Imam of the Age orphaned

Heartfelt condolences to you all on one of the tragic days in the history of Islam. Today, the 8th of the month of Rabi al-Awwal, is the day on which in the year 260 AH, corresponding to 974 AD, was martyred in Samarra, Iraq, the 11th or Penultimate Heir of Prophet Muhammad (Blessings of God upon him and his progeny).

He was Imam Hasan Askari (AS), the father of the Saviour of mankind, the Lord of the Age, Imam Mahdi (AS), regarding whom the Prophet had said that he will reappear in the end times to establish the global government of peace, prosperity and justice by cleansing Planet Earth of all vestiges of corruption and oppression.

Stay with us for an exclusive programme on the life and times of Imam Askari (AS), who departed from the mortal world after writhing in pain for a week, following the deadly dose of poison administered to him through fruits sent by Mu’tamid the self-styled caliph of the usurper Abbasid regime.

Peace upon you, O the Representative of Allah, and the Son of Allah’s Representatives; and the Father of His Representative… Peace upon you, O he who speaks with the Book of Allah…”

The above is a passage from the ziyarah or standard form of salutation to the 11^th Imam at the news of whose martyrdom, according to contemporary accounts, the city of Samarra wore a deserted look, as grief-stricken traders shuttered their shops and hurried to participate in his last rites. This was the same Samarra, where since its inception as the capital of the vast Abbasid realm which stretched from the Atlantic coast of North Africa to the borders of China and India, none ever bothered to mourn the caliphs that used to be murdered with frequency, by their own sons or by the elite neo-Muslim Turkish guards, who were the real power behind the caliphate.    

So intense was the shock and grief of the populace that the murderous caliph, who administered a fatal dose of poison to this venerable descendant of the Prophet, dare not publicly admit his crime.

The Abbasids had subjected Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS) to bouts of imprisonment and placed him under virtual house arrest, before taking his life in the prime of his youth, because they considered him as ‘existential threat’.

In other words, although he had no army or material wealth, his life – like that of his father before him – was regarded by the Abbasids as a mortal danger to their survival, especially since he was 11^th in line of descent of the Ahl al-Bayt. This meant the figure of 12 was too close for comfort for the regime, which was well aware of the Prophet’s hadith of Twelve Infallible Successors, the last of whom would rise as Qa’em al-Mahdi (AS) to end corruption and oppression of earth by establishing the world government of peace, prosperity and justice.

This was the reason that Imam Askari (AS), who was only 28 years old at the time of his martyrdom, was viewed by the caliphate as the ultimate threat to its existence, when all he did was to pray, fast, preach virtue, admonish against vices, teach forbearance and forgiveness, behave with admirable politeness, and strove to enlighten the ummah with the meaning of God’s Revealed Word, the holy Qur’an?

But did his death ensure the survival of the Abbasid regime which had tried in vain to distort the teachings of Islam and based their power on oppression?

This is indeed a thought-provoking question, not just related to the events of the past, but relevant to all ages, including our own times, where any system based on the dynamic legacy of the Prophet’s Ahl al-Bayt is seen by the devilish powers of the day as “existential threat”.

So great was the confusion in the ranks of the Abbasids in those days that prior to martyring Imam Ali al-Hadi (AS), six years earlier in 254 AH, they had martyred through poisoning in the lifetime of the 10^th Imam his elder son, the youthful Muhammad (whose shrine is situated in Balad between Baghdad and Samarra) on the assumption that he might be the 11^th Imam and the father of the promised Mahdi (AS).

God Almighty, however, protects His chosen ones. Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS), whom Imam Hadi (AS) had left behind in Hejaz while forced to come to Samarra, was destined to be the 11^th Imam. Unknown to the Abbasids, the 12^th Imam was born in secrecy and was being brought up, away from the prying eyes of the enemies of humanity.

During the six crucial years that he was the Representative of Allah on earth, Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS) spared no efforts to bequeath to the faithful the legacy of the Prophet by grooming a number of scholars and making foolproof the system of wikala or representation throughout the realm that would so wonderfully serve his son and successor during the critical period of Ghaybat as-Sughra (Minor Occultation).

Here are some of the sayings of the 11^th Imam regarding his son and successor, Imam Mahdi (God hasten his reappearance). He informed his loyal followers that the Qa’em al- Mahdi (AS) will be his son and that the house of the Imam and the Prophet is protected from falsehood and error.

When someone asked him regarding the hadith that was related from his forefathers, saying: “The earth will never be void of the hujjat (or God's Proof), and anyone who dies without acknowledging the Imam of the Age dies the death of ignorance," he replied: "Yes, indeed the matter is as clear and real as daylight."

Imam Hasan Askari (AS) had shown his son to many of his loyal and trusted followers, who never passed this information to the bloodthirsty Abbasid regime. Once when a person asked him: "Who is the hujjat (or proof of God) and the Imam after you?" He said: "After me the hujjat and the Imam will be my son Muhammad.”

The 11^th Imam used to say: Thank God that He did not take me away from this world without showing me my successor. He (my son) is closest to the Prophet in his features and character. God will keep him for a while in occultation and then He will cause him to emerge so that he will fill the earth with justice and equity.

We offer our sincere condolences to the Lord of the Age, Imam Mahdi (AS) on the martyrdom of his illustrious father, and pray to God Almighty to hasten his reappearance.

AS/ME