SMHMShaheed Mudassir Hussain Mehdi
← Ahlul-Bayt

الحسن العسكري

Imam al-Hasan al-Askari

peace be upon him

العسكريal-Askariof al-Askar, the garrison town of Samarra where he was held
أبو محمدAbu Muhammadthe father of Muhammad
الزكيal-Zakithe pure
الهاديal-Hadithe guide
النقيal-Naqithe spotless
الرفيقal-Rafiqthe gentle
الصامتal-Samitthe silent
الخالصal-Khalisthe sincere
ابن الرضاIbn al-Ridathe son of al-Rida
الحسن الأخيرal-Hasan al-Akhirthe last Hasan, after Imam al-Hasan

His life

  1. The son of Imam al-Hadi, the eleventh Imam of the Shia and the father of Imam al-Mahdi. His mother was a bondwoman named Hudayth or Hudaytha (al-Kafi; al-Irshad of al-Shaykh al-Mufid); other sources name her Susan, Asfan or Salil. His kunya was Abu Muhammad (Dala'il al-Imama).
  2. He and his father are called al-Askari, and together al-Askariyyayn, because the caliphs held them in Samarra, which was also called al-Askar, the garrison (Wafayat al-A'yan of Ibn Khallikan).
  3. Born in Medina (al-Irshad) in Rabi' al-Thani 232 AH (846), as most early Imami sources record (Firaq al-Shi'a of al-Nawbakhti; al-Irshad); some Imami and Sunni sources give 231 AH, and a few place his birth in Samarra. Al-Mufid gives 10 Rabi' al-Thani (Masar al-Shi'a); by the sixth century most Imamis held 8 Rabi' al-Thani (Manaqib Ibn Shahrashub).
  4. He was brought to Samarra with his father in 233 AH, about a year old, and lived there to the end of his life (Firaq al-Shi'a). It is often said he never went on Hajj, yet a narration in Uyun Akhbar al-Rida and Kashf al-Ghumma was heard from him in Mecca.
  5. He became Imam at his father's martyrdom in 254 AH (868). Al-Mufid grounds his Imamate in his virtues, his standing above all his contemporaries, and the narrations from Imam al-Hadi naming him (al-Ghayba of al-Tusi; Kashf al-Ghumma). Most of Imam al-Hadi's companions accepted him; a few followed his brother Muhammad, who had died in their father's lifetime, or his brother Ja'far (al-Maqalat wa l-Firaq of al-Ash'ari).
  6. His six-year Imamate ran under al-Mu'tazz, al-Muhtadi and al-Mu'tamid, when Turkish commanders held the real power. Al-Mu'tazz once ordered him killed on the road to Kufa, but the plan leaked (al-Ghayba of al-Tusi); al-Muhtadi too resolved to kill him in prison, but his reign ended first (Ithbat al-Wasiyya of al-Mas'udi; al-Kafi).
  7. He was imprisoned in 255 AH and held into the reign of al-Mu'tamid; in Safar 260 AH al-Mu'tamid imprisoned him again and had news of him brought daily (Ithbat al-Wasiyya). Al-Saymuri reported in al-Awsiya' that he saw the Imam's handwriting as he left al-Mu'tamid's prison: They desire to put out the light of God with their mouths, but God shall perfect His light though the faithless should be averse (61:8).
  8. Al-Mufid narrates that he was once held in the custody of Ali ibn Awtamash, a bitter enemy of the Ahl al-Bayt ordered to treat him as harshly as he could; after meeting the Imam, the jailer came away knowing his greatness better than anyone, and praised him (al-Irshad).
  9. Samarra watched every contact he had with the Shia. Once, when they gathered to see him pass on his way to the caliph's palace, he sent them word: Let no one greet me or point to me, for you are not safe (al-Kharaij wa l-Jarayih of Qutb al-Din al-Rawandi).
  10. So he reached the Shia through agents and letters. His servant Aqid, whom he had raised, carried many of his letters (al-Ghayba of al-Tusi), and Abu l-Adyan carried others (Kamal al-Din of al-Shaykh al-Saduq). He wrote to Ali ibn al-Husayn ibn Babawayh and to the people of Qom and Ava (Manaqib Ibn Shahrashub).
  11. Uthman ibn Sa'id al-Amri was his gate to the Shia, and became the first deputy of Imam al-Mahdi. Of him and his son the Imam said: Amri and his son are both trustworthy; whatever they deliver or they say is from me (al-Ghayba of al-Tusi).
  12. In his words and letters he taught that the earth is never empty of God's Proof (Ithbat al-Wasiyya), that the Proof on earth is God's blessing to the believers (Ikhtiyar Ma'rifat al-Rijal of al-Kashshi), and he urged the Shia to patience and to await relief.
  13. When the Shia disputed whether God has a body, Sahl ibn Ziyad wrote to him. He forbade going deep into God's essence and wrote: God is One and Unique; begets not, nor was He begotten, and nothing is similar to Him; He is the Creator and not created (al-Kafi).
  14. His companions knew him as al-Faqih, the jurist (Jami' al-Maqatil of al-Turayhi); his rulings deal with questions pressing in his time, such as the start of Ramadan and the khums. A long commentary on the Qur'an, among the oldest in Shia exegesis, is attributed to him as Tafsir al-Imam al-Hasan al-Askari, though the attribution is disputed. He stated plainly that the leader of the Zanj revolt was not of the Ahl al-Bayt (Manaqib Ibn Shahrashub).
  15. The mother of his son was a bondwoman, Narjis, whom the sources also call Rayhana, Sayqal and Susan (Ithbat al-Wasiyya of al-Mas'udi; al-Ghayba of al-Tusi). According to most Shia sources his only child is Imam al-Mahdi, named Muhammad (Manaqib Ibn Shahrashub); among Sunni scholars, Ibn al-Athir, Ibn al-Sabbagh al-Maliki and al-Shablanji also name Muhammad as his son (al-Kamil fi l-Tarikh; al-Fusul al-Muhimma; Nur al-Absar).
  16. Because the Abbasids were searching for his son, he showed him only to a few trusted companions and relatives. Once he showed him to some forty companions and told them to obey Uthman ibn Sa'id in the occultation to come (al-Ghayba of al-Tusi; Kamal al-Din).
  17. He was martyred in Samarra on 8 Rabi' al-Awwal 260 AH (874), in the reign of al-Mu'tamid, at twenty-eight (al-Kafi; al-Irshad); some reports place it in Rabi' al-Thani or Jumada al-Ula. Many Imami scholars hold that he was poisoned (I'lam al-Wara of al-Tabrisi), citing the narration: I swear to God that there is none of us who is not murdered and martyred.
  18. At his death the markets of Samarra closed, and Banu Hashim, notables, officials and the people attended his funeral (Firaq al-Shi'a of al-Nawbakhti). He was buried in his house in Samarra, beside his father (al-Irshad).
  19. In his will he named only his mother Hudayth, because of the danger to his son (al-Fusul al-Ashara of al-Shaykh al-Mufid). His brother Ja'far denied that he had a son, claimed the Imamate and the inheritance, and pressed the authorities to search the house (al-Irshad; Kashf al-Ghumma).

