Imam Hassan Askari (as) and helping poor:

The Abbasids court poet Abu Yousef says: "My hard life, coupled with
the birth of a son in this state of poverty, made me write a plea to
the Abbasid government for financial help, but I was spurned.
When I got disappointed I remembered the Holy Prophet Muhammad's
(peace be upon him and his pure progeny) descendant Imam Hassan Askari
(as). I went to him. I hesitated in informing him of my problem, for I
feared that he might not help me because of my reputation as the court
poet of the Abbasids.
I wandered around the Imam Hassan Askari's (as) house for sometime,
before knocking at his door. The door opened and to my surprise a
companion of Imam Hassan Askari (as) came out and put in my hand a
purse, saying: 'Take these 400 dirhams. My master says cover the
expenses of your newborn child with this amount. May God bless you and
the child.'"
Abu Yousef said: "I was astounded. I had neither met him as yet nor
disclosed the request I entertained at heart, and here I was given the
money. I thanked Allah (SWT) for blessing the earth with the presence
of such great and generous person.

Imam Hassan Askari (as) and the wild animals:

Mu'tamid, the Abbasid Caliph is just like his forefathers he too was
an open enemy of the Ahlul Bayt (as). He declared that Imam Hassan
Askari (as) should be imprisoned and that no mercy should be shown to
Him. And hence Mu'tamid, the Abbasid Caliph went to Salih bin Wasif
and told him to treat Imam Hassan Askari (as) harshly. Salih bin Wasif
sent for two of the evilest men he could find to take charge of the
Imam, but the men changed into men of worship, prayer and fasting to
an amazing extent. When Salih bin Wasif interrogated them about their
change in character, they said: "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 except worship? When he looks
at us, our limbs shake and within us is (a feeling) which we have
never had."
Then Imam Hassan Askari (as) was handed over to a man named Nahrir,
the Jailer who was a very cruel man was once advised by his wife who
said to him: "Fear Allah (SWT), have you no idea of who is imprisoned
in your prison? He is a pious man and a great worshipper of Allah
(SWT). I am afraid that Allah (SWT) will curse you." Her husband said:
"O' really. Just watch me; I am going to send him inside the cage of
the wild animals."
Nahrir, the Jailer got the permission from his Abbasid Caliph and
carried out his plan.
Imam Hassan Askari (as) was sent to this cage and the people thought
that this was the end of Imam Hassan Askari's (as) life. But when they
returned to look what had happened instead they all witnessed that
Imam Hassan Askari (as) was praying surrounded by the wild animals
which all were prostrating before Him. Now the order was given to take
Imam Hassan Askari (as) out from there.

“Lack of Trust Damages Love”

"People not loving one another is one of the worst problems of our
day. Without trust, people regard one another as threats. They
regard one another as dangerous. For example, they can easily attack
one another on the streets. Their anger can explode at any moment.
But love happens when there is trust. Love happens when people are
valued and when there is compassion and when there is forgiveness .
If everything about someone makes you angry, if you look for
defects in everything, then you cannot love anyone. One must seek
beauty in everything and see the best in everything. Then we can
love very much. We must look for the best in everything."

