A rare Bulaq press edition of the most comprehensive and authentic collections of Hadith in Sunni Islam.

Imam al-Bukhari was a Persian Islamic scholar from Bukhara, present day Uzbekistan. born in 194 AH (810 AD). He expressed an interest in hadith from a young age and was taught by Imam Malik ibn Anas, among other notable scholars, in his early years before travelling to Mecca for Hajj and pursuing a further education there before exploring the wider Islamic world. Hadith are collections of reports of the actions, words and historical encounters of the Prophet Muhammad, and Imam al-Bukhari travelled the wide Islamic world to collect these accounts and reference them against existing textual material to compile his own informed understanding of hadith, which has become widely accepted by the Sunni community to be the most authentic and comprehensive collections of hadith to date.

4 volumes, printed in Arabic, complete, large 8vo (c. 260 x 165 mm; 10¼ x 6½ inches); printed in type-set single column, ornamental devices opening each volume, internally very clean and crisp condition; modern red morocco, covers ruled and framed in gilt, spine gilt in compartments with titles lettered in gold, a fine set.