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Imam Hasan al-Askari عليه السلام spent almost his entire life under Abbasid surveillance in Samarra, where the garrison quarter, al-‘Askar, gave him his title. In an Imamate of about six years he guided the community largely through trusted agents and letters, preparing it for the occultation of his son, the twelfth Imam.
Zahoor and youth
The zahoor of Hasan ibn Ali was in Rabi al-Thani 232 AH, in Medina according to al-Mufid. As a child he accompanied his father to Samarra, where he grew up under the same restrictions.
Imamate under three caliphs
He became Imam in 254 AH and lived through the reigns of al-Mu‘tazz, al-Muhtadi and al-Mu‘tamid. He was obliged to report regularly to the court and was imprisoned more than once. Al-Mufid relates that two harsh guards set over him in prison were transformed by his worship into devout men.
He communicated through signed letters and through agents such as Uthman ibn Sa‘id al-Amri, who later became the first deputy of the twelfth Imam.
Preparing for the occultation
Knowing that the authorities were watching for a son, he kept the zahoor of his son Muhammad in 255 AH hidden and showed him only to trusted companions. When he died, the authorities searched his house for an heir. Al-Saduq reports that as the Imam’s brother Ja‘far was about to lead the funeral prayer, a young boy came forward and led it himself.
Martyrdom
He died in Samarra on 8 Rabi al-Awwal 260 AH, aged about twenty-eight. Twelver sources report that he was poisoned. He was buried beside his father.
Significance in Twelver Shia belief and Fiqh-e-Jafariya
He is the eleventh Imam. His reliance on deputies and letters became the model of the Minor Occultation that followed. His teaching on the signs of the believer, preserved by al-Tusi, is the source of the Ziyarat al-Arba‘in practice. A Qur’an commentary is attributed to him; scholars disagree about the authenticity of that attribution.
Significant dates
- 8 Rabi al-Thani 232 AH (846 CE)Zahoor
- c. 233–234 AHMoves with his father to Samarra
- 254 AH (868 CE)Beginning of his Imamate
- 15 Sha‘ban 255 AH (869 CE)Zahoor of his son, the twelfth Imam
- 8 Rabi al-Awwal 260 AH (874 CE)Martyrdom in Samarra
Narrations and texts
The signs of the believer are five: praying fifty-one units of prayer each day and night, the visitation of the fortieth day (Arba‘in), wearing a ring on the right hand, placing the forehead on the earth in prostration, and reciting “In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate” aloud.
Sources: Tahdhib al-Ahkam (Kitab al-Mazar, on the merit of visiting al-Husayn); Misbah al-Mutahajjid
Narrations are given as careful paraphrases, not verbatim translations. See the Editorial Methodology
Differing reports
- Zahoor: 8 Rabi al-Thani is common; 10 Rabi al-Thani and Ramadan 231 AH are also reported; some place his zahoor in Samarra.
- The authenticity of the Tafsir attributed to him is debated.
Sources
- Kitab al-Irshad fi Ma‘rifat Hujaj Allah ‘ala al-‘Ibad — al-Mufid, Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn al-Nu‘man (d. 413 AH / 1022 CE). chapter on al-Hasan ibn Ali al-Askari
- al-Kafi — al-Kulayni, Muhammad ibn Ya‘qub (d. 329 AH / 941 CE)
- Kamal al-Din wa Tamam al-Ni‘ma — al-Saduq (d. 381 AH / 991 CE)
- Tahdhib al-Ahkam — al-Tusi, Muhammad ibn al-Hasan (d. 460 AH / 1067 CE)
- The Occultation of the Twelfth Imam: A Historical Background — Hussain, Jassim M.
- Crisis and Consolidation in the Formative Period of Shi‘ite Islam — Modarressi, Hossein