A muhkam report is an accepted narration facing no effective contradictory report. Mukhtalif al-hadith studies the apparent opposition of two accepted narrations. Genuine reconciliation is the first remedy; if that fails, consider chronology and abrogation, then reliable grounds for preference, and finally suspension where evidence remains inconclusive.
Nasikh and mansukh may be established through explicit prophetic wording, clear chronological testimony from a Companion, or credible historical dating. Consensus is not itself the abrogating text. Nor does an inadmissible weak report create the same kind of opposition as another accepted report.
Thus accepting a hadith as reliable and determining its implication alongside apparent counter-evidence are related but distinct tasks. The next section turns to rejected reports and the reasons for rejection.