|
IMAM AL-ASKARI (a-s)
ONE OF THE LIGHTS OF THE AHLUL-BAYT (a-s)
By: Brother Ali Ja’afary Stump.
“An age will approach when the people’s faces would be laughing
(exalting) and their hearts would be dark, bleak and dirty. The Sunnah
to them would be innovation and heresy. The faithful would be belittled
and debased among them. The transgressor would be honoured and
respected among them. Their lords and chiefs would be ignorant and
aggressive ones. And the religious scholars would be on the threshold
of aggressors and tyrants”.
Imam Hasan Abu Muhammad Al-Askari (a-s)
(Mustadak
Ul-Wasail, vol. 2 p. 322).
From birth until the divine call of Imamate:
Imam Al-Askari (a-s) had a very high position for two important reasons,
the first: He (a-s) was the eleventh Imam of the holy Ahlul-Bayt (a-s),
the 11th leader by divine command after the passing away of
our most beloved Prophet Muhammad (saww), he was the 13th
infallible. the second important reason is: He (a-s) is the father of
the holy Imam of our times, who is the divinely selected leader (the
last of the Holy Imams (a-s) before the coming of the end of all life,
the resurrection, and the Day of Judgement) who will clean and purify
the world of corruption, injustice, every kind of filth and immorality,
Imam Muhammad Al-Mahdi (a-s) (May ALLAH (swt) hurry his advent). Imam
Hasan Abu Muhammad Al-Askari (a-s) lived only 28 years. He was born the
8th Rabi al-thani 232 A.H. He was martyred by poison and
left this temporal life on the 8th of Rabial-Awwal.260 A.H.
As
all the holy Imams before him, he was of the highest possible level in
worship, ethics, knowledge, piety, patience, etc. His holiness Al-Imam
Hasan Abu Muhammad Al-Askari (a-s) was without any doubt pure and
infallible. He was brought up by his father Imam Ali-al-Hadi (a-s) who
taught him in the holy tradition of the Ahlul-Bayt (a-s) in abundance of
knowledge, asceticism, holy Jihad, good actions, the best of morals, the
spirit of belief and the good merits of the Ahlul-Bayt (a-s). For a
little more than 23 years, Imam Al-Askari (a-s) lived under the
tutorship of his beloved father Imam Al-Hadi (a-s) and learned the
inheritance of divine leadership (Imamate).
‘Imam Abul-Hasan Ali ibn Muhammad Al-Hadi
(a-s) made his testamentary bequest to his son Imam Hasan Abu-Muhammad
Al-Askari (a-s) four months before his death. He indicated that the
affair of the Imamate would belong to him after his passing away. He
made (Yahya b-Yasar Anbari) and a group of servants witnessed it’.
(Kitab
Al- Irshad p. 335).
The
Light of Imam Askari: His worship and personality:
Despite the terrible Abbasid Caliphs who
terrorized and abused the “Alawites” (followers of Imam Ali (a-s) ) and
no matter what terrible things they did to Imam Al-Askari (a-s), they
could not ignore his holy personality, nor could they destroy his social
status, political role and scholarly. Because of Imam Al-Askari’s (a-s)
great status, the authorities imposed a semi house arrest on him and
would force him to attend the office of the Caliphate every Monday and
Thursday each week. One of the servants of Imam Al-Askari (a-s) said:
“Imam Al-Askari (a-s) was so righteous.
I have never seen a man like him, when the streets were crowded and
noisy and full of people, when the Imam came, all noise would become
silent and he would enter the office of the Caliphate and then the noise
would start again, then when he would come out to leave, again all would
become quiet again”.
(Ibid,
p. 434).
As his status grew and the love for him (a-s) built-up, the Abbasid
Caliphs pressed harder on his followers, Imam Al-Askari (a-s) sent a
letter saying: “No one should greet me,
nor refer to me with his hand, nor gesture because he would not secure
himself”.
(Bihar-Anwar, vol. 50 p. 269).
Much of his time was spent in the tyrant’s
jails, prisons and dungeons. Imam Al-Askari (a-s) said:
“I called upon ALLAH (swt) make all of my
efforts to worship HIM and he did this”.
Muhammad Shakiri said:
“Imam
Al-Askari
(a-s) used to sit in his prayer niche (Mihrab) and start prostrating,
then I slept and when I woke up, I saw him still prostrating”.
(Safinat Bihar, Majlisi, vol. 1 p. 260).
Muhammad ibn Ismael said:
“While Imam Al-Askari was in prison, he (a-s)
used to fast the day and pray at night. He (a-s) never talked, nor
occupied himself with anything else than worship”.
(Ithbat-al-Wasiya, p. 245).