Peace And Love Are The Essence Of Islam

The Qur'an is the true Book revealed to people as a guide to the
true path and in this Book, Allah commands man to adopt moral
perfection in the light of Islamic tenets. This morality is based
upon concepts such as love, compassion, understanding and mercy.
The word "Islam" is derived from the word meaning "peace" in Arabic.
Islam is a religion revealed to mankind with the intention of
presenting a peaceful life through which the infinite compassion and
mercy of Allah manifest on earth. Allah calls all people to Islamic
morals through which compassion, mercy, peace and love can be
experienced all over the world. Allah addresses believers as
follows:
O You who believe! Enter absolutely into peace (Islam ). Do not
follow in the footsteps of satan. He is an outright enemy to you.
(Surat al-Baqara, 208)
As the verse above suggests, Islam is a religion purely based on
love and compassion. The Qur'an emphasizes a love that stems from
faith and has a profound effect on the soul. Altruism, fortitude,
generosity, care and protection all fall within the scope of the
concept of love revealed in the Qur'an. This being the case, Islam
intrinsically calls for peace and fosters a life in absolute
sincerity and honesty before Allah. Therefore it is vitally important
for an individual to live by the religion of Islam to be a Muslim
with his own will and aspiration and observe Allah's commands and
advise from heart and soul through personal conscientious
contentment.
This tenet is the basis of Islam which is described by the verse:
There is no compulsion where the religion is concerned. (Surat al-Baqara: 256)
As stated in the verse, no-one can be compelled to live by Islamic
morals. Conveying the existence of Allah and the morals of the
Qur'an to other people is a duty that believers are charged with.
Muslims who desire to perform their duty spread the message of
religion in order to guide other people. They instruct goodness and
rule out evil as to Allah's provision to " command what is good and
forbid what is wrong " and call people to the path of Allah with
words of purity. Meanwhile they never force them, for they know
that it is only Allah Who guides people to the right way. This is
related in the following verse:
You cannot guide those you would like to but Allah guides those He
wills. He has best knowledge of the guided. (Surat al-Qasas, 56)
The Qur'an also provides an environment where people can fully enjoy
freedom of thought and freedom of religion and allows people to
live by the faith and values they believe in. According to Islam,
everyone has the right to live freely by his beliefs, whatever they
may be. Anyone who wants to found a church, a synagogue or a mosque
must be free to do so. In this sense, freedom of religion, or
freedom of belief, is one of the basic tenets of Islam. There is
always freedom of religion wherever the moral values of the Qur'an
prevail.
Indeed, freedom of thought, belief and expression are at the heart
of Qur'anic moral values. Therefore, true freedom of belief can
prevail only when the moral values of the Qur'an are followed.
Islam is a religion that offers freedom of thought, worship and
expression, protects people's all kinds of rights and brings with it
true freedom.
That is why Muslims also treat Jews and Christians, described in
the Qur'an as "the People of the Book," with great justice, love
and compassion. Allah says in the Qur'an:
"Allah does not forbid you from being good to those who have not
fought you in the religion or driven you from your homes, or from
being just towards them. Allah loves those who are just." (Surat
al-Mumtahana, 8)
Muslims who share the same basic values believe in the need to act
together with Christians and Jews. They therefore strive to
eliminate prejudices stemming from provocations by unbelievers and
fanatics. Jews, Christians and Muslims strive together to spread
moral virtues across the world. They base themselves on the
principles of love, respect, toleration, understanding, harmony and
collaboration with the People of the Book.
Allah also provides Muslims the rationale of this approach in the
Qur'an. Allah explicitly states that the existence of people from
different faiths and dissenting opinions is something that we have
to acknowledge and welcome heartily, for this is how He created
and predestined humankind in this world:
We have appointed a law and a practice for every one of you. Had
Allah willed, He would have made you a single community, but He
wanted to test you regarding what has come to you. So compete with
each other in doing good. Every one of you will return to Allah and
He will inform you regarding the things about which you differed.
(Surat al-Ma'ida, 48)
In acknowledgment of this fact, Muslims have an inner love and
compassion for people of all faiths, races and nations, for they
consider them as the manifestations of Allah in this world and treat
them with an heartfelt respect and love. This is the very basis of
communities administered by Islamic morality.
While talking about a peaceful society, "security" is a vital
concept to focus on. Unless security prevails, peace can never be
attained. In this sense, Islam again brings about the preconditions
for peace, and the only way to ensure security is "entering into
Islam", that is, as stated above, living by the values of the
Qur'an. This fact is related in the verse Surat al-Baqara, 208:
O You who believe! Enter absolutely into peace (Islam). Do not follow
in the footsteps of satan. He is an outright enemy to you.
The values of the Qur'an hold a Muslim responsible for treating all
people, whether Muslim or non-Muslim, kindly and justly, protecting
the needy and the innocent and "preventing the dissemination of
mischief". Mischief comprises all forms of anarchy and terror that
remove security, comfort and peace. As Allah says in a verse, "Allah
does not love corruption". (Surat al-Baqara, 205)
The concept of love as revealed in the Qur'an is much different from
what people generally understand as love. The love taught in the
Qur'an is the true love based on love of Allah and on His approval.
It is never weakened despite being tested on many times and can
withstand time, difficulties, deficiencies and errors.
There is one aspect of love that people are unaware of: It is Allah
Who bestows love on hearts. One can only attain true and lasting
love by striving to earn the approval of Allah, Who inspires love in
people's hearts. Only people who love Allah above all else and who
make no concessions in exhibiting the moral character that He
desires love one another with genuine respect and love.