—both manifest and subtle.” End of quotation.

Such, then, is the standing of Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim among the Sunnī ḥadith collections: it occupies the highest tier of authenticity, surpassed only by Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī. It is reported from Abū ʿAlī al-Naysābūrī, the teacher of al-Ḥākim, that he said, “Under the canopy of heaven there is no book more authentic than the book of Muslim ibn al-Ḥajjāj.” At first glance this might suggest that he preferred Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim to Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, which opposes the explicit verdict of the scholars who favor al-Bukhārī’s work on well-established grounds. The scholars have answered this statement in three ways:

First: Al-Ḥāfiẓ al-Dhahabī, in Tadhkirat al-Ḥuffāẓ, after quoting Abū ʿAlī’s words, wrote, “I say: Perhaps Abū ʿAlī had not yet come across Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī.” This explanation is rejected by Ibn Ḥajar in the introduction to Fatḥ al-Bārī.

Second: A number of scholars, among them Abū ʿAmr ibn al-Ṣalāḥ in his ʿUlūm al-Ḥadith, hold that Abū ʿAlī’s remark refers to Muslim’s uninterrupted presentation of sound reports, without mixing in material that falls short of his own criteria, something found in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī. Hence the statement concerns the manner of arrangement, not a claim of superior authenticity.

Third: Al-Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Ḥajar, in his commentary on Nukhbat al-Fikar, explains that Abū ʿAlī’s words indicate that Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim belongs to the highest echelon of authentic works and that no book surpasses it; yet they do not deny that another compilation—such as Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī—might be its equal.

In summary, Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim stands at the summit of authenticity immediately after Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, as affirmed by the scholars, and no one has ever given it precedence over Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī in terms of soundness.