Marife Dini Araştırmalar Dergisi

Öz

Perception of this World and Afterlife in Bukhari (The Case of the Book of Kitab al-Riqaq/Tender-Heartedness) Throughout history there have always been two extremist approach to life among people: on the one hand there have been materialists who have not paid attention to afterlife and paid attention only to the life in this world; and on the other hand there have been some mystics who have withdrawn themselves from the life of this world in order to save their lives in the Hereafter. The views belonged to the representatives of these two extreme ap- proaches can never be in coherence with Islam, the religion of human nature. In Islamic thought exists the understanding of “to get shares from this world but not to prefer this world over the Hereafter.” We have dealt with this question within context of the book of tenderness of the heart (Kitab al-Riqaq) from Bukhari’s Sahih. We have tried to examine the author’s perception of life and afterlife from some chapter headings of Kitab al-Riqaq and some ahadith recorded in it. Riqaq or raqaiq is the plural for of the Arabic word raqiq which means compassionate and soft-hearted. The infinitive form of the word comes as riqqa. The reason for giving the title of “Kitab al-Riqaq” to this part of Sahih is that the ahadith mentioned in this book in respect to this world and the afterlife create compassion and tenderness in the hearts of the readers