Muttafaq 'Alayhi: Hadiths Agreed Upon by Bukhari and Muslim
Suggest editThe term muttafaq 'alayhi (Arabic: المتفق عليه, literally “agreed upon”) refers to hadiths that appear in both Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim — the two most authoritative hadith collections in Sunni Islam. A hadith with this designation carries the highest level of authenticity in the hadith sciences, since both Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim, working independently, judged the narration to meet their rigorous criteria for sound transmission.
The Two Sahihs
Sahih al-Bukhari (compiled by Imam Muhammad ibn Ismail al-Bukhari, 194–256 AH) and Sahih Muslim (compiled by Imam Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj al-Naysaburi, 204–261 AH) together form what scholars call the Sahihayn (the Two Sahihs). While both collections focus on narrations judged to meet the criteria of authenticity (sahih), their methodologies differed in important ways. Al-Bukhari applied the stricter requirement that narrators in the chain must be proven to have actually met and transmitted from one another (liqaa), whereas Muslim was content if there was a reasonable probability of transmission between contemporaries.
The fact that a hadith passes both their criteria simultaneously — achieving what scholars call ittifaq (agreement) — means it has been assessed by two independent and rigorous authorities. This is why muttafaq 'alayhi hadiths are cited with particular confidence in legal and theological discourse.
How Scholars Use This Designation
Classical hadith scholars, jurists, and commentators use the phrase muttafaqun 'alayhi as a shorthand attribution when citing a hadith to indicate it appears in both collections. The precise formulas used in classical texts include:
- “Muttafaqun 'alayhi” — agreed upon (by Bukhari and Muslim)
- “Akhrajahu al-Bukhari wa-Muslim” — narrated by al-Bukhari and Muslim
- “Fi al-Sahihayn” — in the two Sahihs
Works like Bulugh al-Maram by Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani, Umdah al-Ahkam by Ibn Qudamah al-Maqdisi, and Al-Arbaʾin al-Nawawiyyah by Imam al-Nawawi frequently cite hadiths with this designation, making it familiar to students across all major schools of fiqh.
Distinction from Other Hadith Grades
The muttafaq designation sits above other grades of authenticity in the hierarchy of hadith evaluation:
- Muttafaq 'alayhi — in both Bukhari and Muslim (highest)
- Munfarid bi-Bukhari — in Bukhari alone (not in Muslim)
- Munfarid bi-Muslim — in Muslim alone (not in Bukhari)
- Sahih 'ala shart al-Shaykayn — meets the criteria of both, but was not included in either collection
It is important to note that even hadiths found only in Bukhari or only in Muslim are among the most authenticated in the Islamic tradition. The muttafaq designation is a mark of extra agreement, not a suggestion that other authenticated hadiths are inferior.
Coverage and Numbers
Modern hadith researchers have identified approximately 2,000–2,400 hadiths that appear in both collections, though exact counts vary depending on whether repetitions within each collection are counted separately or as a single hadith.
On Islam.wiki, muttafaq 'alayhi hadiths are automatically identified based on cross-collection comparison of the Arabic text. Hadiths carrying this designation are marked with a special badge on their detail page, allowing users to easily recognize the most widely agreed-upon narrations.
Scholarly Works on the Sahihayn
Numerous classical and modern scholars have written dedicated works on the two Sahihs and their shared content:
- Ibn Hajar al-Asqalani — Fath al-Bari (شرح صحيح البخاري), the most comprehensive commentary on Bukhari
- Imam al-Nawawi — Al-Minhaj (شرح صحيح مسلم), the standard commentary on Muslim
- Al-Humaydi — Al-Jamʾ between the two Sahihs (one of the earliest attempts to compile muttafaq hadiths)
- Ibn al-Athir al-Jazari — Jamiʾ al-Usul, which organizes hadiths by subject matter and notes their appearances across collections