Born in the Prophet’s Household Circle
Al-Hasan’s mother was a servant of Umm Salama, the Prophet’s wife. He was born in her house in Medina two years after the Prophet’s death. As an infant, he was nursed by Umm Salama when his mother was away. He grew up with direct physical proximity to the Prophet’s family and their surviving companions.
He moved to Basra as a young man during the conquests era and settled there permanently — making Basra the center of Islamic learning in that generation.
The Scope of His Teaching
Al-Hasan’s teaching circles in Basra attracted hundreds. His topics ranged across:
- Hadith: narrated from Companions including Uthman, Ali, Ibn Abbas, Ibn Umar, Abu Musa al-Ash’ari, and Anas ibn Malik
- Fiqh: issued legal opinions that were consulted by caliphs and governors
- Tafsir: his Quran commentary is among the oldest cited
- Zuhd: his preachings on the vanity of the world, the nearness of death, and the deception of hope (amal) set the template for the next 300 years of Islamic spiritual literature
- Political ethics: he wrote a famous letter to Hajjaj ibn Yusuf condemning his cruelties; he counseled Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz and later scholars
The Free Will Controversy
A student named Wasil ibn Ata asked al-Hasan: where does the sinner stand — believer or disbeliever? Al-Hasan hesitated. Wasil, before al-Hasan could answer, walked to another pillar in the mosque and announced his own position: the sinner is in an intermediate position between faith and disbelief.
Al-Hasan said: “He has withdrawn from us (i’tazala ‘anna).” This incident is cited as the origin of the Mu’tazila — the school that would dominate Islamic theology for two centuries.
His Sayings on the World
“Son of Adam, you are only a collection of days. Each day passes, a piece of you passes with it.”
“I have met people who were more fearful of their good deeds being invalidated than you are of your sins.”
“This world is like a snake — smooth to the touch, deadly in its bite.”
See also: Tasawwuf, Zuhd, Sufi Stations Maqamat, Seerah Mutarraf Ibn Abd Allah, Ilm Al Kalam, Sabr