A few sayings of Hassan al Muthanna

He once said to a person advising about the practice of Taqiyyah (subterfuge):

ويلك التقية انما هي باب رخصة للمسلم، إذا اضطر إليها وخاف من ذي سلطان أعطاه غير ما في نفسه يدرأ عن ذمة الله. وليست باب فضل، وإنما الفضل في القيام بأمر الله وقول الحق. وأيم الله ما بلغ من التقية أن يجعل بها لعبد من عباد الله أن يضل عباد الله

Woe to you! Verily Taqiyyah is only a concession for a Muslim when compelled to do so and he fears the king will do something to him which he will be unable to avert from his responsibility to Allah; It is not an act of virtue, verily the virtuous thing to do is to establish the order of Allah and to state the Truth. By Allah, Taqiyyah does not reach the point where one of the slaves of Allah can use it to misguide the slaves of Allah.[1]

This gives us an insight into the Fiqh of this honourable Imam and his advice to the Muslims concerning Taqiyyah and how it should be used as a means to protect the blood of a Believer, or avert harm from him. It is not considered an act of virtue or meant to be used as a means of confusing the believers regarding vital aspects of their din and lead them astray.

Ibn ‘Asakir reports from al Asma’i:

دخلت في الطواف عند السحر، فإذا أنا بغلام شاب حسن الوجه، حسن القامة، عليه شملة، وله ذؤابتان، وهو متعلق بأستار الكعبة يقول

ألا أيها المأمول في كل ساعة	شكوت إليك الضّرّ فارحم شكايتي
ألا يا رجائي أنت كاشف كربتي	فهب لي ذنوبي كلّها واقض حاجتي
فزادي قليلٌ ما أراه مبلّغي	أللزّاد أبكي أم لبعد مسافتي
أتيت بأعمالٍ قباحٍ رديّةٍ	فما في الورى خلقٌ جنى كجنايتي
أتحرقني بالنار يا غاية المنى	فأين رجائي ثم أين مخافتي

فقدمت إليه، وكشفت عن وجهه، فإذا به الحسن بن الحسن بن علي بن أبي طالب عليهم السلام، فقلت: يا سيدي مثلك من يقول هذه المقالة وأنت من أهل بيت النبوة، ومعدن الرسالة؟! قال: هيهات! يا أصمعي، إن الله خلق الجنة لمن أطاعه وإن كان عبداً حبشياً، وخلق النار لمن عصاه وإن كان ولداً قرشياً، أما سمعت قول الله عزّ وجلّ: ” فَإِذَا نُفِخَ فِي الصُّورِ فَلَا أَنسَابَ بَيْنَهُمْ يَوْمَئِذٍ وَلَا يَتَسَاءَلُونَ

I entered to make tawaf (practice of Muslims circumambulating the Ka’bah), where I saw a young man of striking appearance and strong build who was covered in a shawl which had two ends. He was holding on to the cover of the Ka’bah and saying:

O Being in who all hopes lie; I complain to you, so see my complaints.

My hopes lie in you, remover of my difficulty; forgive my sins and fulfil my needs.

My provisions are few which will not take me to my destination; is it over my provisions I cry or over the distance of my travels.

I come to you with actions that are far and a few; I am a sinner like no other in the creation.

Will you burn me in the fire, O guardian of ultimate hopes; where is then my hopes and my fear.

So I went to him and uncovered his face, and lo and behold it was Hassan ibn Hassan ibn ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib. So I said to him, “O my master, the likes of you saying such a thing, when you are from the Ahlul Bayt of Nubuwwah and the treasure trove of Risalah?”

He replied, “Please stop, O Asma’i! Verily Allah has created Paradise for those who obey Him, even if it be an Abyssinian slave; and He has created the Fire for those who disobey Him, even if it be a son of the Quraysh. Did you not hear the words of Allah, “So when the Horn is blown, no relationship will there be among them that Day, nor will they ask about one another.”[2][3]

I take an oath by Allah this is true understanding of Islam and the reality of worship; as it is stated in the Hadith:

ومن بطأ به عمله لم يسرع به نسبه‏

He who lags behind in doing good deeds, his noble lineage will not take him ahead.[4]

Taqwa and good deeds are the only currency valid between the Creator and His creation. This is what was understood and taught by this illustrious Imam; and it was this that he emphasised in his statement:

أحبونا لله فإن أطعنا الله فأحبونا ، وإن عصينا الله فأبغضونا فلو كان الله نافعا احدا بقرابته من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم بغير طاعة لنفع أباه وأمه

Love us for the sake of Allah if we obey Allah. If we disobey Allah then hate us! Had Allah made familial links to the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam a means of benefit without obedience then the most eligible for that would have been his father and mother.[5]

Further emphasising the fact that Hassan al Muthanna rahimahu Llah believed that the Rightful Khalifah after the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was Abu Bakr, followed by ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, and then his grandfather ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhum, and that the claim of a bequest having been made in favour of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu to be the Khalifah was false, is the narrations reported in Tarikh al Dimashq. A man believed that the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam had explicitly instructed ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu should be the Khalifah citing the words of the Messenger salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, “Whoever’s Mawla (friend) I am then ‘Ali is his Mawla (friend).”[6] Hassan rahimahu Llah said to the man:

أما والله إن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم إن كان يعني بذلك الإمرة والسلطان والقيام على الناس بعده لأفصح لهم بذلك كما أفصح لهم بالصلاة والزكاة وصيام رمضان وحج البيت ولقال لهم: إن هذا ولي أمركم من بعدي فاسمعوا له وأطيعوا فما كان من رواء هذا شيء فإن أنصح الناس كان للمسلمين رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم

By Allah! If, by that statement, he intended (for ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu) a position of leadership and authority, he would have clearly expressed it, just as he clearly expressed (the injunctions of) salah, zakat, fasting in Ramadan, and Hajj. He would have said, “O people! This (referring to ‘Ali) is your leader after me, so listen to him and obey him.” There would not have been any dispute after this, for indeed the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was the most benign and considerate of people to the Muslims.[7]

The narration cited as proof for the immediate succession of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu does not prove or establish anything concerning the Caliphate, as explained by Hassan al Muthanna rahimahu Llah. If this was indeed intended then the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam would have said that in explicit unambiguous terms. Furthermore the word Mawla (friend) is the opposite of enemy as opposed to the word Wali which means ruler. The Hadith contains the word Mawla and not the word Wali, the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam did not say, “Whoever’s Wali I am then ‘Ali is his Wali.”

This gives us an insight into the farsightedness, understanding, and fairmindedness of Imam Hassan al Muthanna rahimahu Llah; a Hadith is understood by facts and not by one’s whims. This also illustrates his high regard for all Sahabah and for ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhum.

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[1] Tarikh Dimashq, 15/60.

[2] Surah al Mu’minun: 101.

[3] Tarikh al Dimashq, 44/145. It appears that this incident actually transpired with Hassan al Muthallath, the son of Hassan al Muthanna, as Hassan al Muthanna passed away before this and did not meet al Asma’i.

[4] Sahih Muslim, Chapter on Dhikr and Tawbah, # 2699.

[5] Nasb Quraysh, 2/49.

[6] There is difference of opinion concerning the authenticity of this narration. Al Bukhari, Ibrahim al Harbi, and Ibn Hazm deemed it da’if, while Ahmed ibn Hambal and al Tirmidhi deemed it hassan. Refer to Ibn Taymiyyah: Minhaj al Sunnah, 7/320.

[7] Reported by Muhammad ibn ‘Asim al Asbahani in his Juz’, # 126; and with his chain by Ibn ‘Asakir in his Tarikh, 13/71.

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