Masjid Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a)
 | |
| General Information | |
|---|---|
| Founder | Ahmad b. Ishaq al-Qummi |
| Established | 3rd/9th century |
| Type | Mosque |
| Location | Qom, Iran |
| Coordinates | 34°38′43.54″N 50°53′0.53″E / 34.6454278°N 50.8834806°E |
| Specifications | |
| Status | Active |
| Facilities | Library |
| Architecture | |
| Renovation | In different periods; Safavid, Qajar and after Islamic Revolution |
ʾImām al-Ḥasan al-'Askarī mosque or Imām mosque is among the oldest mosques of Qom, the first foundation of which, according to some reports, was built by the order of Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a) and by the efforts of his agent, Ahmad b. Ishaq al-Qummi. The importance of this mosque is because of its history and its attribution to Imam al-'Askari (a). For many years, Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a) mosque was the place for holding Friday prayer in Qom. Also, some classes of the Islamic seminary of Qom and i'tikaf rituals are held there.
History and the Founder
According to some reports, the first foundation of Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a) mosque was built by the order of Imam al-'Askari (a) and by the efforts of his agent, Ahmad b. Ishaq al-Qummi. Some believe that it was built in the place of another mosque which was called Jami'-i 'Atiq in the past. However in Tarikh-i Qom, there is no mention of this mosque and its attribution to Imam al-'Askari (a) instead the 'Atiq mosque is mentioned.
On December 13th, 1976, Imam mosque was registered no. 1312 among national heritage sites.
Location and Building
Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (a) mosque is located near Alikhani bridge. The building includes a porch, portal, courtyard, southern loggia, hall, basement and four halls on the four sides of the courtyards. In reconstruction of the mosque by the office of Ayatullah Safi two other halls were added to the mosque; one of them is 2900 square meters on the ground floor. It has a dome with 35 meters height and minarets with the height of 59 square meters and the whole Qur'an is written on the tiles of its walls. The other hall is the basement of the mentioned hall with 2700 square meters.
Area
Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (a) mosque was originally 4170 square meters. 3190 meters of it was roofed and was comprised of halls and 1520 square meters of the area was outdoors. In the reconstruction of the mosque by Ayatullah Safi Gulpayigani, about 25 thousand square meters were added to it.
Repair and Reconstruction
For several times, the building of the mosque was repaired and reconstructed during Safavid period. Its oldest part is its southern loggia built in 1129/1717. At the time of Fath 'Ali Shah, it was repaired. In 1286/1869, during the rule of Nasir al-Din Shah, a basement and a hall was built in the western side of the mosque and in 1295/1878, some parts of the mosque was reconstructed including the eastern halls and the mosque's gate. Mirza Muhammad Fayd and Shaykh Muhammad Kabir repaired the eastern hall. The two halls were named after them. After the Islamic revolution, this mosque was repaired and reconstructed by the support of the office of Ayatullah Safi Gulpayigani. In this reconstruction, its expansion plan was proposed by Ayatullah Muhammad Rida Gulpayigani. He prepared the grounds for the expansion of the building of the mosque by buying the estate around the mosque and the expansion was managed by Ayatullah Safi Gulpayigani and the mosque was opened on April 30th, 2015.
Importance
The importance of this mosque is because of its history and its attribution to Imam al-'Askari (a). The mosque is near the shrine of Fatima al-Ma'suma (a) and since the 9th/15th century, the chairmen of the shrine of Lady Ma'suma (a) also managed Imam al-Hasan's (a) mosque. This mosque has been the place for holding the classes and i'tikaf of some great scholars of Qom.
Friday Prayer
For many years, Friday prayer was held in Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a) mosque by Ayatullah Muhammad Taqi Khwansari and Ayatullah Araki. Ayatullah Araki held Friday prayer in this mosque for more than 20 years (1377/1957 – 1399/1979).
Teaching
Halls of the mosque have been the place for teaching some of the scholars of the seminary of Qom. Al-Sayyid Rida al-Sadr taught and led the congregational prayer in one of the hall of the mosque for 16 years. Also, the class of Mirza Abu l-Fadl Zahidi (d. 1398/1978) was held in this mosque.
I'tikaf
Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a) mosque is among the places for i'tikaf in Qom and the i'tikaf office of Qom is there. It is said that i'tikaf was held in Qom for the first time in this mosque by Ayatullah Ha'iri. Ayatullah Gulpayigani too used to hold i'tikaf in this mosque.
Holding Congregational Prayer and the Leaders of Prayers
In each of the halls of Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a) mosque, separate congregational prayers are held at the times of prayer. In hot weather, congregational prayers are held in the courtyard and on the roofs of the halls. Shaykh Abu l-Qasim Qummi, Mirza Muhammad Qummi, Sayyid Sadr al-Din Sadr, Murtada Ha'iri Yazdi, 'Abbas Ali Shahrudi, Sayyid Abu l-Qasim Ruhani, Sayyid Rida Sadr, Mahdi Fayd, Sayyid Muhammad Ali Ruhani, Mahmud Zahidi, and Sayyid Husayn Badala were among the people who led congregational prayers in the halls of this mosque.
References
- The material for this article is mainly taken from مسجد امام حسن عسکری (قم in Farsi WikiShia.