ISTANBUL
About 1,500 participants completed a 13-day program in Istanbul studying Sahih al-Bukhari, a key collection of the sayings and deeds of Prophet Muhammad, also known as the Sunnah, and received certificates Monday.
Throughout the program, religious scholars and academics from Türkiye and across the world shared their insights on the preservation of the Sunnah, the continuity of hadith scholarship, and the importance of passing this knowledge on to future generations.
Speakers highlighted that Sahih al-Bukhari, regarded as the most authentic collection of hadith after the Qur’an, holds a central place in Islamic tradition. They also emphasized that practicing the hadiths is just as vital as reading them.
Prominent scholars from across Muslim world attend
Among the notable guests were Syrian Grand Mufti Sheikh Osama al-Rifai, Muhammad Tahir Nur Wali from Saudi Arabia, Yahya al-Ghawsani and Ayman Shabani of the Islamic Institute of Al-Fath in Syria, Somali scholar Mahmoud Abdulbari, and Muhammad Emin KılıC, director of the Haseki Center for Advanced Religious Studies under Türkiye’s Presidency of Religious Affairs (Diyanet).
The program concluded with the reading of the final page of Sahih al-Bukhari by renowned Syrian scholar Muhammad Mujir al-Khatib, followed by the distribution of certificates to participants.
The certification committee included hadith scholars such as Latifurrahman al-Bahraichi from India, Muhammad Idris al-Sindi from Pakistan, Muhammad Naim Araksusi from Syria, Dursun Ali Yilmaz from Türkiye, Muhammad al-Amin Bouselce from Algeria, and Jasim Muhammad Aziz Kirkuki from Iraq.
The secretary general of the International Union of Muslim Scholars thanked the Ismailaga Foundation for organizing the event and offered prayers for Gaza: “O Allah, support them with Your help and grant them triumph.”
Syrian Minister of Religious Endowments (Awqaf) Muhammad Abu al-Khayr Shukri concluded by urging young people not only to read hadiths but also to memorize and deeply understand them.
About Sahih al-Bukhari
Compiled by Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari—one of the foremost hadith scholars in Islamic history who died in 870 CE—Sahih al-Bukhari is widely regarded as the most authentic Islamic book after the Qur’an.
Bukhari meticulously collected hadiths—statements, actions, and approvals of the Prophet Muhammad—only through reliable transmission chains, establishing the work as a cornerstone of Islamic scholarship. It is distinguished by its authenticity and scholarly rigor and is considered by many scholars as the most authoritative hadith collection in existence.
