Al-Hasan al-Basri: Difference between revisions

There is no agreement over al-Hasan’s school of thought. He is variously said to be a Mu'tazilite, a Shi'a, a Murji'a, and an Ash'arite. Ibn Abi l-'Awja', who was first a student of al-Hasan and then became a zindiq or an unbeliever, is quoted as saying that al-Hasan sometimes tended towards Qadariyya (believers in free will) and sometimes towards Jabriyya (deniers of free will). However, his words do not seem to be reliable. Moreover, al-Hasan’s rejection of both of Jabr and Qadar, and his endorsement of the Shiite position on the matter, have been frequently cited and praised in Shiite texts.

'Abd al-Rahman al-Badwi appeals to al-Hasan’s refrainment from answering al-Hajjaj’s question about Imam 'Ali and 'Uthman to show that al-Hasan was a founder of Murji'a. This cannot be true, since al-Hasan frequently condemned Mu'awiya, Yazid, al-Hajjaj and many other powerful people, and he even went so far as to refer to his contemporary rulers as hypocrites. Moreover, al-Hasan’s words and hadiths concerning the concept of faith imply his serious opposition to Murji'a.

Since the time of al-Hasan until today, there have been reports to the effect that he rejected Shiite Imams, particularly Imam 'Ali. For example, al-Tabrisi has narrated a story according to which, in Basra, 'Ali asked al-Hasan about the reason why he did not participate in the Battle of Jamal, and al-Hasan responded by saying that both killers and the killed in this battle would go to the Hell. On another account, after the Battle of Jamal and the arrival of Imam 'Ali in Basra, the Imam addressed al-Hasan who wanted to take notes of his remarks and said: “every nation has a Samiri, and the Samiri of our nation is al-Hasan who does not believe in wars.” Moreover, it is said that al-Hasan did not join Imam al-Husayn’s army in Karbala on purpose.

As to the first two reports, it should be said that they have no chains of transmitters, and cannot be true historically speaking, because the Battle of Jamal occurred in 36 when al-Hasan was only 15 (at most). Aside from these and from other hadiths in which al-Hasan confirmed Imam 'Ali’s actions in the Battle of Jamal, al-Shaykh al-Mufid provides another account of the first report in his al-Amali. On this account, al-Hasan did not rudely answer the Imam’s question. Instead, he asked him to give him a piece of advice. As to the third report, al-Hasan was not present in Karbala, probably because he was not aware of Imam al-Husayn’s arrival in Karbala, just like other people from Basra who wanted to help the Imam, but failed to find an occasion to join him. Furthermore, Ibn Ziyad had closed all ways leading to Karbala. Moreover, it is reported that al-Hasan was so attached to Ahl al-Bayt that upon hearing the news about Imam al-Husayn’s martyrdom, he wept and said: “may God humiliate the nation that killed the son of his Prophet.”

Al-Hasan took measures to propagate some doctrines taught by Shiite Imams and the overall Shiite doctrines, including the rejection of the possibility of seeing God, intercession, Mahdawiyya, the Imamate of the Imams from Ahl al-Bayt and their number, rejection of qiyas (or analogy), taqiyya (or dissimulation), the ruling about children of non-Muslims, the Prophet’s Mi'raj (or Ascent), egregious mistakes by the Caliphs, temporary marriage, the Prophet’s heritage, sanctification of prominent Shiite figures, such as Salman and 'Ammar b. Yasir.

Moreover, he praised Shiite Imams. For example, he referred to 'Ali as the divine figure of this nation and best person from the Prophet’s nation, and the first believer and the first person who performed prayers with the Prophet. He also referred to 'Ali’s wife and his two sons are best people after him. He also quoted 'Abd Allah b. Mas'ud as saying that, on the day of resurrection, 'Ali sits on a chair of light, and only people who believe in the wilaya of 'Ali and his Ahl al-Bayt can cross the bridge (Sirat).