Birthday of the 11th Imam
Dec 27, 2017 06:13 UTC
Salaam everybody and heartiest felicitations to you on a very auspicious occasion. Today, the 8th of Rabi as-Sani is that blessed day on which was born one of the fourteen noblest persons chosen by God Almighty for the guidance of mankind.
He was the 11th Infallible Successor of the Almighty’s Last and Greatest Messenger, Prophet Muhammad (blessings of God upon him and his progeny). He was Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS), the father of the Lord of the Age, Imam Mahdi (may God hasten his reappearance for establishment of the global government of peace and justice. Before we present you a special feature on the 11th Imam, we recite to you a mind-stimulating phrases that open for us paths of prosperity in the real sense: “O You the Aware of hidden consciences, You are Merciful to everything and Aware of everything, forgive those who repent and follow Your path, protect them from the torment of Fire, give them soon Your victory that You have promised them of and You do not fail the promise!”
The passage that you listened to, is part of a supplication in the Divine Court. It rekindles our hope in the All-Merciful Lord; Whose forgiveness is yearned to cleanse the faults of the penitents; Whose clemency is shield against the eternal inferno; and Whose promise is victory for the true believers.
Who was the supplicant? What was his source of knowledge of the unseen?
The 8th of Rabi as-Sani provides us the answers. Born the Prophet’s city of Medina in the year 232 AH (corresponding to 846 AD), his Immaculate father Imam Ali al-Hadi (AS) named him Hasan in honour of the Prophet’s elder grandson, Imam Hasasn al-Mujtaba (AS).
He was destined to acquire the epithet “al-Askari”, which means the “soldier”, or more properly the “Soldier of God”, at whose commands was an army of angels could be assembled – as a terrified self-styled caliph found out when he tried to boast of the power of his mostly Turkic mercenary slave-soldiers, recruited by the Abbasids from the wild steppes of Central Asia. Another of his famous epithets is “Zaki”, which means the pure and chaste in all affairs.
To be more precise he was the 11th Imam of mankind and the father of the Divinely-Promised Saviour, Imam Mahdi (AS), through whom God will grant the final victory to the true believers and make Islam triumphant over all creeds, ideologies, and nations.
As for the mother of Imam Hasan Askari (AS), she was the most virtuous lady of her age, known for her faith in God, chastity, purity of thought, and piety. A native of Nubia between the lands of Egypt and Sudan, she was named ‘Saleel’ or the one purified from error, defect, and impurity. Some historians have referred to her ‘Sowsan’, while others have called her ‘Hadithah’, which seem to be her epithets for her outstanding qualities.
What an honourable house and what a glorious lineage he had! No wonder his great ancestress was the the noblest-ever lady, the Prophet’s Immaculate Daughter, Hazrat Fatema az-Zahra (peace upon her).
In addition, to an impeccable pedigree, he possessed perfect morals, and was sincere in all affairs. Moreover, Imam Askari (AS), like his Infallible Predecessors was the most knowledgeable person of his age – not only in Islamic sciences, but in all fields of knowledge.
Bakhtshou, the famous Christian physician, who was a contemporary once said to his disciple Batriq about the Eleventh Imam: “He is the most knowledgeable of all those under the sky in our day.”
Even the conscientious courtiers of the usurper Abbasid caliphs have admitted that if the Abbasid tyrants had not subjected the Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt oppression and confinement, they would have filled the world with knowledge and sciences to such an extent that the world had never before seen such wisdom and intellectual development.
The Abbasid usurpers, however, were afraid that if the true successors of the Prophet were allowed to associate with the people and spread bezels of knowledge and culture, new horizons would have opened, not only in the fields of sciences but also in the political and social spheres, which would unmask to the Muslim masses the ignorance of the Abbasids and their being the imposters.
Thus, in order to preserve their power they didn’t spare any efforts to isolate the Imams from the Ummah. t uncleanness away from and purified a thorough purifying, and whom the Prophet (a.s.) had made as the boat of rescue and safety.
