In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
The best of generations in stances and exemplary deeds,
Following the Messenger whenever he strove or spoke.
Mawaddah Association
Presents:
Portraits from the Lives of the Tabi'un,
By Dr. Abd al-Rahman Ra'fat al-Basha,
May Allah have mercy on him.
Al-Hasan al-Basri,
May Allah have mercy on him.
The bearer of glad tidings arrived to give the good news to the Prophet's wife, Umm Salamah,
That her freedwoman, Khayrah,
Had given birth and been delivered of a baby boy.
Joy overwhelmed the heart of the Mother of the Believers, may Allah be pleased with her,
And delight overflowed upon her noble and dignified face.
She promptly dispatched a messenger to bring the mother and her newborn to her,
So that she might spend her post-natal recovery in her house.
For Khayrah was deeply cherished by Umm Salamah,
Dearly beloved to her heart,
And she was eager and longing to see her firstborn child.
It was not long
Before Khayrah arrived, carrying her infant in her arms.
When Umm Salamah laid eyes upon the child,
Her soul was filled with delight in him and deep contentment.
For the newborn infant was handsome and graceful,
Of radiant countenance and perfect form,
Captivating the eye of whoever beheld him and winning over the heart of anyone who saw him.
Umm Salamah then turned to her freedwoman and asked,
"Have you named your boy, Khayrah?"
She replied, "No, dear Mother,
I left that to you, so that you may choose whatever name you wish for him."
She said, "With Allah’s blessing, we shall name him al-Hasan."
Then she raised her hands and prayed for him with righteous supplications.
But the joy over al-Hasan
Was not confined solely to the household of the Mother of the Believers, Umm Salamah, may Allah be pleased with her;
Rather, another household of Medina shared in it as well.
It was the household of the eminent Companion Zayd ibn Thabit,
The scribe of the revelation of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
For Yasar, the boy's father, was a freedman of his as well,
And was among the most favored and beloved of people to him.
Al-Hasan ibn Yasar—who would later be known as al-Hasan al-Basri—grew up
In one of the households of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him,
And was raised in the care of one of the wives of the Prophet, peace be upon him:
Hind bint Suhayl, known as Umm Salamah.
And Umm Salamah, if you do not know,
Was among the most intellectually sound of Arab women,
Abundant in virtue, and of the most resolute determination.
She was also among the most knowledgeable of the noble Prophet's wives, peace be upon him,
And one of the most prolific in narrating from him,
Having narrated 387 hadiths from the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.
In addition to all of that,
She was one of the few rare women who could write during the pre-Islamic era of ignorance.
The fortunate boy's connection with the Mother of the Believers, Umm Salamah, did not stop at this,
But rather extended far beyond it.
For Khayrah, the mother of al-Hasan, would often
Leave the house to attend to some of the Mother of the Believers' needs,
And the nursing infant would cry out of hunger,
His weeping growing intense.
So Umm Salamah would take him into her lap
And offer him her breast,
To soothe him with it and console him during his mother’s absence.
Out of her immense love for him,
Her breast would flow with wholesome milk into his mouth,
Which the boy would nurse from and grow calm.
Thus, Umm Salamah became a mother to al-Hasan in two ways:
She was his mother by virtue of him being one of the believers,
And she was also his mother through suckling.
The close bond between the Mothers of the Believers,
And the proximity of their houses to one another,
Allowed the blessed boy to frequent all of these households,
To adopt the noble character of all their mistresses,
And to be guided by their righteous guidance.
As he would later recount about himself,
He would fill these homes with his continuous movement
And enliven them with his energetic play,
To the point where his hands could touch the ceilings of the Mothers of the Believers' rooms
As he jumped around inside them.
Al-Hasan continued to thrive in this atmosphere, fragrant with the scents of prophecy,
Radiant with its luminous light,
Quenching his thirst from those pure springs
With which the houses of the Mothers of the Believers abounded,
And studying under the senior Companions in the mosque of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
He narrated from 'Uthman ibn 'Affan,
'Ali ibn Abi Talib,
Abu Musa al-Ash'ari,
'Abdullah ibn 'Umar,
'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas,
Anas ibn Malik,
Jabir ibn 'Abdillah,
And countless others,
May Allah be pleased with them all.
Yet, he was captivated above all by the Commander of the Believers, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with him.
