Early scholars like Bukhari, however, had not conceptualized the authenticity of Hadiths in terms of books and authors. They had associated Hadiths with their transmitters, and they determined the degree of critical attention that each Hadith deserved according to its subject matter. Those formative Sunni ulama who had actually sifted through the Hadiths in circulation and compiled the canonical Hadith collections had explained openly that they treated Hadiths differently based on their topics. Hadiths on the virtues of actions or individuals, on the apocalypse, on manners and on exhortation
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