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Imam Hasan al-Askari (a)

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The Shrine of al-'Askariyyayn in Samarra

Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a), (Arabic: إمام الحسن العسكري) the eleventh Imam of Shia Muslims and the father of Imam al-Mahdi (a), was born in 232/846 in Medina. During his childhood, he was forced to accompany his father to Samarra,Iraq, by the Abbasid caliph. He lived there under Abbasid surveillance until his martyrdom in 260/874. He was buried alongside his father, Imam al-Hadi (a), in Samarra, at a site known today as the Shrine al-'Askariyyayn.

There is no reported account of Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a) performing the hajj. Narrations from Imam al-'Askari regarding hajj and the philosophy of the 'talbiya' and its expressions have been recorded. In addition to the tafsir (exegesis) of the Qur'an attributed to him, supplications from him have also been recorded in the sources.

Biography

Al-Hasan b. 'Ali b. Muhammad (a), commonly known as Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a), was the eleventh Imam of the Twelve Imams in Shia Islam. His father was Imam al-Hadi (a), and his mother was a Nubian concubine.[1] According to widely accepted accounts, he was born on the 8th of Rabi al-Thani in 232/2th December 846 in Medina.[2]

At the age of four, in 236/850, or possibly in 233/847[3], he accompanied his father to Samarra after the Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil detained his father. Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a) remained in Samarra until the end of his life.[4]

He was given the title "al-'Askari" because al-Mutawakkil housed him in the military district of Samarra.[5] Additionally, he was known as "Ibn al-Rida," a title also attributed to his father, Imam al-Hadi (a), and his grandfather, Imam al-Jawad (a), due to their lineage from Imam al-Rida (a).[6] Other titles recorded for him in historical sources include al-Khalis, al-Khass, al-Siraj, al-Samit, al-Zaki, and al-Taqi.[7]

Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari’s wife was Narjis, and their only son was Imam al-Mahdi (a).[8] However, some historians have mentioned other children for him.[9]

Martyrdom

Main article: Shrine of al-'Askariyyayn

Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a) was martyred at the age of 28 on the 8th of Rabi al-Awwal in 260/1th January 874, poisoned under the orders of the Abbasid caliph al-Mu'tamid. He was buried next to his father, Imam al-Hadi (a), in Samarra. This sacred site is known as the Shrine of the Two al-'Askari Imams (al-'Askariyain).[10]

The burial place of Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a), alongside his father, remains a revered shrine and pilgrimage destination, famously referred to as the Shrine of al-'Askariyyayn.[11]

Imamate

Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a) spent 23 years alongside his father, Imam al-Hadi (a), and, following his father’s martyrdom, became his successor at the age of 22, as per Imam al-Hadi’s will.[12] His period of Imamate lasted six years (254–260/846-874).[13]

Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari’s Imamate coincided with the reigns of three Abbasid caliphs: al-Mu'tazz (r. 252–255/866-868), al-Muhtadi (r. 255–256/868-869), and al-Mu'tamid (r. 256–279/869-892).[14] During al-Mu'tazz’s rule, the Imam was imprisoned, and an attempt was made on his life, but al-Mu'tazz was killed by Turkish forces before he could carry it out.[15] The harassment and imprisonment of the Imam continued during the reigns of al-Muhtadi[16] and al-Mu'tamid.[17]

Despite the Abbasid authorities’ strict surveillance over the Imam's residence, many of his followers, including narrators, representatives, and companions, maintained contact with him. Notable among them were Ibrahim b. Mahziyar, Abd al-'Azim al-Hasani, 'Uthman b. Sa’id al-'Amri, and Fadl b. Shadhan al-Nishaburi.[18]

Books Attributed to Imam al-'Askari

Among Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari’s cultural contributions are several works attributed to him, including:

  • Kitab al-Manqaba
  • Masa'il Abi Muhammad al-Hasan al-'Askari
  • Tawqi'at al-Imam al-'Askari
  • Tafsir attributed to Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari[19]

Additionally, many supplications (du'as) from the Imam are preserved in various sources.[20]

Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari and Hajj

There are no conclusive reports of Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari performing hajj. He is widely considered the only Imam who could not perform the pilgrimage due to his house arrest in Samarra. However, some sources mention narrations from the Imam in Mecca,[21] and a report by al-Baladhuri indicates his presence there.[22]

