Explanatory Analysis of Gharib al-Qur'an in the Chapter Headings of Sahih al- Bukhari: A Comparative Study with Classical Literature of Gharib

تراجمِ ابوابِ صحیح بخاری میں غریب القرآن کی لغوی و تفسیری توضیح: کلاسک کتبِ غریب سے تقابلی مطالعہ

Abstract

This study provides a critical and comparative examination of the linguistic and exegetical explanations of Gharib al-Qur'an (uncommon or obscure Qur'anic vocabulary) embedded within the chapter headings (Tarajim al-Abwab) of Sahih al-Bukhari by Imam Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Bukhari (d. 256 AH). While Sahih al-Bukhari is predominantly celebrated for its juristic deductions (Fiqh al-Bukhari fi Tarajimihi) and Hadith methodology, its profound contributions to Qur'anic lexicography and early hermeneutics remain insufficiently contextualized within the broader tradition of Gharib literature. This research investigates how Imam al-Bukhari employed pre-classical and early classical linguistic resources—most notably Abu 'Ubaydah's Majaz al-Qur'an—and how his lexical choices compare with foundational Gharib works, including Ibn Qutaybah's Tafsir Gharib al-Qur'an, Abu Bakr al-Sijistani's Nuzhat al-Qulub, and al-Raghib al-Isfahani's al-Mufradat fi Gharib al-Qur'an. Utilizing a qualitative comparative-analytical and source-critical methodology, the study demonstrates that al-Bukhari did not merely transmit earlier philological opinions but exercised rigorous Hadith-oriented critical selection (naqd muhaddithani) and contextual preference (tarjih). The findings reveal that al-Bukhari's integration of classical Arabic poetry (shawahid shi'riyyah), early dialects, and contextual Hadith traditions offered a balanced hermeneutical bridge between strict philology and prophetic tradition. Ultimately, this research underscores the scholar-traditionist's role as a pioneering Qur'anic lexicographer whose methodological synthesis influenced subsequent classical commentators such as Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani and al-'Ayni, providing enduring insights for contemporary Qur'anic studies and lexicographical methodology.