Those in the Ummah Who Valued Sahih al-Bukhari to the Highest Degree
There were scholars in the Ummah who held such a high regard for the Qur’an and Sahih al-Bukhari that they had both transcribed in pure gold ink. It is written regarding the scholar Abu Muhammad Muzani that he commanded scribes to write both the Qur’an and Sahih al-Bukhari using golden ink and present them to him. Accordingly, both books were written in full with gold and presented before him. [Miftah al-Sa‘adah, Vol. 1, p. 7]
Imam Abu al-Fath ‘Ajli said: "The text of Sahih al-Bukhari contains powerful hadiths and its narrators are of the highest rank. Its authenticity is so well-established that it appears as though Imam al-Bukhari directly received every hadith from the Prophet ﷺ himself."
Shaykh al-Islam Imam al-Balqini said: "Sahih al-Bukhari is the most important work of Hafiz al-‘Asr, our master Imam al-Bukhari, in which he compiled only the authentic Sunnah of the Prophet ﷺ. All of its narrators are truthful and reliable. Due to these virtues, the Ummah has reached consensus that Sahih al-Bukhari is the most authentic book in Islam after the Qur’an." [Irshad al-Sari, Vol. 1, p. 44]
Allama ‘Ayni, the commentator of Bukhari, writes: "The scholars of the East and West unanimously agree that after the Book of Allah, there is no book more authentic than Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. Some scholars preferred Muslim over Bukhari, but the majority of scholars of the Ummah have given preference to Sahih al-Bukhari over Muslim and consider it superior." [‘Umdat al-Qari, p. 5]
Hujjat al-Islam Shah Waliullah said: "Whoever belittles or disrespects Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim is an innovator who has chosen a path separate from that of the believers." [Hujjat Allah al-Balighah, Vol. 1, p. 134]
Mawlana Shah ‘Abd al-‘Aziz stated: "The hadiths of Bukhari, Muslim, and al-Muwatta’ of Imam Malik are extremely authentic. Sahih al-Bukhari contains many of the marfu‘ hadiths from al-Muwatta’ as well, which makes Sahih al-Bukhari the most authentic and comprehensive book." [‘Ujal Naf‘ah, p. 6]
Mawlana Ahmad ‘Ali Saharanpuri said: "There is consensus among the scholars of the Ummah that the most authentic book of hadith is Sahih al-Bukhari, followed by Sahih Muslim. There is also consensus that Sahih al-Bukhari is superior in authenticity and in the variety of benefits it contains." [Muqaddimah to Bukhari by Mawlana Saharanpuri, p. 4]
Mawlana Anwar Shah said: "Hafiz Ibn al-Salah, Hafiz Ibn Hajar, Allama Ibn Taymiyyah, Shams al-A’immah Sarakhsi, and other leading scholars of hadith and fiqh agreed that all hadiths in Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim are decisively authoritative. In my view, their verdict is absolutely correct." [Fayd al-Bari]
Allama Shabbir Ahmad Usmani said: "The first person to compile a collection of only authentic hadiths was Imam al-Bukhari. After him, Imam Muslim followed the same path. These two books are the most authentic among all hadith compilations." [Fath al-Mulhim, Sharh Muslim, p. 54]
There are thousands of similar statements from senior scholars of the Ummah, both classical and contemporary, recorded in the books of history. It is impossible to include all of them in this brief article. Therefore, we suffice with these few quotes. From them, readers can clearly understand the elevated status of Imam al-Bukhari and his Al-Jami‘ al-Sahih in t
