The Early Zuhaad

Abu Sa'eed Al-Hasan of Basra

Abu Sa'eed ibn Abu al-Hasan Yassar al-Basri was born in Madinah, in the year 21 Al-Hijri. He was born to two former slaves; his father was the slave of the venerable companion Zayd ibn Thabit, while his mother was the slave of the wife of the Prophet ﷺ, Umm Salamah. When Abu Sa'eed was a small child, Umm Salamah brought him out to the great Caliph, Umar ibn al-Khattab, who said; "Oh Allah! Make him well-versed in religion, and make people love him." As Abu Sa'eed got older, he became known as Al-Hasan. He was able to meet several companions of the Prophet ﷺ such as Uthman ibn Affan, Abu Hurayrah and Talhah ibn Ubayd-Allah. Al-Hasan also studied under these great companions, and hence, their knowledge was implemented within himself.

Al-Hasan eventually became one of the greatest Muslim scholars of the Iraqi town of Basra. He was skilled in Hadith, having memorized a lot of traditions from the companions he studied under. Al-Hasan was also a great reciter of Qur'an. A famous saying from him regarding the Qur'an was; "Sons of Adam! By Allah, if you recite the Qur'an, then believe in it, then your sadness will be long in this life, so will be your fear and your weeping." This statement also meant that Al-Hasan had a very long time of being in a state of sadness. This was even reported by some of his students, who felt that every time they came to him, they had a new misfortune.

A famous incident involving Al-Hasan was mentioned in the first volume of the Al-Iqd Al-Fareed. The governor of Iraq and Syria, Umar ibn Hubayra, had asked Hasan for advice to deal with a certain problem; the Umayyad Caliph who had hired him as governor would order him to carry out unjust actions, and if Ibn Hubayra did not implement the actions, he would be severely punished and deposed. The previous scholar, Al-Sha'abi, gave an answer which did not satisfy Ibn Hubayra, so he asked for Al-Hasan's opinion.

So, in response, Al-Hasan said;
"O Ibn Hubayra, fear Allah when obeying the commands of Yazid and do not fear Yazid when obeying the commands of Allah.

O Ibn Hubayra, Allah will protect you from Yazid, but Yazid cannot protect you from Allah.

O Ibn Hubayra, no creature should be obeyed who commands the disobedience of the Creator.

Look then at what Yazid wrote to you, and compare it with the Book of Allah, may He be exalted. What agrees with the Book of Allah, may He be exalted, you may implement; and what disagrees with the Book of Allah, you should not implement.

Allah should have for you a priority over Yazid, and the Book of Allah should have for you a priority over his letters."

Ibn Hubayra wept, and he knew that Al-Hasan was telling the truth. Al-Hasan was given a lot of gold as a reward, which he distributed to the poor people and peasants around him. Hence, we see Al-Hasan is not only a very knowledgeable man, but also a wise man and a generous one at that.

Al-Hasan had many disciples, such as the great ascetic Habib al-Ajami and the Christian revert to Islam, Farqad al-Sabakhi. These disciples helped to spread his teachings through teaching their own students and giving Da'wah to other foreign places. By the time Al-Hasan reached the age of eighty, he was regarded by the locals as the greatest scholar in their neighbourhood. Even the tyrannical ruler, Al-Hajjaj ibn Yusuf, respected Al-Hasan and even consulted him on some occasions. Indeed, Allah had answered the invocation that Umar ibn al-Khattab had made regarding the young Al-Hasan.

Al-Hasan passed away in the year 110 Al-Hijri. He was at least eighty-six years old at his time of passing. The traditionalist and expert in Sufism, Al-Qushayri, reported in his Risalat that on the night of Al-Hasan's passing, one of the villagers of Basra saw in a dream that the gates of Paradise were opened and a crier announced; "Verily, Al-Hasan of Basra is coming to Allah, may He be Exalted, who is pleased with him!"