Hasan ibn Ali

Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abu Talib (c. 625 - 669 ) (alternative spelling Hassan ) was the grandson of the Prophet Muhammad , and first son of his daughter Fatima Zahra with Ali ibn Abu Talib . Hasan is a revered figure in Islam , and is considered the second Shia Imam by some Shia sects. (His brother Hussein is considered to be second Shia Imam by some Shia sects). Hasan was the first grandchild of Muhammad and according to Shi'a tradition was named by Muhammad upon a revelation from God. The name Hasan means "handsome" in Arabic . Hasan and his brother Hussein were greatly beloved by their grandfather, and numerous hadith testify to this. There are also hadith that exist which claim that Hasan and Husayn will be the leaders of the youth in heaven. Hasan is also one of the four persons included in the Hadith Of The Cloak . Upon the death of his father at Kufa , a number of people in that town and neighboring regions swore allegiance to Hasan, making him the successor to his father. This put him in conflict with Muawiyah , who had been victorious in his competition with Ali for the caliphate . Muwaiyah began raising an army to face Hasan, but at the same time sent him letters asking him to give up his claim. If Hasan was to renounce it, then Muawiyah would have an uncontested claim to the caliphate. If however, Muawiyah were to defeat Hasan in battle, he would have absolute power, but questions regarding his legitimacy would linger. The armies of Hasan and Muawiyah would fight some battles, but eventually Hasan gave up his claim in order to maintain peace among the Muslim people. He retired to Medina and was given a pension by Muawiyah. At one point, Muawiyah asked Hasan to help him quell a Kharijite rebellion, but Hasan refused to help, writing that he had given up fighting for the sake of peace. Hasan would die in Medina in the year 669 and is buried at the famous Jannat ul-Baqi cemetery across from the Masjid al Nabawi . Some believe that he was poisoned by his wife at the urging of Muawiyah.

Grandson of Muhammad, son of Ali ibn Abi Talib and Fatimah bint Muhammad, and second Shia Imam Al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib ( ; 624–670 CE ), sometimes spelled Hasan or Hassan , was the eldest son of Ali and Muhammad 's daughter Fatimah , and was the older brother of Husayn , as well as the fifth of Rashidun , or "Rightly Guided Caliphs". Muslims respect him as a grandson of the Islamic Prophet Muhammad . Among Shia Muslims , Hasan is revered as the second Imam . Hasan was elected for the caliphate after his father's death, but abdicated after six or seven months to Muawiyah I , the founder of the Umayyad dynasty to end the First Fitna . After Hasan's abdication, the caliphate turned into kingship. al-Hasan was known for donating to the poor, his kindness to the poor and bondmen, and for his knowledge, tolerance and bravery. His wife, Ja'da bint al-Ash'at , is commonly accused of having poisoned him. Story of the Holy Ka'aba . Abu Dawud , Kitaab us-Sunnah, Chapter on the Khulafaa, Hadith no. 4647 Farid, Ahmad [in Arabic] . من أعلام السلف . Kahus, Abu al-Yusr Rashid (1 January 2013). محاضرات في سيرة الخلفاء الراشدين رضي الله تعالى عنهم . The Origins and Early Development of Shi'a Islam . Islam in post-modern world: prospects and problems . Selected and with a Foreword by Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i ; Translated with Explanatory Notes by William Chittick ; Under the Direction of and with an Introduction by Hossein Nasr . There are <ref group=lower-alpha> tags or templates on this page, but the references will not show without a template or template (see the help page ).

