Sahih al-Bukhari's 'Kitab an-Nikah': A Topic-Based Introduction to the Hadith on Marriage

Imam al-Bukhari's (may Allah have mercy on him) Al-Jami' as-Sahih, known to the Muslim Ummah as the most authentic book after the Qur'an. The book's chapter on marriage, Kitab an-Nikah, compiles the evidence of the Sunnah on almost every aspect of marriage.

Sahih al-Bukhari — Kitab an-Nikah

Note: A topic-based introduction in our own words; for the details and explanation of the hadith, see the original book and commentaries.

Features of Kitab an-Nikah

• The chapter is divided into many small "babs" (sections).
• Imam al-Bukhari's (may Allah have mercy on him) chapter headings often carry a fiqh conclusion or hint.
• The same hadith is quoted in different babs in different contexts.

A topic-based reading map

You can look for these topics according to your need:

Topic	What you will find	Related article
Encouragement to marry	The instruction to the young about marriage and fasting (5066); the warning about not turning away from the Sunnah (5063)	Before marriage: a checklist
Choosing a bride	Priority to the religious (5090)	Choosing a bride
Proposal	The prohibition of proposing over another's proposal (5142)	Proposals and meeting
Consent	The permission of a widow and a virgin (5136); the incident of Khansa (may Allah be pleased with her) (5138)	Marriage against a girl's will
Mahr	An iron ring / teaching the Qur'an as mahr (5135)	Mahr
Conditions	The importance of fulfilling marriage conditions (2721 — in the chapter on conditions)	Nikahnama
Walimah	A walimah even with a single sheep (5167)	Walimah and simple marriage
Conduct with wives	The advice to treat women well (5186)	Rights of husband and wife
Jealousy	The incident of jealousy in the Prophet's household (5225)	Co-wife jealousy
Dividing time	Sawda (may Allah be pleased with her) giving up her turn (5212)	Justice
Fitnah	The warning about fitnah from women for men (5096)	Guarding the gaze

(Hadith numbers follow the usual Fath al-Bari-based counting; there may be a slight difference between publications.)

How to read it

1. Read the headings: understanding each bab's heading makes it easier to grasp Imam al-Bukhari's fiqh intention.
2. See the commentaries: Ibn Hajar's Fath al-Bari and al-Ayni's Umdat al-Qari give the chain, word meanings and fiqh discussion of a hadith.
3. Check against fiqh: instead of deriving a ruling directly from a hadith, take the help of the reliable fiqh book of your madhhab and a mufti (Al-Hidaya and Radd al-Muhtar).
4. Understand the context: when applying the Prophet's family events in today's social-legal context, discuss with a scholar.

The reader's benefit

• In one book the Sunnah evidence for almost all aspects of marriage is found.
• It builds a reliable picture of the Prophet's family life.
• It teaches the best model of family conduct.

Imam al-Bukhari and his Sahih

Imam Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) (194–256 AH) is one of the greatest imams of the science of hadith. He imposed strict conditions for compiling his Al-Jami' as-Sahih and spent a long time on it. The book is not only a collection of hadith; his fiqh insight is found in the chapter headings (tarajim).

The method of reading "Kitab an-Nikah"

1. Read bab by bab: read each bab's heading and think — what did the Imam mean to convey here?
2. Understand the context of the hadith: which Companion, in which event the hadith came.
3. Check parallel narrations: when the same event appears in different babs or books in different words, understand by putting them all together.
4. Read the commentary: Fath al-Bari and Umdat al-Qari give fiqh explanation.

Connecting topics: from al-Bukhari to contemporary decisions

• Second marriage and justice: narrations on turns, the draw on journeys, the incident of jealousy and good conduct (Justice, Handling jealousy).
• Family conduct: helping the family and good conduct (Rights of husband and wife).
• Consent and guardianship: a woman's permission and the wali's role (The wali, Marriage against a girl's will).
• Mahr and simple marriage: (Mahr, Walimah).

The risk of deriving a fatwa directly from a hadith

It is hard to derive a ruling directly from the words of a hadith, because context, abrogation (naskh), specificity (khususiyyah) and the jurists' explanations must be taken into account. That is why the jurists of the madhhabs understood hadith within a fiqh framework. The safe path for the ordinary reader: take inspiration from reading the hadith and go to a mufti for the decision (Al-Hidaya and Radd al-Muhtar).

Supplementary reading

Reading the relevant part of Riyad as-Salihin and Zad al-Ma'ad along with al-Bukhari's marriage chapter makes the practical form of the Sunnah clearer (Zad al-Ma'ad).

Read also: Zad al-Ma'ad, Fiqh as-Sunnah, Ihya Ulum ad-Din. If you have questions, contact us.