A Simple Guide to ISLAM
Hadith – Traditions
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the majority of the scholars have held al Bukhari superior, the main
reason being that when Imam Bukhari started working, he had no
example before him for such a project. His contribution is very
great in that he managed to save all the authentic traditions by
collecting them so painstakingly. On the contrary, Imam Muslim
had
Sahih
al-Bukhari as an example. He had every opportunity to
learn from both its salient features as well as its defects. Imam
Muslim himself recognized the superiority of his predecessor.
The
Sahih
of Imam Muslim is regarded as next to
al Bukhari
in
accuracy and authenticity. Any tradition which is accepted by both
al Bukhari and Muslim has been termed as ‘agreed upon’. And
these ‘agreed upon’ traditions are considered to be the most
reliable.
Imam Muslim has added to his work an introduction to the science
of tradition. His work consists of 52 books dealing with the
common subjects of Hadith, such as the five pillars of Islam,
marriage, the laws of heredity, war, sacrifice, manners and
customs, etc. The book closes with a short chapter on the tafsir
(exegesis) of the Quran. The longest chapter is on
Iman
(Belief),
which is the opening chapter of Sahih Muslim.
