic hadith—reports of the Prophet Muhammad’s words and deeds—collected by Muhammad al-Bukhari (d.870). Despite the colossal impact of this work, al-Bukhari’s biography has long remained obscure. Yet by reconstructing his life and thought we can understand both how and why he devised his method for evaluating which hadith were reliable, and which were to be rejected. And by examining his legal and theological writings, we learn how the canonical status of hadith took shape amid debates about the role and limits of reason as a reliable means of guidance in life. So in this episode we place al-Bukhari into his context of debates between the Ahl al-Ra’y (People of Opinion) and Ahl al-Hadith (People of Hadith). And we highlight the enduring importance of his interventions in the timeless debate over revelation and reason. Nile Green talks to Belal Abu-Alabbas, author of Al-Bukhari: The Life, Theology and Legal Thought of Islam’s Foremost Traditionist (Edinburgh University Press, 2026).