4. AL-ḤASAN AL-BAṢRĪ (1)

4. AL-ḤASAN AL-BAṢRĪ (1)

          One of the duties of the Prophet is to explain the Qur’ān to his people. Allah says:

وَأَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الذِّكْرَ لِتُبَيِّنَ لِلنَّاسِ مَا نُزِّلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ (النحل:44)

And We have also sent down to you (O Muhammad) the

 Reminder (i.e., the Qur’ān), that you may explain clearly

 what is sent down to them, and that they may

give thought (Q. 16:44)  

وَمَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ إِلَّا لِتُبَيِّنَ لَهُمُ الَّذِي اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ وَهُدًى

وَرَحْمَةً لِقَوْمٍ يُؤْمِنُونَ (النحل: 64)

And We have not sent down the Book (the Qur’ān) to
 you (O Muhammad), except that you may explain clearly

to them those things  in which they differ, and (as)

a guidance and a mercy for a folk

 who believe.(Q. 16:64)

          After the death of the Prophet, his companions (ṣaḥābah) took over and gave the explanation and commentary (tafsīr) of the Qur’ān, among them were the four rightly-guided caliph (Abū Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthmān, ‘Ali), although they did not give much about it, Ibn  Mas‘ūd, Ibn ‘Abbās, Ubayy ibn Ka‘b, Zayd ibn Thābit,  Abū MūSā al-‘Ash‘arī, and Ibn al-Zubayr. Their principal teacher was Ibn ‘Abbās.

          Then came the generation of the tābi’īn (successors) that followed the generation of the ṣaḥābah. The scholars of tafsīr in this generation lived in Makkah, such as Mujāhid (d. 104/722), ‘Aṭā’ (d. 114/732), and ‘Ikrimah (d. 105/723). In Madinah they were: Muhammad ibn Ka‘b al-Qarẓī (d. 117/735), Abū ‘l-‘Āliyah al-Riyāḥī (d. 90/708), and Zayd ibn Aslam (d. 130/747). Their principal teacher was Ubayy ibn Ka‘b. In ‘Irāq they were: al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī (d.    110/728), Masrūq ibn al-Ajda‘ (d. 63/682), and Ibrāhīm al-Nakhā‘ī (d. 95/713). Their principal teacher was Ibn Mas‘ūd, and their main centres were Basrah and Kufah.

          When the name “al-Ḥasan” is mentioned in the books of tafsīr (commentary of the Qur’ān) he is not other than the well-known Muslim scholar al-Ḥasan “al-Baṣrī” (الحسن البصري), “the native of Basrah”. He was well-known not only for his deep knowledge, but also for his wisdom and asceticism. He was a jurist, a theologian, a preacher, who was famous for his eloquence and inspiring speeches,   a sufi (Islamic mystic), and a renowned follower of ‘Ali ibn Abī Ṭālib.   

          Al-Hasan was the son of two ex-slaves of Persian origin. His father, Peroz (Yasār) was taken prisoner at a town of Maysān in Iraq. He was then taken to Madinah where he met Khayrah who would be  al-Ḥasan’s mother. Yasār became the slave of Zayd ibn Thābit, who was one of the famous scribes who recorded Divine revelation for the unlettered Prophet, whereas Khayrah became the slave of Ummu Salamah, the wife of the Prophet.

          Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī was born in Madinah in 21/642 and was brought up in the house of Ummu Salamah who freed her from slavery after his birth. He was said to have met many companions of the Prophet including seventy of them who joined the battle of Badr. It was said that ‘Umar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb prayed for him, and said "O Allah! Make him well-versed in religion and make people love him."  He spent his early years with his family in Wādī l-Qurā near Madinah. 

          When al-Ḥasan was about fifteen years old he moved to Basrah where he learned various branches of Islamic knowledge from the Prophet’s companions who were living there, such as fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), ḥadīth (Prophet’s traditions), Arabic language and the Qur’ān. He learned tafsīr, ḥadīth, and qirā’āt (variant readings) from Ibn ‘Abbās. He learned the recitation of the Qur’ān from the tābi‘ī  Ḥaṭṭān ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Raqqāshī and the methodology of delivering religious sermons, speeches and tales from the ṣaḥābah and the poet al-Aswad ibn Suray‘ al-Tamīmī, the first story-teller of Basrah. 