The Abbasids went to Salih b. Wasif when Imam
Al-Askari (a-s) was imprisoned. They told him: “Be
hard on him. Don’t give him any ease”. “What can I do with him?”
Salih asked them:
“I entrusted him to two of the evilest men
I could find. They have become men of worship, praying and fasting to
an amazing extent”. Then
he ordered those two men to be brought to him. He said to them:
“Shame on you! What is your involvement
in the affairs of this man?” They
answered: “What can we say about
a man who fasts through the day and stands in prayer through the night,
who does not speak and occupies himself with nothing but worship? When
he (Imam Al-Askari (a-s)) looks at us, our limbs shake and within us is
a feeling which we have never had”. When
the Abbasids heard this, they left in despair.
(Kitab Al-Irshad, p. 522 Shaykh Al-Mufid).
One
of Imam Al-Askari (a-s) recommendation to his followers and students:
“I recommend you to be in awe of ALLAH (swt), establish prayer, and pay
poor rates (zakat) because no prayer will be accepted if one forbids
paying poor-rates. I also recommend to you to ask for forgiveness in the
case of committing sin, and restrain yourself in case of rage, to
strengthen the relationship with relatives, to help friends, to strive
hard in meeting their needs, be it in times of difficulties or easiness,
to have patience in times of ignorance, to have good knowledge in your
religion, to act slowly and carefully in all affaires, to bind yourself
with the Qur’an, to have good behaviour, to bid what is right and to
forbid what is evil And to avoid abominations altogether. ALLAH Azz wa
Jall, says:
‘There is nothing good in most of their whisperings except (in him) who
bids charity or goodness or peace among the people.’
(Holy Qur’an 4 An-Nisa-114).
You should keep up prayer at night, indeed, Prophet Muhammad (saww)
recommended to Ali (a-s), saying:
‘O
Ali! You should perform the prayer of night, you should perform the
prayer of night, because whoever belittles the prayer of night is not
from us, therefore, act according to my recommendation and order all my
true followers (Shi’a) of what I ordered you until they practise it. Be
patient and wait for relief, the best of my ummah is to wait for
relief…’”
(Anwar Bahiya, Qomi, p. 264.)
Some of Imam Al-Askari’s (a-s) miracles and merits:
I (Abu Hamza) heard Abu Muhammad Al-Askari (a-s) speaking on more then
one occasion to his servants in their own languages. Among them were
Turks, men of Byzantium and from Saqaliba (in the Caucasus). I was
amazed at that and I said: “This man was born in
Medina.
He (a-s) did not show himself to anyone until Abu Al-Hasan Al-Hadi (a-s)
died, and no one saw him. How is this?”
I was
saying this
to
myself when he (a-s) came up to me and said:
“ALLAH
(swt) has separated his proof (to the world) from the rest of HIS
creatures and has given him knowledge of everything. He knows languages,
genealogies and events. If it wasn’t for that, there would be no
difference between the proof and those who are given the proof.”
(Kitab Al-Irshad p. 519 Shaykh Al-Mufid).
I ((Isma’il b Muhammad) sat waiting for Abu-Muhammad Al-Hasan al-Askari
(a-s) at the side of the road. When he passed me, I complained to him
of a need (which I had). I swore to him that I did not have a dirham,
nor anymore than it, nor had I had any breakfast or supper.
“You
swear by God as a liar”.
He
(a-s) said:
“You
have buried two hundred dinars. However, I am not saying this as a way
of not giving you anything. Servant, give him what you have with you”.
His
servant gave me a hundred dinars. Then he came towards me and he (a-s)
said:
“You
will be denied the dinars which you buried at a time when your need for
them will be much greater than at present”.
He (a-s) spoke the truth. In fact, I
spent what he gave me. Hard necessity forced me to pay for something and
the means of gaining provision (from the authorities) were closed to
me. I dug for the dinars which I had buried and I did not find them. I
looked. One of my sons knew where they were. He had taken them and
fled. I could not do anything.
(Kitab Al-Irshad, p. 529 Shaykh al-Mufid).
Imam Hasan Al-Askari (a-s) was handed over to Nahir. He was hard on him
and did harm to him. A woman said to him:
“Fear
God, you do not realise who is in your house”.
She told him about Imam Al-Askari (a-s) righteousness and devotion to
ALLAH (swt) and said:
“I fear
for you as a result of him”.
“By
God, I’ll throw him to the wild animals”,
he declared. He asked permission to do that and it was granted. He
threw him to them. The authorities were not disturbed by (wild animals)
eating him. They looked at the place in order to find out the
situation. They found Imam Al-Askari (a-s) standing in prayer with the
wild animals around him quietly. Nahir ordered him to be taken back to
his house.
(Kitab Al-Irshad, p.522 Shaykh Al-Mufid).
