It is narrated that Imam AI-Hassan-asws ibn Ali-asws’s ‘Nazool’ (coming to the earth) took place in the month of Ramadan (15th) in the year that the battle of Badr took place, the second year after Hijra (A.H.) (migration of the Holy Rasool Allah-saww from Makkah to Medina). Imam Hassan-asws was martyred (through poison) in the end of the month of Safar (28th Safar) in the year forty-nine (A.H). Imam Hassan-asws lived for forty-seven years and a few months. His-asws mother was Syeda Fatimah-asws, daughter of the Rasool Allah.[1]
Imam Jafar e Sadiq-asws said: ‘AI-Hassan-asws ibn Ali-asws passed away at the age of forty-seven in the year fifty A.H. He-asws lived forty years after the Shahadat of the Rasool Allah-saw (total life 47 years and few months)[2]
Imam Jafar e Sadiq-asws said: ‘Once, Imam AI-Hassan-asws ibn Ali-asws went outside the town with a man from the children of al-Zubayr who believed Imam Al-Hassan-asws to be the Imam. They stopped for rest on one of the oases under a palm tree that had dried up due to lack of water. A furnishing was spread for Imam Al-Hassan-asws under that tree and for Al-Zubayri the furnishings were arranged under a tree just next to it. The narrator has said that Al-Zubayri looked up the tree and said, ‘I wish this tree had fruits so we could eat from them.’ Imam AI-Hassan-asws asked, ‘Do you wish to have dates?’ He said, ‘Yes, I do wish to have dates.’ Imam Hassan-asws raised his hands to the sky and spoke certain words that I did not understand. The tree turned green. It returned to its normal condition, its leaves grew and it became loaded with dates. The man from whom they had hired camels begun to say, ‘It by Allah-azwj, is magic.’ Imam AI-Hassan-asws said, ‘Woe is upon you, it is not magic. It is a prayer of the grandson of a Rasool of Allah-saww that is answered.’ They climbed the tree to pick the dates that were there and it provided enough for their needs.[3]
(Our 6th Imam-asws) Imam Jafar e Sadiq-asws said: ‘Imam AI-Hassan-asws has said, ‘Allah-azwj has two (hidden) cities. One is in the East and the other is in the West. They have a boundary around them that is made of iron and each one has a million doors. Seven thousand different languages exist therein and I know all those languages and all that is in and between the two cities. No one is an Imam (possesses Leadership with Divine Authority) over them except me-asws and my brother Al-Hussain-asws.[4]
Imam Jafar e Sadiq-asws has said, ‘One year Imam Al-Hassan-asws ibn Ali-asws left for Makkah on foot. On the journey Imam-asws’s feet swelled and the Imam-asws’s servants said, ‘If you-asws travel riding, the swelling will go away.’ The Imam-asws replied, ‘I will not ride up to the coming place for rest where you will see a black person who has oil with him. Buy from him oil without trying to reduce the price.’ The servant said, ‘May Allah-azwj Keep my soul and the souls of my parents in service for your-asws cause, we had never been up to a place of rest where anyone sold such medicine.’
‘The Imam-asws said to him, ‘Yes, there are such people right ahead of you before reaching the place for rest.’ They walked for a mile and they met the black person. Imam AI-Hassan-asws said to his servant, ‘There is the man. Take the oil from him and pay him.’ The black man asked the servant, ‘For whom do you want this oil?’ He replied, ‘I want it for Imam Al-Hassan-asws ibn Ali-asws. He said, ‘Take me to him-asws.’ They came to Imam Al-Hassan-asws and the man said, ‘May Allah-azwj Keep my soul and the souls of my parents in service for your-asws cause; I did not know that you-asws need this. If you-asws want to have it you-asws can have it as a gift. I am only one of your-asws servants. Just pray for me to Allah-azwj to grant me a healthy son who would love you-asws, the Ahl al-Bayt-asws. When I left, my wife was about to give birth.’ The Imam-asws said, ‘Go to your place. Allah-azwj has gifted you with a healthy son who is of our Shi’a (followers).[5]
Shahadat of Imam Hassan-asws:
It is narrated by some companions of the Holy Imam-asws that ‘Ju’ada’ daughter of ‘Ash’th ibn Qays al-Kindi poisoned Imam Al-Hassan-asws ibn Ali-asws and a female servant of the Imam-asws. The female servant, however, vomited the poison but in case of Imam Hassan-asws, the poison remained in his-asws digestive system and caused swelling that became the cause of the Imam-asws’s Shahadat.[6]
Bequest of Imam Hassan-asws:
‘Abu Ja’far Muhammad-asws Bin Ali-asws saying: ‘When (death) presented to Al-Hassan-asws, he-asws said to Al-Husayn-asws: ‘O my-asws brother-asws! I-asws shall bequeath to you-asws with a bequest. When I-asws pass away, then prepare me-asws and take me-asws to Rasool-Allah-saww to renew a pact with him-saww, then turn me-asws to my-asws mother-asws (Syeda) Fatima-asws, then return me-asws and bury me-asws at Al-Baqie’ – up to the end of the Hadeeth’’.[7]
‘From Abu Abdullah-asws having said: ‘When the expiry presented to Al-Hassan-asws, he-asws said: ‘O Qanbar! Look, do you see any Momin behind your door, from being from the Progeny-asws of Muhammad-saww?’ He said, ‘Allah-azwj and His-azwj Rasool-saww, and son-asws of His-azwj Rasool-saww are more knowing’. He-asws said: ‘Go and call Muhammad son of Ali-asws (Al-Hanafiya) for me-asws’.
