Imam Hasan al-Askari (A.S.) The Eleventh Holy Shia Imam
Name: Hasan
Title: Al-Askari
Kunyat: Abu Muhammad
Born: at Medina on Monday, 8th Rabi-ul-Aakhir 232 A.H.
Father's name: Imam Ali un-Naqi al-Hadi(A.S.)
Mother's Name: Saleel
Martyred: at the age of 28 years at Samarra (Iraq), on Friday, 8th Rabi-ul-Awwal 260 A.H.
poisoned by Mo'tamad, the Abbasid caliph.
Buried: at Samarra(Iraq).
Imam
Hassan al-Askari was born in Madina,on 8th day of the month of Rabi'
Thani, in the year 232 A.H. He was called 'al-Askari' in connection with
the district of Askar in the city of Samarra' in which he (the Imam)
and his father, Imam Ali un-Naqi al-Hadi (A.S.) were imprisoned by the
Abbasid caliphs.
The
holy Imam(A.S.) was born and brought up under the care of his father,
Imam Ali al-Hadi (A.S.), who was well-known for his divinely inspired
knowledge, holy striving (Jihad) and good acts and from him he learned
the best of morals, the abundance of knowledge, the spirit of belief and
the good merits of Ahlul-Bayt (A.S.).
Indeed, he (the Holy Imam)
(A.S..) accompanied his holy father and lived whit him more that twenty
three years, during which time he comprehended the sciences of the
descendants of Holy Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.) and learned the
inheritance of the divine leadership. He looked like his fathers in the
fields of knowledge, good deeds, jihad, and calling to reform in the
community of his holy grandfather,Prophet Muhammad (S.A.W.).
Various
narrations are given concerning the leadership of Imam al-Askari (a.s.)
and the isuue of his leadership appeared during the period of his holy
father, Imam Ali al-Hadi (A.S.).
Sheikh Mufid narrated the following:
"On
the authority of Abu Bakr Fahfaki, who said: 'Abul-Hasan (al-Hadi),
peace be on him, wrote me (i.e. Abu Bakr Fahfaki): 'Abu Muhammad, my
son, is the soundest of the family of Muhammad(S.A.W.) in excellence and
the firmest of them in proof. He is the eldest of my (surviving) sons.
He is the successor. To him, end, the bonds of leadership (Imamate) and
our laws. Whatever you used to ask me about ask him. With him, you find
what you are in need of."
After
his reverend father, the Holy Imam (A.S.) undertook the task of
leadership "Imamtate'. His succession lasted about six years, and, in
which, he practised different kinds of political and scholarly
responsibilities as his divinely appointed forefathers accurately and
efficiently did.
The Noble Character of Imam al-Askari (A.S.)
Indeed,
Imam al-Askari(a.s.), like his noble fathers, was a prominent scholar
and an Imam whom no one could ignore. He (A.S.) was the chief of
religious scholars, an ideal of worshippers, a leader of politics and
opposition, and towards whom the hearts of people were adhered with love
and respect.
Inspite of the existence of the brutal terrorism of
the Abbasid rule, and their political hostility towards Ahlul-Bayt
(A.S.), and the continuous pursuit of authorities for him and his
followers, and throwing them in prisons and jails, the caliphs of his
time could not hide his personality or weaken his scientific and
political role and his social status. Thus, the spiritual authority of
the Holy Imam(A.S.) was imposed upon the rulers and the opponents of his
time.
Ahmad bin Abdulla bin Khaqan, being an opponent of Imam
al-Askari (A.S.), narrated a full description about his social and
political status and position:
Ibn Shahr Ashub said:
"Hussein
bin Muhammad Ash'ari and Muhammad bin Ali said: During his assembly one
day the Shias and their beliefs were mentioned. Ahmad bin Abdulla bin
Khaqan was in charge of estates and the land tax in Qom. He was the
severe enemy of the descendants of Ali bin Abi-Talib(A.S.), who said: 'I
had not seen a man from the Sayyids like al-Hassan bin Ali bin Muhammad
bin Ali al-Reza(A.S.). Once, the Imam's servant visited my father and
said: Abu Muhammad bin al-Rida is standing at the door. Therefore, he
permitted them to enter, and welcomed him (the Imam).