Grandson of Muhammad and the second Shia Imam (625–670) For the American jazz pianist and composer, see Hasaan Ibn Ali . Abū Muḥammad al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ; c. 625 – 2 April 670 ) was a prominent early Islamic figure. He was the eldest son of Ali and Fatima and a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad . He briefly ruled as caliph from January 661 until August 661. He is considered as the second Imam in Shia Islam , succeeding Ali and preceding his brother Husayn . As a grandson of the prophet, he is part of the ahl al-bayt and the ahl al-kisa , also is said to have participated in the event of Mubahala . During the caliphate of Ali ( r. 656–661 ), Hasan accompanied him in the military campaigns of the First Muslim Civil War . After Ali's assassination in 661, Hasan was acknowledged caliph in Kufa . His sovereignty was not recognized by Syria's governor Mu'awiya I ( r. 661–680 ), who led an army into Kufa while pressing Hasan for abdication in letters. In response, Hasan sent a vanguard under Ubayd Allah ibn al-Abbas to block Mu'awiya's advance until he arrived with the main army. Meanwhile, Hasan was severely wounded in an abortive assassination attempt by the Kharijites , a faction opposed to both Ali and Mu'awiya. This attack demoralized Hasan's army and led to widespread desertion. Ubayd Allah and most of his troops also defected after Mu'awiya bribed him. In August 661, Hasan signed a peace treaty with Mu'awiya on the condition that the latter should rule in compliance with the Quran and the sunna , a council should appoint his successor, and Hasan's supporters would receive amnesty. Hasan retired from politics and abdicated in Medina where he died either from illness or poisoning, though the early sources are nearly unanimous that he was poisoned. Mu'awiya is commonly viewed as the instigator in the murder of Hasan, which removed an obstacle to the succession of his son Yazid ( r. 680–683 ). Critics of Hasan call his treaty with Mu'awiya an indication of weakness, saying that he intended to surrender from the beginning. Given Mu'awiya's military superiority, supporters of Hasan maintain that his abdication was inevitable after his soldiers mutinied and that he was motivated by the desire for unity and peace among Muslims, which was reportedly predicted by Muhammad in a Sunni hadith . Another Sunni hadith, also attributed to Muhammad, predicted that the prophetic succession would last for thirty years, which was probably interpreted by some early Sunni scholars as evidence that Hasan's caliphate was rightly-guided ( rāshid ). In Shia theology, the divine infallibility ( isma ) of Hasan as the second Shia Imam further justified his course of action. As the rightful successor of Muhammad in Shia Islam, Hasan's all-inclusive temporal and religious authority came from divinely-inspired designation ( nass ), which was not annulled by abdication to Mu'awiya, who usurped only the temporal authority. The imamate and caliphate are viewed as separate institutions in Shia Islam until such time that God would make the Imam victorious.

Grandson of Muhammad and the second Shia Imam (625–670) For the American jazz pianist and composer, see Hasaan Ibn Ali . Hasan ibn Ali ( Arabic : الْحَسَنِ بْن عَلِيّ , romanized : al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī ; c. 625 – 2 April 670) was an Alid political and religious leader. The eldest son of Ali and Fatima and a grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad , Hasan briefly ruled as Rashidun caliph from January 661 until August 661. He is considered as the second Imam in Shia Islam , succeeding Ali and preceding his brother Husayn . As a grandson of the prophet, he is part of the ahl al-bayt and the ahl al-kisa , and also participated in the event of the mubahala . During the caliphate of Ali ( r. 656–661 ), Hasan accompanied him in the military campaigns of the First Fitna . Following Ali's assassination in January 661, Hasan was acknowledged caliph in Kufa . His sovereignty was not recognized by Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan ( r. 661–680 ), the governor of Syria, who led an army into Kufa while pressing Hasan for abdication in letters. In response, Hasan sent a vanguard under Ubayd Allah ibn al-Abbas to block Mu'awiya's advance until he arrived with the main army. Meanwhile, Hasan was severely wounded in an abortive assassination attempt by the Kharijites , a faction opposed to both Ali and Mu'awiya. This attack demoralised Hasan's army and led to widespread desertion. Ubayd Allah and most of his troops also defected after Mu'awiya bribed him. In August 661, Hasan signed a peace treaty with Mu'awiya on the condition that the latter should rule in compliance with the Quran and the sunna , a council should appoint his successor, and Hasan's supporters would receive amnesty. Hasan retired from politics and abdicated in Medina where he died either from illness or poisoning, though the early sources are nearly unanimous that he was poisoned. Mu'awiya is commonly viewed as the instigator in the murder of Hasan, which removed an obstacle to the succession of his son Yazid I ( r. 680–683 ). Critics of Hasan call his treaty with Mu'awiya an indication of weakness, saying that he intended to surrender from the beginning. Given Mu'awiya's military superiority, supporters of Hasan maintain that his abdication was inevitable after his soldiers mutinied and that he was motivated by the desire for unity and peace among Muslims, which was reportedly predicted by Muhammad in a Sunni hadith . Another Sunni hadith, also attributed to Muhammad, predicted that the prophetic succession would last for thirty years, which may have been interpreted by some early Sunni scholars as evidence that Hasan's caliphate was rightly-guided ( rāshid ). In Shia theology, the divine infallibility ( isma ) of Hasan as the second Shia Imam further justified his course of action. As the rightful successor of Muhammad in Shia Islam, Hasan's all-inclusive temporal and religious authority came from divinely-inspired designation ( nass ), which was not annulled by abdication to Mu'awiya I, who usurped only the temporal authority. The imamate and caliphate are viewed as separate institutions in Shia Islam until such time that God would make the Imam victorious.