Imam al-Askari's morals and qualities
- Updated On Monday, 25 August 2014
- Written by Allamah Qurashi
- Editor Faisal Shaheen
- Supervisor Sayyed Roohullah Musavi
- Published on Saturday, 08 February 2014
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It is natural that an Imam who is the pattern of faith and the example of good features of all the people must reflect the utmost degree of these features. Historians mention that all people glorified and honored Imam al-Askari (a.s.) and acknowledged his virtue and preference to all of the Alawids and the Abbasids at his time. When the imam (a.s.) came to the Abbasid royal palace, every one of the attendants stood up and bowed glorifying him. Viziers, clerks, army leaders, and all statesmen regarded him highly. It was natural that the nation, with all classes, regarded and glorified Imam al-Askari (a.s.) for they saw his guidance, piety, righteousness, asceticism, loyalty to the truth, and devotedness to Allah. They were certain that he was the caliph of Allah in the earth and the only representative of his grandfather the great Prophet (a.s.). In addition to that, Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) undertook the fatal issues of the Islamic nation and defended the rights of Muslims. He criticized the rulers of his time for wronging people and disregarding their rights. Therefore, the nation glorified him and acknowledged his necessary leadership. Here we shed light briefly on some aspects of his noble qualities: HIGH MORALS Imam Abu Muhammad (a.s.) was nonesuch in his very high morals. His high morals affected his enemies and opponents, and they turned to be his loyal lovers. Historians say that he was imprisoned during the reign of al-Mutawakkil who was the bitterest enemy to the Ahlul Bayt (a.s) and the progeny of Imam Ali (a.s.). The caliph ordered the imam to be punished too severely, but when he communicated with the imam and saw his high morality and piety, he turned upside down. After that, he did not raise his eyes before the imam as a kind of respect and glorifying. When the imam left him, he praised the imam with the best words.1 GOD-FEARING A distinct aspect in the personality of Imam Abu Muhammad al-Hasan al-Askari (a.s.) was the fear of Allah in the utmost manner even in his childhood. He was Godfearing since his early years. Historians mentioned that one day some man passed by Imam Abu Muhammad (a.s.) and saw him cry while he was with his fellow children. The man thought that this child cried for the toys in the children's hands and that he could not participate in their playing. The man told the child that he would buy him what he might play with. The child said: "No! We have not been created for play." The man was astonished and said: "Then, what for we have been created?" The child said: "For knowledge and worship." The man asked the child: "Where have you got this from?" The child said: "From this saying of Allah (What! Did you then think that We had created you in vain) 2." The man was astonished and confused. He said to the child: "What has happened to you while you are guiltless little child?" The child said: "I have seen my mother set fire to big pieces of firewood but fire is not lit except with small pieces, and I fear that I shall be from the small pieces of the firewood of the Hell."3 HIS WORSHIP Imam Abu Muhammad al-Askari (a.s.) was the best worshipper among all people of his time. He spent the night with praying, prostrating, and reciting the Book. Muhammad ash-Shakiri said, .The imam sat in the mihrab and prostrated. I slept and awoke while he was still in prostration."4 HIS PRAYER In his prayer, he turned with all his heart and feelings towards Allah the Creator of the universe and the Giver of life. He felt or paid attention to nothing of the affairs of this life while he was in prayer. His soul clung to Allah devotedly and totally. He prayed God with supplications that can be viewed as best models for us to learn how and what ask our God. From his supplication is as follows: "…O Allah, have blessings on Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad and hasten my deliverance, forgive my slips, pity my loneliness, take me to the best of Your worships, gift me with healthiness from my illness, plenty of my supplies, inclusive soundness in my body, insight in my religion, and help me to ask you for forgiveness before death comes and hoping stops, and help me bear death and its distress, grave and its loneliness, the scales and their lightness, the sirat1 and its slip, the Day of Resurrection and its terror. I ask You for the acceptance of deeds before death, and ask You for strength in my hearing and sight for the doing of the best of that You have taught and made me understand. You are the lofty Lord, and I am the humble slave, and how great difference there is between us! O You, Compassionate, Benefactor, of Glory and Honor, have blessings on Muhammad and the progeny of Muhammad the good, the pure!"5 HIS KNOWLEDGE Historians unanimously mentioned that Imam Abu Muhammad al-Askari (a.s.) was the most knowledgeable and the best of the people of his age, not only in the religious affairs and laws but in all fields of knowledge. Bakhtshou' the Christian physician said to his disciple Batriq about the imam: "..and he is the most knowledgeable of all those under the sky in our day."6 If the Abbasid tyrants had given way to the imams of the Ahlul Bayt (a.s) and not subjected them to strict chase and confinement, they would have filled the world with their knowledge and sciences, and humanity would have got kinds of knowledge and intellectual development that it had never got throughout all ages and times. He was the highest authority for jurisprudents in taking the rulings of the Sharia and the principles of the religion. They put forward to him books of Hadith and jurisprudence, and if he permitted these books, they would act according to them. Once, a book written by Ahmad bin Abdullah bin