Imam Hassan Mujtaba (AS)

On the Birth Anniversary of Imam Hassan (AS) Mahjubah sends congratulations to all Muslims of the world and uses this opportunity to present a brief summary of his life.

Imam Hassan Mujtaba (AS) was the first grandson of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his household) and also the first offspring of the holy matrimony of Imam Ali (AS) and Hazrat Fatima (SA). He was born in the middle of Ramadhan, 3 A.H.

The birth of Hassan ibn Ali (AS) and his childhood

When he was born, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his household) cuddled him lovingly in his arms and whispered the "Azan" in his right ear and "Iqamah" in his left ear.

Imam Hassan was cared and loved by his grandfather for seven years. In his childhood he accompanied the Prophet (peace be upon him and his household) to the mosque and when he (peace be upon him and his household) prostrated, he would climb upon his shoulders. The Prophet (peace be upon him and his household) would remain in prostration for a longer time and let the child sit on his shoulders.

Imam Hassan (AS) was one of the four persons who accompanied the Prophet (peace be upon him and his household) under the `Aba' (clock) when God sent down this verse:

﴾Allah's wish is but to remove uncleanness from you, O people of the Household and cleanse you with a thorough cleansing. (33:33)﴿

Once when Christian scholars had come to Medina to talk to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his household) and to enquire about his call to Islam, a heated debate ensued. For this reason, each party took their dearest of kin to the dessert and appealed to Allah to curse the party who uttered falsehood.

The Prophet (peace be upon him and his household) took Imam Ali, Fatima, Hassan and Hussain (AS) to the desert. When the Christian scholars saw the children of the Prophet (peace be upon him and his household), they gave up the idea of calling down the curse of Allah on the loser of the debate.

One day during his childhood, he with his brother Hussain (AS) saw an Arab man performing ablution. In as much as he didn't perform the ritual properly, they decided to show him how it should be done. But in order that he might not be annoyed, they suggested to him that they perform ablution, and the man judge which ablution was correctly performed. The Arab man said: "Both your ablutions are perfect and mine is wrong." He was amazed at their politeness and asked them who they were and kissed their faces.

As to the features of his face and body, Imam Hassan (AS) had healthy pink cheeks, black eyes, thick beard, curly thick hair, silver-white neck, symmetry of body, broad shoulders, firm muscles, slender waist, middle stature and handsome looks.

Moral Endowments:

Imam Hassan (AS) was generous, modest and brave. During his ablution and saying his prayer, his body trembled and his face turned pale. He divided his money: one part for himself; another for the Cause of Allah; and the remaining part for the relief of needy people.

One day he passed by a group of poor people in the street who had spread a cloth on the ground. Seeing Imam Hassan (AS), they invited him to lunch with them which was nothing but crumbs. Imam accepted the invitation and took a few morsels and then he took them home and gave them food and clothes. He made pilgrimage to the Holy Kaba 25 times on foot, whereas he had full-bred horses. The Holy Prophet (peace be upon him and his household) had said that Hassan (AS) and Hussain (AS) were both his children and Imams, whether they rose up or secluded themselves. In the battles of Jamal and Siffin, Imam Hassan (AS) fought by his father's side and displayed great valor. Some historians narrated that during the caliphate of Umar ibn Khattab, Imam Hassan (AS) was a conqueror of part of the Iranian territory.