         At that time religious story telling in the mosque appealed people, but as many of them tended to exaggerate, even invented stories for their personal benefit, such as to gain respect and fame. Eventually, the story tellers, the quṣṣāṣ were banned from telling their tales in the mosque of Basrah except al-Ḥasan, as he talked about life after death and religious morality based of the Qur’ān, the Sunnah of the Prophet and the revered companions.[1] 

           Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī was a great teacher. He had a big class in the mosque of Basrah in which he taught people hadith, fiqh, the Qur’ān, Arabic language, and rhetoric[2]. He also taught people in his house about piety and asceticism. As a mufassir (a commentator of the Qur’ān), his commentaries were mentioned several times in the books of tafsīr (commentary of the Qur’ān). Some examples of his commentaries are as follows:

وَمَنْ جَاهَدَ فَإِنَّمَا يُجَاهِدُ لِنَفْسِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَغَنِيٌّ عَنِ الْعَالَمِينَ (العنكبوت:6(

And whosoever strives, he strives only for himself.

 Verily, Allah stands not in need of any of the alamin

(mankind, jinn, and all that exists   (Q. 29:6)

         This means, according to al-Ḥasan, a man can struggle in the way of Allah without striking a sword, namely, without going to the battlefield, even once. [3]

كَلاَّ بَلْ رانَ عَلى قُلُوبِهِمْ مَا كانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ (المطففين:14)

Nay! But on their hearts were covered over

 by what(sins) they earned (Q., 83:14)

Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī’s explanation of this verse is that continuous sin makes heart blind and dead. He said: "It is because of doing one sin after another, until the heart becomes blind and dies."[4]

وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقُولُ رَبَّنَا آتِنَا فِي الدُّنْيَا حَسَنَةً وَفِي الْآخِرَةِ

 حَسَنَةً وَقِنَا عَذَابَ النَّارِ (البقرة:201)

  And of them there are some who say: “Our Lord!

 Give us in this world that which is good and in the

Hereafter that which is good, and save us from

the torment of the Fire!” (Q. 2:201)

 Al-Ḥasan al-Basri’s commentary of this verse is that “the good of this world” is knowledge and worship, and “the good of the Hereafter” is Paradise.[5]

            In a ḥadīth narrated by Anas r.a. reported by Imam Ahmad that the Prophet s.a.w. visit a man who was very sick. The Prophet asked him whether he had asked Allah about something. He said that he used to say, “O Allah! Whatever punishment you saved for me in the Hereafter, give it to me in this life.” The Prophet s.a.w. said to him, “All praise is due to Allah! You cannot bear it. You should have said, “Our Lord! Give us in this world…” citing the above verse. The man began reciting this supplication, and he was healed.

 According to al-Ḥasan asking forgiveness from Allah is the solution of many problems. The classical commentator al-Qurṭubī said that when a man complained to him concerning the drought, another concerning his poverty, another lack of rain, another about having no offspring, he advised each of them to ask forgiveness from Allah. When they were doubtful of it, he said that it was not from his own, but following what Allah said in surat Nūḥ (chapter 71), citing the following verse:

 فَقُلْتُ اسْتَغْفِرُوا رَبَّكُمْ إِنَّهُ كَانَ غَفَّارًا. يُرْسِلِ السَّمَاءَ عَلَيْكُمْ مِدْرَارًا. وَيُمْدِدْكُمْ

بِأَمْوَالٍ وَبَنِينَ وَيَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ جَنَّاتٍ وَيَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ أَنْهَارًا (نوح:10-12)

I [i.e. Noah] said to them: Ask forgiveness of your Lord,

 verily,   He is Oft-Forgiving. He will send rain to you in

 abundance,  And give you increase in wealth and

children, and bestowed on you gardens, and

  bestow on  you rivers. (Q., 71:10-12)

 Ibn Taymiyyah said that when the tyrant al-Ḥajjāj ibn Yūsuf al-Thaqafī (40-95/660-714) became the governor of Iraq, al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī said that he was sent by Allah as a punishment, and they should not repel it with their hands, but rather, they should be humble and submissive. Yet, he criticized him in front of people.  Al-Ḥajjāj built a building for himself at Wāsiṭ (between Kufah and Basrah), then he invited people to spend good time with him and pray for him.

          When al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī saw the crowd around the building, he advised them to keep away from worldly matters to seeking Allah’s pleasure. He then said, “We have seen what the most evil person has done,   the Pharaoh had built bigger and higher building than what he has built, but eventually Allah destroyed him and what he built. May al-Ḥajjāj know that the inhabitants of the heaven curse him, and the inhabitants of the earth mislead him.

