Hadithi ya Ibn Rówahi, mwalimu wa Imam Bukhari, na zawadi yake ya kumbukumbu, ni hadithi iliyoshikamana na jina lake. Hadithi kuhusu kumbukumbu ya Ibn Rahwai inasimuliwa sana katika duru za wanazuoni. Siku moja alikuwa akijadiliana masuala ya kifiqhi na mwanazuoni mwingine katika vyumba vya faragha vya ‘Abd Allah ibn Tahir. Walitofautiana kuhusu maandishi ya kitabu fulani. Ibn Rahwai alimwomba ‘Abd Allah ibn Tahir aletewe kitabu hicho kutoka maktabani mwake. Kitabu kililetwa mbele ya wanazuoni hao wawili. Ibn ‘Asakir anaandika katika The History of Damascus kwamba baada ya mzozo huo, Ibn Rahwai alimwambia ‘Abd Allah ibn Tahir: "Fungua ukurasa wa kumi na moja wa kitabu, katika mstari wa saba utakuta kile ambacho nimekuwa nikisema."

The story of Ibn Róhwai, the teacher of Imam Bukhórõ, and his gift of memory is a story that has stuck to his name. The story about the memory of Ibn Rahwai is widely narrated in scholarly circles. Once he was discussing some juridical issues with another scholar in the private chambers of ‘Abd Allah ibn Tahir. They disagreed on the text of a certain book. Ibn Rahwai asked ‘Abd Allah ibn Tahir to have the book checked out from his library. The book was brought before the two scholars. Ibn Asókir writes in The History of Damascus that after this disagreement, Ibn Róhwai said to ‘Abd Allóh ibn ùóhir, “Open to the eleventh page of the book, on the seventh line you will find what I have been saying.”.

‘Abd Allah ibn Tahir alifungua ukurasa wa kumi na moja na akakuta ulikuwa kama alivyonukuu Ibn Rahwai. Hapo ‘Abd Allah ibn Tahir akasimama kwa wakati huo na kumwambia Ibn Rahwai, “Nilijua kuwa umeyahifadhi kwa kichwa hukumu nyingi za Sharia, lakini kufunuliwa huku kusikokuwa na mfano kwa kumbukumbu yako kali kumenishangaza sana.”

‘Abd Allah ibn Tahir flipped to the eleventh page and found it exactly as Ibn Rahwai had quoted. At this point, ‘Abd Allah ibn Tahir rose to the occasion and said to Ibn Rahwai, “I knew you had a lot of Shari‘a rulings put to memory, but this unprecedented revelation of your sharp memory has indeed left me wonderstruck.”.

Tukio hili halaki shaka kuhusu wepesi wa kumbukumbu ya Ibn Rahwai, lakini je, si kweli kwamba tunawapata Huffaz karibu katika kila eneo, kila mji na kila kijiji, ambao husoma aya za Qur'an na kuweza papo hapo kubainisha mahali zilipo ndani ya Qur'an? Ukweli ni kwamba Ibn Rahwai si mfano pekee miongoni mwa wanazuoni waliohifadhi Hadith za Mtume Muhammad ﷺ.

This incident leaves no doubt about the sharpness of Ibn Rahwai’s memory, but is it not true that we find Huffaz in almost every area, city and village who recite ayas of the Qur’an and can instantly locate its place in the Qur’an? The reality is that Ibn Rahwai is not the only example amongst the scholars who memorized Ahadith of the Blessed Prophet (PBUH).