Then, the
Caliph made him sit down in his oratory (place of Prayer) and started to
talk with him and asked for sacrifice of himself for the Imam.
When
the Imam wanted to leave, he (my father) bid farewell to him. Then, I
asked my father about him (the Imam) and he replied: 'I my son! This is
the Imam (leader) of Shias and if the office of leadership was to be
taken from our caliphs i.e. the family of al-Abbas, no one among the
family of Bani Hashim would be more entitled to it than him (the Imam)
becase of his great merit, his self restraint, his modesty, his fasting,
his prayer, his asceticism, his devotion (to Allah), and all of his
high morals and his righteousness.' "Indeed, I always asked about him,
they glorified him and mentioned his charismas. He added saying: 'I have
never seen anyone who is more plentiful in knowledge and manner, nor
sweet in tongue than Hassan al-Askari(A.S.).
Because of the Holy
Imam's great status, political position and his standing at the top of
political opposition at that time, the, then, authorities not only
imposed a house arrest on him, but, also forced him to attend the office
of the caliphate on Mondays and Thursdays every week in the city of
Samarrah, the military garrison capital city of Abbasid administration.
In this regard, one of the companions of the Holy Imam (A.S.) said:
"We
held a meeting in the district of "al-Askar", then, we waited for the
day of Abu Muhammad's (the Holy Imam) going by, instead, he (a.s.) sent a
letter in which he wrote the following: 'No one should greet me, nor
refer to me with his hand nor gestures, because you would not secure
yourselves."
The great position of the Imam (a.s.) can be shown
by the following historical document in which he describes the people's
conditions during the Holy Imam's martyrdom:
"When the news of
his (the HolyImam) martyrdom was spread, Samarra' became on uproar. The
markets were empty. Bani (the family) Hashim, the military leaders, the
secretaries, the judges, the attestators and the rest of the people rode
to his funeral. On that day, Samarra' looked like the (day of)
Resurrection.."
His Worship:
History is replete with news and narrations which talk about the Holy Imam's worship and piety. Among them are:
1.
Muhammad Shakiri said: He[Holy Imam (A.S.)] used to sit in his prayer
niche (mihrab) and start prostrating, then, I slept. When I woke up, I
saw him still prostrating(Sajdah)."
2. Kulaini, quoting another
narration which talked about the Holy Imam's worshipand piety and how he
spent his time in Abbasid prison in Samarra praising, worshipping and
devoting himself to Allah, the Almighty, to the extent that he[Holy Imam
(A.S.)] even had an impact on his own jailer, said:
"The
Abbasids went to Salih bin Wasif when Abu Muhammad (Imam Hassan
al-Askari(A.S.)), peace be on him, was imprisoned. They told him: "Be
hard on him. Don't give him any ease.' "What can I do with him?" Salih
asked them. 'I entrusted two of the most evil men I found (to guard the
Imam). These two men became (men) of worship, prayer and fasting to an
amazing extent.' Then, he ordered these two men who were in charge of
Imam Hasan al-Askari(A.S.)) to be present. He told them: 'Shame on you!
What is your involvement in the affairs of this man (i.e. the Holy
Imam)?' They answered: "What can we say about a man who fasts at day and
stands (in prayer) at night, who does not speak, and occupies himself
with nothing except worship? When he (the Imam) looks at us, our limbs
shake and within us in (a feeling) which we have never had. When the
Abbasids heard this, they all left in despair."
The deterioration
of the adminstrative, moral and political conditions of the Abbasid
authorities. The life of extravagance and entertainment dominated the
Abbasid palace in Samarra. In return, poverty, hungry, sickness and
terrorism prevailed everywhere. All these circumstances caused the Holy
Imam (A.S.) to oppose and confront them with the help of the descendants
of Ali bin Abi-Talib (A.S.) by a revolution in order to save the Ummah
from such disturbance and unrest.
