Birr al-Walidayn: Being Dutiful to Parents

Imam Mu·∏•ammad Ibn IsmƒÅ øƒ´l al-BukhƒÅrƒ´ Birr al-WƒÅlidayn is a short treatise on the subject of being dutiful to parents which was published recently for the first time. This treatise is significant because Imam BukhƒÅrƒ´ appears to be the first person to pen a treatise specifically on this subject. It comprises 75 hadiths which are transmitted under various chapter headings focusing on two broad themes: being dutiful to parents and maintaining family ties. This English translation is accompanied by succinct and insightful commentary from Mufti Yusuf Shabbir, in addition to appendices featuring the narrations transmitted by Imam BukhƒÅrƒ´ on the same topic in his ·π¢a·∏•ƒ´·∏• and Al-Adab al-Mufrad, chains of transmission and biographies of the narrators. ‚ÄòWhen our respected teacher Mu·∏•addith al- øA·π£r Shaykh Mu·∏•ammad Y≈´nus Jownp≈´rƒ´ received a copy of Birr al-WƒÅlidayn, he began to kiss it out of happiness and joy.' Mufti Shabbir Ahmad, UK Imam BukhƒÅrƒ´ (d. 256/870) is one of the most distinguished scholars in Islamic history. His ·π¢a·∏•ƒ´·∏• is the most authentic book after the Qur æan and has an unprecedented level of acceptance. His credentials have been attested to by his teachers, contemporaries, students and scholars of later generations. Such is his status that the Hadith Master of his Era (Mu·∏•addith al- øA·π£r) Shaykh Mu·∏•ammad Y≈´nus Jownp≈´rƒ´ (d. 1438/2017) suggests that Imam BukhƒÅrƒ´ is a miracle of Prophet Mu·∏•ammad Ô∑∫, a unique miracle that manifested itself two centuries after the Prophet's passing Ô∑∫. Along with his ·π¢a·∏•ƒ´·∏•, Imam BukhƒÅrƒ´ authored more than twenty books, many of which are published.