By the Name of Allah, we begin. With His grace and assistance, we are pleased to announce the inauguration of your new UK-based publishing house in London: Signatora. We are dedicated to publishing both modern and classical works that promote the spirit of mainstream Sunni Islam, with a focus on the teachings of the greatest ulema of the past and present.
Signatora has access to hundreds of unpublished manuscripts as well as early printed works that are largely inaccessible to today’s readers.
Our first project is the reprint of the most authentic edition of Sahih al-Bukhari, originally commissioned by Sultan Abdul Hamid II and printed in Cairo almost 130 years ago in 1311 AH. It was edited by a committee of sixteen scholars, led by the Grand Imam of Al-Azhar at the time, Shaykh Hassouna Nawawi. It was also carefully compared with the most renowned manuscript of Sahih al-Bukhari, known as the al-Yuniniyyah. Since then, this edition has become one of the most reliable printed versions. Numerous editions have been published afterward based on it, yet none have matched its precision or scholarly care.
In reproducing this edition as a facsimile, we are making accessible one of the most authentic printed versions of Sahih al-Bukhari—a rare and historic work, now made available in your hands in its full beauty, luxury, and dignity. We are grateful for the contributions of the Ottomans in serving Islam, and especially Sultan Abdul Hamid II, who undertook the responsibility of producing one of the most authentic printed editions of Sahih al-Bukhari, now available as an exact replica.
This edition consists of nine volumes printed on high-quality Japanese paper, with elegant bindings featuring gold detailing inside to mark the beginning of each hadith and chapter, along with refined gilded touches on the page edges. The binding, faithful to the original, carries on the front the royal signature of Sultan Abdul Hamid II (the tughra), and on the back, the Ottoman coat of arms.
One of the leading scholars of our time has written an extensive introduction in which he sheds light on the life of Imam al-Bukhari and the significance of his Sahih. He discusses the tradition of oral transmission of hadith, the meticulous care scholars have given to this work over the centuries, and presents his isnad through some of the most well-known chains of transmission in the Muslim world.
At the end of the book, Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi has written an epistle of supplication known as Du‘a al-Khatm, the prayer recited upon the completion of reading Sahih al-Bukhari. He composed this approximately twenty years ago when he taught Sahih al-Bukhari in London.
Shaykh al-Yaqoubi is an important authority on the Prophetic tradition. He has taught Sahih al-Bukhari five times, Sahih Muslim twice, the Muwatta six times, as well as many other works of hadith such as the Sunan, the Shama’il, and Riyad al-Salihin.
As a publishing house, we are also open to publishing original works by distinguished authors from around the world. Our key author, His Eminence Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi, has written over one hundred unique books. One of our goals is to publish his works and make them widely available, allowing readers to benefit from his knowledge, wisdom, and insight across the various branches of Islamic disciplines.