Hadiths on Companions, History, and Ethics

Among the most distinctive and most debated portions of al-Mustadrak are its extensive sections on the merits (fada'il) of specific Companions and on Islamic history. Al-Hakim included a substantial volume of hadiths about the virtues of particular Companions — especially Ali ibn Abi Talib and Ahl al-Bayt (the prophetic family) — that are not found in the canonical Sahih collections.

The fada'il al-Sahabah (merits of the Companions) section has been examined with particular care by later critics because several hadiths in it are of questionable reliability, and some have been used in sectarian contexts to advance positions about the relative status of Companions. Al-Hakim's inclusion of many hadiths praising Ali and Ahl al-Bayt led some later scholars to accuse him of Shia sympathies, though most biographical sources report that he was Sunni in his theological orientation.

Adh-Dhahabi's Talkhis is particularly pointed in its criticism of the fada'il section, noting numerous hadiths that he considered weak, very weak, or even fabricated. For researchers working in this section of the Mustadrak, the cross-reference to adh-Dhahabi's assessments is especially important.

The historical sections of al-Mustadrak cover the Seerah of the Prophet, the major battles and events of early Islamic history, and the periods of the Rightly Guided Caliphs. Al-Hakim draws on an extensive range of historical sources and preserves some narrations not found elsewhere, making the Mustadrak a valuable resource for historians of early Islam alongside its value for hadith researchers.

The ethics sections — covering topics like good character, truthfulness, justice, patience, and generosity — contain many hadiths that are sound and of direct spiritual benefit. These sections are less controversial than the fada'il section and provide a useful supplement to the ethics hadiths in the canonical collections. The famous hadith quoted by al-Hakim about the Quran and Sunnah as the two things after which one will not go astray appears in the Mustadrak in important formulations.