Tajik grand mufti Sayeedmukarram Abduqodirzoda will visit the Uzbek city of Samarkand on March 15 at the invitation of the Uzbek Government for participation in an international conference dedicated to known Islamic scholar Imam al-Bukhari, a source within the Shuroi Ulamo (Council of Ulema — an Islamic council that issues fatwas (religious rulings) and religious guidance to Islamic religious organizations).
The Tajik delegation members reportedly also include representatives of the Committee on Religious Affairs (CRA) under the Government of Tajikistan.
Clerics from Uzbekistan and Afghanistan will also participate in the international conference entitled “Features of Heritage of Imam al-Bukhari and Its Current Educational Impact,” the source added.
Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari (July 19, 810 – September 1, 870), commonly referred to as Imam al-Bukhari or Imam Bukhari, was a Persian Islamic scholar who was born in Bukhara (the capital of the Bukhara Region (viloyat) of what is now in Uzbekistan). He compiled the hadith collection known as Sahih al-Bukhari, regarded by Sunni Muslims as the most authentic (sahih) hadith collections. He also wrote other books such as Al-Adab al-Mufrad.
Today his tomb lies within the Imam al-Bukhari Complex, in Hartang Village, 25 kilometers from Samarkand. It was restored in 1998 after centuries of neglect and dilapidation. The mausoleum complex consists of Imam al-Bukhari's tomb, a mosque, a madrassah, library, and a small collection of Qurans. The modern ground level mausoleum tombstone of Imam Bukhari is only a cenotaph, the actual grave lies within a small burial crypt below the modern structure.
