According to Muhammad Fu’aad ‘Abd al-Baaqi (may Allaah have mercy on him), Saheeh al-Bukhaari has 7563 Ahadeeth (roughly including repetitions), without repetitions the number is 2600; and it has the privileged honour to be the only book of Hadith which has around 250 short and detailed commentaries written on it.

Imam Bukhari started his journey into the world of Hadith from a very young age. Amongst his finest Fadhl of Allah, was his sharp memory through which he had memorised around 2000 hadith before he reached his mid teens. He could recall a Hadith from memory even if he heard it once. Before Imam Bukhari wrote his Jami al Sahih (The collection of authentic) he wrote two books- "Qadhāyas-Sahābah wa at-Tābi'īn" and "Tārikh al-Kabīr." (The history of the great Narrators) which is now published in 9 volumes (Arabic).

Before compiling hadith and selecting them for his Sahih Bukhari, Imam Bukhari had gained analytical expertise on the chain of narrators. He could sort out a hadith based on its chain of narration. He could spot a narrator in the chain of hadith who had been doubted as weak due to either a weak memory or other justified reasons. Bukhari has imposed most strict conditions before accepting an Hadith in his Jami. Besides this, he used to perform Ghusl and offer two Rakah seeking Allah’s guidance. The entire compilation has been finalised in the space between Rawdah of Masjid Nabawi between the Prophet's Grave and the Pulpit and only after the finalisation, each hadith is given a place in his collection.

Though Sahih Bukhari has been graded as the most Authentic Book after Quran, yet Munkar e Hadith (the rejectors of Hadeeth) have objected to a few hadith and the number of criticisms is less than twenty targeting the isnaads (chain of narrations). Fat'hul Bari by Hafiz ibn Hajr Asqalani which stands highest in stature in the commentary has proved all the Hadith of Sahih Bukhari to be truthful, and defended every Hadith of Bukhari through presenting its authenticity from a different chain of narration other than mentioned in the Bukhari.

The criticisms which have to do with matters affecting the soundness of the matn (text) are rare and very rarely affects not more than one or two or three ahaadeeth – By this, we realized that applying the label of saheeh to everything that is in al-Bukhaari, texts and isnaads is correct and cannot be denied.

Imam Bukhari died in Hjiri 256 in a small village, Khartank near Samarkhand.