Martyrdom of Imam Hasan Mojtaba (PBUH)

Heartfelt condolences to dear listeners and readers on the anniversary of a day of double grief. Today, the 28th of the month of Safar, the day the Prophet of Islam departed from the mortal world leaving the Ummah, especially his progeny the Ahl al-Bayt in profound grief, also happens to be the day on which his elder grandson, Imam Hasan Mojtaba (AS), was forced to leave world as a martyr through a fatal dose of poison in 50 AH on the 39th passing away anniversary of his grandfather.

Here we present you a special feature on the person who unmasked hypocrisy by relinquishing caliphate or the dubious political rule that had been deviated by the usurpers from God’s commandments in the holy Qur’an and the teachings of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA).

Imam Hasan (AS), the son of such Immaculate Parents, as the Noblest-ever lady Hazrat Fatema Zahra (peace upon her) and the Leader of the Pious, Imam Ali ibn Abi Taleb (AS), needs no introduction. Born in Medina in 3 AH, he, his younger brother, Imam Husain (AS) along with their parents and grandfather the Prophet have been granted by God the mantle of purity, as is evident by ayah 33 of Surah al-Ahzaab, which says:

“Allah desires to keep away all uncleanness from you Ahl al-Bayt and preserve you thoroughly clean.”

Interestingly, when on the commandment of God, this same Infallible Group appeared on the field of Mobahela for the unique challenge of imprecation of the liars, the Christians of Najran backed off on seeing their enlightened visages.

For those still wondering about his identity, here is a passage from a sermon of Imam Hasan (AS) himself to the people of Iraq, when lack of strong faith made them waver between worldly caliphate and Godly Imamate:

 “O people! Those who recognize me know me; as for those who do not, know that I am Hasan bin Ali. I am the (grand)son of the Messenger of Allah. I am the son of the (Prophet’s) Testamentary Legatee (Wasi). I am the (grand)son of the Bearer of Good Tidings (Bashir) and the Warner (Nazir). I am the (grand)son of the Caller towards Allah by His permission. I am the (grand)son of the Bright Lamp (Sirajan Munir). I am from the house where (archangel) Gabriel used to descend… I am from the Ahl al-Bayt from whom Allah has kept away all uncleanness and preserved them totally pure. I am from the Household whose love Allah has made an obligation on every Muslim, as He, the Glorious and the Most High, revealed (in ayah 23 of Surah Shura) to His Prophet : “Say (O’ Prophet to mankind), I do not ask of you any reward for it (for enlightening humanity with Islam) but love for my near relatives…”   

Imam Hasan Mojtaba (AS) was a picture of piety, worship, humbleness, bravery, and magnanimity. His most prominent characteristic was generosity. It is said that he never rejected a requester. When asked why he did not excuse himself from giving to others, Imam Hasan (AS) answered: I myself am a beseecher in the Divine Court, so how can I turn down the request of those who approach me. The renowned Sunni Muslim scholar and exegete of the holy Qur’an, Zamakhshari, in his book “Rabi-al Abrar” has narrated from the Prophet’s servant Anas Ibn Malek, who says: I was in the service of Hasan Ibn Ali (AS) when a slave came and gifted a flower to him, and got the reply: You are free in the path of God. Anas says I asked him the reason for such generosity, and he replied by reciting ayah 86 of Surah Nisa’ where God Almighty has said:

"When you are greeted with a salute, greet with a better one than it, or return it; indeed Allah takes account of all things"

Imam Hasan (AS) then told Anas that granting freedom was better than the mere greeting of the slave, and that is the reason I emancipated him. In Munificence and forgiveness, Imam Hassan (AS) was the master of his time and the hope of the desperate. Like the Prophet and Imam Ali (AS), he was a model of simplicity, sincerity, piety, generosity, knowledge, compassion, bravery and truth. His virtues are beyond description. His table was always spread out for the poor sections of the society and on more than two occasions, he distributed his possessions among the needy.

In 40 AH, following the martyrdom of his father, Imam Ali (AS) while engrossed in prayer in the mosque of Kufa in the blessed month of Ramadhan, Imam Hasan (AS) became caliph of a realm that extended from Central Asia to North Africa and which now includes over twenty countries. It was a critical period in Islamic history, as Mu’awiyah ibn Sufyan the rebellious governor of Syria was deceiving the people of Iraq with bribes. When that archenemy of Islam, Mu'awiyah, resumed revolt against the government, Imam Hasan (AS) wrote to him a letter, saying:

"O Mu'awiyah! Desist from falsehood and further revolt and pay allegiance to me like the masses have done, as you are well aware that I am entitled to caliphate much more than you in the eyes of Almighty God, His angels and those having a rational mind. So, fear God and abandon revolt. Do not shed the blood of Muslims."

However, when he found that the satanic stratagem of Mua’wiyah, whose pillaging of Muslim life and property coupled with a deceptive slogan for peace, had weakened the faith of the Iraqis and made them lose the stomach to fight the deviationists, he decided to relinquish the caliphate, but on certain conditions in order to expose falsehood in its true colours. Aware that civil war would provide   Emperor Constantine IV of the Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire, with a chance to attack Palestine and occupy Bayt al-Moqaddas, he made a masterly move.

Imam Hasan (AS) aware of the flimsy faith of the Kufans, who could not be counted to rally to his defence if the need for military confrontation arose, decided to unmask hypocrisy by relinquishing the caliphate. He did not want unnecessary bloodshed and loss of life. On taking this decision, he entered the Mosque of Kufa and said:

“O people! Surely the pious is the cleverest of the clever, while the sinful is the most foolish of the foolish. By Allah, if you search for a man whose grandfather is Allah’s Messenger, may Allah bless him and his family, between the east and the west, you would not find him other than me and other than my brother Husain. You have come to know that Allah has guided you through my grandfather (Prophet) Mohammad, may Allah bless him and his family. So He has saved you from misguidance through him, raised you from ignorance through him, strengthened you after the abasement through him… Mu’awiyah has disputed with me about a right that belongs to me, with the exclusion of him. So I have considered that which sets right the community and puts an end to the discord. You had pledged allegiance to me provided that you should make peace with whom I make peace with and fight him whom I fight. So I think I have to make peace with Mu’awiyah and to put an end to the war between him and me… I think that sparing blood is better than shedding it. Through that I do not want anything except setting you right and your survival. I know that that may be a trial for you and a provision for a time.”

This is how Imam Hasan (AS) addressed the Kufans in a speech that has been preserved till this day as a testament of his right and truthful nature, while exposing at the same time the falsehood of Mu’awiyah and all those imposters who styled themselves as caliphs in history. No doubt, Islam will forever remain indebted to the Infallible Progeny of Prophet Mohammad (SAWA), whom God describes as Repositories of Divine Knowledge in the holy Qur’an, and whose mission was to safeguard Islam and humanitarian values, as per needs of the times, whether through foregoing their rights, or foregoing their life as well – as Imam Husain (AS) did at Karbala. Moreover, Imam Hasan (AS), as the divinely decreed heir of the Prophet and Imam Ali (AS), was aware that civil war would provide the Byzantine or Eastern Roman Empire, with a chance to attack Palestine and occupy Bayt al-Moqaddas. In view of these undeniable facts, Imam Hasan (AS) indeed made a uniquely wise move to save Islam and Muslims. 

AS/ME