Preference between narrators and the reality of the narration in the two Sahihs: An inductive and analytical study

Abstract

In this research, the researcher attempted to understand the methodology of the two Sheikhs (Al-Bukhari and Muslim) in selecting the narrators of a prolific Sheikh of Hadith, and to ascertain whether the two Sheikhs adopted the preference/weighting (tarjīḥ) made by the Imams among the narrators of that prolific Sheikh when they differed. The research fundamentally addresses how to narrate from the one who was said to be the most reliable narrator regarding his Sheikh, and identifies the narrator given precedence in the two Ṣaḥīḥ collections.

The researcher then compared this established preference (tarjīḥ) with the reality of the narration in the two Ṣaḥīḥ collections, and clarified the reasons for deviating from the narrator who was said to be the most reliable, and detailed the preferences (murajjiḥāt) of the two Sheikhs for him or for others.

The study concluded that the two Sheikhs have their own specific doctrines for weighting among narrators, based on the reality of narration in their two authentic texts, including that: The narrator who is a fellow countryman of his Sheikh is preferred over others, the constant companion (al-mulāzim) is preferred over others, the jurist (al-faqīh) is preferred over others, the family chain of transmission (al-isnād al-‘ā’ilī) is preferred over others, and the author of a book (ṣāḥib al-kitāb) is preferred over others. It also concluded that it was often Al-Bukhari's practice to rely on narrators known for precision through documentation/writing (ḍabṭ al-kitāb), as if he viewed that just as the Qur’an was preserved by writing, so too the Sunnah is preserved only by writing. Furthermore, it was sometimes the practice of Muslim to rely on a group of narrators, even if only two, and not to rely on a single narrator, even if he was said to be the most reliable regarding his Sheikh.