The problem? There is a . Ja‘far al-Sadiq never directly heard the narration from his father and ‘Ali in that manner. Additionally, some versions include ‘Isa ibn Maysarah , whom al-Dhahabi labels "weak (da‘if)" . Hence, on vol. 4 p. 398, al-Dhahabi’s marginal note is famously terse: "La asla lahu" (It has no basis). How to Cite This Reference Properly If you are a student, researcher, or writer, correctly citing Al-Hakim al-Mustadrak vol. 4, p. 398 requires precision. Follow this template: Al-Hakim al-Nishapuri, Al-Mustadrak ‘ala al-Sahihayn , ed. Mustafa ‘Abd al-Qadir ‘Ata (Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah, 1990), vol. 4, p. 398, hadith no. [X]. Note: Different editions may have slight pagination shifts. The classic Beirut edition (4 volumes) most commonly uses this page number. The newer Dar al-Minhaj edition (5 volumes) sometimes shifts it to vol. 4, p. 474 or vol. 5, p. 128. Therefore, always mention the hadith number in addition to the page.
falls squarely within a critical section: the Virtues of the Prophet’s Family (Ahl al-Bayt) and Virtues of the Companions (Manaqib al-Sahabah) , specifically regarding ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (may Allah honor his face). The Specific Narrations on Page 398 (Vol. 4) Depending on the edition, page 398 contains one or two extremely high-profile hadiths. The most famous narration located here is the Hadith of the Two Weighty Things —or a related variant—and part of a longer narration concerning the virtues of Imam ‘Ali. Let us break down the most commonly cited tradition. Hadith Title: The Prophet’s Statement about ‘Ali from the Pulpit Narration Chain (Isnad): Al-Hakim records via a chain from ‘Amr ibn Dinar, from Ibn ‘Abbas (may Allah be pleased with him), who said: "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: 'Whoever wants to look at Adam in his knowledge, Noah in his understanding, Abraham in his forbearance, and Moses in his intensity and John son of Zachariah in his worship, and Jesus in his asceticism, then let him look at ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib.'" Or in another narration on the same page: "I am the city of knowledge, and ‘Ali is its gate. So whoever wants knowledge, let him come to the gate." Al-Hakim then comments at the foot of the page: "This hadith is authentic (Sahih) according to the conditions of Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim, though they did not record it." Why Scholars Fixate on This Page The reference Al-Mustadrak vol. 4, p. 398 is not random. It is a battleground for three intersecting scholarly disciplines: 1. Hadith Criticism (Mustalah al-Hadith) Imam al-Hakim declared the narrations on this page as Sahih (authentic). However, later hadith masters—most notably Imam al-Dhahabi (d. 748 AH), who wrote an abridged version of Al-Mustadrak (Al-Talkhis)—frequently disagreed. al-hakim al-mustadrak vol. 4 p. 398
In the standard Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah edition, corresponds to Hadith number 4720 (or 4721-4723). Verify against your copy. The Educational Takeaway Why does this matter for the average Muslim or student of knowledge? Because Al-Mustadrak vol. 4, p. 398 teaches us a critical lesson: The authentication of a hadith is not monolithic. Imam al-Hakim, with his encyclopedic mind, said "sahih." Imam al-Dhahabi, his student’s student, said "da‘if." And Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Hajar al-‘Asqalani, in Talkhis al-Habir , tilted toward the latter. The problem
In the vast ocean of Islamic hadith literature, few works occupy as unique a position as Al-Mustadrak ‘ala al-Sahihayn by the great 11th-century Muhaddith (hadith scholar), Imam Abu ‘Abd Allah al-Hakim al-Nishapuri (may Allah have mercy on him). Among the thousands of traditions he compiled, a specific reference— Al-Hakim al-Mustadrak vol. 4, p. 398 —has garnered significant attention from scholars, students, and lay readers alike. Additionally, some versions include ‘Isa ibn Maysarah ,
Why is this specific page so important? What narrations reside there? And why do scholars of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jama‘ah, as well as those from other Islamic intellectual traditions, frequently cite this precise location? This article unpacks the significance, the content, and the scholarly debates surrounding this landmark page. Before examining the page, we must understand the author. Imam al-Hakim was a prodigy from Nishapur, a center of Islamic learning in present-day Iran. His full name was Muhammad ibn ‘Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Hamdawayh. He memorized the Qur’an at an early age and traveled extensively to Baghdad, Basra, Ray, and Transoxiana to collect hadith.
His magnum opus, Al-Mustadrak ‘ala al-Sahihayn , was a daring project. Imam al-Hakim aimed to compile hadiths that met the rigorous authenticity criteria of Imams al-Bukhari and Muslim—the two most authoritative hadith collectors—but which had not been included in their compilations, Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim . In other words, he sought to complete the "missing" authentic hadiths. Al-Mustadrak is arranged by chapters of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), following the standard order: purification, prayer, zakat, fasting, and so on. Volume 4, in most standard printings (such as the widely used Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah or Dar al-Minhaj editions), typically covers the latter parts of Kitab al-Tafsir (Book of Qur’anic Exegesis) and moves into Kitab al-Tarikh (Book of History and Biographies) and Kitab al-Fitan (Book of Tribulations) and Kitab al-Manaqib (Book of Virtues).