For although some of what these scholars transmit is disputed, they are more proficient in this field than al-Hākim. Yet none of their judgments of soundness carries the same weight as Muslim’s, nor do Muslim’s carry the same weight as al-Bukhārī’s. Indeed, al-Bukhārī’s book is the finest work compiled in this field. Al-Bukhārī was among the most knowledgeable of Allah’s creation concerning hadith and their defects, and he also possessed a profound understanding of them. Al-Tirmidhī stated that he had never seen anyone more knowledgeable about hadith defects than al-Bukhārī.

For this reason, whenever al-Bukhārī narrated a hadith whose chain of transmission or some of whose wording was disputed, his practice was to mention that disagreement, lest anyone be misled by his inclusion of the report: he included it only alongside an explanation of the disagreement concerning it. Thus, in most cases where his authentication of a hadith was challenged, his position was stronger than that of his critics.

This was unlike Muslim ibn al-Hajjāj, whose inclusion of several hadiths was challenged, with his critics being correct in those cases. For example, in the reports concerning the eclipse prayer, he narrated that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, prayed with three bowings and with four bowings, just as he narrated that he prayed with two bowings. The correct view is that he prayed only with two bowings, and that he performed the eclipse prayer only once, on the day Ibrāhīm died. Al-Shāfi‘ī explained this, and it is also the position of al-Bukhārī and of Ahmad ibn Hanbal according to one of the two narrations from him. The hadiths mentioning three and four bowings also state that he performed this prayer on the day Ibrāhīm died. It is well known that Ibrāhīm did not die on two different days of eclipse, nor did the Prophet have two sons named Ibrāhīm. Anyone who reports that he died on the tenth day of the month has lied.

Likewise, Muslim narrated:

“Allah created the soil on Saturday.”

Scholars more knowledgeable than he, such as Yahyā ibn Ma‘īn, al-Bukhārī and others, challenged him concerning this report. They explained that this was an error and that these were not the words of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.