What was the real name of Imam Bukhari (R.A)?

The real name of the great Hadith scholar Imam Bukhari (R.A) was Muhammad bin Ismaeel. Born in 194 AH in Bukhara (present-day Uzbekistan), he grew up in a family known for its piety and commitment to Islamic scholarship. His father, Ismaeel, was himself a respected scholar, and this environment played a major role in shaping young Muhammad’s interest in learning. After his father passed away early in his life, Imam Bukhari’s mother dedicated herself to raising him and nurturing his intellectual abilities.

Imam Bukhari displayed remarkable intelligence from a young age. By the age of ten, he had already begun correcting teachers on Hadith chains. As a teenager, he traveled to major centers of learning—Makkah, Madinah, Kufa, Basra, Egypt, and Damascus—to collect authentic narrations and study under renowned scholars. His dedication and precision were unmatched, making him one of the most trusted authorities in Hadith sciences.

His most famous work, Sahih al-Bukhari, is considered the most authentic book after the Quran in Sunni Islam. Imam Bukhari followed extremely strict criteria for accepting Hadith, ensuring that every narration had a reliable chain of narrators and a sound text. His contribution preserved the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) with a level of accuracy that remains unparalleled.