Who was Hasan ibn Ali? Everything You Need to Know

Quick Facts

Died At Age: 45

Family:

Spouse/Ex-: Baqliya, Dhamya, Hind bint Suhail bin Amr, Ja'da bint al-Ash'at, Khawla bint Mandhoor, Ramla, Safia, Um Basheer bint Abi Mas'ud, Um Ishaq bint Talha bin Ubaidallah, Um Kulthum bint Alfadhl bin Al-Abbas bin Abdulmuttalib bin Hashim

father: Ali ibn Abi Talib

mother: Fatimah bint Muhammad

siblings: Abbas ibn Ali, Abdullah ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib, Abi Bakr bin Ali, Awn ibn Ali, Husayn ibn Ali, Jafar ibn Ali, Jumana bint Ali, Muhammad al-Awsat ibn Ali, Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah, Muhsin ibn Ali, Musa ibn Ali, Ubaid Allah bin Ali, Um Jafar bint Ali, Umamah bint Ali, Umar bin Ali, Umm Kulthum bint Ali, Uthman ibn Ali, Zaynab bint Ali

children: Abdullah Al Asghar ibn Hasan, Abdullah ibn Hasan, Abdurrahman ibn Hasan, Abi Bakr ibn Hasan, Al-Hasan al-Muthana ibn Hasan, Beshr ibn Hasan, Fatimah bint Hasan, Hamza ibn Hasan, Hasan ibn Zayd ibn Hasan, Hussein ibn Hasan, Ismail ibn Hasan, Jafar ibn Hasan, Maymūnah bint Hasan, Muhammad Al Akbar ibn Hasan, Muhammad Al Asghar ibn Hasan, Omar ibn Hasan, Qasim ibn Hasan, Talha ibn Hasan, Umm Abdullah bint Hasan, Umm al Khayr bint Hasan, Umm al-Husayn, Umm Salama bint Hasan, Yaqub ibn Hasan, Zayd ibn Al-Hasan

Born Country: Saudi Arabia

Saudi Arabian Men Saudi Arabian Spiritual & Religious Leaders

Died on: April 2, 670

place of death: Medina, Saudi Arabia

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Early Life

Hasan was born in the year 624 CE. It is said that Prophet Muhammad slaughtered a ram for the poor on the occasion of his birth, and Fatimah shaved his head and donated the weight of his hair in silver as alms to the needy. Hasan lived with Prophet Muhammad for seven years, till the latter’s death. It is said that Muhammad had huge respect for his grandsons and said that they would be ‘Masters of youth of Paradise’. He also predicted that Hasan would play a role in making peace between two factions of Muslims.

He was one of the guards defending Caliph Uthman ibn Affan during his assassination. After Caliph Uthman’s death, his father Ali became the new caliph. During this time, Hasan participated in the Battles of Siffin, Nahrawan and Jamal.

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Caliphate

After the death of his father, Ali, there was considerable confusion as he hadn’t nominated a successor before his death. However, his followers chose Hasan to be the next caliph, because of his close connections to the prophet.

After being made the caliph, Hasan gave a speech where he praised the merits of his family, and also quoted verses of the Quran. He said that whoever performs a good act would increase the good in the world.

Soon, the news of Hasan being made governor reached Muawiyah, the governor of Syria, who had led the rebellion against Ali. He stated his refusal to accept Hasan as the caliph, and began to prepare for a war. Though Ali and Muawiyah exchanged letters before the battle, they failed to reach a peaceful conclusion. According to Muawiyah, he respected the family of the prophet but believed that he had superior experience in governing.

Though Hasan was able to put up some resistance, he was not a person trained in war tactics. He was also going through monetary troubles. He was plagued by defections from his army. He later opened peace negotiations, and eventually in 661, he abdicated the caliphate to Muawiyah. Hasan, in return, was offered a generous pension and was allowed to live peacefully in Medina. For the rest of his life, he tried to stay away from political involvement either for or against Muawiyah. However, he was still considered the chief of Muhammad’s household.

Death

Hasan passed away in the year 670 at the age of 45. It is believed that one of his wives poisoned him under the instigation of Muawiyah.

Hasan ibn Ali Biography