          One of the audiences who feared al-Ḥajjāj’s punishment asked him to stop preaching, and said, “Enough, Abū Sa‘īd, enough!” But he kept talking, saying that Allah had taken a covenant from the scholars to make it known and clear to people, and not to hide it,   the same covenant betrayed by the People of the Book (Q., 3:178)

         The next day, al-Ḥajjāj came and said to his people: “Woe on you! A slave belonging to the people of Basrah criticized us as he pleased, and none of you challenged him. By Allah, I shall pour his blood on you, coward!” He ordered them to bring a sword, a naṭ‘  نطع), a leather mat put under the person whose head would be cut off), an executioner, as well as al-Ḥasan to him.

        When al-Ḥasan came and saw the sword, the leather mat, and the executioner, he moved his lips, and came to al-Ḥajjāj with dignity and full confidence, whereas the audience worried for him. Seeing this unexpected behavior of al-Ḥasan, he changed his attitude and said: “Come here, Abū Sa‘īd, come here!” and offered him to sit on his carpet. He looked at him, and started asking him various religious issues which he answered very well and with confidence.

          “You are the master of scholars, Abū Sa‘īd!” said al-Ḥajjāj, and asked his servant to bring him various kinds of perfume, rubbed it to  al-Ḥasan’s beard, and then let him go. He was followed by al-Ḥajjāj’s guards who told him that al-Ḥajjāj had changed his mind, and asked him what he said when he moved his lips after seeing the sword and the leather mat. Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī said: “I was praying, ‘O my Benefactor and  my Protector in danger, make his torture cold and safe for me, as You have made fire cold and safe for Abraham’.” He was referring to the Qur’ānic verse Q. 21:69.   

 (CIVIC, 10 July, 2015)

  المصادر:

المكتبة الشاملة

( تفسير الطبري (ت. 310 هـ

تفسير القرطبى (ت. 671 هـ(

تفسير ابن كثير (ت. 774 هـ)

د. عبد الرحمن رفعت باشا. صور من حياة التابعين للصف الثالث المتوسط 1986\1406

Ahmad von Denffer, ‘Ulūm al-Qur’ān. Kuala Lumpur: A.S. Noordeen, 1991.      

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hasan_of_Basra

 www.tawheedmovement.wordpress.com

http://sunnahonline.com/library/biographies/365-al-hasan-al-basri

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[1] One day the celebrated scholars Imam Aḥmad ibn  Ḥanbal and Yaḥyā ibn Mā‘īn entered a mosque where a story teller was delivering his tale. When he said   that he heard from Yaḥyā ibn Mā‘īn and  Aḥmad ibn  Ḥanbal said that the Prophet said such thing, they looked at each other and asked whether any of them had said it, and both denied it. So, after delivering the tale, they confronted him, saying that they had never said such thing. The story teller said, “I have never seen such foolish people like you! Do you think that you are the only persons called Yaḥyā ibn Mā‘īn and  Aḥmad ibn  Ḥanbal?” Another incident was when a story teller was eating while he has walking on the street. When his friend told him not to do so in front of people, he said that they were not people, but cows and donkeys. In order to prove it, he called people, and when they gathered around him, he said: “O people, listen to what the Prophet said. ‘Whoever is able to touch his nose with the tip of his tongue will enter Paradise’. When people did so, he told his friend, “See, I have told you so.”

[2] Rhetoric, which is called in Arabic ‘ilm al-balāghah (علم البلاغة) is a part of the science of Arabic language besides naḥw(النحو) , i.e., grammar, syntax, and ṣarf (الصرف), i.e., inflection. This Arabic rhetoric is divided into three branches: ‘ilm al-ma‘ānī  (علم المعاني) dealing with verbal expression of concepts and content; ‘ilm al-bayān  (علم البيان)dealing with metaphorical language, in general, rhetorical art of the Arabs; and ‘ilm al-badī‘ (علم البديع)  dealing with figures of speech, and in general, the art of beautiful style.

[3] قال الحسن البصري: إن الرجل ليجاهد، وما ضرب يوما من الدهر بسيف, see Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr. Another interpretation is that whoever struggles for his own sake, not for Allah’s sake, then Allah would not need his struggle, see Tafsīr al-Qurṭubī.

[4] عن الحسن، قال: وقرأ( كَلا بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ مَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ ) قال: الذنب على الذنب حتى يموت قلبه, see Tafsīr al-Țabarī. وقال الحسن البصري :هو الذنب على الذنب، حتى يعمى القلب، فيموت. وكذا قال مجاهد ابن جبر وقتادة، وابن زيد، وغيرهم , see  Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr

[5] عن الحسن:" ومنهم من يقول رَبنا آتنا في الدنيا حَسنة وفي الآخرة حَسنة"، قال: الحسنة في الدنيا: العلمُ والعبادةُ، وفي الآخرة: الجنة, see Tafsīr al-Țabarī.