Section Nine: The Levels of Authenticity, the Number of Authentic Collections, and Their Books

Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī Holds the Highest Rank

Because the degrees of authenticity vary and some collections are sounder than others, you should know that the view settled upon by the majority of hadith experts is that Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī takes precedence over all the other compiled works. They even state, “The most authentic book after the Book of Allah, exalted is He, is Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī.”

Why Some Scholars of the Maghrib Prefer Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim

A number of Maghribī scholars have ranked Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim above Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, yet the majority maintain that this preference pertains only to the clarity of its expression and the excellence of its arrangement.