Accordingly, many of the texts in the two Sahīh collections are mass-transmitted in their wording among hadith scholars, even if others are unaware that they are mass-transmitted. Thus, most of the texts in these two collections are known by hadith scholars with absolute certainty to have been spoken by the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace—sometimes because they are mass-transmitted among them, and sometimes because the Muslim community has received them with acceptance.

A solitary report received with acceptance yields certainty according to the majority of scholars among the followers of Abū Hanīfah, Mālik, al-Shāfiʿī and Ahmad. This is also the position of most followers of al-Ashʿarī, such as al-Isfarāyīnī and Ibn Fūrak. For although such a report, considered on its own, yields only probability, when hadith scholars unanimously accept it as true, it becomes comparable to a consensus of jurists on a ruling based on the apparent meaning of a text, an analogy or a solitary report. According to the majority, that ruling then becomes certain, even though it would not be certain without the consensus. This is because consensus is protected from error: just as scholars of Islamic rulings do not unanimously declare something forbidden to be lawful, or something lawful to be forbidden, so too hadith scholars do not unanimously affirm a falsehood or deny a truth.

At other times, a scholar’s certainty arises from indications accompanying the reports that yield certainty. Whoever knows what these scholars know attains the same certainty as they do.