Therefore, the Abbasid
authorities, especially the authority of Mu'taz and Muhtadi, Mu'tamid
endeavoured to confront the Holy Imam(A.S.) through confinement,
terrorism, prison, and siege.
Imam al-Askari(A.S.) and Political Conditions:
We
have mentioned in previous chapters about the Abbasid rulers and their
oppression, corruption, dispersion and weakness. The Holy Imam (A.S.)
lived during the caliphate of Mutawakkil, and his two sons, Muntasir and
Musta'in. He (A.H.) undertook the task of divine leadership after his
holy father's martyrdom in 253 A.H. during the reign of the Abbasid
caliph, Mu'taz. The Abbasid caliph Mu'taz who was dismissed from the
office in the year 255 A.H. by his collaterals and, then, they put him
in prison until he died.
After him, the caliph Muhtadi Abbasi
took the office of the caliphate. This man, also, faced the same
destiny. They attacked him, wounded him and called him to be deposed,
but, he refused and after two days, he died in the year of 256 A.H.
Regarding
the conditions of the people, historian quoted that an epidemic spread
about in Iraq in the year of 258 A.H. and during which more that ten
thousand people died of starvation. Poverty and high costs spread
severely in different lands. For example, the high cost in Mecca caused
people to leave for areas surrounding Madina and other lands... in
Baghdad, the prices of essential commodities, also, increased..."
Ya'qoobi quoted another narration:
"The
prices were so expensive in Baghdad and Samarra' that ever hasp
(fastener) cost one hundred dirhams. Wars continued and during which,
provisions were cut off wealth decreased..."
As the society
suffered poverty, hunger, and sickness, the unrest caused by the
autority, and mismanagement, the palaces of the caliphs filled with
slave girls, the playing with jewels, extavagance, lavish gifts and
dissolute entertainment. This gives us clues about the life of the
Abbasid palace which contained such playing and vanities to the extent
that some caliphs mocked each other, thus, disclosing various scenes of
vanity and extravagance and playing with the treasury, the situation was
so deteriorated that the personal possessions of some of their women
and their yearly expenditures were millions of dirhams.
In this regard, the following is mentioned:
"The
mother of Muhammad bin Wathiq, the caliph died who before he was given
the pledge of allegiance, came under the care of Musta'in. When the
caliph Musta'in was assassinated, Mu'taz had her live in the palace of
Risafa in which his wife was living. When Muhtadi undertook the office
of the caliphate, one day, he addressed a group of his supporters,
saying: "Regarding myself, I have no mother to whom I need ten million
dirhams, yearly, in order to spend on her slaves and servants related to
her..."
The books of history quote that Qabiha was a slave girl
of the Caliph, Mutawakkil and a slave-wife of his son, Mu'taz. She
transferred her properties from Baghdad to Samarra' and continued
selling her treasuries for many months. She possessed, in one of her
rooms, a millions dinar and jewelry equal to the cost of two millions
dinars.
The Holy Imam(A.S.) Face to Face with the Oppressors
The
Abbasid authorities persecuted Imam Hasan al-Askari(A.S.) and put him
under their control in order to paralyze his political and ideological
activities and also restrain him from practising his leading role among
the Ummah. Therefore, the Holy Imam (A.S.) was obliged to act secretly
and built an organization of his followers, and representatives and
strengthened its base. By studying historical documents, available at
hands, one can clearly detect the following procedures:
1. Abu Hashim al-Ja'fari, on the authority of Dawood bin Aswad, the stoker of Abu Muhammad (a.s.), is quoted to have said:
"One
day, my lord, Abu Muhammad, [i.e. Imam al-Askari(A.S.)], called me and
handed to me a threshold, which seemed very heavy. He (a.s.) told me to
take it to Amri. Therefore, I started out, but on the way a water
carrier with a mule advanced towards me. His mule approached me on my
way and the water carrier called to me to shout it back to him. Instead,
I hit it with the threshold and started beating it. As a result, the
board split and I looked at it and found books inside it. So, I hastened
to the thereshold and held it under my sleeve. The water carrier
started carying, and cursing me and my owner. When I approached the
house of my Lord, upon returning, the Imam's servant, Isa received me at
the door and said: "My master has asked you: Why did you beat the mule
and break the threshold?" I answered him: "O my master! I did not know
what was in it. He (A.S..), then, said: "Why did you do an action and
then apologize for it. Be careful not to repeat it, again, from now on,
When you hear someone cursing us, go on your way on which you are
ordered. And be aware not to answer someone who curses us or introduce
yourself. Because we are in an evil land, go on your way. Your news and
conditions reach us, so be aware of that."
