Sahih al-Bukhari
صحيح البخاري
Authored by Imam al-Bukhari, this collection of hadith is considered one of the most authentic sources of Islamic teachings.
Sunnah Library
The hadith library
A library for reading and studying the hadiths of the Prophet ﷺ. Explore the major collections in Arabic and translation, browse their books and discover the scholars who compiled them.
The major hadith collections, in Arabic and translation.
The collections
11 collectionsSahih Muslim
صحيح مسلم
Compiled by Imam Muslim, this collection is considered one of the most authentic hadith compilations in Islam, second only to Sahih al-Bukhari.
Sunan an-Nasa'i
سنن النسائي
Compiled by Imam al-Nasa'i, this collection of hadith is highly respected for its authenticity and comprehensive coverage of various topics.
Sunan Abi Dawud
سنن أبي داود
Authored by Imam Abu Dawud, this collection contains a wide range of hadith and is considered one of the six canonical hadith collections in Sunni Islam.
Jami' at-Tirmidhi
جامع الترمذي
Compiled by Imam al-Tirmidhi, this collection includes hadith from various sources and is valued for its organization and commentary.
Musnad Ahmad
مسند أحمد
Compiled by Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, this collection contains thousands of hadith and is highly regarded for its authenticity and breadth of coverage.
Mishkat al-Masabih
مشكاة المصابيح
Authored by Imam al-Tabrizi, this collection presents a selection of hadith on topics including ethics, worship, and social conduct.
Al-Adab Al-Mufrad
الأدب المفرد
Authored by Imam al-Bukhari, this collection focuses on etiquette, manners, and social conduct, providing guidance for personal and communal life.
Ash-Shama'il Al-Muhammadiyah
الشمائل المحمدية
Compiled by Imam al-Tirmidhi, this work describes the physical and moral characteristics of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), providing insight into his exemplary personality.
Bulugh al-Maram
بلوغ المرام
Compiled by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, this collection focuses on Islamic jurisprudence and covers a wide range of topics including worship, transactions, and social issues.
As-Sunan al-Kubra li al-Bayhaqi
السُّنَن الْكُبْرَىٰ لِلْبَيْهَقِيّ
Library works
Classical work
al-Munqidh min al-Ḍalāl
المنقذ من الضلال
Al-Ghazālī’s Arabic text with a validated editorial translation and an eleven-part table of contents.
Read the work
Selected readings
Sahih al-Bukhari 1
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Al-Humaydi, Abdullah ibn al-Zubayr, narrated to us. He said: Sufyan narrated to us. He said: Yahya ibn Sa'id al-Ansari narrated to us. He said: Muhammad ibn Ibrahim al-Taymi informed me that he heard Alqama ibn Waqqas al-Laythi say: I heard Umar ibn al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) on the pulpit say: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: ‘Actions are only according to intentions, and each person will have only what he intended. So whoever's emigration is for some worldly gain he seeks, or for a woman he wishes to marry, his emigration is for that for which he emigrated.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The English witness renders the opening in terms of the reward of deeds. The Arabic says that actions are according to intentions; the translation keeps that wording and does not add ‘reward’ to the first clause.
Sahih al-Bukhari 647
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Musa bin Isma‘il narrated to us: ‘Abd al-Wahid narrated to us: al-A‘mash narrated to us: I heard Abu Salih say: I heard Abu Huraira say: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘A man’s prayer in congregation is multiplied twenty-five times over his prayer at home or in the marketplace. This is because when he performs ablution well and leaves for the mosque for no reason other than prayer, each step raises him by a degree and removes a sin. When he prays, the angels continue to invoke blessings upon him for as long as he remains in his prayer place, saying, “O Allah, bless him; O Allah, have mercy on him.” One of you remains in prayer as long as he waits for the prayer.’
