Seyed Hashem Moosavi
Imam Hasan al-Askari (as), the eleventh infallible Imam of the Shia, is also known by the titles Hadi, Naqi, Zaki, and Ibn al-Ridha. The titles “Ibn al-Ridha” and “Askari” are shared between him and his honorable father, Imam Hadi (as), as both were descendants of Imam Ridha (as) and lived under forced residence in the city of Samarra, also known as “Askar.” Due to the shared name “Hasan” between him and Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (as), he is sometimes referred to as “the latter Hasan.”
The majority of Shia scholars agree that he was born on the 8th of Rabi’ al-Thani, 232 AH, in the city of Medina. He became Imam at the age of 22 and, during the six years of his Imamate, he lived through the reigns of three Abbasid caliphs: Mu’tazz, Muhtadi, and Mu’tamid. Imam al-Askari (as) was martyred on the 8th of Rabi’ al-Awwal, 260 AH, in the city of Samarra, and was buried next to his honorable father, Imam Hadi (as), in what is now known as the shrine of Askariyayn.
The Political and Social Context of Imam al-Askari’s Era
A study of the lives of the infallible Imams (as), especially after the martyrdom of Imam Sadiq (as), shows that none of the Abbasid caliphs refrained from exerting pressure on the infallible Imams (as). This pressure significantly increased during the times of Imam Jawad (as) and Imam Hadi (as), reaching its peak during the era of Imam al-Askari (as), as described by the late Sheikh Mufid as one of the most difficult periods.
Two main factors contributed to making the challenges of Imam al-Askari’s time even more severe than those of Imam Jawad and Imam Hadi’s era:
- The Growing Power of the Shia:
After the Imamate of Imam Ridha (as), and with the weakening of the Abbasid government and the rapid succession of caliphs, the Shia, along with other opponents of the regime, gradually gained more power. By the time of Imam al-Askari’s Imamate, the Shia had grown into a significant force that recognized no legitimacy in any of the Abbasid rulers, believing that the Imamate belonged solely to the descendants of Imam Ali (as), with Imam Hasan al-Askari (as) being the most prominent figure of that family during that time.
- The Awaited Mahdi is a Descendant of Imam al-Askari:
The Abbasid family was aware, through numerous authentic narrations from the Prophet Muhammad (sa), that the Awaited Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance) would be the son of Imam al-Askari (as). Therefore, they were constantly monitoring him to capture and kill his son. This led Imam al-Askari (as) to keep the birth of his beloved successor secret, with only a select group of trusted Shia being aware of this blessed event.
According to Sheikh Tusi, this difficult situation and the insistence on keeping the birth of Imam al-Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance) hidden led Imam al-Askari (as) to transfer all of his endowments and charitable donations to his mother, Hadith Khatun, in his will.
Due to the intense surveillance by the Abbasid government, Imam al-Askari (as) often communicated with his followers through representatives or letters and at times forbade them from seeing him or greeting him in public.
One of his companions, Ahmad ibn Ishaq, narrated that he once asked the Imam to write something for him so he could recognize the Imam’s handwriting when a letter arrived. The Imam responded, “Sometimes I write with a fine pen, sometimes with a broad one, so do not be alarmed if you see such variations.” Another companion recalled how, while waiting to catch a glimpse of the Imam in the streets of Samarra, they received a letter from him stating: “None of you should greet me, nor should anyone point towards me, as doing so may put your lives in danger!”
Special Measures to Prepare the Shia for the Era of Occultation
Despite the immense pressures from the Abbasid regime, Imam al-Askari (as) never neglected his responsibility to prepare the Shia community for the coming era of occultation. To facilitate the acceptance of an absent Imam, especially for those encountering this concept for the first time, he implemented several unique and impactful measures:
- Speaking to his companions from behind a curtain.
- Conducting most of his activities through his deputies and special representatives.
- Encouraging jurists (fuqaha) to engage in ijtihad and urging people to follow them.
Imam al-Askari (as) worked diligently to encourage scholars to perform ijtihad in legal matters and urged the community to follow their rulings. This created a situation where the Shia would not be left confused about religious matters during the occultation of the Imam. In this regard, he slightly departed from the approach of his forefathers in answering questions from scholars and hadith transmitters, with some of the following being key examples of this shift:
- Providing Incomplete Answers to Jurisprudential Questions:
Some Shia scholars, such as Modarresi Tabatabai, believe that Imam al-Askari (as) sometimes deliberately gave incomplete answers to jurisprudential questions to teach scholars how to resolve such issues independently.
- Offering Only General Principles:
According to this approach, the Imam sought to demonstrate to the scholars of his time that they must now rely on general principles and perform ijtihad to deduce religious rulings.
- Referring to Shia Hadith Books:
On some occasions, rather than answering questions directly, Imam al-Askari (as) advised referring to Shia hadith collections for answers.
In this way, Imam al-Askari (as) educated the Shia community so they could resolve their jurisprudential and theological issues without needing direct access to a present Imam.
One of the most challenging tasks Imam al-Askari (as) faced as the father of Imam Mahdi (may Allah hasten his reappearance) was convincing the people that the era of occultation had arrived and that the mantle of divine authority had passed to his son. Understanding this reality was difficult for ordinary individuals, as it could easily shake their faith.