He said, ‘I went to him. When I entered to see him, he said, ‘Has anything happened except good?’ I said, ‘Answer Abu Muhammad-asws’. He hastened upon spreading his slippers but could not even them. He came out with me scurrying (hurrying). When he stood in front of him-asws, he greeted.
Al-Hassan-asws said to him: ‘Be seated, for the likes of you should not be absent from listening to a speech the dead can be revived by it and the living can be caused to die by it. Be a retainer of knowledge and lamp for the darkness, for the illumination of the day, part of it is brighter than a part.
Don’t you know that Allah-azwj Mighty and Majestic Made the sons of Ibrahim-as as Imams and Merited some above the others? And Dawood-as was Give the Psalms, and he-as knew what Allah-azwj had Preferred Muhammad-saww with.
O Muhammad son of Ali-asws! I-asws do not fear the envy upon you, and rather, Allah-azwj the Exalted has Described the Kafirs with it, so He-azwj Said: ‘as Kafirs, out of envy from themselves, from after the clarification of the Truth to them. [2:109], and Allah-azwj did not Make for the Satan-la an authority upon you.
O Muhammad son of Ali-asws! Shall I-asws inform you with what I-asws have heard from your father-asws?’ He said, ‘Yes’. He-asws said: ‘I-asws heard your father-asws saying on the day of Al-Basra (battle of the camel): ‘One who loves to be righteous with me-asws in the world and the Hereafter, so let him be righteous with Muhammad’.
O Muhammad son of Ali-asws! If you so desire, I-asws can inform you, and you were a seed in the back of your father-asws, I shall inform you.
O Muhammad son of Ali-asws! Don’t you know that Al-Husayn-asws Bin Ali-asws, after the expiry of myself-asws and separation of my-asws soul from my-asws body, is the Imam-asws from after me‑asws, and in the Presence of Allah-azwj in the past Book, being an inheritance from the Prophet-saww, having attained it in the inheritance from his-asws father-asws and his-asws mother‑asws. Allah-azwj Knows you all are best of His-azwj creatures, so He-azwj Chose Muhammad-saww from you, and Muhammad-saww chose Ali-asws, and Ali-asws chose me-asws for the Imamate, and I-asws am choosing Al-Husayn-asws’.
Muhammad son of Ali-asws said to him-asws, ‘You-asws are my Imam-asws and my chief, and you‑asws are my means to Muhammad-saww. By Allah-azwj! I would have loved it for my soul to have gone before I heard this talk from you-asws. Indeed, and in my head, there is speech which the buckets cannot bleed, nor can the tone of wind alter it, being like the dictionary book in the small parchment. I think of manifesting it, but I find that the Revealed Book and what Rasool-Allah-saww had come with has preceded me to it.
And it is a Speech which fatigues every speaking tongue, and a hand of the scribe cannot reach to your-asws merits, and like that Allah-azwj Recompenses the good doers, and there is no Strength except with Allah-azwj.
Al-Husayn-asws is our most knowledgeable and heaviest of us in forbearance and the closest of us from Rasool-Allah-saww in kinship. He-asws was an Imam-asws before he-asws was Created, and he-asws read the Revelation before it had been Spoken with. And if Allah-azwj had Known anyone better from among us, He-azwj would not have Chosen Muhammad-saww. When He-azwj Chose Muhammad-saww, and Muhammad-saww chose Ali-asws as an Imam-asws, and Ali-asws chose you‑asws after him-asws, and you-asws have chosen Al-Husayn-asws after you-asws, we submit and are pleased with the one who is pleasing and with the one we submit with, from the difficulties’’.[8]
[1] Al-Kafi, Vol. 1, Chapters on History, Imam Hassanasws
[2] Ibid, h 2.
[3] Ibid, h 4.
[4] Ibid, h 5.
[5] Ibid, h 6.
[6] Ibid, h 3
[7] Bihar Al-Anwaar – V 44, The book of History – Al-Hassan-asws, Ch 24 H 1
[8] Bihar Al-Anwaar – V 44, The book of History – Al-Hassan-asws, Ch 24 H 2