Al-Hasan al-Basri: Difference between revisions

'''Al-Hasan al-Basri''' (Arabic: {{ia|الحسن البصري}}), born as al-Hasan b. Abu l-Hasan al-Yasar, was a theologian, a Quranic [[exegete]], a scholar of [[hadith]]s, a preacher, a [[jurist]], and one of the eight well-known [[zahid]]s (or ascetics) of the first and second centuries. There is no agreement over the school of thought he belonged to.

He met 300 [[companions]] of the [[Prophet (s)]], had companionships with 70 of those who had attended the [[Battle of Badr]], learned many hadiths from them, and transmitted those hadiths to others. Given his hadiths, remarks, and sermons, it becomes apparent that only few of the [[Sahaba]] and [[Tabi'un]] set out to recount [[Imam 'Ali (a)]]’s words. However, because of the circumstances of his time, al-Hasan transmitted many of Imam 'Ali’s words anonymously as “it has been said” or as “Abu Zaynab” (the father of Zaynab) or as “one of the righteous people.”

Al-Hasan al-Basri was born in [[Medina]] and grew in Wadi l-Qura (in suburbs of Medina). There is disagreement over the date of his birth. According to al-'Attar, al-Hasan was born during the lifetime of the [[Prophet (s)]]. According to al-Waki', during the [[murder of 'Uthman]] (in 35 AH) al-Hasan was 10, and according to Ibn Sa'd, he was 14 years old. The latter view seems more accurate, because Ibn Sa'd (d. 203) was the closest person to the time of al-Hasan. Moreover, elsewhere he has stressed that al-Hasan was born two years before the murder of the [[Second Caliph]]. If al-Hasan was 14 during the murder of 'Uthman, then he must have been born in 21 AH. This is the date accepted by al-Waki' and al-Safadi as well.

Al-Hasan’s father was from Maysan, and was at first a [[Christian]] and his name was Yasar or Firuz (or Piruz). In an Islamic conquest, Firuz was captivated and turned into one of [[Mawali]] (slaves). He was then taken to Medina and was emancipated after a while. There, he had a [[bond of wala']] (being emancipated) with Rybay' bt. Nadr or [[Jabir b. 'Abd Allah al-Ansari]] or another person from [[Ansar]]. Hence, al-Hasan is also called al-Ansari.

Al-Hasan’s mother, Khayra (also known with her teknonym, Umm al-Hasan), was captivated in the Conquest of Maysan, and had a bond of wala' with [[Umm Salama]], the wife of the Prophet (s), or some other people. Khayra taught the [[Qur'an]] to women and preached them. Moreover, she was allegedly a reliable transmitter of hadiths who transmitted [[hadith]]s from two wives of the Prophet (s), Umm Salama and [['A'isha]], and her two sons, al-Hasan and Sa'id, as well as others, transmitted hadiths from her. Her hadiths have also been cited by prominent [[Sunni]] scholars.

Al-Hasan memorized the whole Qur'an at the age of 12 or 14, and it is said that he learned [[occasions of revelations]] as well as interpretations of [[sura]]s he learned. In the second year of [[Imam 'Ali]]’s [[caliphate]], al-Hasan and his family migrated to [[Basra]] where he married an originally Persian woman after a while and had two sons and a daughter from her.

Al-Hasan was taught by many teachers, the most prominent among whom were [[Anas b. Malik]], [[Jabir b. 'Abd Allah al-Ansari]], [[Hudhayfa al-Yamani]], [['Abd Allah b. 'Abbas]], [[Hittan b. 'Abd Allah]], [['Imran b. Husayn]], and [[Ahnaf b. Qays]]. Moreover, according to Ibn Sa'd, he learned hadiths from [[Abu Hurayra]] and [[Samura b. Jundab]]. However, Ibn Sa'd quoted remarks from some people to the effect that al-Hasan never learned hadiths from Abu Hurayra. Moreover, some of al-Hasan’s hadiths and treatments imply that he was critical of both Abu Hurayra and Samura.

