Hasan al-Askari
Encyclopedia : H : HA : HAS : Hasan al-Askari
| Part of a of articles on Islam |
| Beliefs and practices |
|
Oneness of God Profession of Faith Prayer • Fasting Pilgrimage • Charity |
| Major figures |
|
Muhammad • Ali Abu Bakr • Umar Household of Muhammad Companions of Muhammad Prophets of Islam |
| Texts & Laws |
|
Qur'an • Hadith Jurisprudence • Theology Biographies of Muhammad Esotericism (Sufism) • Exotericism (Sharia) |
| Branches of Islam |
| Sunni • Shi'a • Ibadi |
| Societal aspects |
|
Academics • Theology Philosophy • Science Art • Architecture • Cities Calendar • Holidays Women • ..in the Qu'ran Leaders • Politics Islamism • Liberalism |
| See also |
|
Vocabulary of Islam |
Birth and family life
Hasan al Askari, whose ancestor was Muhammad, was born in Samarra to Ali al-Hadi and Saleel. His title al-Askari derives from the Arabic word asker which means Army. Hasan's title was reflective of his living most of his life in a garrison town. He married a Byzantine slave woman who was a granddaughter of a Roman emperor. Her name was Nargis.
House arrest
Hasan would live almost his entire life under house arrest in Samarra. Despite his confinement as a prisoner, he was occasionally allowed to go to Baghdad, although it was under guard.
Expertise
He was very knowledgeable and despite being confined to house arrest for almost his entire life, Hasan al-Askari was able to teach others about Islam, and even compiled a commentary on the Qur'an that would be used by later scholars.
Death
Hasan died at the age of 27 on January 1, 874, by poison. He left only one son, Muhammad al-Mahdi who was five at the time of Hasan's death (although many Sunni muslims deny his existence). Hasan's funeral was attended by many people, including the Abbasid caliph Al-Mu'tamid who was secretly responsible for the poisoning of Hasan al-Askari. It is related in Shia sources that when Hasan's brother, Jafar ibn Ali, was getting ready to lead the funeral prayer, Hasan's son, Muhammad, approached and told him "uncle Jafar you can not lead the funeral prayer of my father because only an imam can lead the funeral prayer of another Imam". Jafar stepped aside, and the prayer was led by the five-year old son. It is then reported that this boy disappeared, eluding the Abbasids who were sent to find him. The Shia believe that he, Muhammad al-Mahdi, is the Mahdi; a very important figure in Islamic teaching who is believed will reappear at the end of time to fill the world with justice, peace and to establish Islam as the global religion.
Hasan was buried in the mausoleum containing the remains of his father, the Al Askari Mosque in Samarra. The site is considered a holy shrine by many Muslims, particularly for the Shia, though a bomb blast on February 22, 2006 destroyed much of the structure [link].
External links
- http://www.shiasearch.org
- [The Eleventh Imam]
- [Hasan Askari]
From Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. Original article here. Support Wikipedia by contributing or donating.
All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License See Wikipedia Copyrights for details.