Al-hakim Al-mustadrak Vol. 4 P. 398 Info

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). al-hakim al-mustadrak vol. 4 p. 398

The reference Al-Mustadrak vol. 4, p. 398 is not random. It is a battleground for three intersecting scholarly disciplines: Let us examine why page 398 is controversial

The page often references obscure narrators from the 2nd and 3rd Islamic centuries. Scholars of rijal (narrator criticism) will cite this page when discussing figures like ‘Abdullah ibn Lahi‘ah or al-Walid ibn Muslim—known for mixing authentic narrations with weak ones. The problem

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.

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.