He was awed by his steadfast firmness in religion,
The excellence of his devotion in worship,
And his ascetic detachment from the adornments and splendor of this worldly life.
He was also mesmerized by his brilliant eloquence,
His profound wisdom,
And his comprehensive words.
Thus, he mirrored his character in piety and worship,
And fashioned himself after his manner in eloquence and rhetoric.
When al-Hasan reached fourteen years of age
And entered into the ranks of manhood,
He relocated with his parents to Basra,
Settling there alongside his family.
From this, al-Hasan was attributed to Basra,
Becoming renowned among the people as al-Hasan al-Basri.
On the day al-Hasan arrived there, Basra was
One of the greatest strongholds of learning in the Islamic lands.
Its grand mosque
Teemed with the senior Companions and prominent Tabi'un who had journeyed to it,
And study circles of various disciplines
Populated the courtyards of the mosque and its prayer halls.
Al-Hasan dedicated himself to the mosque,
Devoting himself exclusively to the study circle of 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas,
The learned scholar of the Ummah of Muhammad, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him.
From him, he acquired Tafsir, hadith, and the variant Qur'anic recitations,
Just as he acquired fiqh, the Arabic language, and literature from him and others,
Along with many other sciences,
Until he became an encyclopedic scholar, a jurist, and a trustworthy authority.
So the people flocked to him, drinking deeply from his abundant knowledge,
Gathering around him to listen intently to his sermons that softened hardened hearts
And drew forth unyielding tears.
They took in his captivating wisdom
And modeled their conduct after his life, which was sweeter than the scent of musk.
Al-Hasan al-Basri's renown spread across the lands,
And his fame became widespread among the people,
So much so that caliphs and princes began inquiring about him
And eagerly seeking news of him.
Khalid ibn Safwan related:
"I met Maslamah ibn 'Abd al-Malik in al-Hirah,
And he said to me, 'Tell me, O Khalid, about al-Hasan of Basra,
For I believe you know of him what no one else knows.'
I replied, 'May Allah reform the prince,
I am the best person to inform you of him with firsthand knowledge;
I am his neighbor at his home, his companion in his gatherings,
And the most knowledgeable of the people of Basra concerning him.'
Maslamah said, 'Bring forward what you have.'
I said, 'He is a man whose inner self is identical to his outward conduct,
And whose words match his actions.
Whenever he enjoins what is right, he is the foremost of people in practicing it;
And whenever he forbids what is wrong, he is the foremost of people in avoiding it.
I have seen him completely independent of people,
Spurning whatever is in their hands,
While seeing the people utterly in need of him,
Seeking the knowledge he possesses.'
Maslamah exclaimed, 'Enough, O Khalid, enough!
How could a people go astray when such a man is among them?'"
When al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf al-Thaqafi was appointed governor of Iraq,
And transgressed with tyranny and oppression throughout his rule,
Al-Hasan al-Basri was one of the few men
Who stood firm against his tyranny,
Openly denouncing his evil deeds before the people,
And proclaiming the word of truth directly to his face.
An instance of this occurred when al-Hajjaj built for himself
A grand residence in Wasit.
When he completed its construction,
He summoned the people to come out and admire it,
And to pray for him to be blessed.
Al-Hasan was unwilling to let
This gathering of people pass by,
So he went out to them to preach to them, admonish them,
Make them renounce the fleeting trinkets of this world,
And instill in them a longing for what is with Allah, the Mighty and Majestic.
When he reached the place
And looked at the crowds of people walking around the towering palace,
Captivated by the magnificence of its construction,
Astounded by its spacious courtyards,
And enthralled by the splendor of its ornaments,
He stood before them to deliver a sermon.
Among the words he spoke was:
"We have examined the building of the vilest of the vile,
And found that Pharaoh built grander than what he has built,
And erected structures taller than what he has erected;
Then Allah destroyed Pharaoh
And obliterated all that he had built and erected.
Would that al-Hajjaj knew that the inhabitants of the heavens detest him,
And that the inhabitants of the earth have deceived him!"
He continued to speak forcefully in this vein,
Until one of the listeners grew fearful for him
Regarding the vengeance of al-Hajjaj,
And whispered to him, "Enough, O Abu Sa'id!
Enough!"
But al-Hasan said to him,
"Allah took a covenant from the people of knowledge
That they must make it clear to the people and not conceal it."