2.On the authority of Muhammad bin Abdul-Aziz Balkhi, who said:
"One
day in the morning, I sat on a street called "Ghanam", and it happened
that Abu Muhammad (A.S.), (the Holy Imam), was coming from his house, on
the way to a public inn. I said to myself: "Consider O people! This is
Allah's proof on you; therefore, acknowledge him. ' When he[the Holy
Imam (A.S.)] passed beside me, he gestured with his forefinger towards
me to keep silent. On that night I saw him saying: 'Surely, it is either
to keep silent or be killed, therefore be awere of Allah against
yourself.'"
Images of Political Struggle
Imam
Hasan al-Askari (A.S.), like his respected holy forefathers (peace be
upon them all), engaged in political struggle to confront oppression,
terrorism, safeguard the holy Islamic message, values and principles as
essential tasks of leadership and the Ummah whose task they undertook
according to Allah's wishes.
For fulfilling this great mission
they exprienced torture,imprisonment and long sufferings. They bore
prisons, pursuit, killings, accusations and oppression against them as
mentioned in the following narrations:
1. Abu Hashim Ja'fari was
imprisoned together with Abu Muhammad (A.S.). The caliph, Mu'taz
imprisoned both of them with other "Talibiyyin' [the followers of Imam
Ali(A.S.)].
2. Abu Hashim Dawood bin Qasim is Quoted to have said:
"I
was in the prison known as the prison of Salih bin Wasif Ahmar,
together with Hassan bin Muhammad Aqiqi, Muhammad bin Ibrahim Amari, and
others... It happened that both Abu Muhammad al-Hassa (A.S.), together
with his brother, Ja'far were brought into prison. Thus, we started to
be in the service of him (the Holy Imam). Salih bin Wasif was resonsible
for the imprisonment of the Holy Imam (A.S.). In prison, with us, there
was a man from the tribe of Jumhi who pretended to be a follower of
Imam Ali(A.S.), who said: Abu Muhammad (A.S.) turned around and said:
"Were
it not that among you is the one who is not from you, I would let you
know when you would be set free. Then, he gestured to Jumhi to go out
and thus he went away. Then, Abu Muhammad (A.S.) said: This man (i.e.
Jumhi) is not from you, therefore, be careful of him. Because, in his
clothes, there is a letter which he wrote for the caliph telling him
what you say about him (the caliph). Therefore, some of the prisoners
stood up and checked his clothes and found the same letter written
therein."
3. In his book "A'lam Wara" Tabarsi, an historian, mentioned on the authority of a chain of narrators:
"On
the authority of Ahmad bin Muhammad, who said: "I wrote a letter to Abu
Muhammad (A.S.) when the caliph, Muhtadi, started killing the
supporters of (Imam Ali bin Abi-Talib(A.S.)) and said: O my Lord, praise
be to Allah who kept him away from you. Indeed, I had been informed
that the caliph threatened you, saying: "By Allah, I would drive them
away from the surface of the earth'. Abu Muhammad(A.S.) wrote a letter
saying: "That causes the caliph's age to be shorted, therefore, start
counting from today five days and on the sixth, he (i.e. the caliph)
will be assassinated after being humiliated and disdained, and, thus, it
took place as the Holy Imam(A.S.) prophesied."
The caliph,
Mu'taz, like Muhtadi, thought deeply about killing the Holy Imam (A.S.)
and plotted a conspiracy against him. In this respect, Ibn Sharh Ashub
is quoted to have said:
"The caliph, Mu'taz asked Sa'id, the
chamberlain, to take Abu Muhammad(A.S.) to Kufa and behead him on the
way. His (the Imam's) letter reached us, saying: 'Whatever you heard
would be safe with you. Thus, after three days, Mu'taz was deposed and
killed."'
