ABU ‘ABDULLAH MUHAMMAD IBN ISMA’IL IBN IBRAHIM AL-BUKHARI (D.870 AD), AL-JAMI’ AL-SAHIH (A CANONICAL COLLECTION OF TRADITIONS), VOL.XXXVI, COPIED BY MUHAMMAD IBN AHMAD IBN MOHAMMED IBN DAWUD AL-GHASHANI (?), ALMERIA, SPAIN, DATED 532 AH/1138 AD |

Arabic manuscript on vellum, 20 leaves, 26 lines to the page, written in small Maghribi script in black ink, titles and catchwords in bolder text, one folio loose, in later red Ottoman binding

In generally good condition, one folio loose, the margins are clean with only minor notes, small losses and holes affecting in particular the last folio, various stains, as viewed.
"In response to your inquiry, we are pleased to provide you with a general report of the condition of the property described above. Since we are not professional conservators or restorers, we urge you to consult with a restorer or conservator of your choice who will be better able to provide a detailed, professional report. Prospective buyers should inspect each lot to satisfy themselves as to condition and must understand that any statement made by Sotheby's is merely a subjective, qualified opinion. Prospective buyers should also refer to any Important Notices regarding this sale, which are printed in the Sale Catalogue.
NOTWITHSTANDING THIS REPORT OR ANY DISCUSSIONS CONCERNING A LOT, ALL LOTS ARE OFFERED AND SOLD AS IS" IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CONDITIONS OF BUSINESS PRINTED IN THE SALE CATALOGUE."

Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari was born in Bukhara in 810 AD and this text, Al-Jami' al-Sahih (now prominently known as the Sahih al-Bukhari), is probably his most famous text, it is a compilation of 7,397 traditions selected from the 600,000 hadith that were extant in his time. The earliest copy of al-Bukhari’s al-Jami’ al-Sahih is dated 581 AH/1185 AD, now in the British Library (OR 7755) (Baker 2001, pp.30-31).  Many copies of this work were produced in North Africa and Spain between twelfth and fourteenth centuries, but very few bear a date, location and scribe's name. The colophon of this volume mentions the city of Almeria, in Andalusia and the date 6 Sha’ban 532 (4 April 1138 AD). The first half of twelfth century was a tormented period for the region, with several expeditions by Alfonso VII of Castile in the south to fight the Almoravids, who were defeated in 1145 AD (Mongomery Watt and Cachia, A History of Islamic Spain, Edinburgh, 1996, p.100).

A lavishly illuminated copy of the Sahih was sold in these rooms, 19 October 2016, lot 158. Volumes from a copy similar to the present and dated 632 AH/1235 AD were offered at Christie’s, 13 March 1998, lot 51 and 19 April 1999, lot 318; other contemporaneous examples were sold at Christie’s, 16 October 2001, lot 29 and 26 April 1994, lot 60. See also C. Brockelmann, GAL, I. 157, S. I. 260. To the best of our knowledge this may be the earliest recorded copy of the Al-Jami' al-Sahih.