The following day,
Al-Hajjaj entered his assembly bursting with fury,
And said to those seated with him,
"Woe to you, and ruin!
A slave from among the slaves of the people of Basra stands up
And says whatever he pleases concerning us,
And not one among you steps forward to refute him or denounce him?!
By Allah, I shall make you drink from his blood, you crowd of cowards!"
He then ordered the sword and the leather execution mat,
And they were brought forward.
He called for the executioner,
Who stood ready before him.
Then he dispatched some of his guards to al-Hasan,
and ordered them to bring him before him.
And it was only a brief moment
before al-Hasan arrived.
All eyes fixed upon him,
and hearts trembled for his sake.
When al-Hasan saw the sword, the leather execution mat, and the executioner,
he moved his lips,
then approached al-Hajjaj
with the majesty of a believer,
the dignity of a Muslim,
and the solemnity of a caller to Allah.
When al-Hajjaj saw him in this state,
he was struck with profound awe of him,
and said to him,
"Over here, O Abu Sa'id!
Over here!"
He continued to make room for him, saying,
"Over here!"
while the people looked on in utter astonishment and bewilderment,
until he seated him beside himself on his own cushion.
Once al-Hasan had taken his seat,
al-Hajjaj turned to him
and began asking him about various matters of religion,
and al-Hasan answered every question
with an unwavering heart,
mesmerizing eloquence,
and vast knowledge.
Thereupon al-Hajjaj said to him,
"You are the master of the scholars, O Abu Sa'id!"
Then he called for ghaliyah—
which is a type of precious perfume—
perfumed his beard with it,
and bid him farewell.
When al-Hasan departed from his presence,
al-Hajjaj's chamberlain followed him and said,
"O Abu Sa'id!
Al-Hajjaj summoned you for a purpose entirely different from how he treated you!
Indeed, I saw you when you entered
and saw the sword and the leather execution mat,
that you moved your lips.
What did you say?"
Al-Hasan replied,
"I said:
'O Master of my blessings and my refuge in my distress,
make his vengeance coolness and peace upon me,
just as You made the fire coolness and peace upon Ibrahim.'"
Many such stances were taken by al-Hasan al-Basri
with governors and rulers;
he would emerge from every encounter magnified
in the eyes of those in authority,
honored through Allah,
and preserved by His protection.
An example of this
is that after the ascetic caliph,
'Umar ibn 'Abd al-'Aziz,
passed away to the mercy of his Lord,
and the caliphate passed to Yazid ibn 'Abd al-Malik,
he appointed 'Umar ibn Hubayrah al-Fazari over Iraq.
Then he expanded his authority even further,
annexing Khurasan to his realm as well.
Yazid governed the people
with a conduct quite unlike that of his great predecessor.
He would send to 'Umar ibn Hubayrah
letter after letter,
ordering him to execute their contents,
even if they were at times contrary to the truth.
So 'Umar ibn Hubayrah summoned
both al-Hasan al-Basri
and 'Amir ibn Sharahbil,
known as al-Sha'bi,
and said to them:
"The Commander of the Believers,
Yazid ibn 'Abd al-Malik,
has been appointed by Allah as caliph over His servants,
and He has made obedience to him incumbent upon the people.
He has granted me authority, as you see,
over the affairs of Iraq,
then extended it by appointing me over Persia as well.
Yet he sometimes sends me letters
commanding me to carry out directives
whose justice I cannot feel assured of.
Do you find for me, in complying with him
and executing his commands, any religious leeway?"
Al-Sha'bi gave an answer
that was gentle toward the caliph
and accommodating to the governor,
while al-Hasan remained silent.
So 'Umar ibn Hubayrah turned
to al-Hasan and said,
"And what do you say, O Abu Sa'id?"
He said:
"O Ibn Hubayrah!
Fear Allah regarding Yazid,
and do not fear Yazid regarding Allah.
Know that Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He,
will protect you from Yazid,
but Yazid can never protect you from Allah.
O Ibn Hubayrah!
An angel, stern and severe,
who does not disobey what Allah commands him,
is about to descend upon you.
He will remove you from this throne of yours
and transfer you from the vastness of your palace
to the narrow confines of your grave,
where you will not find Yazid,
but will find only your deeds
in which you disobeyed the Lord of Yazid.
O Ibn Hubayrah!
If you are with Allah Almighty
and in obedience to Him,
He will spare you the harm of Yazid
ibn 'Abd al-Malik in this world and the Hereafter.
