Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari al-Jafi' (d.870 AD), Sahih al-Bukhari, 29 volumes, copied by Mehmed Rasikh al-Bursawi, Medina, Ottoman, dated 1257-60 AH/1841-44 AD

It is rare for manuscripts of al-Bukhari’s vast text of Sahih al-Bukhari to survive as a complete set. This impressive commission comprises 29 volumes each displaying a carefully calligraphed naskh and fine illumination fit for its prestigious patron, Sherif Pasha, Sheikh of the Prophet’s Mosque in Medina.

Born in Bukhara in 810 AD, Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari wrote his Al Jami' al Sahih (now prominently known as the Sahih al-Bukhari) as a compilation of 7,397 traditions selected from the 600,000 hadith that were extant in his time (Gibb et al (eds.) 1986, p.1296). The extensive nature of the text meant that the text was often split across vast volumes, with the present example intended as a set of 30. The text held canonical importance and surviving examples of individual volumes indicate its popularity with copies spanning from the twelfth century (British Library, inv. no.OR 7755), to fourteenth century Spain and North Africa (see two volumes sold in these rooms, 6 April 2011, lot 204 and 19 October 2016, lot 158) to the Ottomans, as shown by the present set.

In the introduction to the first volume, the scribe refers to Sharaf al-Din Abu’l-Husayn ‘Ali al-Yunini, a thirteenth century scholar known primarily for transmitting the Sahih al-Bukhari. He meticulously checked and cross-referenced reliable copies in order to produce a critical edition of the text. Although the original work by al-Yunini no longer survives but was the text was maintained through the transcription of the work through his multiple students.

The colophon of each volume of the present group gives information relating to the commissioning of this set. Twenty-two volumes record the scribe, Mehmed Rasikh al-Bursawi, twenty volumes record the date of completion, and fourteen volumes state that the manuscript was copied in Medina. The dates provided in the colophons vary between 1258 and 1260 AH, however, the first five volumes are undated and the colophon of the final manuscript states that it was first commissioned in 1257 AH. It is unsurprising that a project of this scale would take around three years to complete. The scribe of the set is Mehmed al-Rasikh al-Bursawi and volume twenty-four records that he was a student of al-Hajj Muhammad Tahir Efendi al-Bursawi. A Qur’an by the same scribe was sold in these rooms, 25 April 2018, lot 58.

The colophon of the final manuscript is significant and provides more extensive detail than the other volumes, importantly stating that the manuscript was commissioned by Sheikh al-Haram Al-Nabawi Sherif Pasha, Sheikh of the Prophet’s Mosque, Medina. Sherif Pasha became Sheikh of the Prophet’s Mosque in 1840-41 and was promoted to this position by agreement of Muhammad Ali Pasha and Sultan ‘Abdulmejid I (r.1839-61) after he had served as Director of the Prophet’s Mosque. Following the death of Osman Pasha in 1861, our patron was appointed as governor to the city of Jeddah and Sheikh of the Grand Mosque, Mecca, with Haseeb Pasha succeeding him in 1847-48. Sherif Pasha’s rise from Director of the Prophet’s Mosque to a governor of the Hijaz shows that he was a valued and esteemed member of the Ottoman court (‘Abd al-Ghani 1417 AH, p.414).

This manuscript was commissioned in the year following his promotion to Sheikh of the Prophet’s Mosque, and the high quality of the script and the illumination suggest it was a prized commission that could have marked Sherif Pasha’s ascension. The opening folios of the first volume of the set provides a list of twenty-nine names. It is likely that these names correspond to the names of high ranking and wealthy patrons each commissioning and financing a volume to contribute to the set. Notably, the twenty-fifth name is lacking, as is the twenty-fifth volume in this set. It appears likely, therefore, that this volume was never financed or not completed at the time of the commission.

Further to the information provided in the colophon, each volume begins with a note stating that the volumes were endowed by the headmaster of the Hamidiyah School in Medina by Hajj Husayn al-Jourmi to Mustafa Tawfiq Efendi, a teacher in the same school. This was endorsed by Muhammad Amin ibn Sa’id, whose seal is beneath the inscription.