The Prophet’s Love for Them
“Hasan and Husayn are the masters of the youth of Paradise, and their father is better than them.” — Tirmidhi, Hakim
“Whoever loves Hasan and Husayn loves me, and whoever hates them hates me.” — Ibn Maja
“These two are my fragrant flowers in this world.” — Bukhari
The Prophet’s physical tenderness toward his grandsons is recorded in hadith with remarkable detail:
- He would prostrate in prayer and Husayn would climb on his back; the Prophet would prolong the sujud until Husayn climbed down
- He would carry them on his shoulders and say: “The best of rides is this, and the best of riders are these”
- He once arrived at the mosque carrying Hasan and said: “O Allah, I love him, so love him and love whoever loves him”
See also: Ali Ibn Abi Talib, Fatima Al Zahra, Ahl Al Bayt
Imam Hasan ibn ‘Ali — The Imam of Patience
His life: Imam Hasan was born in 2 AH in Medina. He grew up in the Prophet’s household and witnessed the formative period of Islamic history. He is described as the most physically similar to the Prophet of anyone from his generation.
The da’wa’s continuity after ‘Ali: After Imam ‘Ali’s assassination (40 AH / 661 CE), the believers pledged allegiance to Imam Hasan. He became the second Imam of the Ismaili succession.
The Treaty with Mu’awiya: Mu’awiya moved his Syrian army toward Kufa. Faced with the reality of the Kufan army’s unreliability (the same Kufans who would later abandon Imam Husayn), Imam Hasan made the strategic decision to negotiate rather than fight.
The treaty conditions (narrated in various sources):
- Mu’awiya would rule, but the succession would return to Hasan after Mu’awiya’s death (or to the Muslims’ choice)
- No one from ‘Ali’s followers would be persecuted
- The cursing of ‘Ali from pulpits would stop (though Mu’awiya broke this condition)
The Imam’s wisdom: Some of Imam Hasan’s followers were furious at the treaty, viewing it as surrender. He responded: “By Allah, I relinquished authority for the same reason my grandfather [the Prophet] concluded the Treaty of Hudaybiyya — to prevent bloodshed.” The treaty was a da’wa act: preserving the believing community rather than destroying it in a hopeless battle.
His death: Imam Hasan died in 50 AH (669 CE) — Islamic tradition widely holds that he was poisoned, administered through the agency of Mu’awiya’s political maneuvering. He asked to be buried near the Prophet in Madina; ‘A’isha initially objected; he was ultimately buried in al-Baqi’ cemetery in Medina.
See also: Imamah, Misaq The Covenant
Imam Husayn ibn ‘Ali — The Master of Martyrs
His personality: Where Imam Hasan was known for patience and diplomacy, Imam Husayn was known for intensity and directness. He had his father ‘Ali’s courage and his mother Fatima’s spiritual depth.
The Imam’s responsibility at Karbala: After Imam Hasan’s death, Imam Husayn accepted the Imamate. When Mu’awiya died and Yazid assumed the Caliphate, Husayn’s famous refusal — “A man like me does not give bay’a to a man like Yazid” — was not merely political. It was the Imam’s declaration that the divine’s representative could not legitimize corruption.
Karbala’s spiritual meaning for Husayn himself: Imam Husayn knew — from early signs, from the deaths of envoys, from the failure of Kufan support — that going to Karbala likely meant death. He expressed this awareness in multiple narrations. On the night before Ashura, he released all his companions from their pledge of allegiance. He was choosing Karbala as a spiritual shahada, not a political gamble.
“I do not see death except as happiness and life among oppressors except as misery.” — attributed to Imam Husayn
His station in the Ismaili tradition: Imam Husayn is the third Imam and the one through whom the Imam’s line continues — all subsequent Fatimid and Tayyibi Imams are descendants of Imam Husayn. His martyrdom is not a defeat but an establishment: by refusing to surrender the principle of walayah even at the cost of his life, he permanently embedded it into Islamic consciousness.
See also: Karbala, Wali Al Asr, Understanding Walayah
The Two Models of Ismaili Commitment
The Ismaili tradition holds the lives of Imam Hasan and Imam Husayn as complementary models:
Imam Hasan’s model: Strategic sacrifice of position for the community’s preservation. The Imam’s authority is not about worldly power; it is about preserving the da’wa and the community of believers. When fighting would destroy the community, the wise choice is to yield — as long as the Imamate itself continues.
Imam Husayn’s model: Absolute refusal to compromise the principle of walayah. When the Imamate itself is being threatened — when submission would mean legitimizing the denial of the divine’s order — the Imam must stand firm regardless of cost.
Together they teach: the Imam is simultaneously flexible in strategy (Hasan) and uncompromising in principle (Husayn). Every subsequent Imam navigates this double imperative.
See also: Imamah, Wali Al Asr, Misaq The Covenant, Bayah And Walayah, Tawil Esoteric Interpretation
See also: Ali Ibn Abi Talib, Fatima Al Zahra, Ahl Al Bayt, Karbala, Imamah, Wali Al Asr, Misaq The Covenant, Bayah And Walayah, Nubuwwa, Understanding Walayah