Introduction & Lineage His name was Muhammad ibn ‘Abdullah ibn Muhammad ibn Hamdawayh ibn Nu‘aym ibn al-Hakam. He was known by the affiliations al-Dabbi, al-Tahmani, Abu ‘Abdullah, al-Hafiz, al-Hakim, and al-Nishapuri, and he was also famous by the name Ibn al-Bayyi‘. In the scholarly world, he became widely known as Imam al-Hakim and Hakim of Nishapur. His kunyah was Abu ‘Abdullah. He was born in 933 CE (321 AH) and passed away in 1014 CE (405 AH). Birth & Early Education Imam Al-Hakim al-Nishapuri was born on Monday, 13th Rabi‘ al-Awwal 321 AH in the famous scholarly city of Nishapur (Iran). His family was deeply rooted in knowledge, which is why at the young age of nine (330 AH) he formally began listening to and studying Hadith under the supervision of his father and maternal uncle. Such was his brilliance that by the age of 13 (334 AH) he had already begun dictating and recording the Hadith of the renowned scholar Ibn Hibban. Travels in Pursuit of Knowledge To quench his thirst for Hadith knowledge, Imam al-Hakim traveled widely, including to: Khurasan Iraq Transoxiana (Ma Wara’ al-Nahr) At the age of 20, he specifically journeyed to Iraq. Although the great scholar Isma‘il al-Saffar had passed away shortly before his arrival, he benefited from many other prominent teachers there. In total, he heard Hadith from about 2,000 teachers, including around 1,000 from Nishapur alone. Education & Teachers He began studying Hadith at a very young age and traveled extensively across Khurasan, Iraq, and Transoxiana. Among his most famous teachers were: Abu Bakr ibn Khuzaymah Abu al-‘Abbas Muhammad ibn Ya‘qub al-Asamm Scholarly Status He was regarded as an Imam in Hadith sciences, narrator evaluation (Asma’ al-Rijal), and criticism (Jarh wa Ta‘dil). During his lifetime, he was called “Hafiz al-‘Asr” (the leading Hadith master of his era). He possessed extraordinary mastery in Hadith authentication and chains of narration. His Status in the Eyes of Scholars Great scholars praised him highly: Al-Daraqutni said, when asked to compare Ibn Mandah and Imam al-Hakim: “Al-Hakim (Ibn al-Bayyi‘) is the more reliable Hadith master.” Shaykh Abu Hazim reported that his teacher Abu ‘Abdullah al-‘Asmi would consult Imam al-Hakim through letters whenever faced with difficult scholarly issues and would issue verdicts based on his guidance. Famous Works Imam al-Hakim authored many valuable works in Hadith and history, including: Al-Mustadrak ala al-Sahihayn — his most famous work, containing narrations meeting the criteria of Sahih al-Bukhari and Sahih Muslim. Tarikh Nishapur — a major history of scholars of his city. Al-Iklil — on Hadith sciences. Al-Madkhal ila ‘Ilm al-Sahih — an important work on Hadith principles. Tarajim al-Shuyukh, Fada’il al-Shafi‘i, and others. Death & A Glad-Tiding Dream Imam al-Hakim passed away on Wednesday, 3rd Safar 405 AH. His funeral prayer was led by Qadi Abu Bakr al-Hiri. After his death, Shaykh Hasan ibn Ash‘ath al-Qurashi saw him in a dream riding a horse and looking very happy. When asked about his elevated state, Imam al-Hakim replied: “I attained this salvation because of writing and preserving the Hadith of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.”