Imam Hasan (a.s.):

Imam Hasan (a.s.) was born on the 15th of Ramzan al-Mubarak in the 3rd
Hijrah. His name was suggested by Allah (swt) through a Vahi
(revelation) to the Prophet Mohammad (saw) which suggested that since
Imam Ali (a.s.) isto the Prophet Mohammad (saw) as Hazrat Haroon
(a.s.) was to Hazrat Moosa (a.s.), thename of his child should be on
the name of the son of Hazrat Haroon (a.s.) which was Shabbar -
meaning Hasan in Arabic. This was the first time that a child was
named Hasan.
Imam Hasan (a.s.) and Knowledge
Imam Hasan (a.s.), like all other Imams wasgranted divine knowledge by
Allah (swt)and he demonstrated it right from his childhood.
Once Imam Hasan (a.s.) was asked "What are the 10 strong things that
are stronger than one another?" Imam Hasan (a.s.) replied:
Among the strong things is Stone;
Even stronger is the Iron which is used to break Stone;
Even stronger is the Fire which melts Iron;
Even stronger is the Water which extinguishes Fire;
Even stronger are Clouds that carry Water with them;
Even stronger is the Air which floats the Clouds with it;
Even stronger is the Angel who moves the Air;
Even stronger is the Angel who will give Death to the Angel who moves the Air;
Even stronger is the Death which will come upon the Angel of Death; and
Even stronger is the order of Allah (swt) which governs the Death.
Once the ruler of Rome asked Imam Hasan (a.s.):"Which are the
creations which were born without a mother and father or Male and
Female?" and Imam Hasan (a.s.) replied:
These are 7 creations: Hazrat Adam (a.s.), HazratHawwa (a.s.), the
lamb which was sent in place of Hazrat Ismaeel (a.s.), the camel of
Hazrat Saleh (a.s.), the serpent of Hazrat Moosa (a.s.), Ibleesand the
crow that taught the method of burial to Qabeel son of Hazrat Adam
(a.s.).
Two Ahadith in praise of Imam Hasan (a.s.)
1. Ahmad ibn-e-Hambal, Tirmizi, Nisai and ibn-e-Habban quoted on
authority of Hazrat Huzaifa (r.a.) and Hazrat Abu Saeed Khudri (r.a.)
that Prophet Mohammad (saw) said - Hasan (a.s.) and Hussain (a.s.) are
the leaders of the youth of paradise and Fatimah (s.a.) is the leader
of the women of paradise.
2. Tirmizi and Ibn-e-Habban quoted from Hazrat Usama bin Zaid (r.a.)
that Prophet Mohammad (saw) said - Hasan (a.s.) and Hussain (a.s.) are
my and my daughter's sons. O Allah I love them so you love them too
and you love anyone who would love them.
Problems during and after Imam Hasan (a.s.) life
As with the otherImam (a.s.), Imam Hasan's lifewas also filled with
difficulties. From thevery childhood he saw the faces and activities
ofthe so called companions of the Prophet Mohammad (saw) who left him
alone in several battlefields, who objected to the Prophet Mohammad's
(saw) decisions up to the stage that some of them expressed their
doubts that he was Allah's Prophet.
Then upon the demise of Prophet Mohammad (saw), he saw that only a
handful of his faithful companions were there to bury him and the rest
had left him to share political power among themselves. He saw the
atrocities of Bani Ummayad in the way they treated the Ahle Bait(a.s.)
and hurled accusations against ImamAli (a.s.) after the killing of
Hazrat Usman third Caliph. He lived through the battles of Siffin ,
Jamal and finally saw the martyrdom of his father Imam Ali (a.s.).
As if all of this was not enough, even after his death the agents of
Bani Ummaya continued their work against the Ahle Bait (a.s.) and
grafted stories of hundreds of marriages of Imam Hasan(a.s.). Some
mentioned that he married 70 times and other said that he married more
than 300 times but none could count names of more than 10 wives. Such
was the strength of their hatred that upon his death, he was not
allowed to be buried alongside his grand father, the Prophet Mohammad
(saw).
Imam Hasan (a.s.) and Amr Bil Maroof (Enjoininggood)
Perhaps we all have experienced the situationwhere we meant to convey
a correct criticismwith good intentions to afriend, but it has
unintentionally leaded todispleasure and annoyance. Have we
everthought about the best way to increase the effectiveness of
criticism?
In general, when a person makes a moral criticism, two targets could
be sought: (1) the action which the criticizer finds incorrect, (2)
the person who has performed the incorrect action. What is painful and
burdensome about criticism, and can lead to anger, grudge, and
animosity is the damage that hurts one's pride. Although that person
might argue about his action and bring proofs for its correctness, in
reality, he is defending"himself", and is attempting to save his
esteem and personality.