Al-Hasan had lectures in the Mosque of Basra in which he engaged in dialogues concerning different disciplines (including [[hadith]], [[jurisprudence]], beliefs, and Quranic sciences), and sometimes responded to questions about some [[Sufism|Sufi]] concepts. He also had private meetings in his own house, where he only talked about [[asceticism]], worships, and inner spiritual doctrines. According to [[Abu Talib al-Makki]], people such as [[Malik b. Dinar]], Thabit al-Banani, Ayyub al-Sijistani (or Sakhtiyani), al-Farqad al-Sabakhi (or al-Sinji) and 'Abd al-Wahid b. Zayd attended these private meetings. Al-Hasan had other students as well, including [[Wasil b. 'Ata']], al-Habib al-'Ajami, [[Ghaylan al-Damishqi]], [[Ma'bad al-Juhani]], Muhammad b. Wasi', Qatada al-Sadusi, and 'Amr b. 'Ubayd.

In his Quranic exegesis, al-Hasan interpreted the Qur'an by appealing to the Qur'an itself, and in his exegesis of explicit texts of the Qur'an and elaboration of its rulings, he constantly drew upon hadiths from the [[Prophet (s)]], [[Qudsi hadith]]s, remarks from the [[Sahaba]], including [[Imam 'Ali (a)]], [[Ibn 'Abbas]], [[Ibn Mas'ud]] and [[Tabi'un]]. Another source of his exegesis included [[Isra'iliyyat]], words of [[People of the Book]], and remarks quoted by people such as [[Ka'b al-Ahbar]], Wahb b. Munabbih, and 'Abd Allah b. Salam. Many of his exegetical comments are cited in Quranic exegeses such as ''[[Tafsir al-Tabari]]'' and ''[[Tafsir Ibn Kathir]]'', as well as Sufi books, including Hilyat al-awliya' by [[Abu Na'im al-Isfahani]], ''[[Ihya' 'ulum al-din]]'' by [[al-Ghazali]], and ''[[al-Risalat al-Qushayriyya]]'' by al-Qushayri.

In his exegesis, he always refers to Quranic verses that have been abrogated ([[naskh]]) by other Quranic verses, although he made mistakes in taking some verses to be abrogated.

Al-Hasan met 300 [[companions of the Prophet (s)]] and had companionships with 70 people who had attended the [[Battle of Badr]], learning many of their hadiths and transmitting them to others. He was extraordinarily knowledgeable of hadiths, and his hadiths concerning the tradition of the Prophet (s) and the words of Imam 'Ali and [[Imam al-Hasan (a)]] as well as hadith in chains of transmitters of which he appears have been cited by prominent Sunni and Shiite scholars of hadiths.

A consideration of his hadiths, words, and sermons reveals that a few people from the Sahaba and Tabi'un set out to recount the words of Imam 'Ali (a) as he did. Notwithstanding this, because of the prevalent circumstances of his time, he quoted many of Imam 'Ali’s words anonymously as “it is said” or as “Abu Zaynab” or as “one of the righteous people.” It may well be that he did not explicitly mention Imam 'Ali (a) because of the obvious attribution of those words to him. Another possibility is that he had explicitly mentioned Imam 'Ali (a), but those who transmitted al-Hasan’s words did not attribute them to the Imam (a) out of fear or other reasons.

Aside from his prominence in hadith, al-Hasan was a great [[jurist]] and an influential mufti. There are a number of books devoted to jurisprudential views attributed to al-Hasan, including ''Fiqh al-Hasan al-Basri'' in seven volumes by al-Qadi Abu 'Abd Allah Muhammad b. Mufarrij al-Qurtubi, and ''Mawsu'a fiqh al-Hasan al-Basari'' in two volumes by Muhammad Rawas Qal'aji. Jurisprudential views of al-Hasan rely on the Book, the Tradition, sayings of the Sahaba, and personal [[ijtihad]]. His particular jurisprudential views include the following:

*Permissibility of mut'a in hajj, which is also called “[[hajj al-tamattu']]”

*Termination of 'idda for a woman who should observe [['idda]] for the death of her husband or for divorce if she gives birth to a baby or if she aborts the fetus,

*If Muslims fight with non-Muslims, they do not have the right to kill non-Muslim captives. They should either release them without compensation or should release them after receiving a ransom (fidya).

Although he had an Iranian lineage and Arabic was not his native language, his speeches were so eloquent that even al-Hajjaj—who was particularly eloquent and hated al-Hasan—admitted that “al-Hasan was more competent than everyone in sermons.”

