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Usool al-Hadeeth 101
Because al-Bukhaaree nowhere mentions what canons of criticism he applied to the traditions to test their genuineness, or tells us why he compiled the book, many later scholars have tried to infer these things from the text itself. AlHaazimee, in his Shuroot al-A’immah, al-‘Iraaqee in his Alfiyyah, al-‘Aynee and al-Qastallaanee in their introductions to their commentaries on the Saheeh, and many other writers on the hadeeth sciences, including Ibn as-Salaah, have tried to deduce Bukhaaree's principles from the material he presents.26 Al-Bukhaaree’s main object was to collect together the sound traditions only. Al-Bukhaaree includes in his work the narrations of narrators when they explicitly state that they had received the traditions from their own authorities. If their statement in this regard was ambiguous, he took care that they had demonstrably met their teachers, and were not known for careless statements. However, it would be a mistake, to suppose that the Saheeh is absolutely free of defects. In estimating the reliability of the narrators, his judgment has in certain cases been incorrect, and the Muslim traditionists have pointed this out. Ad-Daaraqutnee (918-995) tried to show the weakness of some two hundred traditions contained in the book, in his work al-Istidraak wat-Tatabbu‘, which has been summarised by al-Jazaa’iree in his Tawjeeh an-Nazar.27 According to as-Suyootee, criticism concerns some 80 narrators and 110 hadeeths. The criticism showed that though these hadeeths were not mistaken or false, they did not measure up to the high standard which al-Bukhaaree had set.28 For example, at-Tirmithee said: “The hadeeths of Ibn Abee Laylaa cannot be used as evidence. Muhammad ibn Ismaa‘eel said: ‘Ibn Abee Laylaa is Sadooq (truthful).’ However, I don’t narrate from him because he doesn’t know his authentic narrations from his weak ones, and anyone like that I don’t narrate from.”29 Aboo Mas‘ood of Damascus, and Aboo ‘Alee al-Ghassaanee have also criticised some of the narrations in the Saheeh, while al-‘Aynee in his celebrated commentary has shown the defects of some of its contents.
The Saheeh of Muslim The position of Bukhaaree’s Saheeh in the literature is not, unrivalled. Another Saheeh was being compiled almost simultaneously, which was considered its superior by some, its equal by others, and second to it by most. This was the
26
Hadith Literature, p. 93. Ibid., p. 96. 28 Tadreeb ar-Raawee, vol. 1, p. 134. See Studies in Hadith Methodology, p. 92. 29 Sunan at-Tirmithee, vol. 2, p. 199. 27
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