Before analyzing the specific volume and page, one must understand the book’s purpose. Imam al-Hakim observed that despite the monumental efforts of Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim (compilers of the Sahihayn), there were thousands of authentic Hadiths that met their stringent criteria but were omitted from their collections. Thus, he wrote Al-Mustadrak—literally, "The Supplement."
His ambitious goal was to gather traditions that were Sahih (authentic) according to the conditions of the two greatest Hadith masters. However, his work became famous not just for its content, but for the subsequent critique by Imam al-Dhahabi (d. 1348 CE), who wrote a nuanced commentary known as Talkhis al-Mustadrak, evaluating each Hadith as either authentic, weak, or fabricated.
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. al-hakim al-mustadrak vol. 4 p. 398
This does not "cancel" the Muhaddithun; rather, it shows the depth of ijtihad (independent reasoning). The page reminds us that:
This page offers a textbook example of where al-Hakim’s leniency appears. Some narrations he accepts as meeting Muslim’s standard actually contain narrators Muslim himself avoided. Thus, vol. 4, p. 398 is frequently cited in Usul al-Hadith (Principles of Hadith) textbooks as a case study in methodological disagreement. Before analyzing the specific volume and page, one
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.
In his Talkhis, al-Dhahabi’s comments on the narrations of page 398 are legendary. Regarding the "City of Knowledge" hadith, al-Dhahabi often writes: "This is Munkar (rejected)" or "I do not know this chain to be authentic." Thus, this single page represents the core tension between al-Hakim’s leniency (or vast knowledge of chains) and al-Dhahabi’s stricter, later scrutiny. However, his work became famous not just for
Mistake 1: Believing everything in Al-Mustadrak is authentic. Truth: Al-Hakim himself admitted he included some borderline narrations. The book is a mustadrak (supplement), not a sahih (sound collection).
Mistake 2: That vol. 4, p. 398 is identical in all prints. Truth: The page number shifts slightly between the Hyderabad (first edition) and the modern Beirut reprints. When citing, always specify the edition.
Mistake 3: That al-Dhahabi rejected everything al-Hakim accepted. Truth: On vol. 4, p. 398, you will often find al-Dhahabi agreeing with al-Hakim. Their disagreements exist in about 25-30% of the Mustadrak.
Before analyzing the specific volume and page, one must understand the book’s purpose. Imam al-Hakim observed that despite the monumental efforts of Imam al-Bukhari and Imam Muslim (compilers of the Sahihayn), there were thousands of authentic Hadiths that met their stringent criteria but were omitted from their collections. Thus, he wrote Al-Mustadrak—literally, "The Supplement."
His ambitious goal was to gather traditions that were Sahih (authentic) according to the conditions of the two greatest Hadith masters. However, his work became famous not just for its content, but for the subsequent critique by Imam al-Dhahabi (d. 1348 CE), who wrote a nuanced commentary known as Talkhis al-Mustadrak, evaluating each Hadith as either authentic, weak, or fabricated.
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.
This does not "cancel" the Muhaddithun; rather, it shows the depth of ijtihad (independent reasoning). The page reminds us that:
This page offers a textbook example of where al-Hakim’s leniency appears. Some narrations he accepts as meeting Muslim’s standard actually contain narrators Muslim himself avoided. Thus, vol. 4, p. 398 is frequently cited in Usul al-Hadith (Principles of Hadith) textbooks as a case study in methodological disagreement.
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.
In his Talkhis, al-Dhahabi’s comments on the narrations of page 398 are legendary. Regarding the "City of Knowledge" hadith, al-Dhahabi often writes: "This is Munkar (rejected)" or "I do not know this chain to be authentic." Thus, this single page represents the core tension between al-Hakim’s leniency (or vast knowledge of chains) and al-Dhahabi’s stricter, later scrutiny.
Mistake 1: Believing everything in Al-Mustadrak is authentic. Truth: Al-Hakim himself admitted he included some borderline narrations. The book is a mustadrak (supplement), not a sahih (sound collection).
Mistake 2: That vol. 4, p. 398 is identical in all prints. Truth: The page number shifts slightly between the Hyderabad (first edition) and the modern Beirut reprints. When citing, always specify the edition.
Mistake 3: That al-Dhahabi rejected everything al-Hakim accepted. Truth: On vol. 4, p. 398, you will often find al-Dhahabi agreeing with al-Hakim. Their disagreements exist in about 25-30% of the Mustadrak.