The Traditions On His Imamate

The following are some of the traditions that were transmitted from Imam al-Hadi (AS) concerning the appointing of his son Abu Muhammad al-Hasan as the imam after him.

1. Yahya bin Yasar al-Anbari said, ‘Abul Hasan Ali bin Muhammad (al-Hadi) entrusted his son Abu Muhammad al-Hasan with the matter (imamate) four months before his death and made me and some of his mawali (adherents) bear witness to that.’¹

2. Ali bin Umar al-Nawfali said, “Once, I was with Abul Hasan (al-Hadi) (AS) in the yard of his house when his son Muhammad (Abu Ja’far) passed by us. I said to him, ‘May I die for you! Is this our man (the imam) after you?’ He said to me, ‘Your man after me is al-Hasan.”²

3. Shahwayh bin Abdullah al-Jallab said, “Abul Hasan wrote a letter to me saying in it: ‘You wanted to ask about the successor after Abu Ja’far and you were worried about that. Do not worry because (Allah will not mislead a people after He has guided them)³ Your man (the imam) after me will be my son Muhammad.

He has all what you shall need.

Allah advances what He wills and delays what He wills; (Whatever verse We abrogate or cause to be forgotten, We bring one better than it or like it).⁴ I have written what has a clear proof for one of an awake mind.”⁵

4. Dawud bin al-Qassim said, “I heard Abul Hasan (AS) saying, ‘The successor after me will be al-Hasan. How will you deal with the successor after this successor?’ I said, ‘Why? May I die for you!’ He said, ‘You shall not see him and it will be not permissible for you to mention him by his name.’ I said, ‘How shall we mention him then?’ He said, ‘You say: al-Hujjah (the authority) from the progeny of Muhammad (peace be on them).’⁶

5. Abu Bakr al-Fahfaki said, “Abul Hasan (peace be upon him) wrote to me saying, ‘My son Abu Muhammad is the best of the progeny of Muhammad in nature and the most trustworthy in authority.

He is the eldest of my children, and he is my successor and to him imamate and our verdicts get. Whatever you asked me about, you can ask him about for he has all that which people need.’⁷

6. Al-Saqr bin Dulaf said, “I heard Ali bin Muhammad bin Ali al-Rida (Imam al-Hadi) saying, ‘The imam after me will be al-Hasan and after al-Hasan will be his son al-Qa’im (Imam al-Mahdi) who will fill the earth with justice and fairness as it has been filled with injustice and oppression.’⁸

7. Abdul Adheem al-Hasani narrated that Imam Ali bin Muhammad al-Hadi (AS) said, ‘The imam after me will be my son al-Hasan, but how will people deal with the successor after him?!’⁹

8. Ali bin Mahziyar said, ‘One day, I said to Abul Hasan, ‘If something happens¹⁰-God forbid!-then to whom the imamate will be?’ He said, ‘To the eldest of my sons. (He meant al-Hasan).’¹¹

9. Abdullah bin Muhammad al-Isfahani said, “Abul Hasan said, ‘Your man after me is the one who will offer the prayer on me (after death).’ We did not know Abu Muhammad before that, and when Abul Hasan (AS) died, Abu Muhammad came out and offered the prayer (of the dead) on him.’¹²

These are some traditions narrated by reliable narrators from Imam al-Hadi (AS) about the appointing of his son Abu Muhammad al-Hasan (AS) as the next imam besides other traditions transmitted from Imam al-Jawad (AS).

Al-Saqr bin Dulaf said, “I heard Abu Ja’far Muhammad bin Ali ar-Redha (Imam al-Jawad) saying, ‘The imam after me is my son Ali. His command is my command, his saying is my saying, and obedience to him is obedience to me. And the imam after him will be his son al-Hasan.’¹³

There are other traditions that were narrated from the Prophet (AS) concerning the appointing of the guardians and caliphs after him among whom was Imam Abu Muhammad al-Askari (AS). These traditions were mentioned in the famous reference books of Hadith and history.

^{* Taken from : The Life Of Imam Al-Hasan Al-Askari Study And Analysis By: Baqir Shareef al-Qurashi Translation by: Abdullah al-Shahin}

^{1- Al-Fusool al-Muhimmah by ibn as-Sabbagh, p.66, Usool al-Kafi, vol.1 p.325.
2- Usool al-Kafi, vol.1 p.324.
3- Qur'an, 9:115.
4- Qur'an, 2:106.
5- Usool al-Kafi, vol.1 p.328.
6- Ibid.
7- Ibid., p.327.
8- Ikmal ad-Deen, vol.2 p.55.
9- Ikmal ad-Deen, vol.2 p.55.
10- He meant that if the imam died.
11- A’lam al-Wara, p.368.
12- Ibid.
13- Ikmal ad-Deen, vol.2 p.50.}