Khanibah was offered to him. He read it and then said to his companions: "It is true. Act according to it!"7 HIS PATIENCE Imam al-Askari (a.s.) was from the most patient people. He always suppressed his anger and treated whoever did him wrong with kindness and forgiveness. The Abbasid government arrested and put him into prison while he was patient saying nothing. He did not complain to anyone about what he suffered, but he entrusted his case to Allah the Almighty. This was from the signs of his patience. HIS STRONG WILL Imam Abu Muhammad (a.s.) was distinguished by his strong will. The Abbasid rulers tried to involve him in the government body and spared no effort to subject him to their desires, but they failed. The imam (a.s.) insisted on his independency and keeping away from them. The Abbasids considered him as the only representative of the opposition against their policies that were based on subjugation and oppression. He resisted all the seductions that the Abbasid government offered to bring him into its way. He preferred the obedience of Allah and the satisfaction of his conscience to everything else. HIS GENEROSITY No one was more generous than him among all people of his time. He appointed agents in most of the Muslim countries, and entrusted them to receive the legal dues and spend them on the poor and the deprived, to reconcile between people, and in other ways of the general welfare. From that which historians mentioned about his generosity was that Muhammad bin Ali bin Ibrahim bin Imam Musa bin Ja'far al-Kadhim said: "We were in utmost need. My father Said: "Let us go to this man (Imam Abu Muhammad). It is said he is generous." I said: "Do you know him?" He said: "No, and I have never seen him at all." We went to him. On our way, my father said: "How much we need that he may order to give us five hundred dirhams; two hundred for clothes, two hundred for flour, and one hundred for spending!" I said with myself: "Would that he order to give me three hundred dirhams; one hundred to buy a donkey, one hundred for spending, and one hundred for clothes so that I can go to the mountain!" When we stopped at his (Imam Abu Muhammad.s) door, his servant came out and said: "Let Ali bin Ibrahim and his son Muhammad come in!" When we came in and greeted him, he said to my father: "O Ali, what made you not visit us all this time?" My father said: "I felt shy to meet you in this case." They (Ali and his son) stayed with the imam for some time and then came out. The servant of the imam came, gave Ali bin Ibrahim a pouch of money and said: "These are five hundred dirhams; two hundred for clothes, two hundred for flour, and one hundred for spending." He gave Muhammad a pouch of three hundred dirhams and said to him: "Make one hundred for buying a donkey, one hundred for clothes, and one hundred for spending, and do not go to the mountain but go to Sawra!" Muhammad went to Sawra and became one of the wealthy Alawids."8 In another example we read that Abu Hashim al-Ja'fari said: "Once, I complained to Abu Muhammad the distress of imprisonment and the pains of ties. He wrote to me: "You shall offer the Dhuhr (noon) Prayer in your house today." I was set free (from prison) at noon and I offered the prayer in my house as the imam said. I was in need and I wanted to ask him for help (but I did not) in the letter I had sent to him. When I arrived in my house, he sent one hundred dinars to me and wrote to me: "If you need something, do not feel shy or refrain from asking. Ask and you shall get what you like inshallah."9 Historians mention many stories on his generosity showing his love and kindness to the poor and the deprived. IMPRESSIONS ABOUT HIM The scholars and men of intellect, who were contemporary with Imam al-Hasan al-Askari (a.s.), glorified him, and acknowledged his virtue and preference to all others for his talents, geniuses, vast knowledge, and piety. As an example Ubayd ibn Khaqan was one of the important politicians at that time. He said about Imam Abu Muhammad (a.s.): "If the caliphate is removed from the Abbasids, no one from the Hashimites will deserve it except this man (he meant al- Hasan bin Ali al-Askari). He deserves it by his virtue, chastity, guidance, gravity, asceticism, worshiping, good morals, and righteousness."10 Ubayd did not believe in imamate. In fact, he was contrary to that, but the bright reality of Imam Abu Muhammad (a.s.) made him declare that the imam was the worthiest of the caliphate for the high qualities he had. Ali bin Muhammad al-Maliki known as ibn as-Sabbagh, a known Sunni scholar said: "The qualities of our sire Abu Muhammad al-Hasan al-Askari show that he is a master and a son of a master that no one ever doubts or suspect his imamate. Know that if a good quality was sold, the seller was other than him and he was the buyer. He was the unique of his time with no equal, and he was sole with no like. He was the master of the people of his time and the imam of the people of his age. His sayings were true and his deeds were praiseworthy. If the good people of his time were as a poem, he would be the main verse of that poem, and if they were organized as a necklace, he was the unique, middle pearl. He was the knight of knowledge that was not possible to keep pace with him, and he was the explainer of mysteries that it was not possible to argue with him. He was the uncoverer of facts by his true thinking, and the discloser of minutes by his sharp reason. He was the informed in secrecy of the unseen. He was the highborn, of high soul and high essence."11
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References: 1 Kashf al-Ghummah, vol.3 p.204. 2Qur'an, 23:115. 3 Jawharat al-Kalam, p.155, the Encyclopedia of al-Bustani, vol.7 p.45. 4 Dala.il al-Imama, p.227. 5 Muhaj ad-Da.awat, p.277-278. 6 Bihar al-Anwar, vol.50 p.261. 7 Falah as-Sa'il. 8Kashf al-Ghummah, vol.3 p.200. 9 Kashf al-Ghummah, vol.3, 202. 10 Bihar al-Anwar, vol.50, p.327. 11 Al-Fusool al-Muhimmah, p.272.