Bukhari

Hadith Commentary:
The connection of the chapter to this hadith is derived as follows: if the People of the Book speak the truth, then the translation of their book will also be the same as that which was revealed from Allah.
Imam Bayhaqi (rahimahullah) said that the speech of Allah does not become different due to differences in languages.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
By "People of the Book" is meant the Jews, and their religious book, the Torah, was in the Hebrew language.
They altered it according to their desires and interests.
In such circumstances, how could their translation and interpretation be considered reliable?
Moreover, when Allah Almighty had revealed the teachings of the Qur'an and the commands of His Messenger (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) to the Muslims, there was no need for it either.

➋
The purpose of Imam Bukhari rahimahullah is to express this reality: when the speech of Allah is translated into another language, that translation cannot be called the speech of Allah, because it is the effort and action of the translator, and the action of a servant is created, whereas the speech of Allah Almighty is uncreated.
This is intended as a refutation of the Ash'aris, who say that the speech of Allah, in whatever language it is translated, remains the speech of Allah Almighty, whereas from the perspective of evidence, this position is questionable.
And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary:
The translation has already been mentioned above.
By "wa ma unzila" is meant the Noble Qur'an, which confirms all the previous scriptures.
Those matters of the People of the Book that are refuted in the Qur'an are certainly to be rejected, and regarding those about which the Qur'an is silent, the principle that has been stated applies to them.
The People of the Book of today are deeply entangled in misguidance.
Therefore, many of them fall under the purview of this hadith.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
It is stated in the Noble Qur’an that it confirms the previous scriptures; therefore, it is necessary to have faith in the earlier heavenly books, and this faith will be general (ijmali). Allah, exalted is He, revealed them to His prophets (alayhimussalam), and based on what was in those books, the facts they stated which are in accordance with the Noble Qur’an are worthy of affirmation, and those which are refuted in the Noble Qur’an are worthy of rejection. As for those matters about which the Noble Qur’an is silent, the principle of suspension (tawaqquf) applies to them, as mentioned in the above hadith. This is because whatever the People of the Book narrate will not be free from two possibilities: if we affirm it, it is possible that it is not actually correct but rather altered; and it is also possible that if we reject it, it may in fact be true and correct. Since there have been partial differences in the rulings and laws (shara’i‘) of the noble prophets (alayhimussalam), suspension (tawaqquf) is necessary.

➋
The present-day People of the Book are deeply entangled in misguidance; therefore, they are even more applicable to this hadith. From this hadith, it is also understood that in difficult matters, one should practice suspension (tawaqquf) and not act hastily in affirmation or denial. And Allah knows best.

Hadith Commentary:
➊
The facts related by the People of the Book which are supported by the Book and the Sunnah should be affirmed, and those which are denied by the Qur’an and Hadith should be declared false. As for other matters, neither affirmation nor denial should be made.

➋
The relevance of this hadith to the chapter heading is as follows: the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has commanded us neither to affirm nor to deny the statements of the People of the Book, and therefore, it necessitates that no questions of any kind should be asked of them.

In the Noble Qur’an it is stated:
“If you are in doubt about what We have revealed to you, then ask those who have been reading the Torah before you.”
( Yunus: 10:94)

By this verse is meant the doctrine of monotheism (tawhid) and the messengership of the Messenger of Allah (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam). The glad tidings of your (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) prophethood are present in the Torah and the Gospel, which, despite distortion, are still found in the religious scriptures today. As for other matters, their ruling has been mentioned in the aforementioned hadith.

(And Allah knows best)
(Fath al-Bari: 13/408)

Hadith Authentication (Takhrij al-Hadith):
[صحيح بخاري 7362]

Jurisprudence of the Hadith (Fiqh al-Hadith):
➊ By "People of the Book" (Ahl al-Kitab) is meant the Jews, who believe in the Torah in the Hebrew language. However, it should be remembered that neither the Jews nor the Christians possess an authentic, uninterrupted chain of transmission for the Torah or their religious books; therefore, these people are wandering lost in darkness.
➋ It is permissible to narrate reports from the People of the Book as long as they do not contradict the Book (Qur'an), the Sunnah, or consensus (ijma‘).
➌ In difficult matters where a decision cannot be reached, it is necessary to withhold judgment (tawaqquf).
➍ One should not present opinions that are contrary to the Book and the Sunnah.
➎ It is permissible to write translations and commentaries (tafsir) of the Noble Qur'an, provided that the Book and the Sunnah, consensus (ijma‘), and the understanding of the pious predecessors (salaf salihin) are taken into consideration.
➏ It is permissible to read the books of the opponents of the people of truth (ahl al-haqq), provided that the reader is a scholar upon the truth and his intention is to defend the truth and refute falsehood.