Ibn ʿAdī said: I heard ʿAbd al-Quddūs ibn ʿAbd al-Jabbār al-Samarqandī relate that Muḥammad came to visit his relatives at Khartank. One night, after completing his regular devotional recitation, I heard him supplicate: “O Allah, the earth, despite all its breadth, has become constricted for me; so take me back to You.” Less than a month passed before he died.

We have already mentioned that when he composed the Ṣaḥīḥ, he would pray two rakʿahs at every chapter heading.

Al-Khaṭīb transmitted with his chain from al-Farabrī, who said: “I saw the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—in a dream. He asked me, ‘Where are you heading?’ I replied, ‘To Muḥammad ibn Ismāʿīl al-Bukhārī.’ He said, ‘Convey my greetings of peace to him.’ (1)”

Muḥammad ibn Abī Ḥātim said: “While we were in Farabr one day, we mounted up to practice archery and took the road that leads to al-Furḍah (2). We began to shoot, and Abū ʿAbd Allāh’s arrow struck the stake of the footbridge over the Warrādah River, splitting the stake. When Abū ʿAbd Allāh saw this, he dismounted, pulled the arrow from the stake, and stopped shooting. He said to us, ‘Let us go back.’

“We returned with him to the house, and he said to me, ‘Abū Jaʿfar, I have a request—will you carry it out?’ I answered, ‘Your wish is my command.’ He said, ‘It is an important matter,’ and he was sighing heavily. Then he told the others with us, ‘Go with Abū Jaʿfar and help him with what I have asked of him.’

“I asked, ‘What is it that you need?’

“He said to me, ‘Do you guarantee that it will be fulfilled?’ I replied, ‘Yes—wholeheartedly.’

“He said, ‘You must go to the owner of the bridge and say to him: We have damaged the stake. We would like your permission either to install a replacement or to pay its price.’”