Mouood Mouood English Edition
His Patience
Imam Abu Muhammad al-Hasan (a.s.) was too patient. He met whoever wronged him with pardon and kindness. Historians have mentioned many stories on this matter.
Once he found that the leg of one of his sheep was broken. He asked his servant who did that and the servant said it was he. Imam al-Hasan (a.s.) asked him why and he replied, ‘To grieve you.’
Imam al-Hasan (a.s.) smiled at him and said, ‘I will please you in return.’
He set the servant free and gifted him generously.
Marwan, who was one of the bitterest enemies to Imam al-Hasan, acknowledged the great patience of the imam. When the imam died, Marwan came and carried the imam’s coffin. Imam al-Husayn (a.s.) was astonished and said to Marwan, ‘Today you carry his coffin, while yesterday you depressed him bitterly!’
Marwan said, ‘I did that to one whose patience was like mountains.’
Imam al-Hasan (a.s.) was a true copy of his grandfather the Prophet (S) in patience and morals.
His Generosity
Imam al-Hasan (a.s.) was one of the most generous people, the kindest, and most charitable to the poor and the wretched. He did never reject a beggar at all. He was asked about that and he said, “I always beg Allah and look forward to His gift. Therefore, I feel shy to be a beggar and at the same time I reject a beggar. Allah has accustomed me to a habit that He pours on me His blessings and I have accustomed Him that I pour His blessings on people. I fear that if I stop my habit, He will stop His habit.’ Then he recited the following verses of poetry: “When an asker comes to me, I say: welcome to the One whose favor is urgently obligatory on me.
And from His favor there is a favor on every favorer.
And the best of one’s days is when he is asked (by a needy one).”
Needy people often crowded at the door of Imam al-Hasan (a.s.) and he always gave them generously. One day, a nomad came to him asking for help. The imam asked his servant to give the nomad all that there was in the bursary. It was ten thousand dinars. The nomad said to the Imam al-Hasan (a.s.), ‘Would you let me reveal my need and declare my praise?’
Imam al-Hasan (a.s.) said to him, “We are people whose donation is fresh, in which hope and expectation revel.
Our selves give before being asked, To save the face of one who asks.
If the sea knows the abundance of our donation, It shall, because of shyness, flow over after its flooding.”
In our book “The Life of Imam al-Hasan bin Ali” we have mentioned many stories on his generosity and bounty.
His Asceticism
Imam al-Hasan (a.s.) turned his back to the pleasures of this worldly life and turned devotedly towards Allah the Almighty. It is related that he had said: “A bit of poor bread sates me, and a sip of water suffices me, and a piece of thin clothe covers me when alive, and when I die, it is enough as a shroud.”
Muhammad bin Babwayh has written a book called “The Asceticism of Imam al-Hasan” in which he has mentioned many stories on Imam al-Hasan’s asceticism.
Imam al-Hasan (a.s.) offered all that he had just to please Allah the Almighty. He gave all his possessions two times, and divided his properties with Allah three times…
His Worship
Imam al-Hasan (a.s.) was the most worshipping one in his time. Historians say, ‘He was not seen at any time unless he was mentioning Allah the Almighty’ and that when he recalled the Paradise and Hell, he became confused and upset as if he was ill, and so he prayed Allah to take him to Paradise and protect him from Hell. When he recalled death and what would come after it, he cried a crying of an afraid repentant. When he recalled the standing before Allah on the Day of Resurrection, he sighed so deeply until he fainted.
When he wanted to perform wudu’ (ablution), he changed color and he trembled. He was asked about this and he said, ‘He, who stands before Allah the Lord of the throne, must tremble and his color fade.’
When he finished his wudu’ and set towards the mosque, he prayed Allah by saying, ‘O my Lord, your guest is at Your door. O Beneficent, the wrong doer has come to You, so forgive the badness we have with the goodness You have.’
When he stood to offer the prayer, fear overcame him until all his organs trembled. After offering the Fajr (dawn) Prayer, he did not utter save the mention of Allah until the sun shone.
He had performed the hajj to the Inviolable House of Allah (the Kaaba) twenty-five times on foot though he had best camels. He was asked about his going too much on foot to the Kaaba and he said, ‘I feel shy of my Lord not to go to His House on my feet.’
His Caliphate
He assumed the Islamic caliphate after the martyrdom of his father Imam Ali (a.s.) the pioneer of Justice in Islam. Some of his army rebelled against him and some other leant to rest and gave up fighting. Many of his soldiers were affected by the Kharijites who had accused Imam Ali (a.s.) of reneging his religion. They invited the army to rebel against Imam al-Hasan (a.s.), besides that the commanders of the divisions corresponded with Mo’awiya and agreed with him that they would assassinate Imam al-Hasan or capture him. Unfortunately, Ubaydillah bin al-Abbas, Imam al-Hasan’s (a.s.) cousin, who was the general leader of the army, was bribed by Mo’awiya, and so he took with him a part of the army and joined Mo’awiya under the darkness of night. Therefore, the army of Imam al-Hasan (a.s.) was left in confusion and seditions.
Before this severe ordeal, Imam al-Hasan (a.s.) had but two choices; either to fight with his wrecked army and sacrifice himself, his family, and his followers without offering to Islam and the nation any good, because Mo’awiya with his trick and cunning would deceive the public and show them that Imam al-Hasan (a.s.) and his followers had deviated from Islam, and if the imam was taken a captive, Mo’awiya would set him free and thus he would purify himself and his Umayyad family from the disgrace that the Prophet (S) had stained them with when he set them free after the conquest of Mecca.
Or he would make peace with Mo’awiya unwillingly and in spite of him, and then Mo’awiya would be free in his oppression and consequently he would be exposed before the public that he was too far from the reality of Islam. And this came true immediately after the truce. Mo’awiya made a speech before the people of Iraq saying, ‘I have not fought you to offer prayers, to fast, pay zakat, or to perform the hajj, but I have fought you to have power over you, and Allah has given me this although you are unwilling. I have put everything, which I have agreed on with al-Hasan (in the truce), under my feet. I will fulfill nothing of it.’
Imam al-Hasan (a.s.) had chosen peace, and otherwise the nation would suffer calamities and bloodsheds that only Allah knew how disastrous they would be.
In the truce of peace, Imam al-Hasan (a.s.) made conditions on Mo’awiya that deprived him of the legal authority and showed him to people that he was just a boss of a gang. The imam stipulated on Mo’awiya that he (the imam) would not call him as Ameerul Mo’minin (the commander of the believers), and that Mo’awiya should not violate the Book of Allah and the Sunna of His prophet in all of his conducts. Anyhow, Mo’awiya did not fulfill any of the conditions of the truce.
After the truce, the policy of Mo’awiya violated the Book of Allah and the Sunna of His prophet. He governed the nation with a dark policy that had no kindness and mercy. He killed innocent people and spread terror everywhere. He plundered the wealth of the nation and gave power to evil men like Ziyad bin Abeeh, Bisr bin Arta’ah, Amr bin al-Aas, Marwan bin al-Hakam and their like over the Muslims.
From the great offenses of Mo’awiya was the assassination of the Prophet’s grandson Imam al-Hasan (a.s.). Mo’awiya asked Ja’da bint al-Ash’ath to insert poison into the food of her husband Imam al-Hasan (a.s.) after he (Mo’awiya) had tempted her that he would marry her to his son Yazid. She gave the poisonous food to the imam, who was fasting, in the Iftar, and after no long the imam left to the better world.