4. Sheikh Mufid is, also, quoted to have said:
"Abu
Muhammad (Hassan al-Askari), peace be on him, was handed over to
Nahrir. He was hard on him and did harm to him. His wife said to him:
"Fear Allah, you do not know who is in your house. She mentioned to him
his [Imam Hasan al-Askari's] righteousness and devotion (to Allah) and
said: I fear for you as a result of him."
5. Sheikh Mufid, on the authority of Ismael Alawi, said:
"Abu
Muhammad (Hassan al-Askari(A.S.)), was detained by Ali bin Awtash. The
latter was violent in his hostility to the holy family of Muhammad,
(S.A.W.) and severe on the family of Abu-Talib (A.S.). He was told to
treat him (badly) and he did so. Yet, [Imam Hassa al-Askari(A.S.)] was
only with him for a day and he bagan to treat him with humility. He did
not raise his eyes to him out of respect and honour. He would take leave
from him and had become the most perceptive of men in repect to him and
the best of them in his words about him.
Imam Hasan al-Askari's(A.S.) Divine Knowledge:
The
Holy Imam's main task was to safeguard the Message of Islam, to defend
its originality, to call people towards it and to convey its principles
and values.
During the reign of Imam al-Askari(A.S.), the school
of Ahlul-Bayt (A.S..) was filled with knowledge, calling to Islam and
defending it and spreading its ideas, the chief element of this act was
done through the academic way.
Indeed, the Holy Imam (A.S.) had
students, companions and narrators, some of whom had continued their
task since the reign of his father and grandfather, while others joined
in during the period of his divine leadership. All these students and
narrators had studied under the Holy Imam(A.S.) and quoted him in
narrating Islamic sciences and culture.
Sheikh Tusi mentioned the
names of the narrators of Imam al-Askari (A.S.). Their number was about
99 narrators on different levels of knowledge and culture.
Indeed,
the religious scholars who either narrated from Imam al'Askari (A.S.),
or who studied under his school, or who were educated in the school of
the Holy Imam(A.S.) and his forefathers, participated in developing the
scholarly offering in the fields of jurisprudence, interpretation,
narration, faith, literature, geography, and other sciences.
All
these evidences indicated the greatness of this school and also refer to
the scholarly status of the Holy Imam(A.S.) and his high rank among
people.
Holy Imams' Martyrdom
Imam
al-Askari (A.S.) lived during the times of the Abbasid caliphs, Mu'taz,
Muhtadi and Mu'tamid. The Holy Imam (A.S.) suffered more afflictions,
confinement, terrorism and pursuit by the three above mentioned brutal
and cruel caliphs and was, also, exposed to imprisonment at different
times before them.
The last caliph, whom the Holy Imam (A.S..)
lived with, Mu'tamid, was dissoulte, disposed to entertainment and
pleasures, singing, and committing the forbidden. All these caused
people to hate him,
The Holy Imam (A.S.) suffered different kinds
of troubles and torments in the hands of the caliph, Mu'tamid, who
surrounded him with intensive security forces to keep an eye on him and
pursue those who wanted to contact him.
The reason that caused
the Abbasids to be more envious against the high position of the Holy
Imam (A.S.), among the Ummah, was their being afraid of his son, the
Awaited Imam Mahdi(A.S.). They knew that Imam would be the son of Imam
Askari(A.S.) whom he referred to in one of his letters:
"They thought that they could kill me in order to cut off my offspring, but Allah denied their sayings and praise be to Allah."
The
anger of the caliph, Mu'tamid, increased more when he saw that the
whole ummah glorified, and showed great respect and superiority to the
Holy Imam (A.S.); and the Shias more thant the Abbasids. On the other
side, the caliph, Mu'tamid was greatly hated by the whole ummah.
Therefore, he decided to annihilate the Holy Imam (a.s.) and assassinate
him.