There is no definite way to identify al-Hasan’s works. According to [[al-Dhahabi]], al-Hasan’s scholarly works survived, but according to Ibn Sa'd, al-Hasan burned down all his books, except for one. Notwithstanding this, some works are attributed to him, including:

*A letter to [['Abd al-Malik b. Marwan]] in the rejection of qadariyya (belief in human free will). This has been edited by Hellmut Ritter, and it is cited in Basit’s book (pp. 168-180);

*A Persian essay on predestination and free will, which seems connected to the above eltter;

Al-Hasan spent 70 years of his life in the [[Umayyad]] era. Since the Caliph [['Umar b. 'Abd al-'Aziz]] was a well-mannered politician, al-Hasan had benevolent and compassionate relationships with him. He wrote 12 letters to 'Umar in which he delineated the characteristics of a just leader, warned him against unreliability of this world, called him to [[asceticism]] and [[piety]], preached him, and consoled him on the death of his child. He was even appointed by the caliph as a judge. Before that in 43, he served as a scribe and secretary in the office of [[Rabi' b. Ziyad al-Harithi]] (a companion of [[Imam 'Ali (a)]] who was a [[Mu'awiya]]-appointed ruler in [[Khurasan]] in 43). Moreover, he was allegedly a scribe of [[Anas b. Malik]] for three years in [[Shapur]].

Al-Hassan strongly opposed some of his contemporaneous caliphs and their unjust agents, particularly [[al-Hajjaj b. Yusuf al-Thaqafi]], although he never endorsed armed riots against them. He sometimes acted upon [[taqiyya]] (or dissimulation) in his encounters with unjust rulers. During the years of al-Hajjaj’s reign in [[Iraq]], al-Hasan repeatedly cursed him, and he treated al-Hajjaj in a way that he decided many times to murder him. According to [[al-Ya'qubi]] and [[ibn al-Nadim]], al-Hasan accompanied 'Abd al-Rahman b. Muhammad b. al-Ash'ath in his uprising against al-Hajjaj, but this does not seem true, because Ibn Sa'd makes it explicit that al-Hasan prohibited people from joining ibn al-Ash'ath’s army. He also prohibited his companions from joining Yazid b. Muhallab’s riot, because he believed that the leaders of both of these riots were incompetent.

==Ibn Sirin’s Opposition to Him==

Among the dissenting contemporaries of al-Hasan, the best-known is [[Ibn Sirin]]. Their disagreement was very well-known, and turned into a proverb: “sit either with al-Hasan or with Ibn Sirin.” Apparently, their opposition was originated in al-Hasan’s harsh encounters with rulers—particularly al-Hajjaj—and Ibn Sirin’s way of compliance with, and even support of, rulers.

Many [[Sufism|Sufi]] orders (or chains), including Suhrawardiyya, Tayfuriyya, and Mawlawiyya, as well as some Indian Sufi orders such as Chishtis, are attributed to al-Hasan al-Basri. His name also appears in pedigrees of [[Ahmad al-Ghazali]], Abu Bakr al-Nassaj, Abu Najib al-Suhrawardi, Majd al-Din al-Baghdadi, and [[Najm al-Din al-Kubra]]. These orders trace their Sufist pedigrees to al-Hasan and through him to [[Imam 'Ali (a)]]. Allegedly, when al-Hasan was born, he was taken to Imam 'Ali (a), and the Imam gave him the name “Hasan.” Moreover, al-Hasan grew under the training of the Imam, received a khirqa (a particular type of cloak) from him, and the Imam (a) suggested the word of [[Tawhid]] to him.

However, some people, such as [[Ibn Khaldun]] and [[Shah Ni'mat Allah Dihlawi]], deny such a relationship between Imam 'Ali (a) and al-Hasan. Given these two conflicting views, it is undeniable that both views—the belief in and the denial of al-Hasan’s companionship with Imam 'Ali—are exaggerated, and although there is no decisive evidence for such a relationship, some sort of relationship cannot be denied.

==Al-Hasan al-Basri’s School of Thought==

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 (a)]] 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 [[hypocrite]]s. 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 (a). For example, [[al-Tabrisi]] has narrated a story according to which, in [[Basra]], 'Ali (a) 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 (a) 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 (a), 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 (a)]] 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 (a) 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 (a) 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 (s). He also referred to [[Imam '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 (a) sits on a chair of light, and only people who believe in the [[wilaya]] of 'Ali (a) and his [[Ahl al-Bayt (a)]] can cross the bridge ([[Sirat]]).

