In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful.
A summary of the book:
Ramadan: Events and Lessons.
The birth of the grandson of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
Al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with them both.
The time:
Mid-Ramadan,
of the third year after the Hijrah.
On a radiant, blessed day in the Prophetic city of Madinah,
a noble soul graced the world.
The Prophetic household rejoiced at his arrival,
and was gladdened by his dawning with immense joy.
Thus, happiness spread across hearts and faces alike.
For in the middle of Ramadan,
in the third year of the Hijrah,
was born the Commander of the Faithful,
Al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with them both.
This noble newborn had a special significance,
for he was the first child born to the apple of the Messenger of Allah’s eye,
Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her,
and the first child from the Banu Hashim
for his beloved, Ali, may Allah be pleased with him,
the forerunner to Islam.
He was the first grandson of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
and his birth was marked by great celebration.
Among the evidence for this:
First, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, reciting the adhan in his ear.
It is narrated from Abu Rafi‘, may Allah be pleased with him,
that the Prophet, peace be upon him,
recited the adhan in the ear of Al-Hasan ibn Ali
when Fatimah gave birth to him.
Second, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, performed the ‘aqiqah
for Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn, may Allah be pleased with them both,
by sacrificing two rams for each.
Third, the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, commanded
Fatimah, may Allah be pleased with her, to shave his head
and to give the weight of his hair in silver as charity to the poor.
It is narrated from Abu Rafi‘, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him, said to Fatimah when she gave birth to Al-Hasan:
"Shave his head and give the weight of his hair in silver as charity to the poor."
Al-Hasan ibn Ali, may Allah be pleased with them both, was a unique personality,
who embodied a great many virtuous qualities.
This is no surprise,
for the source from which he shone was of brilliant light,
and the garden in which he grew and flourished
was a garden of absolute purity.
The hands that nurtured him
are the standard of purity and righteousness.
The environment that encompassed his years
is the most righteous environment history has ever known.
In the house of Prophethood,
he began his early years with his grandfather, the Prophet,
his pious father,
and his righteous mother, Al-Zahra’.
After the death of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
and his noble mother, may Allah be pleased with her,
his father took sole charge of his upbringing and guidance.
Thus, he grew up to be one of the great figures of his time,
one of those for whom history preserved models of generosity, forbearance, and piety.
He spent his life, which exceeded four decades,
between deeds of praise and words of wisdom,
leaving behind for those who followed a volume of guidance and emulation.
Whoever examines the hadith of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
and his fragrant Seerah,
will find that Al-Hasan and his brother Al-Husayn, may Allah be pleased with them both, hold a lofty status
and possess many virtues,
as attested to by the words of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
and his treatment of them.
The leading scholars of hadith have dedicated chapters to them in their books,
under the sections of merits and virtues,
such as the two Imams, Al-Bukhari and Muslim, may the mercy of Allah be upon them.
Among these are:
First:
The care of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
his mercy toward them, and his inability to be patient without them.
It is narrated from Abu Buraydah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, was delivering a sermon to us
when Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn arrived,
wearing two red shirts,
walking and stumbling.
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, descended from the pulpit,
picked them up,
and placed them before him.
Then he said:
"Allah has spoken the truth:
'Your wealth and your children are but a trial.'"
"I looked at these two boys walking and stumbling,
and I could not restrain myself until I interrupted my sermon and picked them up."
Second:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, designated them
as his two sweet-smelling flowers of this world.
It is narrated from Ibn Abi Nu‘m who said:
I was a witness for Ibn ‘Umar
when a man asked him about the blood of a mosquito.
He said:
"Where are you from?"
He replied:
"From the people of Iraq."
He said:
"Look at this man;
he asks me about the blood of a mosquito,
yet they killed the grandson of the Prophet, peace be upon him!
I heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, say:
'They are my two sweet-smelling flowers of this world.'"
The meaning is
that they are among the blessings Allah has honored and gifted me with,
because children are smelled and kissed,
so they are like flowers.
Third:
The great love of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, for Al-Hasan,
and his supplication for him and for those who love him.
It is narrated from Al-Bara’, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
I saw the Prophet, peace be upon him,
with Al-Hasan ibn Ali on his shoulder,
saying:
"O Allah, I love him, so love him."
