1 - Maxims by Imam Hassan peace be upon him when asked what piety is , Imam
Hassan , peace be upon him replied : " yearning for virtue and no longing for
this world . "
2 - When asked what manliness is . Imam answered : " protection of religion ,
self-respect , lenience , benevolence , discharging one's duties , and
showing amity towards people .
3 - When asked what generosity is , Imam said : donation before request
and feeding poeple during drought .
4 - When asked what parsimony is , Imam said : to consider what you have as
dignity and what you spend as waste .
5 - When asked what freedom from want is , Imam said : Being satisfied
with one's destiny , however maeger it may be .
6 - When asked what poverty is , Imam said : greed for everything .
7 - When asked what dignity is , Imam said : agreeing with friends and
maintaining good neighbourly relations .
8 - When asked what meanness is , Imam said : self - centredness and having
no regard for one's wife .
9 - The person who takes refuge in God is relaxed and secure where as his
enemy is fearful and friendless .
10 - Be careful with God by frequently remembering Him , and be fearful
of God by being pious , and approach God through obedience , for indeed He is
near and responsive .
11 - The greatness of those who came to know his greatness lies in their
modesty . The dignity of those who came to know His glory lies in their
humbleness . The security of those who came to know His power lies in their
submission to God .
12 - You should know that God has not created you for no reason and that has
not left you to your own . He has determined your life time and divided your
sustenance among you so that every wise man know his share and understand what-
ever he recieves has been predestined and that he would not receive that which
does not belong to him . God has provided you with sufficient in come to
have enough time to worship and thank Him . He made rememberance and prayer
obligatory and recommended you to be pious to gain his utmost satisfaction .
13 - O' servants of God ! Do have God fearing and do know that God enables
God fearing persons to overcome trials , and to succeed in their affairs . He
will also smooth the path of right for God-fearing people .
14 - Only those people who are properly guided consult one another .
15 - Meanness is to fail to thank God for His blessing .
16 - In quest , do not take victory for granted , do not trust predestination
like the yielding , for it is a fradition to be in quest of sustenance . Thus ,
moderation in search of one's livelihood comes from chastity which is not on
the way of sustenance .
By the same token , avarice does not increase sustenance . In deed , sustenance
has been predestined and avarice brings about sins .
17 - One is free as long as has not promised . However when one promises ,
he shoulders responsibility and shall not be released until he fulfils his
promise .
18 - The person having confidence in God's free-will ( satisfied with
divine destiny ) dose not wish to be in a state other than the one chosen for
him by God .
19 - The good without evil is thanking for the blessing and patience in
clamities and hardships .
20 - Imam , peace be upon him , said to a man just cured from a disease :
God remembered you , then you remember Him . He pardoned you , you
should thank him .
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Imam Hasan ibna Ali (A.S.) |
Peace be on you, O son of the Messenger of the Lord of the worlds! Peace be on you,
O son of the Commander of the faithfuls! Peace be on you, O son of Faatimah Zahraa!
Peace be on you, O dearest intimate of Allah! Peace be on you, O sincere friend of Allah!
Peace be on you, O faithful confidant of Allah! Peace be on you, O decisive argument of Allah!
Peace be on you, O light of Allah! Peace be on you, O the "way" unto Allah! Peace be on you,
O meaning and demonstration of the commands of Allah! Peace be on you,O he who rescued the religion of Allah! Peace be on you, O liberal, mild and wise sage! Peace be on you, O he who was kept out of (his) rightful office (but) carried out (his) duty! Peace be on you, O confidant guardian! Peace be on you, O scholar who determined the ssential feature of (Religion)! Peace be on you, O the rightly guided guide! Peace be on you, O impeccable "man of learning"! peace be on you, O God-fearing, holy! Peace be on you, O genuine, worthy and deserving right! Peace be on you, O truthful witness who gave life in the way of Allah! Peace be on you, O Abaa Muhammad, Hasan (son of) Ali! Mercy of Allah and His blessings be on him.
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The Son of the Prophet |
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Imam Hasan Mujtaba -upon whom be peace- was the second Imam. He and his brother Imam Husayn were the two sons of Amir al-mu'minin Ali and Hadhrat Fatimah, the daughter of the Prophet. Many times the Prophet had said,"Hasan and Husayn are my children". Because of these same words Ali would say to his other children, "You are my children and Hasan and Husayn are the children of the Prophet."
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Imam Hasan and Mu'awiyah |
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After the death of his father, through Divine Command and according to the will of his father, Imam Hasan became Imam; he also occupied the outward function of caliph for about six months, during which time he administered the affairs of the Muslims.During that time Mu'awiyah, who was a bitter enemy of Ali and his family and had fought for years with the ambition of capturing the caliphate,first on the pretext of avenging the death of the third caliph and finally with an open claim to the caliphate, marched his army into Iraq, the seat of Imam Hasan's caliphate. War ensued during which Mu'awiyah gradually subverted the generals and commanders of Imam Hasan's army with large sums of money and deceiving promises until the army rebelled against Imam Hasan. Finally,the Imam was forced to make peace and to yield the caliphate to Mu'awiyah, provided it would again return to Imam Hasan after Mu'awiyah's death and the Imam's household and partisans would be protected in every way.In this way Mu'awiyah captured the Islamic caliphate and entered Iraq.In a public he officially made null and void all the peace conditions and in every way possible placed the severest pressure upon the members of the Household of the Prophet and the Shi'ah. During all the ten years of his imamate, Imam Hasan lived in conditions of extreme hardship and under persecution, with no security even in his own house. In the year 50 A.H. he was poisoned and martyred by one of his own household who, as has been accounted by historians, had been motivated by Mu'awiyah.
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Imam Hasan's Character |
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In human perfection Imam Hasan was reminiscent of his father and a perfect example of his noble grandfather. In fact, as long as the prophet was alive, he and his brother were always in the company of the Prophet who even sometimes would carry them on his shoulders. Both Sunni and Shi'ite sources have transmitted this saying of the Holy Prophet concerning Hasan and Husayn:"These two children of mine are Imams whether they stand up or sit down" (allusion to whether they occupy the external function of caliphate or not). |