Sahih al-Bukhari 13
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Musaddad narrated to us. He said: Yahya narrated to us, from Shu'ba, from Qatada, from Anas (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him). And from Husayn al-Mu'allim, who said: Qatada narrated to us, from Anas, from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), who said: ‘None of you truly believes until he loves for his brother what he loves for himself.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The Arabic includes two transmission routes, while the English witness presents only the second route. The Arabic does not specify ‘Muslim’ before ‘brother,’ so that qualifier is not added.
Sahih al-Bukhari 26
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Ahmad ibn Yunus and Musa ibn Ismail narrated to us. They said: Ibrahim ibn Sa'd narrated to us. He said: Ibn Shihab narrated to us, from Sa'id ibn al-Musayyab, from Abu Hurayra: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was asked, ‘Which deed is best?’ He replied: ‘Faith in Allah and His Messenger.’ It was asked: ‘Then what?’ He said: ‘Striving in the path of Allah.’ It was asked: ‘Then what?’ He said: ‘An accepted Hajj.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The English witness expands the final expression hajj mabrur into a definition involving intention, acceptance, and avoiding sin; those details are not stated in this Arabic passage.
Sahih al-Bukhari 50
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Musaddad narrated to us. He said: Ismail ibn Ibrahim narrated to us. He said: Abu Hayyan al-Taymi narrated to us, from Abu Zur'a, from Abu Hurayra, who said: One day the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) appeared before the people. Gabriel came to him and asked: ‘What is faith?’ He replied: ‘Faith is to believe in Allah, His angels, the meeting with Him, His messengers, and the resurrection.’ He asked: ‘What is Islam?’ He replied: ‘Islam is to worship Allah and not associate anything with Him, to establish the prayer, give the obligatory zakat, and fast Ramadan.’ He asked: ‘What is ihsan?’ He replied: ‘It is to worship Allah as though you see Him; if you do not see Him, then He sees you.’ He asked: ‘When is the Hour?’ He replied: ‘The one who is asked about it knows no more than the one who asks. I will tell you about its signs: when the slave woman gives birth to her master, and when the barefoot herders of dark camels vie with one another in raising buildings. Among five things, none knows them except Allah.’ Then the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) recited: ‘Indeed, with Allah is the knowledge of the Hour...’ Then Gabriel turned away, and the Prophet said: ‘Bring him back.’ But they saw nothing. He said: ‘This was Gabriel; he came to teach the people their religion.’ Abu Abdullah said: He included all of that as part of faith.
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The English witness supplies explanatory glosses for ihsan and for the building and five-unknowns phrases, and presents the portents as a numbered list. The Arabic block gives the expressions without those explanations.
إِذَا وَلَدَتِ الأَمَةُ رَبَّهَا
The Arabic literally says that the slave woman gives birth to her master; this passage does not explain whether the wording is literal or figurative, or what relationship is intended.
Should an explanatory note clarify this sign, or should the translation preserve the wording without interpretation?
Sahih al-Bukhari 52
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Abu Nu'aym narrated to us. He said: Zakariyya narrated to us, from Amir, who said: I heard al-Nu'man ibn Bashir say: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: ‘The lawful is clear and the unlawful is clear, and between them are ambiguous matters that many people do not know. Whoever avoids ambiguous matters safeguards his religion and his honor; and whoever falls into doubtful matters is like a shepherd grazing around a protected pasture, liable soon to enter it. Indeed, every king has a protected pasture, and Allah's protected pasture on earth is what He has forbidden. Indeed, in the body there is a morsel of flesh: if it is sound, the whole body is sound, and if it is corrupt, the whole body is corrupt. It is the heart.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The English witness renders the ambiguous matters as suspicious things and expands the protected-pasture analogy. The translation keeps the Arabic wording without adding an example of what counts as doubtful.
مُشَبَّهَاتٌ
The term refers to matters that are unclear or doubtful between the clearly lawful and clearly unlawful; this excerpt does not specify their cases.
Is ‘ambiguous matters’ the clearest English rendering here, or should ‘doubtful matters’ be used consistently?