Mukhtasar Sahih al-Imam al-Bukhari
- Author died
- 1420 AH
- Editions
- مكتَبة المَعارف للنَّشْر والتوزيع
Mukhtasar Sahih al-Imam al-Bukhari (Abridgment of Sahih al-Imam al-Bukhari) is an abridged edition of al-Bukhari's canonical hadith collection compiled by the hadith scholar Nasir al-Din al-Albani (d. 1420 AH / 1999 CE) . The work retains the prophetic traditions and non-prophetic reports while removing chains of transmission and redundant narrations, integrating unique textual additions from omitted variants directly into the primary texts .
Background and Composition
The work formed part of al-Albani's broader initiative entitled Taqrib al-Sunnah bayna Yaday al-Ummah ("Bringing the Sunnah Closer to the Nation"), aimed at removing chains of transmission and distinguishing sound narrations from weak ones . Because Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim were widely received with acceptance by scholars, al-Albani noted that their abridgment required only the removal of isnads and repetitions rather than evaluating their primary chains .
Al-Albani had initially edited Abd al-Azim al-Mundhiri's abridgment of Sahih Muslim, but after discovering that al-Mundhiri had omitted certain complete texts, he desired to produce his own abridgment . In 1389 AH (1969 CE), while imprisoned in Damascus (first in the Citadel Prison and later exiled to al-Jazira), he completed an abridgment of Sahih Muslim over a period of roughly three months using a pencil, an eraser, and his personal copy of the book . Subsequent restrictions placed on his public lessons and travels across Syrian cities provided him further time to dedicate to research projects . Upon reviewing his manuscript of Sahih Muslim, associates proposed that he should first produce and publish an abridgment of Sahih al-Bukhari . Al-Albani undertook the abridgment of Sahih al-Bukhari in intervals over several months .
Methodology and Structure
Al-Albani adopted a systematic method for condensing the original work:
- Chains of transmission (asanid): All chains were deleted, retaining only the name of the Companion narrating directly from the Prophet ﷺ, unless lower narrators were essential to the context of an incident .
- Textual variants (ziyadat): Where a hadith appeared in multiple chapters and wordings, the most comprehensive narration was chosen as the base text, while additional unique wordings from omitted versions were embedded into the base narration within square brackets
[]. - Suspended and non-prophetic reports (mu'allaqat and athar): Both connected (mawsul) and suspended (mu'allaq) prophetic narrations, as well as reports attributed to Companions and successors (mawquf), were retained . For suspended marfu' traditions, al-Albani provided brief source references (takhrij) and authenticity gradings in the footnotes, whereas for mawquf reports, he generally limited his notes to referencing sources .
- Numbering and chapter headings: Three distinct sequential numbering schemes were assigned to connected prophetic hadiths, suspended prophetic hadiths, and non-prophetic reports . The original book (kitab) and chapter (bab) headings were preserved and numbered to maintain compatibility with standard indices of the Six Books; empty headings without descriptive titles were omitted only if no hadiths remained beneath them after abridgment .
- Annotations: Footnotes were included to explain obscure terms (gharib), clarify difficult phrasing, and provide analytical observations .
In the first volume, the text covers 33 books, encompassing 962 connected prophetic hadiths, 318 suspended prophetic hadiths, and 408 non-prophetic reports .
Publication History
Printing of the first volume began in 1394 AH under the direction of Zuhayr al-Shawish, utilizing specialized typefaces to distinguish between connected narrations, suspended reports, and editorial commentary . It was published in Beirut in Rajab 1399 AH (1979 CE), though the production suffered disruptions that led to the loss of several signatures, requiring photocopied replacements . Subsequent unauthorized reprints appeared containing blank pages and errors .
The second volume was delayed by al-Albani's relocation from Damascus to Amman and the delayed transfer of his library and manuscripts; its introduction was completed in Amman on 11 Shawwal 1410 AH and published through Dar Ibn al-Qayyim . The third volume's preface was signed in Amman on 7 Muharram 1416 AH . The fourth and final volume was published posthumously, accompanied by a preface prepared by his daughter based on notes collected during proofreading . A corrected, authorized edition was issued by Maktabat al-Ma'arif in Riyadh in 1422 AH / 2002 CE .
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