Fourth:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, made
loving them a sign of true love for him,
and hating them a sign of hating him.
It is narrated from Abu Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, came out to us,
and with him were Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn,
one on his shoulder,
and the other on his shoulder,
and he was kissing this one at one moment,
meaning he was kissing him,
and that one at another.
A man said to him:
"O Messenger of Allah,
you love them?"
He replied:
"Whoever loves them has loved me,
and whoever hates them has hated me."
Fifth:
The glad tidings of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
that Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn
are the leaders of the youth of Paradise.
It is narrated from Abu Sa‘id Al-Khudri, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
The Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, said:
"Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn
are the leaders of the youth of Paradise."
A fragrant Seerah and a radiant life.
Abu Muhammad,
Al-Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, may Allah be pleased with them both,
the grandson of the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, and his sweet-smelling flower.
He was a beacon of intelligence and virtue,
a bright full moon in the sky of forbearance and nobility,
and a towering figure in the horizons of righteousness and justice.
Allah bestowed upon him the honor of lineage,
the beauty of character and appearance,
and the favor of acceptance among the people.
Allah granted him many of the blessings and bounties of this world.
Al-Hasan, may Allah be pleased with him, was honored
by the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him, naming him,
as some scholars have mentioned.
Abu Ahmad Al-‘Askari said:
The Prophet, peace be upon him, named him Al-Hasan,
and gave him the kunya Abu Muhammad,
and this name was not known in the pre-Islamic era.
He, may Allah be pleased with him, was
the person most resembling the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him.
Whoever saw the Messenger of Allah,
remembered the Messenger of Allah,
and whoever had not seen the Prophet of Allah but saw Al-Hasan,
recognized his likeness in him.
It is narrated from Anas ibn Malik, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
"No one was more like the Messenger of Allah than Al-Hasan ibn Ali."
Due to his closeness to the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
and his sweet qualities and noble characteristics,
he attained the love of the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them,
and their honor and reverence.
It is narrated from ‘Uqbah ibn Al-Harith, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, prayed ‘Asr,
then went out walking,
and saw Al-Hasan playing with the children.
He carried him on his shoulder and said:
"May my father be sacrificed for him; he resembles the Prophet,
he does not resemble ‘Ali."
And ‘Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, was laughing.
Even if the virtues of Abu Muhammad, may Allah be pleased with him, are numerous,
we must not forget the virtue foretold by the Messenger of Allah, peace be upon him,
which came to pass just as he had predicted:
his leadership, through which Allah brought reconciliation between two great factions of the Muslims.
It is narrated from Abu Bakrah, may Allah be pleased with him, who said:
I heard the Prophet, peace be upon him, on the pulpit,
with Al-Hasan at his side,
looking at the people one moment and at him the next,
and saying:
"This son of mine is a leader,
and perhaps Allah will use him to reconcile two factions of the Muslims."
Al-Hasan, may Allah be pleased with him, assumed the leadership of the believers
after the martyrdom of his father, may Allah be pleased with them both.
His caliphate, which lasted six months and some days, completed
the thirty years of the Prophetic caliphate.
Those months were the first time of uniting the word and sparing the blood of the Muslims,
for he strove for reconciliation between the Muslims,
and preferred the Hereafter over the kingdom of this world and its adornments.
And he uttered his famous statement
when he saw the two massive armies clad in iron like mountains:
"Should I pit these people against one another for the sake of a worldly kingdom?
I have no need for it."
Ibn Kathir said:
"Al-Hasan passed away at the age of forty-seven."
Multiple scholars stated this as well, and it is the most authentic view.
The most widely known opinion is that he died in the year 49 AH, as we have mentioned.
Others said he died in the year 50 AH,
while it was also said in the year 51 or 58 AH.
In this event, there are profound lessons:
First, it demonstrates the immense love of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, for al-Hasan, may Allah be pleased with him.
Second, out of a father's love for his daughter, he naturally loves her children.
Third, it shows the great honor the Companions, may Allah be pleased with them, accorded to the Prophet's grandson, Abu Muhammad.
Ramadan is a month of events and lessons.