Al-Hasan’s hadiths are deemed acceptable by most [[Sunni]] scholars, and his hadiths are cited by [[al-Bukhari]] and [[Muslim b. Hajjaj Nishaburi|Muslim]] in ''[[Sahihayn]]''. Moreover, a meeting for the transmission of hadiths was organized for al-Hasan in [[Mecca]], in which Mujahid, 'Ata', Tawus, and 'Amr b. Shu'ayb—prominent Sunni scholars—were present.

He is praised by Ibn Sa'd as knowledgeable, [[reliable]], and authoritative, although he dismisses his [[mursal hadith]]s (those without specified chains of transmitters) as unreliable. In his book, ''[[Tadhkirat al-huffaz]]'', al-Dhahabi refers to al-Hasan as Imam, Shaykh al-Islam, Hafiz, and 'Allama, although he calls him a fraud. [[Ibn Athir]] says that al-Hasan combined knowledge, [[asceticism]], [[worship]], and [[piety]]. [[Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani]] considers him as a [[jurist]], ascetic, and worshiper who had set aside the adornments of this world, and cites hadiths concerning al-Hasan’s life and his sermons.

Of the four early sources of [[Shiite]] [[rijal]], al-Hasan al-Basri appears only in ''[[Ikhtiyar ma'rifat al-rijal]]'', which is the most important reference of more recent Shiite scholars of rijal. The book contains remarks attributed to [[Fadl b. Shadhan]] concerning the Eight Ascetics, in which al-Hasan al-Basri is reprehended. In this book, ''[[al-Kashshi]]'' aims to collect everything about transmitters of hadiths—from praises to blames—without deciding on the matter. His quote from [[Fadl b. Shadhan]] here is mediated by 'Ali b. Muhammad b. Qutayba who is deemed unreliable by Shiite scholars of rijal.

On the other hand, some earlier and later Shiite scholars have tried to defend al-Hasan al-Basri, considering his hadiths and exegeses as reliable. In his ''[[al-Amali]]'', [[Ibn Babawayh]] cites al-Basri’s hadiths as well as his own words concerning Imam 'Ali (a), which implies that his words were significant for Ibn Babawayh, without implying any reprehension of al-Hasan. [[Al-Sharif al-Murtada 'Alam al-Huda]] speaks favorably of al-Hasan, referring to him as highly knowledgeable, eloquent in sermons, a role-model, a leader, and an early scholar who explicitly talked about God’s justice. He also reports al-Hasan’s brave encounter with al-Hajjaj, as result of which he decided to kill him.

In his introduction to his Quranic exegesis, ''[[al-Tibyan]]'', [[al-Shaykh al-Tusi]] refers to [[Ibn 'Abbas]], al-Hasan, and Qatada (al-Hasan’s student) respectively as [[exegete]]s who had adopted a praiseworthy approach to the Quranic exegesis. In al-Shaykh’s exegesis, al-Hasan is the second most frequently cited person. The same thing can be seen in [[al-Tabrisi]]’s ''[[Majma' al-bayan]]''. [[Qadi Nur Allah al-Shushtari]] quotes his master, Radi al-Din 'Ali b. Tawus as saying that al-Hasan was acceptable.

In many cases in his Persian exegesis of the [[Qur'an]], ''[[Manhaj al-sadiqin]]'', [[Fath Allah Kashani]] says after quoting a hadith or a word from al-Hasan that his words are the same as what is transmitted to us from the [[Imams]] and are acceptable to Shi'as. Moreover, he reported parts of al-Hasan’s speech in the presence of [[al-Hajjaj]] in praise of Imam 'Ali. [[Muhammad Taqi al-Majlisi]] believes that al-Hasan practiced [[taqiyya]] (or dissimulation) before Ziyad and his son, [['Ubayd Allah]], as well as al-Hajjaj, at the command of Imam 'Ali. [[Muhammad Taqi al-Shushtari]] refers to and praises al-Hasan’s letter in the rejection of Jabriyya, saying that we had better consider him as a good, pious man who practiced taqiyya. [[Muhammad Hadi Ma'rifat]] elaborately and admiringly wrote about al-Hasan’s life, and rejected accusations against him.

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