Therefore, to assure that a criticism does not hurt one's pride or
make him react, the criticizer has toset the incorrect action asthe
main target of his criticism rather than its performer. If so, the
criticism would be constructive, and desirable consequences would
follow. The traditions of Imam Hassan (as) bear a good example of such
criticism:
An old man sat to do his Wudhu / Wuzu (Ablution). But his Wudhuwas not
correct. Imam Hasan (a.s.) and Imam Hussain (a.s.) the grandsons of
the ProphetMohammad (saw), then two young boys, watched him. They
immediately realized thatthe old man was not doing his Wudhu
correctly, but hesitated totell him directly. Perhaps the old man
would feel humiliated by two youngboys, or he might even lose interest
in the act of worship.
Sitting next to him, they started to do the Wudhu and during the
Wudhu, Imam Hasan (a.s.)said: "Oh Hussain my Wudhu is correct and more
perfect than yours."
In reply, Imam Hussain (a.s.) insisted that his own Wudhu was better
than Imam Hasan's.
Finally they said: "Let us refer to this gentleman. He is older than
us and should be able to decide."
The old man was listening patiently. The boys performed their Wudhu
under his supervision, one after theother. And when they had finished,
he realized the Wudhu done by the boys was methodical andcorrect. It
was his own Wudhu which was incorrect. Turning to Imam Hasan (a.s.)
and Imam Hussain (a.s.), he gently said: "The Wudhu done by you is
correct. I am grateful that you chose to guide me in such a beautiful
manner."
Imam Hassan (as) and Imam Hussain (as) neither criticized the old man,
nor reproached himfor his ignorance of the ruling of Islam.
Moreover,they did not refer to his way of performing Wudu, nor did
they call his action void. Rather, they performed Wudu themselves and
taught the old man its correct way indirectly. The result of this
polite and wise criticism was that the old man confessed to his
mistake explicitly, learned how to perform Wudu correctly, and thanked
them with kindness and pleasure.
Indeed, having good morals is the best way of criticism and education.
It is so important that according to Imam Hassan (as), "The best of
the best is having good morals".
How cautious are we towards the details the Ahl al-Bayt (PBUT) have
taught us in criticizing our brothers in faith? Arewe helping others
progress and get educated through good morals and leniency?
Imam Hasan (a.s.) and Anger Management
Mubarad and Ibn Aisha narrated that a man fromSyria saw Imam Hasan
(a.s.) riding a horse and started insulting him. Imam Hasan (a.s.) did
not reply to the man. When the Syrian stopped, ImamHasan (a.s.)
proceeded towards him and after cheerfully greeting him said:
"Old man, I believe you are a stranger. Maybe you have confused me
with another person. If you ask forgiveness, it is granted to you. If
you askfor a means of transportation, we shall provide it for you. If
you are hungry, we shall feedyou. If you are in need of clothes, we
shall cloth you. If you are deprived, we shall grant you. If youare
being sought, we shall give you refuge. If you have any need, we shall
fulfill it for you. And if you wish to proceed with your caravan be
ourguest until you leave, it would be more useful to you, for we hold
a good position, great dignity and vast belongings."
When the man heard the words of Imam Hasan (a.s.) he cried and said:
"I testify that you are Allah's heir on His earth. Allah surely knows
to whom He assigns His Message. You and your Father were the most
resented of Allah's creatures to me, but now you are the most
belovedof Allah's creatures to me."
The man then directed his caravan and became their guest of the town
until he departed while believing in their love.
Imam Hasan (a.s.) Maid Servant and Anger Management
Once a maid of our 2nd Imam, Imam Hasan (a.s.) dropped a hot bowlof
soup on Imam Hasan (a.s.).
She was very scared because she thought the Imam Hasan (a.s.) would be
angry and punish her.
She immediately recited the Ayah: "...Those who control (their) anger..."
Imam Hasan (a.s.) smiled and said he was not angry .
Then she recited the nextpart of the Ayah: "...And are forgiving
towards people..."
Imam Hasan (a.s.) said he had forgiven her.
She then finished the Ayah: "...Allah loves those who do good..."
Imam Hasan (a.s.) told her she was free.
The above Ayah is from the Holy Quran: Surah Aal-e-Imraan (3), verse 134.
Moral: The Holy Qur'an is not just there to read butto learn from and
act upon. It is the word of Allah and teaches us everything we need to
know if only we understood it.

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