Al-Hakim al-Nishapuri’s Al-Mustadrak alal-Sahihayn serves as a critical supplement to Sahih Bukhari and Muslim, with Volume 4, Page 398, providing significant narrations often relating to the virtues of the Prophet’s family, legal rulings, or eschatological signs. While Al-Hakim graded these reports as authentic, scholars like Imam al-Dhahabi often provided critical annotations (Talkhis) on such pages to verify the chains of narration. For more information, consult scholarly editions of Al-Mustadrak.
"When you see this soil turn into blood, you will know that my Husayn has been slaughtered" The Fulfillment al-hakim al-mustadrak vol. 4 p. 398
Volume 4 of the Mustadrak typically focuses on the Manaqib (Virtues) of the Companions, later figures, and various ethical and eschatological themes. Page 398, in many editions, falls within a section discussing the virtues of specific actions or the station of certain individuals before God. The content of a hadith found here—perhaps narrating a moment of profound divine mercy, a unique characteristic of a Companion, or a warning about the Last Days—would reflect al-Hakim’s inclusive approach. Unlike al-Bukhari, who often required direct audition between contemporaries, al-Hakim was more lenient regarding ‘an‘anah (narrative linkage using "on the authority of"), provided the transmitters were trustworthy. Thus, the narrations on this page exemplify his principle: a hadith could be sahih (sound) according to the standards of the two Shaykhs (al-Bukhari and Muslim) even if they themselves did not include it. "When you see this soil turn into blood,
The Prophet opened his hand to reveal a mound of red soil inside the jar. He spoke in a voice heavy with emotion: "Jibreel (Gabriel) has just come to me. He told me that my grandson, Hussain, will be slaughtered in a land called Karbala". In the year 61 A.H.
Critical Reception: While Al-Hakim is a master of hadith, many later scholars—notably Imam al-Dhahabi—critiqued parts of Al-Mustadrak for being too "lenient" in its authenticity gradings. For this specific page, the narration on misguidance is widely recognized in other collections (such as Sunan al-Tirmidhi) and is a cornerstone of orthodox Sunni theology.
Decades passed. The Prophet had long since departed the world, and the political tides of the Ummah had shifted. In the year 61 A.H., news reached Medina that Imam Hussain had been forced to leave his home, eventually heading toward Iraq with his family and a small band of loyal companions. The Day the Earth Bled