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Translations of Sahih al-Bukhari

Matching the book numbering between Maulana Muhammad Ali’s Urdu translation and commentary Fadl-ul-Bari and the English translation of M. Muhsin Khan

by Zahid Aziz

I have created a comparative chart, given further below, to help in cross-locating hadith reports between the following two translations of Sahih al-Bukhari:

Sahih al-Bukhari is divided into books as the major division.

In the table below, the right hand column lists the books in the MK translation, from 1 to 93, and each book name is linked to a local file containing the source text of that book. For each book in the MK translation the left hand column shows the corresponding book or books or part of a book in FB.

In the nine instances below where a book in FB begins some way within a book in MK (for example, book 20 of FB begins someway within book 21 of MK), the number of the FB book is linked to the point within the M.K. book where it begins.

Matching Book in Fadl-ul-Bari:	Book number in the Muhsin Khan translation:
1	1. Revelation
2	2. Belief
3	3. Knowledge
4	4. Ablutions (Wudu')
5	5. Bathing (Ghusl)
6	6. Menstrual Periods
7	7. Rubbing hands and feet with dust (Tayammum)
8 (to ch. 89)	8. Prayers (Salat)
8 (from ch. 90)	9. Virtues of the Prayer Hall (Sutra of the Musalla)
9	10. Times of the Prayers
10 (to ch. 81)	11. Call to Prayers (Adhaan)
10 (from ch. 82)	12. Characteristics of Prayer
11	13. Friday Prayer
12	14. Fear Prayer
13	15. The Two Festivals (Eids)
14	16. Witr Prayer
15	17. Invoking Allah for Rain (Istisqaa)
16	18. Eclipses
17	19. Prostration During Recital of Qur'an
18	20. Shortening the Prayers (At-Taqseer)
19–20	21. Prayer at Night (Tahajjud)
21–22	22. Actions while Praying
23	23. Funerals (Al-Janaa'iz)
24 (to ch. 69)	24. Obligatory Charity Tax (Zakat)
24 (from ch. 70)	25. Obligatory Charity Tax After Ramadaan (Zakat ul Fitr)
25	26. Pilgrimmage (Hajj)
26	27. Minor Pilgrammage (Umra)
27	28. Pilgrims Prevented from Completing the Pilgrimmage
28	29. Penalty of Hunting while on Pilgrimmage
29	30. Virtues of Madinah
30	31. Fasting
31–32	32. Praying at Night in Ramadaan (Taraweeh)
33	33. Retiring to a Mosque for Remembrance of Allah (I'tikaf)
34	34. Sales and Trade
35–36	35. Sales in which a Price is paid for Goods to be Delivered Later (As-Salam)
37	36. Hiring
38–39	37. Transferance of a Debt from One Person to Another (Al-Hawaala)
40	38. Representation, Authorization, Business by Proxy
41	39. Agriculture
42	40. Distribution of Water
43–44	41. Loans, Payment of Loans, Freezing of Property, Bankruptcy
45	42. Lost Things Picked up by Someone (Luqaata)
46	43. Oppressions
47	44. Partnership
48	45. Mortgaging
49–50	46. Manumission of Slaves
51	47. Gifts
52	48. Witnesses
53	49. Peacemaking
54	50. Conditions
55	51. Wills and Testaments (Wasaayaa)
56	52. Fighting for the Cause of Allah (Jihaad)
57–58	53. One-fifth of Booty to the Cause of Allah (Khumus)
59	54. Beginning of Creation
60 (to ch. 49)	55. Prophets
60 (from ch. 50)–61	56. Virtues and Merits of the Prophet (pbuh) and his Companions
62	57. Companions of the Prophet
63	58. Merits of the Helpers in Madinah (Ansaar)
64	59. Military Expeditions led by the Prophet (pbuh) (Al-Maghaazi)
65	60. Prophetic Commentary on the Qur'an (Tafseer of the Prophet (pbuh))
66	61. Virtues of the Qur'an
67	62. Wedlock, Marriage (Nikaah)
68	63. Divorce
69	64. Supporting the Family
70	65. Food, Meals
71	66. Sacrifice on Occasion of Birth (`Aqiqa)
72	67. Hunting, Slaughtering
73	68. Al-Adha Festival Sacrifice (Adaahi)
74	69. Drinks
75	70. Patients
76	71. Medicine
77	72. Dress
78	73. Good Manners and Form (Al-Adab)
79	74. Asking Permission
80	75. Invocations
81	76. To make the Heart Tender (Ar-Riqaq)
82	77. Divine Will (Al-Qadar)
83	78. Oaths and Vows
84	79. Expiation for Unfulfilled Oaths
85	80. Laws of Inheritance (Al-Faraa'id)
86	81. Limits and Punishments set by Allah (Hudood)
87	82. Punishment of Disbelievers at War with Allah and His Apostle
88	83. Blood Money (Ad-Diyat)
89	84. Dealing with Apostates
90	85. Saying Something under Compulsion (Ikraah)
91	86. Tricks
92	87. Interpretation of Dreams
93	88. Afflictions and the End of the World
94	89. Judgments (Ahkaam)
95	90. Wishes
96	91. Accepting Information Given by a Truthful Person
97	92. Holding Fast to the Qur'an and Sunnah
98	93. Tawheed

Guidance notes:

As can be seen, Books 1 to 7 in the M.K. translation correspond to the same Book numbers in Fadl-ul-Bari. After that differences arise for the following reasons:

• There are 3 cases where two books in the M.K. translation are counted as one complete book in Fadl-ul-Bari. For example, Books 8 and 9 of M.K. correspond to Book 8 of Fadl-ul-Bari.
• There are 8 cases where one book in the M.K. translation is counted as two complete books in Fadl-ul-Bari. For example, Book 21 of M.K. corresponds to Books 19 and 20 of Fadl-ul-Bari.
• Book 56 of M.K. begins within Book 60 of Fadl-ul-Bari at its Chapter 50 and runs to the end of Book 61 of Fadl-ul-Bari.

Important note: The M.K. English translation online consists of the hadith reports only, while the Fadl-ul-Bari Urdu translation also gives the chapter (bab) titles and headings under which hadith reports are further grouped in Sahih al-Bukhari within each book. This means that: