Did Hasan Al-Basri Meet or Hear from Imam 'Ali ibn Abi Talib ('alayhis Salaam)
Alhamdulillah for the depth and breadth of the noble science of hadith. When an issue of scholarly disagreement arises, one can easily look through the works of rijaal to determine what the ijtihaad of the scholars of the salaf was. This specific issue is one that the earliest A’immah disagreed upon. Imam As-Suyuti in Ta’yid al-Haqiqat al-`Aliyya wa- Tashyid al-Tariqat al-Shadhiliyya (“The Support of the Higher Truth and the Strengthening of the Shadhili Path”) and Ithaf al-Firqa bi-Rafwi al-Khirqa (“The Gift to the Group in the Mending of the Cloak”) printed in al-Hawi lil-Fatawi forwarded, with proofs, that Al-Hasan did in fact meet and even hear from Imam ‘Ali. The late Hafith Ahmad al-Ghumari (rahimahullah) in al-Burhan al-Jali fi Intisab al-Sufiyyati ila `Ali (“The Glaring Proof in Verifying the Connection of the Sufis to `Ali”) produced several ahadith and aathaar proving that Al-Hasan did infact hear from Imam ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (alayhis salaam). An example of a well-known report from Al-Hasan from ‘Ali is the hadith of the Nabi (sallallahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) that goes,
”The pen is raised from three: from the one asleep until he awakes, from the child until he matures, and from the insane until they are sane.” Though At-Tirmdhi declares this chain “Hasan” he states that it is not known if Al-Hasan heard from ‘Ali or not. Ibn Hajr in his Talkhis calls this hadith “Mursal”, for he maintains that Al-Hasan did not hear from ‘Ali. ((This specific report is found in Ahmad’s Musnad, Tirmidhi’s Sunan, Al-Haakim’s Mustadarak who said ‘Sahih upon the conditions of the Shaykhs’ in the book of Hudud, all from the chain Hammam from Qataadah from Al-Hasan from ‘Ali from the Nabi… ))
Some late Sufis, such as Shaykh Gibril Haddad, have written against such proofs, though he clearly states:
“From the Sufi perspective such gaps are overridden by what they call Uwaysi transmission, i.e. through spiritual link.
Furthermore, there also exists an `Alawi Naqshbandi silsila through Imam al-Hasan al-Basri which would raise the very same two issues.
Imam al-Sakhawi was a Shadhili and he said he narrates the chain that goes through al-Hasan, from sayyidina `Ali, “not that its isnad is unbroken but because of its baraka.” ((See: http://www.livingislam.org/k/afhb_e.html where I believe that his argument is very unconvincing.))
I am not convinced by the Shaykh’s response, though I respect his position as it is one that many of the salaf held, and ask Allah to preserve and protect him always, Amin. What I shall present here is some statements of the scholars of old, and of late, that argue that Imam Al-Hasan Al-Basri did meet and hear from Imam ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib (alayhis Salaam).
Al-Hasan said about himself, “I saw Az-Zubair giving the pledge to ‘Ali. [Tahtib: Ibn Hajr] ‘Ali Ibn Al-Madini stated, “He did not see ‘Ali except when he was in Medinah, and [Hasan] was a ghulaam (young lad).”
Lane in his lexicon states about the usage of the term Ghulaam:
“A young man, youth, boy, or male child: one whose mustache is growing forth or has grown forth; or one from the time of his birth until he attains to the period termed shabaab [young manhood].” ((Vol. 2 pps 2286-2287 ))
This term was used by the Nabi (‘alayhi salaam) towards Ibn ‘Abbas in the famous advice he gave him [Tirmithi who said Hasan Sahih as well as others. It is hadith number 19 of Nawawi's 40] If Ibn ‘Abbas can report narrations, memorize and hear from the Nabi (‘alayhis salaam) at the age of ghulaam, why can’t Al-Hasan Al-Basri?
Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Amir-Al-Mu’minin in Hadith stated in the clearest terms that Al-Hasan did in fact report narrations from Imam ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib:
وأخبرنا الوالد السعيد قراءة حدثنا عيسى بن محمد بن علي قال: سمعت عبد الله بن محمد يقول سمعت أبا عبد الله أحمد بن محمد بن حنبل يقول قد روى الحسن عن علي بن أبي طالب
Ibn Abi Ya`la in Tabaqat al-Hanabila reports that “‘[His father reported from]…’Isa ibn Muhammad ibn `Ali narrated to us: I heard `Abd Allah ibn Muhammad (Imam Abu al-Qasim al-Baghawi) say: I heard Abu `Abd Allah Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Hanbal say: `al- Hasan did narrate from `Ali ibn Abi Talib.’”
In fact, if you read over all of the reports from Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal rejecting that Al-Hasan heard from other companions such as Abu Hurayrah, he does not negate that Al-Hasan heard from ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib.
Another proof that Al-Hasan heard from ‘Ali is a narration from Al-Hasan himself, reported by Al-Mizzi:
حدثنا أبو القاسم عبد الرحمن بن العباس بن عبد الرحمن بن زكريا حدثنا أبو حنيفة محمد بن صفية الواسطي حدثنا محمد بن موسى الجرشي حدثنا ثُمامة بن عبيدة حدثنا عطية بن محارب عن يونس بن عبيد قال: سألت الحسن قلت: يا أبا سعيد! إِنك تقول: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، وإِنك لم تدركه ؟ قال: يا ابن أخي! لقد سألتني عن شيء ما سألني عنه أحد قبلك، ولولا منزلتك مني ما أخبرتك. إِني في زمان كما ترى ـ وكان في عمل الحجاج ـ كل شيء سمعتني أقول: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم فهو عن علي بن أبي طالب، غير أني في زمان لا أستطيع أن أذكر علياً.
Yunus ibn ‘Abid syas that he asked Al-Hasan, ‘Oh Abu Sa’id!’ Verily you say ‘Rasulullah (saaws) said…even though you did not see him! He said, Oh Son of my Brother! You have asked me about a thing that no one has asked me about before…Verily, in this time, as you can see – as this was in the time of Hajjaj [bin Yusuf], everything you hear me say ‘Rasulullah – Saaws’ said…’ [then know] that it is from ‘Ali ibn Abi Taalib, for certainly at this time I am unable to mention ‘Ali!” [End Quote]
That is because Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, the evil transgressor, the enemy of Ahlul Bayt, was anti-Alid, Radhiya allahu ‘anhum!
So Imam As-Suyuti and Imam Ibn Hajr Al-Haythami defended the hearing of Al-Hasan from ‘Ali via these arguments and more. Whether or not he specifically hear hadith from Imam ‘Ali or not, he did receive training from him in tasawwuf, as declared by the Sufi’s silsilas. It is established that he did meet him, he did see him, and some held that he did report from him.
After originally posting this article, I came across a fatwaa by the erudite Shafi’i faqih and Muhaddith, Ibn Hajr Al-Haytami, who was asked concerning the reports from Al-Hasan Al-Basri from ‘Ali. He states:
ــــ وسئل نفع الله بعلومه: هل سمع الحسن البصري من كلام علي كرم الله وجهه حتى يتم للسادة الصوفية سند خرقتهم وتلقينهم الذكر المروي عنه عن عليّ كرّم الله وجهه؟
فأجاب بقوله: اختلف الناس فيه فأنكره الأكثرون وأثبته جماعة. قال الحافظ السيوطي: وهو الراجح عندي كالحافظ ضياء الدين المقدسي في “المختارة”، والحافظ شيخ الإسلام ابن حجر في أطراف “المختارة” لوجوه: الأول: أن المثبت مقدم على النافي. الثاني: أنه ولد لسنتين بقيتا من خلافة عمر وميَّز لسبع وأمر بالصلاة فكان يحضر الجماعة ويصلي خلف عثمان إلى أن قتل، وعلي إذْ ذاك بالمدينة يحضر الجماعة كل فرض، ولم يخرج منها إلا بعد قتل عثمان، وسِنُّ الحسن إذ ذاك أربع عشْرة سنة، فكيف يُنْكر سماعه منه مع ذلك وهو يجتمع معه كل يوم بالمسجد خمس مرات مدة سبع سنين، ومِنْ ثُمَّ قال علي بن المديني: رأى الحسن علياً بالمدينة وهو غلام، وزيادة على ذلك أن علياً كان يزور أمهات المؤمنين ومنهنّ أم سلمة والحسن في بيتها هو وأمه حبر إذْ هي مولاة لها، وكانت أم سلمة رضي الله عنها تخرجه إلى الصحابة يباركون عليه، وأخرجته إلى عمر رضي الله عنه فدعا له: اللهم فقهه في الدين وعلمه وحببه إلى الناس ذكره المزي وأسنده العسكري. وقد أورد المزي في “التهذيب” من طريق أبي نعيم أنه سئل عن قوله: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلّم ولم يدركه، فقال: كل شيء قلته فيه فهو عن عليّ غير أني في زمان لا أستطيع أن أذكر علياً: أي زمان الحجاج، ثم ذكر الحافظ أحاديث كثيرة وقعت له من رواية الحسن عن عليّ كرم الله وجهه، وفي بعضها ورجاله ثقات قول الحسن سمعت علياً يقول: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلّم “مثل أمتي مثل المطر” الحديث.
“The people [i.e. the scholars] have disagreed, many rejecting it, and a group establishing it. And Al-Haafith As-Suyuti said: ‘And that is the correct according to my [opinion], just like Diyaa’ Ad-Din Al-Maqdisi in his “Al-Mukhtaarah”…”
Dr. Muhammad Tahir Al-Qadri writes in his beneficial treatise named, “Al-Qawl Al-Qawwi fi Samaa’ Al-Hasan ‘An ‘Ali – The Strong Word regarding the Hearing of Al-Hasan from [Imam] Ali’”,
(Click Image for Larger Pic)
The Imam Abu Ya’la reported, as mentioned by Al-Hafith Ibn Hajr, in his Musnad the following: “[From] Juwairiyah ibn Ashras from ‘Utbah ibn Abi As-Suhba’ Al-Baahili who said, “I heard Al-Hasan saying, ‘I heard ‘Ali saying Rasulullah (‘alayhis salaam) said, ‘The likeness of my Ummah is the likeness of the rain.”
Imam As-Suyuti said, “Muhammad ibn Al Hasan ibn As-Sairifi, the Shaykh of our Shaykhs, said: ‘This is a clear proof (nass) regarding the hearing of Al-Hasan from ‘Ali (‘alayhis salaam).” Dr. Tahir says in the footnote: “Reported by As-Suyuti in It-haaf Al-Firqah 3/98. And Suyuti said, ‘And the men [of the narration] are all impeccably trustworthy. Juwariyah was declared thiqah by Ibn Hibban, Utbah was declared thiqah by Ahmad and Ibn Ma’in. It was also mentioned by Al-Mubarafuri in Tuhfat Al-Ahwadhi .”
[Edited on March 13, 2008]
Sidi Taha has linked me to a post that I had not read before compiling my post. I wish I would have found this prior to doing this research. It would have saved me the effort:
http://www.sunniforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=15365&page=3
I recently came across a treatise (47 pages total) of Shaykh-ul-Islam dr. Tahir-ul-Qadri titled “al-Qawl al-Qawiyy fi sama al-Hasan ‘an ‘Ali”. In it the learned author gives a total of 35 ahadith, with full takhrij, which Imam Hasan Basri narrated explicitely through Maula’ Ali (ra).
The very first hadith he mentions is from the sahah sitta (!), more specifically from the sunnan of Imam Tirmidhi with the following chain: Muhammad bin Yahya al-Quta’i al Basri from Hummam from Qatadah from Hasan al-Basri from Ali (ra).
Really a gem in (modern) hadith literature!
The isnaad you mention is actually the same isnaad I quoted in the article.
There are a couple of chains that actually mention Imam Al Hasan Al Basri hearing from ‘Ali. Some, though, are weak and all are argued by our opponents to have some kind of defect.
Interesting on hasan al-basri rahimahullah from ‘The Garden of Truth, The vision and Promise of Sufism, Islam’s Mystical Tradition’ by Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Ofcourse, along with Ali these figures are perhaps the most eminent of those around the Prophet salalahu alayhi wa salam who were associated with the reality that soon became known as Sufism. These men, and especially Ali, radiallahu anhu play an important role in the subsequent unfolding of the sufi tradition over the centuries down to our own day.
The next generation of figures of early sufism are called the “followers” (tabi’un), those who lived in the second half of the seventh century, and among them none is more important than hasan al-basri (d.728) rahimahullah, who was endowed with a long life, during which he instructed several generations of students in both the religious sciences and what was soon to become known as Sufism. This great patriarch of tasawwuf, who was born and brought up in medina but later moved to basra gave moving sermons and uttered sayings in eloquent arabic that have veen qouted in many later works. Among his well-known saying is, “Exist in this world as if you had never set foot here, and in the next world as if you had never left it.” He also wrote a number of letters including a partucularly important one on spiritual chivalry. The message of Hasan rahimahullah was otherworldliness, abstinence, poverty, and reverential fear of Allah, although he also spoke of the knowledge and love of Allah, which he contrasted with love and knowledge of the world. He is at the beginning of the ascetic phase that characterizes the first epoch of sufism associated with Mesopotamia.
salamu `alaykum
A pertinent point to note is that the spiritual silsila is not always demonstrative of an actual Shaykh-Murid connection, but moreso of the direction of the spiritual faydh from the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) to the current murshid. For example, Sayyidina Hasan may not have heard or narrated from Sayyidina `Ali but there is no doubt that he took from Sayyidina `Ali’s students such as Kumayl ibn Ziad and others. Similar is the case with other gaps in the Sufi slsilas.
I asked Shaykh Faraz Rabbani about this and he stated that the silsila shows both actual murid-shaykh relationships, in somce cases, and in others to the direction of the spiritual faydh alone. In the latter case, some individuals may be omitted, which brings about the perception of a “gap”.
Shaykh Nuh had a similar explanation.
Wasalam
Salman
http://www.marifah.net/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=133&Itemid=55
Assalam-u-Alikum
Brother i want to share some information in this regard that Either Imam Hassan Basri (RA) did meet or hear from Hazrat Ali ibne Talib (RA)or not.
So read a Book relating to this Topic. the writer of this Book is a Great Scholar of this time Hazoor Shaikh-ul-Islam Prof Dr Muhammad Tahir-ul-Qadri (Student of Late Hazrat Alwi Al Maliki al Makki RA).In this book he collected about 35 traditions in which he prrof the Hazrat Hassan Basri RA did Simaa with Hazrat Ali ibne Talib (RA). I think this is a great work he did after Hazrat Imam Jalal-u-din Sayyuti RA.
So plz i suggest you to write a commentry on this book.
plz follow this link
http://www.minhajbooks.com/books/index.php?mod=btext&cid=2&bid=314&btid=877&read=img&lang=en
Wassalam
Jazaakum Allahu Khairan Sidi Ajmal Khan, I have translated a beneficial quote and added it to the article.
In the quote above mentioned by Dr. Tahir there is a mistake in spelling. I think it was a print mistake, but the narrator is not “juwayriyah” it is hawtharah حَوْثَرَةَ بْنُ أَشْرَسَ
One can see how easy the mistake can be committed if diacratical marks etc were not added. It seems this is the correct spelling. Ibn Hibban did declare him thiqah.
I came upon this error because I referenced this quote from Suyuti in Tuhfat Al-Ahwadhi, wherein Mubarafuri states:
وَمِنْهَا مَا أَخْرَجَهُ أَبُو يَعْلَى فِي مُسْنَدِهِ حَدَّثَنَا حَوْثَرَةَ بْنُ أَشْرَسَ , قَالَ : أَخْبَرَنَا عُقْبَةُ بْنُ أَبِي الصَّهْبَاءِ الْبَاهِلِيُّ , قَالَ : سَمِعْت الْحَسَنَ يَقُولُ سَمِعْت عَلِيًّا يَقُولُ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ : ” مَثَلُ أُمَّتِي مَثَلُ الْمَطَرِ” الْحَدِيثَ . قَالَ السُّيُوطِيُّ فِي إِتْحَافِ الْفِرْقَةِ بِوَصْلِ الْخِرْقَةِ قَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ الصَّيْرَفِيُّ شَيْخُ شُيُوخِنَا هَذَا نَصٌّ صَرِيحٌ فِي سَمَاعِ الْحَسَنِ مِنْ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ . وَرِجَالُهُ ثِقَاتٌ حَوْثَرَةُ وَثَّقَهُ اِبْنُ حِبَّانَ وَعُقْبَةُ وَثَّقَهُ أَحْمَدُ وَابْنُ مَعِينٍ .
You can see that the spelling is different. Jazaakum Allahu Khairan,
Abul Layth