His (as) words of wisdom and advice:
Imam Al-Askari (a-s) said:
“To greet everyone you pass by and to sit in a place other than the
first class of a session are signs of modesty”.
(Tuhaf-Al-Uquul Imam Al-Askari (a-s) #9)
Imam Al-Askari (a-s) said:
“Very much offering of prayers and fasting
is not the worship; the very worship is the very much pondering over the
affairs of ALLAH (swt)”. (Tuhaf-Al-Uquul
Imam Al-Askari (a-s) .13).
Imam Al-Askari (a-s) said:
“Anger
is the key to every evil”.
(Tuhaf-Al-Uquul Imam Al-Askari (a-s) .13).
Imam Al-Askari (a-s) said:
“No one except a thankful and grateful person recognizes the beneficence
and favour. And nobody thanks for the boon and benevolence except the
Gnostic (Sagacious)”.
(Bihar-ul-Anwar, vol. 78, p.378).
Imam Al-Askari (a-s) said:
“The
best of your brothers is the one who forgets your sin and remembers and
mentions your favours done to him”.
(Bihar-ul-Anwar, vo.78, p. 379).
Imam Al-Askari (a-s) said:
“No
respectful one abandons the right except that he becomes: debased and
abject. And no abject and debased acquires it except that he becomes
respectful and honourable”.
(Wasail U-Shia, vol. 18, p.95).
Imam Al-Askari (a-s) said:
“Nothing is above two characters: believing in ALLAH (swt) and
benefiting the friends”.
(Tuhaf Al-Uquul, p. 585 # 25).
Imam Al-Askari (a-s) said:
“ALLAH’s favours encompass every misfortune”.
(Tuhaf Al-Uquul, p. 585 # 34).
His
(a-s) declaration about his son Imam Al-Mahdi (a-s).
Narrated to us Muhammad ibn Abdul Jabar: I
said to my master Al-Hasan Al-Askari (a-s): “May ALLAH (swt) make me
your sacrifice, O son of the Messenger of ALLAH (saww)! I would love to
know who’s the Imam and the Hujjat of ALLAH (swt) on HIS servants after
you”.
Imam Al-Askari (a-s) said:
“Verily the Imam and Hujjat after me is my
son, the namesake of the Messenger of ALLAH (saww) and who has the same
kunya (agnomen) as he (saww); and who is the last Hujjat and Khalifa of
ALLAH (swt)”. Then I asked:
“From whom will he be born? O son of the Messenger of ALLAH (saww)!”
Imam Al-Askari (a-s) said:
“From the grand-daughter of
Ceasar, the Byzantine emperor. He will certainly be born, but he will
disappear from the people in a long occultation; then he will reappear
and kill Dajjal (the impostor); and he (a-s) will fill the earth with
equity and justice as it would be filled with oppression and injustice.
So no one is allowed to mention him (a-s) by his name or describe him by
his kunya before his appearance blessings of ALLAH Azz wa Jall be on
him”.
(Mukhtasara
Ithbati-r-Rajah. Al-Fadl ibn Shadhan. 260 A.H.)
His (a-s) martyrdom:
Imam Abu Muhammad Al-Hasan Al-Askari (a-s) began to fall sick from
poisoning on the 1st of the month of Rabi al-Awwal in the
year 260 A.H. and died in martyrdom the 8Th of that month in
the same year. At the time of his (a-s) death he was 28 years old. He
(a-s) was buried in the same house which his father (a-s) was buried in
Samarra (today it is one of the most important holy shrines for Muslims
around the world). He left behind a multitude of pure, truthful and holy
teachings, as well as his son (a-s) the awaited Al-Mahdi Imam Muhammad
ibn Hasan (a-s) who will bring the true state of truth and will clean
out all corruption on earth (may ALLAH Azz wa Jall hurry his advent). He
had concealed his birth and hidden his affair because of difficulties of
the times and the Intensity of the search by the evil authorities for
him (a-s).Truly Imam Hasan Al-Askari (a-s) was the holy infallible Imam
of his time, one of the lights of the Ahlul-Bayt (a-s). Imam Hasan
Al-Askari (a-s) was the most knowledgeable and the most pious of his
time. He (a-s) was one of the greatest examples of monotheism in the
history of mankind.
“ALLAH bears witness that there is no god but HE, and so do the angels
and those possessed with knowledge, maintaining HIS creation with
justice; There is no god but HE, the Mighty, the Wise”.
(The Holy Qur’an 3 Al-Imran sura 18).
When
the news of the martyrdom of Imam Hasan Al-Askari (a-s) became known
Samarra became one uproar. The markets and the streets were empty. On
that day, Samarra seemed like the day of resurrection.
( Kitab-Al-Irshad. Shaykh Al-Mufid)
Brother Ali Ja’afary Stump. |