Sending His Family to Mecca

It is said that shortly before his passing, Imam al-'Askari sent his mother and his son, Imam al-Mahdi (a), to perform hajj.[23] They traveled under the protection of Ahmad b. Muhammad b. al-Mutahhar, a close companion of the eleventh Imam. Following the pilgrimage, it is believed they moved to Medina, possibly as a place of concealment for Imam al-Mahdi (a).[24]

Narrations About Hajj

The Imam provided various narrations related to hajj, including rulings and spiritual insights. For instance, Muhammad b. al-Mutahhar narrated a tradition regarding al-hajj al-badhli (performing hajj on behalf of another).[25] The Imam also conveyed a narration about the philosophy and meanings behind the phrases of talbiya.[26]

Notes

  1. ↑ Masʿūdī, Ithbāt al-waṣīyya, p. 244.
  2. ↑ Ṭabarī, Dalāʾil al-imāma, p. 423; Ibn Shahrāshūb. Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib, vol. 3, p. 523.
  3. ↑ Ashʿarī al-Qummī, al-Maqālāt wa-l-Firaq, p. 100.
  4. ↑ Masʿūdī, Ithbāt al-waṣīyya, p. 243-4.
  5. ↑ Ibn Khallikān. Wafayāt al-Aʿyān, vol. 2, p. 94; Mawsūʿat al-Imām al-ʿAskarī, vol. 1, p. 38.
  6. ↑ Ṣadūq, Kamāl al-dīn wa tamām al-niʿma. p. 41, Ibn Shahrāshūb, Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib, vol. 3, p. 523.
  7. ↑ Ṭabarī, Dalāʾil al-imāma, pp. 423–424; Ibn Shahrāshūb, Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib. vol. 3, p. 523.
  8. ↑ ʿĀmilī, al-Tatimma fī tawārīkh al-aʾimma, p. 143; Sabziwārī, Rāḥat al-arwāḥ, p. 267.
  9. ↑ Maṣʿūdī, Tārīkh al-aʾimma, p. 22.
  10. ↑ Nuʿmānī, al-Ghayba, p. 219; Mufīd, al-Irshād, p. 323; Ṭabrisī, Iʿlām al-warā, p. 131.
  11. ↑ Maḥallātī, Maʾāthir al-kubrāʾ, vol. 1, p. 315.
  12. ↑ Mufīd, al-Irshād, pp. 313–315; Ṭabrisī, Iʿlām al-warā, pp. 131–133; Ibn Shahrāshūb, Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib, vol. 3, pp. 523–524.
  13. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Ghayba, pp. 120–122.
  14. ↑ Ṭabarī, Dalāʾil al-imāma p. 423; Ṭabrisī, Iʿlām al-warā, p. 349; Ibn Shahrāshūb, Manāqib Āl Abī Ṭālib, vol. 3, p. 523.
  15. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Ghayba, p. 208.
  16. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Ghayba, p. 205.
  17. ↑ Ṭūsī, al-Ghayba, p. 219; Mufīd, al-Irshād, p. 323; Ṭabrisī, Iʿlām al-warā, p. 131.
  18. ↑ Ṭūsī, Rijāl al-Ṭūsī, pp. 397–400.
  19. ↑ Arbalī, Kashf al-ghumma, pp. 208–210.
  20. ↑ Arbalī, Kashf al-ghumma. p. 211.
  21. ↑ Hajj al-Anbiyāʾ wa l-Aʾimma, p. 466.
  22. ↑ Arbalī, Kashf al-ghumma, vol. 3, p. 198.
  23. ↑ Masʿūdī, Ithbāt al-waṣīyya, p. 255.
  24. ↑ Ḥusayn, Tārīkh-i sīyāsī-yi ghaybat-i Imām-i Dawāzdahum, p. 124.
  25. ↑ ʿAṭārūdī Quchānī, Musnad al-Imām al-ʿAskarī , p. 252.
  26. ↑ Ṣadūq, Man lā yaḥḍuruhu al-faqīh, vol. 2, pp. 327–328; Ṣadūq, ʿIlal al-sharāyiʿ, p. 417.

References

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