Days

  1. 232 AH846 CEBorn in Medina, 8 Rabi' al-Thani
  2. 233 AH847 CETaken to Samarra with his father
  3. 254 AH868 CEBecomes Imam at his father's martyrdom
  4. 255 AH869 CEBirth of his son, Imam al-Mahdi; imprisoned by the caliph
  5. 260 AH873 CEImprisoned again by al-Mu'tamid, Safar
  6. 260 AH874 CEMartyred in Samarra, 8 Rabi' al-Awwal; buried beside his father

Family

علي الهاديImam al-Hadi
الحسن العسكريImam al-Hasan al-Askari
نرجسSayyida Narjis
محمد المهديImam al-Mahdi

In the Qur’an

يُرِيدُونَ لِيُطۡفِـُٔواْ نُورَ ٱللَّهِ بِأَفۡوَٰهِهِمۡ وَٱللَّهُ مُتِمُّ نُورِهِۦ وَلَوۡ كَرِهَ ٱلۡكَٰفِرُونَ ٨

They desire to put out the light of Allah with their mouths, but Allah will perfect His light though the faithless should be averse.

As-Saff 61:8

يَٰٓأَيُّهَا ٱلَّذِينَ ءَامَنُوٓاْ أَطِيعُواْ ٱللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُواْ ٱلرَّسُولَ وَأُوْلِي ٱلۡأَمۡرِ مِنكُمۡۖ فَإِن تَنَٰزَعۡتُمۡ فِي شَيۡءٖ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى ٱللَّهِ وَٱلرَّسُولِ إِن كُنتُمۡ تُؤۡمِنُونَ بِٱللَّهِ وَٱلۡيَوۡمِ ٱلۡأٓخِرِۚ ذَٰلِكَ خَيۡرٞ وَأَحۡسَنُ تَأۡوِيلًا ٥٩

O you who have faith! Obey Allah and obey the Apostle and those vested with authority among you. And if you dispute concerning anything, refer it to Allah and the Apostle, if you have faith in Allah and the Last Day. That is better and more favourable in outcome.

The verse of those vested with authority · An-Nisaa 4:59

وَيَقُولُ ٱلَّذِينَ كَفَرُواْ لَوۡلَآ أُنزِلَ عَلَيۡهِ ءَايَةٞ مِّن رَّبِّهِۦٓۗ إِنَّمَآ أَنتَ مُنذِرٞۖ وَلِكُلِّ قَوۡمٍ هَادٍ ٧

The faithless say, ‘Why has not some sign been sent down to him from his Lord?’ You are only a warner, and there is a guide for every people.

For every people there is a guide · Ar-Ra'd 13:7

Peace be upon you, O son of the Messenger of God.

Peace be upon you, O Abu Muhammad, al-Hasan son of Ali, al-Zaki al-Askari.

Peace be upon you, O father of the awaited Proof.

Peace be upon you, O martyred Imam, and the mercy of God and His blessings.

Sources