Nonetheless, at every opportunity, Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS), during his brief imamate of six years, guided the seekers of truth, such as his timely admonishment through a common disciple to the philosopher Abu Ishaq al-Kindi that saved him from damning himself to the eternal inferno by expressing doubts on the timeless wisdom of God’s Revealed Word, the holy Qur’an. The Eleventh Imam’s unraveling of truth made al-Kindi repent and burn the dubious book that he had compiled because of lack of proper knowledge.
Imam Hasan Askari (AS), in addition to demonstrating his God-given wisdom and knowledge, also exposed the tricksters and charlatans claiming to perform miracles.
Once a severe draught occurred in Samarra, Iraq. Rain had not fallen for some time and crops were drying up. People were facing a famine. They did not know what to do. At that time, Mu'tamid, was the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad. Mu'tamid, the Abbasid Caliph ordered people to proceed to the desert and pray for rain. People did go to the desert for three days consecutively but rain did not fall.
The next day, the Christians along with their scholars went to offer prayer and it rained. This event, brought into effect a great fervor and excitement among the Muslim masses. The hearts of the Muslim got attracted towards the Christians. Mu'tamid, the Abbasid Caliph was very much perturbed, dismayed, and desperate over it. He sent a word for "Imam Hasan Askari (AS)" in the prison, saying that the religion Islam of his grandfather was in danger and summoned him to his court and asked him about the solution to that problem.
Imam Hasan Askari (AS) said: "Tell them to go to the desert tomorrow for the sake of rain. They did so and the Imam followed them with a great number of people, following him to disclose and unveil the fact out of this matter. The Christians raised their hands towards the sky and prayed to God for rain. Not very long had passed that a cloud appeared and it started raining.
Imam Askari (AS) instructed that the hand of one of the Christians, which was raised up, be held and whatever was concealed among his finger folds be taken out. They observed a bone and took it out of his fingers. They presented that bone to the Imam and he wrapped it in a piece of cloth and then told Christians to pray after that, for rain to fall.
When the Christian raised his hands all the clouds scattered and the sun appeared shinning. All the people were surprised and astonished at it. Mu'tamid, the Abbasid Caliph asked Imam Hasan Askari (AS) what was the secret of that affair? The Imam replied, "This is a piece of bone of one of the Prophets of God which they have picked up from his grave." They swear to God and ask him for the sake of this bone. God grants their desire and prayer and makes the rainfall and whosoever will hold this bone the same thing will occur. After a test of it in the presence of people, what Imam Hasan Askari (AS) said proved evidently correct and all of them praised the Prophet’s rightful heir.
This way Imam Hasan Askari (AS) lifted the doubts from the minds of the people. After this the Imam spread his prayer mat and performed two rak'ats of prayers then lifted his bare hands to God for rain to come to the land and remove the draught.
The Imam’s prayers were answered by Almighty God and rain fell so much that the land became fertile again and crops began to grow.
The people asked Imam Hasan Askari (AS) where he lived. The Imam pointed at Al-Mu'tamid, the Abbasid Caliph, who became too embarrassed to say that he had imprisoned the Imam; so he pointed at the house that had originally belonged to his father, Imam Ali Naqi (AS), and was forced to release the Imam Hasan Askari (as) but only for one year.
Though his life was cut short in the prime of youth at the young age of 28 years, the 11th Imam bequeathed to his son and successor, the legacy of the Prophet that would become fully manifest with God’s promise of the final triumph of the righteous with the reappearance of Imam Mahdi (AS) to end oppression on earth by establishing the global government of peace, prosperity, and justice. Amen
Here is part of a prayer to God Almighty by Imam Hasan Askari (AS):
“O You, Whom angels glorify in the morning and night; O You, the Permanent and Eternal, the Bringer forth of plants in the early morning and afternoon, the Enlivener of the dead, the Resurrector of decayed bones, the Hearer of sounds, the Everlasting, the Dresser of bones that decay after death!
AS/MG
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