Al-hakim Al-mustadrak Vol. 4 P. 398 «99% TRENDING»

Sunnis universally love and respect ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib (the fourth rightly guided Caliph). However, narrations that elevate him above the other three caliphs (Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman) are subject to intense scrutiny. The narrations on page 398, if taken literally, could imply a super-excellence (afdaliyyah) for ‘Ali. Therefore, traditional Sunni scholars either:

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.

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.'" al-hakim al-mustadrak vol. 4 p. 398

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 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. Sunnis universally love and respect ‘Ali ibn Abi

This does not "cancel" the Muhaddithun; rather, it shows the depth of ijtihad (independent reasoning). The page reminds us that:

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. "The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)

In the standard Dar al-Kutub al-‘Ilmiyyah edition, page 398 corresponds to Hadith number 4720 (or 4721-4723). Verify against your copy.

If you are trying to locate al-hakim al-mustadrak vol. 4 p. 398:

Let us examine why page 398 is controversial. Take the "City of Knowledge" tradition. Al-Hakim’s chain includes: Sufyan ibn ‘Uyaynah (trustworthy) ← Ja‘far ibn Muhammad al-Sadiq (trustworthy) ← his father ← ‘Ali.

The problem? There is a break (Inqita‘) . 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).