Lecture Summary:
The 11th Imam (as) was born to a mother whose origin is from Southern Egypt, known as Hudayfa, Salil or Sausan.
He was one of 5 children, other siblings being, in order of, Muhammad, Husayn, Jaffer and Aliya.
– Our belief in Imamat is not the belief in the eldest son as demonstrated here where Imam Hassan Askari (as) was second born.
– In the same family, you find one brother being very religious and another not being so.
– Imam Hassan Askari’s (as) elder brother, Syed Muhammad, is considered one of the most pious sons of Ale Muhammad (as). When he died, the 11th Imam (as) is said to have ripped his shirt apart (much like what Nabi Mussa did when he heard about the death of Nabi Harun).
– Syed Muhammad’s Ziyarah is recommended because amongst his gifts is that Allah (swt) answers the prayers under his dome – and especially the prayers of a family who cannot have children.
– Imam Hassan Askari (as)’s other brother, Jaffer, was not the most pious of men. On the contrary, narrations state that he was a “known liar”.
Why is the 11th Imam (as) known as Al Askari (refers to an army base)? Where the Imam (as) originally resided – Samarrah – was an army base.
Samarrah comes from 3 words: Su ra marah – that is which is pleasing to the eyes. Mo’tasim (the Abbasid Calipha) went there and decided that the place is no longer going to be Al Askari (an army base) but a place to live in (a city).
From a young age the Imam (as) showed qualities of his forefathers. One person narrates he was walking one day and he saw these young children playing with toys, except one of them who had shed a tear. “Why are you sad?” the man asked the boy. He went on, “should I buy you a toy?” The boy replied that, “this world was not made for us to play with toys, the Quran (s. 23, v. 115) says “do they think this world was created in vain and they will not return to us one day”. The Imam (as) went to elaborate, “when I look at my mother moving the sticks to make fire, I wonder about this fire, but I also wonder about the fire of the Day of Judgment, that am I going to be part of the fuel of that fire?”.
The Abbasid Caliphate knew that any moment Al Mahdi (as) will be born. They therefore decided that, while they allowed the 9th and 10th Imam (as), to answer questions freely, it was perhaps best to kill the 11th Imam (as).
Mo’tasim told his Ibn Saeed to take the Imam (as) on a journey and kill him ‘in an accident’. Imam Askari (as) was informed about this plot by those close to him. He told them not to worry as Ibn Saeed was going to be killed himself in a few days – and, rightly so, he died at the hands of the Turks in 3 days.
After this failed attempt, the Abbasid Calipha decided that the best place for the 11th Imam (as) was In prison. So from the age of 22 onwards until the rest of his life, the 11th Imam (as) was imprisoned. For 2 years in a row, they fed him with two loaves of bread and cold water, every day, as a result of which he became frail.
There were times the guards would see him on the floor and they thought he was dying – but he was in sujood. He served Allah (swt) in prison much like Prophet Yusuf.
How did he spread the word while in prison?
– His manners: the Governor send the two of the worst prison guards to the prison of the 11th Imam (as). He told them to torture him as much as they could. When they did not and were asked why, they said: “how can we torture a man who in the daytime is fasting and in the night he is praying. And whenever we look at him, we see his tongue moving in praise of of his Lord”. These two prison officers came out as the followers of Ahlul Bayt (as).
– His generosity: another Guard who was told to watch over him, brought 5 pomegranates from a well wisher. The 11th Imam (as) saw the Guard looking at them, so he offered him one. Reluctantly, the Guard accepted it but when the Imam (as) asked him why he was not eating it, the Guard said he was saving it for his kids at home. Just then, right away, the Imam (as) gave him the rest of the pomegranates for his family.
– His genorosity2: The 11th Imam (as) was also tortured to the extent of being left to be eaten by animals in a cage by Ali bin Yarmish – the Turkish Head of Guards. This he did despite his wife pleading him not to. However, when he went out to see what remained of the Imam (as), he saw him in sujood and all the animals next to him. This same Ali bin Yarmish when his son was sick went to see the 11th Imam (as) who recited Dua for him and his son recovered fully.
– His knowledge: he wrote two books in prison – the tafseer of the Quran and Fiqh work (he wrote letters where he answered different questions of Fiqh).
While in prison Imam wanted to be kept abreast with what was happening:
– He was told by his companions about a book that was written by Ishaq Al Kindi (The Contradictions is the Quran). Imam (as) replied that, is it not possible that the author of the book, in this case Allah (swt) intends something different to that of the interpreter? So what you say about the contradiction, could Allah (swt) not meant something else?
– There was no rain in Samarrah. The Muslims prayed but it didn’t help. A Christian Monk prayed and rain came. The Muslims started doubting their faith. The Abbasid Calipha called the Imam (as) and asked him what to do. The Imam (as) advised him to wait for another drought during which time the Christian Monk should come as well as the Imam (as) and the people. When another hot day arrived, the Calipha asked the Monk to pray and when he did, the Imam showed the Calipha that the Monk actually has a bone from one of the Prophets in his hand through which he used to pray to Allah (swt) to. The people were amazed by the 11th Imam (as) and wanted to follow him. He was released for one year and then he was imprisoned again.
A famous Hadith of our 11th Imam (as) is: there are five signs of a Shia believer:
– He prostates on dust (preferably of Karbala).
– Pray 51 rakaats a day
– Wear a ring on their right hand
– Says Bismillah loudly
– Recites Ziarat Arbaeen
The Abbasid Calipha was becoming impatient by the Imam (as). While in prison, people were turning towards him and when he was out, he was gaining popularity. Hence, he decided to poison him.
Imam (as) told his companion, Abul Adiyan, “I am giving you some letters to take to Al Madaeel, go there and deliver them. You will return in 15 days and when you come back, you will hear the people saying that Al Askari has died. You will see the one who will succeed me, Al Mahdi”. Imam (as), went on, “you will know him because he will lead my prayers, he will ask you for the letters and he will know what is in the yellow bag”.
When Abul Adiyan returned to Samarrah, rightly so, he saw people crying. When he went to the house of the Imam (as), he saw his brother Jaffer near him about to lead his Salatul Mayyit. Jaffer said, “I am now the Imam of the Shi’a”. As he was about to begin the prayer, a young 5 year old walked up to him and said, “Oh Jaffer, I have a greater right to lead this prayer than you do”. Bewildered, Jaffer moved back. After completing the namaaz, the young man came to Abul Adiyan and asked for the letters. Thereafter, some people had come from Qum to give Khums to the rightful successor of the 11th Imam (as). Jaffer did not know the amount in the yellow bag, but the 5 year old boy – through one of the Companions – did.
By the time the Calipba asked for the boy, he was taken away.