Imam Abu Muhammad Hassan al-Askari(A.S.) was poisoned by
the caliph, Mu'tamad, and, thus, suffered severely and was martyred on
8th of the month of Rabi' Awwal in the year 260 (A.H.). At the time of
his death, he was twenty-eight years old. He was buried in the house in
which his father was buried in Samarra'. He left behind his son - Living
Holy Awaited Saviour Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi(A.S.) the one who is
awaited to bring about the heavenly rule of truth in the whole world.
Maxims of Imam Hasan al-Askari(A.S.)
Holy Imam's Message To Is'haq Bin Ismail al-Nishabouri
Allah
cover you and us with His shelter and take care of all of your affairs
through His power. I have understood your message - Allah compassionate
you. Thanks to Allah, we - the Prophet's family - sympathize our
disciples and feel delight when Allah's beneficence and favors are given
to them incessantly. We also count every favor that Allah, the Blessed
the Exalted, bestows upon them.
Allah confer upon you, Is'haq,
and your examples, whom Allah has compassionated and led to the right,
with His grace. Allah make His favor perfect for you by taking you to
Paradise. "Alhamdu Lillah - All praise be to Allah -" is the perfect
thanks for any favor, apart from its greatness or magnitude. I praise
Allah too much to be compared to any wording of praise all over times,
for His conferment of graces upon you as He has compassionated you,
saved you from destruction, and eased your course to pass the obstacle.
By
Allah, it was such an insurmountable obstacle. Its matter was too
intense; its course was too difficult; its trial was too hard; it was
mentioned in the ancient books. In the time of the late Imam(A.S.) and
in my days, you have had some affairs due to which I dispraised your
opinions for you have been practicing unsuccessfully. You should know so
fully, Is'haq, that he whoever quits this world with blindness will be
also blind in the world to come and in terrible error.
O Is'haq,
it is not the sights that are affected with blindness; in fact, it is
the hearts that are in the chests. This is proved in Allah's conveying
the saying of the wrong ones in His Book of wisdom:
"He will
say, 'My Lord, why have you brought me back to life blind; before I
could see?' The Lord will say, 'This is true. But just as you forgot Our
(claim) that had come to you, so, too, are you forgotten on this day.
(Holy Qur'an 20:124-125) Which claim is more magnificent than the Lord's
argument against His creatures, the Lord's representative on His lands,
and the Lord's witness on His servants after the consecution of
forefathers; the prophets and forefathers; the successors of the
prophets? Peace and Allah's mercy and blessings be upon them all. Where
are you taken away?
Where are you directing aimlessly like
animals? Are you rejecting the right and believing in the wrong? How are
you denying the grace of Allah? Do not be like those who believe in
only a part of the Book and disbelieve in the other. He whichever of you
or others does so will gain nothing more than debasement in this
worldly life and a long-termed agony in the permanent life to come. That
is surely the greatest debasement. Allah, the Benefactor the Merciful,
imposed upon you these duties not out of His need for your performances
of these duties.
He imposed them out of His mercy for the purpose
of making a distinction between the bad and the good, testing what you
bear in your breasts, and examining what you have in your hearts so that
you will compete with each other to attain His mercy and have different
places in His Paradise. He, therefore, imposed upon you to perform the
hajj and umrah, offer prayers, defray the zakat, fast, and embrace the
Wilaya. He has also assigned for you an entrance to the doors of the
obligatory duties and a key to His course.
Without
Muhammad(S.A.W.) and the successors among his sons, you would have been
confused, like animals, and you would have been unable to know any of
the religious ordinances. How can a city be entered without its door?
After He had done you the greatest favor of assigning (definite) leaders
after your Prophet, Allah said in His book: On this day I have
perfected your religion, completed My favors to you, and have chosen
Islam as your religion. (Holy Qur'an 5:3) Allah has also made incumbent
upon you to fulfill some rights for your leaders so that your wives,
property, food, and drinks will be lawful for you. Allah says:
[Muhammad(S.A.W.)],
say, "I do not ask you for any payments for my preaching to you except
(your) love of (my near) relatives. (Holy Qur'an 42:23) You should know
that whoever behaves miserly does so against his own soul only. Allah is
Self-sufficient and you are poor. There is no god but Allah. The speech
with you about what is yours and what is against you has been very
long.
