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THE
TIMES AND LIFE OF IMAM HASAN AL-ASKARI (a)
by the late Dr.Sayed Haider Hussain Shamsi
( Excerpt
from his book, " And The Message Continues the Lives of the Twelve
Imams From the Ahle Bait ". )
Imam Hasan Al-Askari(a)
was bom in Medina in 232 AH, during the reign of the Abbasid caliph
Wathiq. When Mutwakil had his father moved from Medina to Samarah
in 236 AH, he was only four years of age. He suffered deprivation
of the patronage of his father, Imam Ali Naqi, owing to the long spells
of house arrests and formal prisons. He was only twenty-two years
of age at the martyrdom of his father in 254 AH. He took up the
responsibilities of Imamate according to the declaration that his father
had made in Medina eighteen years earlier.
During the life of his father, he endured the reign of terror under
Mutwakil
followed by the chain of several caliphs until the martyrdom of his
father.
There was much oppression and persecution of the Alkyds during those
years, and the Imam had to remain in hiding. He used to
communicate with his followers only through his most reliable
representatives. During the next five and a half years, he saw the
caliphate change hands twice. Muhtadi succeeded the Caliph Mutazz
in 255 AH, followed by the Caliph Mu'tarnid in 256 AH.
Just as Umar bin Abd al-Aziz was the only benevolent caliph from the
Umayyad dynasty, Muhtadi was perhaps the ordy caliph in the chain of the
Abbasids who could also be called benevolent. However, the rule of
Muhtadi last for less than one year, and the Imam saw a brief period of
reprieve during his reign. Not withstanding the urgency to have an
heir, the Imam married Nargis Khatoon. There was a general air of
uneasiness about this. A rumor was circulating that the awaited
Mahdi would be born from this union. The Imam was twenty four
years of age at that time.
The rule of tyranny returned with the Caliph Mu'tamid. He was a
stonehearted ruler who took pleasure in having people beheaded for
trivial faults. He had the Imam placed in a formal prison under
strict isolation. He had instructed the wardens to inflict torture
to the Imam. However, when they went to carry out the Caliph's
orders, they found the Imam either in prayers or reading the Quran.
He rotated several prison wardens with the intention to inflict harm to
the Imam, but faded in his HI-destined schemes. Most of these
wardens became followers and devotees of the Imam.
Despite the difficulties imposed upon the Imam, he continued to receive
deputations from his devotees from far and wide, and he continued to
serve the followers with the true values of Islam through the meanings
and interpretations of the Qur'an and his personal conduct of life.
Many senior and older followers of the Imam attended his sittings and
clarified many questions about the Quran and the Hadith. Seeing
that there would be a continued need for correct interpretation of the
Qur'an, he took up the project of writing, a comprehensive commentary of
the Qur'an before he passed away.
The Caliph finally prevailed and had the Imam martyred with poison in
the
year 260 AH. He sent a team of his trusted physicians to ensure
the condition of the Imam and to certify his death before his burial.
Having thus completed the assignment as ordered by the Caliph, the body
of the Imam was laid to rest in the same house where he had died.
He was buried in the same room where his father had died and was buried.
Contrary to the previously established tradition, the Imam did not
announce the name or the identity of his successor, although there was
some evidence that he had left a four-year-old heir to the Imamate.
As expected, there was considerable doubt and confusion among the
followers regarding the continuation of the series of Imamate after the
death of the Eleventh Imam. The Aliyyids were in revolt in the
empire at the time, and some were claiming to be the Awaited One, the
Twelfth Imam contacted his followers through his safirs for their
guidance.
REFLECTIONS
FROM THE LIFE OF IMAM HASAN AL-ASKARI (a)
The Imam obtained his title of al-Askari because of his residence in the
garrison precinct of the Samarah. He was able to communicate with
people in their mother-tongues as he was fluent in several languages
that were spoken in the empire at the time.
The Imam participated in many debates and contests held by the Caliph in
an attempt to slight his dignity. But instead, the Imam shone like
full moon in the dark night of ignorance.
Despite the short span of his life that was available to his followers,
he
left many, respected students who continued to write and carry out
researches in the path of the Truth.
Selected
Quotes:
1.He told his followers:
-Be obedient to Allah, keep adherence to the practice of your Faith,
never
tell lies, keep the trust of some one who has placed it with you, keep
good
relations with your neighbors, prolong your sajdah in prayers.
-Life is but a short span and the end comes suddenly. One who
plants the
seedling of good, would reap an enormous harvest of reward. One
who plants a seedling of mischief, would reap the fruit of bitterness,
shame and regret.
-Being Thankful to Allah brings rewards of His great benevolence.
2. He told one of his companions:
-Trust in Allah and keep steadfast in your prayers.
-Never refrain from paying the poor dues, lest your prayers go waste.
-Repent for your sins.
-Do not give in to anger.
-Be charitable towards your brethren, in plenty and in deprivation.
Show forbearance to peoples' ignorance.
-Ponder on ordinances of Faith.
-Forever remain within the circle of the Qur'an. -Guide others to the
Truth
when you have found it.
Selected
Sayings:
1. Do not indulge in unnecessary discussion with people lest
you lose your
respect. Do not indulge in too much humor with people lest they
pick up
courage to slight you.
2. It is among good manners to wish well to someone who passes you
by. When in a communal gathering, do not look for a high place for
yourself
3. It is ill manners to express happiness to someone who is
grieved by some
event.
4. That person Is most cautious who pauses at place of suspicion.
That
person is most reliable who fulfills his commitments. That person
is most pious who exercises avoidance of all forbidden things.
That person is performing the hardest Jehad who is committed to avoid
sin.
5. The provisions that are a promise from the Lord, are rewards
earned by
fulfilling the duties of obedience.
6. One who renders advice to a fellow momin on his fault away from
the
public eye, has decorated him; but one who does so in the open, has in
fact stripped him.
7. Every thing has a limit, you would harm yourself if you exceed
it.
8. One who has built relation with the Allah, loves solitude.
9. Do not choose a method of respect to someone by which his
feelings would be hurt.
10. It is no less than a miracle to teach an idiot or to break the habit
of
an addict.
TAFSEER-EASKARI
The Commentary on Holy Qur'an By Imam Hasan Askari (a)
As the grip of the rulers tightened and degree of suppression of the
Imams
increased, it became harder and harder for the followers to gain access
to him to obtain direct guidance. Since most of the questions
asked used to be on the interpretation and expounding the meanings of
the Book of Allah, the Imam found it necessary to have this material
committed to his pen. This was collected in the form of a book known as
the " Tafseer-e Askari. "
The book that is available today is incomplete, as it does not cover the
Qur'an in its entirety. It is possible that several sections of it
were lost or
destroyed due to many turmoil's the world of Islam had endured with
time. It is possible that the Imam had only a limited time to have
such a mammoth task completed before his martyrdom. It is also
possible that he had given lectures and interpretations to some of the
learned students and entrusted them to complete the task after him, and
in turn they were also eliminated by the tyrants of the time.
However, what is available today, reveals the enormity of the rich
language and the depths of the meanings extracted from the verses of the
Qur’an. Besides a book of learning, it is a beautiful piece of
literature attributed to the eleventh pillar of the Ahle Bait for the
devotees to relish and to benefit from.
* Please recite sura fateha for eisal-e thawab of the author. The book
can be read online in the "Book section" of this website.
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