Hasan
(رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) | Physical Features
and Pedigree:
Hasan bin Ali bin Abu Tâlib (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was the last of the
Rightly-Guided Caliphs. He was born in the middle of Sha'bân 3 AH. He resembled
the Prophet (SAW) who named him Hasan. Nobody had this name during the Age of
Ignorance. Imam Bukhari reports from Abu Bakr (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), "The Prophet (SAW) was once sitting on the pulpit with
Hasan beside him. He would sometimes look towards the audience and at times at
Hasan and said: 'This son of mine is the chief of the people and will make
peace between two factions of the Muslims.'" The Prophet (SAW) was once
going somewhere with Hasan (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
on his shoulder. A man came across and remarked addressing Hasan (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), "What a good
mount you have got." At this the Prophet (SAW) replied "Even the
rider is very good." Abdullah bin Zubair (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) is reported to have said, "Hasan resembled the Prophet
(SAW) very much and he loved him dearly."
Praiseworthy
Traits:
Hasan (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was very polite and generous and commanded high respect. He
had a great dislike for disturbance and bloodshed. He performed Hajj
twenty-five times on foot although he had his camel with him. Umair bin Ishâq
says, "Hasan alone is the person whom I love to hear speaking. And I never
heard him using foul language."
When Marwân bin Al-Hakam was the
governor of Al-Madinah and Hasan (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ) had also shifted to Al-Madinah after quitting his caliphate,
he once sent someone to tell Hasan (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ), "You are like a mule (Allâh forbid), that when it is
asked about its father it says my mother was a mare." While sending his
reply, he said, "I shall never forget that you abuse me without any
reason. We have ultimately to go before Allâh the Almighty. So, if you are true
in what you say, Allâh the Almighty will give you reward for that; in case you
are a liar, Allâh the Almighty is the Greatest Avenger of all." Jarir bin
Asma' relates, "When Hasan passed away, Marwân burst into tears at his
funeral bier. When Husain (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
said to him, 'You now weep over him although you kept annoying him during his
lifetime." Marwân replied, 'Do you know I could only do so with a person
who was more tolerant than a mountain." Ali bin Zaid (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) relates, "Hasan gave away as charity
in the way of Allâh all his goods and chattels twice and gave half three
times." He would divorce women most frequently except one who began to
love him. At last Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
had to ask the people of Kufah not to give their daughters to him in marriage.
But Hamadân said, "How can it be that we refuse to give our daughters to
him in marriage." Someone mentioned before Hasan (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) that Abu Dhar (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) used to say, "I hold dear poverty more than opulence and
sickness more than health." Thereupon he remarked, "May Allâh show
him mercy. As for me, I leave myself totally in the Hand of Allâh without
desiring anything; He will do what He likes; I dare not interfere in His
Decisions."
He handed over the caliphate to
Mu'âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) in Rabi' Al-Awwal 41
AH. When his friends called him 'Âr-ul-Muslimin', he would say, "Âr
(shame) is better than Nâr (Hell)." When a person addressed him, "O
the disgracer of the Muslims. I salute you!" he answered back, "I am
not the disgracer of the Muslims; I simply thought not to sacrifice you for the
country." Jubair bin Nufair relates that he once said to Hasan (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), "It is in the
air that you have once again developed a desire for the caliphate." He
replied "When the heads of the Arabs lay in my hands and I could do with
them as I liked, I gave it up to seek the Pleasure of Allâh, now am I expected
to undo this merely to please the people of the Hijâz?" He died in the
month of Rabi' Al-Awwal 50 AH. They suspect that he was poisoned to death. When
Husain pressed (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
him to tell the name of the one who gave him poison, he answered saying,
"If the suspect has poisoned me, Allâh the Almighty will take severe
revenge, otherwise why should one be unjustifiably killed for me."
Mentionable
Events during the Caliphate of Hasan (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ
عَنْهُ)
When Ali (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was asked on the eve of his death whether Bai'ah may be taken
at the hands of Hasan (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ),
he had said in plain words, "At present I am involved in my own personal
affairs so you do this with whoever you like." They took it to be his indication
in favor of Hasan and he was, therefore, chosen for the post. Qais bin Saad bin
Ubadah was the first to take Bai'ah followed by others. At the time of taking
Bai'ah, Hasan (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
kept asking the people to admit: "Act according to what I say; fight with
whom I fight and make peace with whom I enter into peace."
When Mu'âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) came to know of the martyrdom of Ali (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), he adopted the
appellation of Amir-ul-Mu'minin (Chief of the believers). Although he had
obtained from the Syrians Bai'ah for his caliphate following the decision of
the arbitrators, he had it renewed. When Qais bin Saad (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) was taking Bai'ah at the hand of Hasan (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), he had uttered,
"I take Bai'ah at your hand to follow the Book of Allâh and the Sunnah of
the Messenger of Allâh and on waging Jihâd." Thereupon Hasan (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) said, "Jihâd
and fighting form an integral part of the Book of Allâh and Sunnah of the
Messenger of Allâh, they need not, therefore, be mentioned separately."
Hasan's expression gave rise to speculation among the people of Kufah that he
was disinclined to fight.
Mu'âwiyah (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), on the other hand, set out towards Kufah at the head of sixty
thousand men and sent a message to Hasan (رَضِيَ
ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ), "Peace is better than war, and it is proper for you to
accept me as Caliph and take Bai'ah at my hand." When he understood that
Mu'âwiyah (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) had taking Kufah in
mind, he left Kufah at the head of forty thousand troops and sent Qais bin Saad
(رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ) as vanguard with
twelve thousand fighters. When he reached Madâ'in, someone spread the rumor
that Qais bin Saad (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
was killed. Hasan (رَضِيَ ٱللَّٰهُ عَنْهُ)
halted there for a day to give rest to the animals. He assembled his people and
addressed them after praising Allâh the Almighty: "People! You have taken
Bai'ah at my hand that you will obey me in war and peace. I say, by my oath to
Allâh the Exalted, that I harbor enmity against none, from the East to the West
there is none whom I hate or detest, I am one who prefers unity, consensus,
love and security to disunity, discord and enmity."
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