You would not see my handwriting and would not hear a
single letter from me after the departure of the past Imam(A.S.) except
for that Allah liked to perfect His favors for you. Meanwhile, you are
plunging in negligence of that to which you will inevitably return and I
have assigned Ibrahim-bin-Abda as my representative and you have
received my message that was conveyed by Mohammed-bin-Musa al-Nisabouri.
Help is sought from Allah only in every condition. Beware of
falling short of the duties of Allah lest, you will be with the losing
ones. Woe and away with them who disregard the acts of obedience to
Allah and reject the admonitions of Allah's disciples. Allah has ordered
you to obey Him, His Messenger, and the men of authority [namely the
Holy Imams(A.S.)]. Allah compassionate (you for) your weakness and
negligence and help you tolerate your duties. Man is too deceived about
his All-Generous Lord. Had the solid rocks understtod a part of that
which is mentioned in the (Holy) Book, they should have certainly been
humbled and rent asunder for anxiety, fear, and return to the obedience
to Allah.
Do whatever you like, for surely "Allah and His
Messenger will soon make your deeds public, then you will return to Him
who has absolute knowledge of the unseen and the seen and He will inform
you of what you have done. (Holy Qur'an 9:94) All praise is due to
Allah the Lord of the worlds. Peace be upon Muhammad(S.A.W.) and his
family entirely.
Short Maxims of Imam Hasan al-Askari(A.S.)
1- Do not dispute (with others) lest you will lose splendor and do not joke (with everyone) lest you will be disrespected.
2-
As for those who accept to sit in a place other than the first row of a
session, Allah and His angels will bless them until they leave that
session.
3- Imam Hasan al-Askari(A.S.) answer the man who asked
him a miracle or a proof of Imamat: The punishment will be doubled for
those who refuted the miracle or proof of Imamat after it had been
presented to them according to their demand. He who shows patience will
be supplied with the support of Allah. People are accustomed to
publicize false missives that they themselves forge. We supplicate to
Allah for guiding us (to the right). Matters are either submission or
destruction. The end results of everything belong to Allah.
4-
Imam al-Askari(A.S.) answered the man who reported to him the
disagreement of Shias: Allah has addressed to the intelligent
exclusively. People are of different classes: some are the discerning on
a way of salvation; they are holding fast to the right and clinging to
the branch of the origin; they are neither doubtful not suspicious; they
do not consider a shelter other than me. Some are those who have not
received the right from its very people; they are like those who
embarked on a ship; they ripple when the sea is wavy and calm down when
the sea is calm. Some are those who are dominated by the Shaitan; their
one and only job is to refute the people of the right and substitute the
wrong for the right out of envy. Hence, leave those who went astray to
the right and left. When a shepherd wants to gather the hoard, he will
not need to exert efforts for so. Beware of divulging our secrets and
seeking power, for these two things drive into perdition.
5-
Within the unforgivable sins are the sins whose committers wish if they
would not commit anything else." Imam al-Askari(A.S.) then said:
"Polytheism of people is more hidden that the creeping of ants on a
black piece of cloth in a gloomy night.
6- "Bismillah ar Rahman
ir Rahim -- in the Name of Allah the Beneficent the Merciful-" is as
near to the Great Name (of Allah) as the iris to the white of the eye.
7-
In the time of Imam al-Hasan Askari(A.S.), some of the Shias disagreed
about his Imamat; therefore the following message was publicized
carrying his signature: No one of my fathers suffered the (affliction of
the) disagreement of such a group like I did. If this matter of Imamat
that you have believed in and embraced is temporary, then I doubt it. If
it is as permanent as the affairs of Allah, then what is the meaning of
this doubt?
8- The mutual love of the pious. The hate of the
sinful to the pious is an advantage for the pious. The hate of the pious
to the sinful is debasement for the sinful.
9- To greet everyone you pass by and to sit in a place other than the first class of a session are signs of modesty.
