Important Hadiths on Faith, Worship, and Quran

Despite the controversies surrounding some of its hadiths, al-Mustadrak contains many narrations that are genuinely sound and of great importance to Islamic theology, law, and spiritual life. The sections on faith (iman), the Quran, and worship provide some of the most valuable content in the collection.

Al-Mustadrak opens with a section on the knowledge of the Book of Allah — Quran-related hadiths describing the merits of recitation, the proper etiquette of engaging with the Quran, and the special virtue of specific surahs. Several hadiths in this section are not found in the two Sahih collections and represent genuine additions to the canonical literature on Quranic learning and recitation.

The sections on the pillars of Islam — shahada, prayer, zakah, fasting, and hajj — follow the standard organizational pattern of the legal hadith collections. Al-Hakim includes narrations that elaborate on the conditions and merits of these obligations, some of which add useful detail to the picture presented by the canonical collections. The hadith about the prayer being the dividing line between faith and disbelief, for example, appears in several formulations in the Mustadrak, including some versions with stronger chains than those in other sources.

The section on faith and creed contains several hadiths important for Islamic theological discussions. The hadith about the division of the community into seventy-three sects appears in the Mustadrak with a chain al-Hakim considers sound, and this narration has been central to discussions in Islamic theology about the nature of the saved group. Al-Hakim also includes numerous hadiths on the merits of following the Sunnah, the danger of innovation, and the importance of maintaining community unity.

The Quran commentary sections of al-Mustadrak — organized by surah — compile hadiths relevant to the occasion of revelation, the meanings of verses, and the practice of specific Quranic injunctions. These sections are valuable for tafsir researchers who need the hadith context for Quranic interpretation, even though some of the narrations require the additional scrutiny that adh-Dhahabi's Talkhis provides.