Statement by Qari Tayyib Hanafi:

“This quality of Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) is distinctly recognized among all the hadith scholars. It is said about al-Nasa’i (may Allah have mercy on him) that he followed in the footsteps of Imam al-Bukhari to some extent, but in any case, the original remains original and the branch remains a branch. The methodology of al-Bukhari is something very lofty, and the chapter headings (Taraajim) of al-Bukhari are in fact an independent branch of fiqh — ‘Fiqh al-Bukhari in his chapter headings’. Thus, Imam al-Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) was not only a hadith scholar but also a jurist and had reached the rank of ijtihad.” [Khutbat Hakim al-Islam, vol. 5, p. 456]