10- Reasonless laughter is a sign of ignorance.
11-
Within the misfortunes that deal a death blow is the neighbor who
overshadows any good feature that he notices and propagandizes any
defect that he notices.
12- Imam al-Askari(A.S.) said to his
adherents (Shias) I command you to fear Allah, show piety to your
religion, work hard for Allah's sake, tell truths only, return the
deposits to their owners whether they are pious or sinful, prostrate
yourselve before Allah for a long time, and treat your neighbors
courteously. These are the matters that Mohammaed(S.A.W.) brought. Offer
prayers in the middle of your folks, attend their funeral ceremonies,
visit their ill ones, and fulfill their rights. I am pleased if people
point to you and say "this is Shi'ite", when you behave piously, tell
truths only, return the deposits to their owners, and condutct
courteously with people. Fear Allah, be good (examples) and do not be
evil. Attract people's fondness of us and save us from every awful
character, for we are surely the people of every good thing that is said
about us, but we are definitely not the owners of any evil thing that
is imputed to us. We enjoy a (distinctive) right in the Book of Allah, a
relation (of kinship) to the Messenger of Allah, and a purification
whose source is Allah. Only can the liars claim of enjoying our
distinctive features. Refer to Allah very much, refer to death, recite
the Quran, and bless the Prophet(S.A.W.). A single blessing of the
Prophet(S.A.W.) is ten advantages. Retain the matter of which I have
commanded you. Allah keep you under His supervision. Peace be upon you.
13-
Very much offering of prayers and fasting is not the worship; the very
worship is the very much pondering over the affairs of Allah.
14-
The worst servants - of Allah - are those who are two-faced and
two-tongued; they praise their present friends and backbite the absent;
they envy them for obtaining graces and disappoint them when they suffer
a misfortune.
15- Anger is the key to every evil.
16-
In 260 A.H. Imam al-Askari(A.S.) said to his adherents: We have
previously ordered you to put the rings in your right hands when we were
among you. Now, because you will no longer meet us (normally), we order
you to put your rings in your left hands until Allah make your, as well
as our, Question prevalent. This is surely the best proof through which
you can prove your being loyal to our leadership; i,e. the leadership
of the Prophet's family. All the attendants took their rings out of
their right hands to put them in the left. The Imam(A.S.) then ordered:
Convey this commandment to all of our adherents -Shias.
17- The least comfortable of people is the spiteful.
18-
The most pious of people is he who stops at suspicious matters. The
best worshipper is he who performs the obligatory religious affairs
duly. The most abstinent of people is he who abandons the unlawful. The
most hard-working of people is he who deserts sins.
19- You are
plunging into decreased deadlines and limited days. He who sows good
will harvest delight and he who sows evil will harvest regret. Each
cultivator will gain only what he has cultivated. The slow will not gain
but his own share. The acquisitive will not catch that which is not
his.
The source of every advantage is Allah, and the actual protector from every evil is Allah, too.
20- The faithful believer is a blessing for the believers and a claim against he disbelievers.
21- The heart of the foolish is in his mouth and the mouth of the wise is in his heart.
22- The guaranteed sustenance should not engage you from the ordained deed.
23- The excessiveness of the (ritual) ablution is as same as defect.
24-
The powerful will be definitely humiliated if he ignores the right and
the humble will be definitely valued if he takes in it.
25- Fatigue is the friend of the ignorant.
26- Nothing is above two characters: believing in Allah and benefiting the friends.
27- The babies who dare their fathers will surely treat them impiously when they attain maturity.
28- To show happiness before the grieved is not a sign of good mannerism.
29-
Everything that you dislike your life if you lose it is surely
preferred to your life, and everything that you desire for death if it
befalls you is surely eviler than death.
30- To educate an ignorant and to prevent a habit are two impossible actions.
31- Modesty is an unenviable favor.
32- Do not bestow upon anyone with matters that are difficult for him.
33- Those who advice their friend secretly are respecting them, and those who advice them openly are humiliating them.
34- Allah's favors encompass every misfortune.
35- It is so ugly for a believer to follow a passion that causes him humiliation.
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