But if you stand with Yazid
in disobedience to Allah Almighty,
Allah will leave you to the mercy of Yazid.
And know, O Ibn Hubayrah,
that there is no obedience to any created being, whoever he may be,
in disobedience to the Creator, Exalted and Glorious is He."
Thereupon 'Umar ibn Hubayrah wept
until his tears soaked his beard;
he turned away from al-Sha'bi toward al-Hasan,
and treated him with the utmost reverence and honor.
When the two of them left his presence,
they headed toward the mosque,
where the people gathered around them
and began asking them
about their meeting with the governor of the two Iraqs.
Al-Sha'bi turned to them and said:
"O people!
Whoever among you is able to prefer Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He,
over His creation in every circumstance,
let him do so!
For by the One in Whose hand is my soul,
al-Hasan did not say anything to 'Umar ibn Hubayrah
that I did not already know;
rather, in what I said, I sought the favor of Ibn Hubayrah,
while in what he said, he sought the countenance of Allah.
Thus Allah distanced me from Ibn Hubayrah,
while drawing al-Hasan close to him and endearing him to his heart."
Al-Hasan al-Basri lived for about eighty years,
during which he filled the world with knowledge, wisdom, and fiqh.
Among the greatest legacies he left to future generations
were his heart-softening counsels, which remained across time a spring for the hearts,
and his sermons that shook and continue to shake souls,
draw forth tears,
guide the lost to Allah,
and awaken the deluded and heedless to the reality of this worldly life
and the condition of people regarding it.
Among these was his response to an enquirer who asked him about this world and its nature:
"You ask me concerning this world and the Hereafter?
The parable of this world and the Hereafter
is like that of the East and the West:
whenever you draw nearer to one of them,
you grow further away from the other.
And you say to me, 'Describe this abode to me.'
What can I describe to you of an abode
whose beginning is hardship,
whose end is annihilation,
in whose lawful matters lies an accounting,
in whose unlawful matters lies punishment,
wherein whoever becomes wealthy is tried,
and whoever becomes impoverished is grieved?"
And among them as well is his saying to another
who asked him about his condition and the condition of the people:
"Woe to us! What have we done to ourselves?
We have starved our religion
and fattened our worldly life;
we have worn out our morals—
meaning, we have degraded our character—
while renewing our furnishings and garments!
One of us reclines on his left side
and eats from wealth that is not his own,
his food acquired through extortion,
demanding it through forced labor—
meaning, unjustly and without compensation.
He calls for sweet after sour,
hot after cold,
and moist after dry,
until, when he is overcome with fullness,
he belches from indigestion.
Then he says,
'Boy!
Bring something to digest the food!'
O foolish fool!
By Allah, you will digest nothing but your own religion!
Where is your needy neighbor?
Where is the hungry orphan of your people?
Where is your destitute one who looks to you?
Where is that which Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, commanded you?
If only you knew that you are merely a number of days,
and that whenever the sun of a day sets upon you,
a part of your count has diminished,
and a portion of you has departed with it!"
On the eve of Friday, the first of Rajab,
in the year 110,
al-Hasan al-Basri answered the call of his Lord.
When morning came upon the people
and the news of his death spread among them,
Basra was shaken to its core by his death.
He was washed and shrouded,
and the funeral prayer was offered for him after the Friday prayer
in the very grand mosque within whose precincts he had spent
most of his life as a scholar, a teacher,
and a caller to Allah.
Then all the people followed his funeral procession,
so that the 'Asr prayer was not held on that day
in the Grand Mosque of Basra,
because not a single person remained in it
to establish the prayer.
And people know of no instance where the congregational prayer
was suspended in the Grand Mosque of Basra,
ever since the Muslims built it,
except on that singular day—
the day al-Hasan al-Basri passed away
into the presence of his Lord.
How could a people go astray when among them is the likes of
al-Hasan al-Basri?
Maslamah Ibn 'Abd al-Malik—
as a gentle soul and an exemplar—
followed the Messenger
in whatever he strived for or said.
They were once here,
watering our lives like rain clouds,
and though they have passed on among us,
their memory continues to rise high.
They departed, leaving
a question within our conscience:
"Could there ever be like them
a star that ascended and shone so bright?"
They filled life
with glorious achievements through their deeds,
and the world of mankind flourished through them.