critical scholars undertook to examine the collection, studying it narration by narration—scholars whose acuity and vast learning are beyond dispute—yet, when all was said and done, the outcome of their painstaking scrutiny and exhaustive investigation turned out exactly as described.

I say: this is unmistakable evidence of its immense value and its lofty rank. It is a testimonial from the very masters of this field that the work holds the highest station and the most exalted description. It also clarifies for us why generations of scholars have gravitated toward it, receiving it—and Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī—with unanimous acceptance.