Hawzah News Agency- On the occasion of the birth anniversary of Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS), we present excerpts from the remarks of the Imam and martyred Leader of the Revolution concerning the personality of that great Imam.
Opponents Acknowledged Imam Hasan al-Askari’s (AS) Virtue, Courage, and Steadfastness
An Imam whose virtue, knowledge, piety, purity, infallibility, courage before enemies, and patience and steadfastness under hardship were attested to and acknowledged by supporters, Shias, opponents, and non-believers alike—this great human being, this magnificent personality, was only 28 years old when he was martyred. In the proud history of Shia Islam, such examples are not few. The father of our beloved Imam of the Time—with all his virtues, all his stations, all his miracles—was only 28 years old when he departed this world through the poison and crime of his enemies. This becomes a model; a young person feels he has an excellent example before his eyes. That great Imam is Jawad al-A’imma (AS), who was martyred at the age of 25; this is Imam al-Askari (AS), who was martyred at the age of 28. And all this virtue, all this generosity, all this grandeur—not only do we affirm and sing of them, but their enemies, their opponents, those who did not believe in their Imamate—all acknowledged them. Remarks at a meeting with a group of people and families of martyrs and veterans, 10 March 2012
The Claim to Imamate Was the Reason Rulers Hostile to the Ahl al-Bayt (AS)
These great figures were constantly engaged in struggle—a struggle whose spirit was political. Because whoever sat on the seat of government also claimed to be religious. He too observed the outward forms of religion. At times, he even accepted the Imam’s religious opinion—such as the cases you have heard about Ma’mun, who explicitly accepted the Imam’s view. That is, they had no objection to occasionally accepting a jurisprudential opinion. What caused this struggle and confrontation with the Ahl al-Bayt was that the Ahl al-Bayt considered themselves “Imams.” They said: “We are Imams.” Imam Baqir (AS), when he went to Mina, said: “Indeed, the Messenger of God was the Imam,” and enumerated them one by one until he reached himself and said: “I am the Imam.” Fundamentally, the greatest struggle against the rulers was this. Because whoever had become ruler and considered himself the Imam and leader saw that the signs and indicators required in an Imam existed in the Imam and not in him, and he considered this figure dangerous for governance—because he claimed [leadership]. The rulers fought against this spirit of struggle, and the Imams (AS) stood like mountains. Naturally, in this struggle, the teachings, jurisprudential rulings, and moral and ethical principles that the Imams promoted had their place. Training more students and Shia connections expanded day by day. These [Imams] preserved Shia Islam. Consider a movement against which a government campaigned for 250 years! It should have lost everything; it should have been completely wiped out. But look at what is happening in the world today and where Shia Islam has reached!
This point must be clearly seen in the poems recited about Imam Sadiq, Imam Hadi, and Imam Askari (AS). They struggled, and for that struggle they lost their lives. It is a path that continues toward a clear goal. Sometimes one turns back, one goes another way; but the goal is one. 21 September 2001
Shia Connections from Imam Jawad to Imam Askari (AS) Were More Extensive Than Ever Before
During the time of Imam Reza, Imam Jawad, Imam Hadi, and Imam Askari, Shia connections were more extensive than ever before. At no time were Shia connections and the expansion of Shia organization throughout the Islamic world like the time of Imam Jawad, Imam Hadi, and Imam Askari. The existence of deputies and representatives, and the very stories narrated about Imam Hadi and Imam Askari—such as someone bringing money and the Imam specifying what should be done—indicate this meaning. That is, despite the imprisonment of these two great Imams in Samarra, and before them Imam Jawad in a way, and Imam Reza (peace be upon him) in a way, connections with the people continued to expand. These connections existed before the time of Imam Reza as well; however, the Imam’s arrival in Khorasan had a very great impact on this matter. 9 August 2005
That those great figures were in great isolation is indeed true; far from Medina, far from their family, far from their familiar environment. But alongside this, concerning these three Imams—from Imam Jawad to Imam Askari—there is another point: the closer we move toward the end of Imam Askari’s period, the greater this isolation becomes. The sphere of influence of the Imams and the extent of the Shia circle during the time of these three Imams was perhaps ten times greater than during the time of Imam Sadiq and Imam Baqir—and this is astonishing. Perhaps the very reason they were placed under such pressure and constraint was this. 10 May 2003
Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS) Established Contact with the Entire Islamic World from Samarra
After Imam Reza’s move toward Iran and his arrival in Khorasan, one of the things that happened was this. Perhaps this matter was present in the calculations of the eighth Imam (AS). Before that, Shias everywhere were scattered and few; but disconnected from one another, hopeless, without any vision, without any hope; the dominance of the caliphs’ government was everywhere; before that there was Harun with his pharaonic power. When the Imam came toward Khorasan and passed through this route, a personality appeared before the people who placed before their eyes knowledge, grandeur, majesty, truthfulness, and luminosity. The people had never seen such a personality. Before that, how many Shias could travel from Khorasan to Medina and see Imam Sadiq? But along this long route, people saw the Imam up close everywhere. It was astonishing—as if one were beholding the Prophet. That awe and spiritual grandeur, that dignity, that morality, that piety, that luminosity, and that vast knowledge—whatever you ask, whatever you seek, is at his disposal; something the people had never seen—caused an uproar.
The Imam reached Khorasan and Merv. The center was also Merv, which is located in present-day Turkmenistan. After a year or two, the Imam was martyred and the people were grief-stricken. Both the Imam’s entry—which displayed a manifestation of things the people had never seen or heard—and the martyrdom of that great figure—which created extraordinary grief—in fact placed the entire atmosphere of these regions at the disposal of the Shia; not that everyone necessarily became Shia, but everyone became a lover of the Ahl al-Bayt...
After Imam Reza until the martyrdom of Imam Askari (AS), such an event occurred. Imam Hadi and Imam Askari, in that same city of Samarra—which was in fact like a garrison; it was not a great city of that sort; it was a newly founded capital, “Surra Man Ra’a”; the commanders, nobles, and dignitaries of the government, and as many ordinary people as needed to meet daily needs, had gathered there—were able to organize all these connections with the entire Islamic world. When we look at the dimensions of the Imams’ lives, we understand what they were doing. Therefore, it was not merely that they answered questions about prayer, fasting, or purity and impurity; they placed themselves in the position of “Imam”—with its own Islamic meaning—and spoke with the people. In my view, this dimension is significant alongside these other dimensions. You see that Imam Hadi was brought from Medina to Samarra and was martyred in his youth—at the age of 42; or Imam Askari was martyred at the age of 28. All these indicate the great movement of the Imams (AS), the Shias, and the companions of those great figures throughout history. Although the caliphs’ apparatus was a police state with harsh measures, the Imams (AS) nonetheless succeeded in this way. The point is that alongside the isolation, this dignity and grandeur must also be seen. 10 May 2003
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