4. AL-ḤASAN AL-BAṢRĪ (1)

4. AL-ḤASAN AL-BAṢRĪ (1)

          One of the duties of the Prophet is to explain the Qur’an 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’an), 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’an) 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’an, among them were the four rightly-guided caliph (Abu Bakr, ‘Umar, ‘Uthman, ‘Ali), although they did not give much about it, Ibn Mas’ud, Ibn ‘Abbaa, Ubayy ibn Ka ‘b, Zayd ibn Thabit,  Abu Musa la-ash ‘ari, and Ibn al-Zubayr. Their principal teacher was Ibn ‘Abbas.

          Then came the generation of the tabi’in (successors) that followed the generation of the ṣaḥābah. The scholars of tafsir in this generation livwed in Makkah, such as Mujahid (d. 104/722), ‘Ata (d. 114’732), and ‘Ikrimah (d. 105/723). In Madinah they were: Muhammad ibn Ka‘b al-Qarzi (d. 117/735), Abu ‘l-‘Aliyah al-Riyahi (d. 90/708), and Zayd ibn Aslam (d. 130/747). Their principal teacher was Ubayy ibn Ka‘b. In ‘Iraq they were: al-Hasan al-Basri (d. 121/738), Masurq ibn al-Ajda ‘ (d. 63/682), and Ibrahim al-Nakha’i (d. 95/713). Their principal teacher was Ibn Mas‘ud, and their main centres were Basrah Kufah.

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

   Al-Hasan was the son of two ex-slaves of Persian origin. His father, Peroz (Yasār) was taken prisoner at a town of Maysan  between Basrah and Waset in Iraq. He was then taken to Madinah where he met Khayrah who would be al-Hasan’s mother. Yasar became the slave of Zayd ibn Thabit, 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-Hasan 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-Khattab 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 Wadi l-Qura near Madinah.

          When al-Hasan 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’an. He learned the recitation of the Qur’an from Hattaan Ibn 'Abdullaah Ar-Riqashi, and the methodology of delivering religious sermons, speeches and tales from the poet Ibn SurayyP At-Tameemi

 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, to gain respect and fame[1]. Eventually, the story tellers, the quṣāṣ were banned from telling their tales in the mosque of Basrah except al-Hasan, as he talked about life after death, and religious morality based of the Qur’an, the Sunnah of the Prophet and the revered companions.

Al-Hasan Al-Basri was a great t eacher. He had a big class in the mosque of Basrah in which he taught people hadith, fiqh, the Qur’an, Arabic language, and rhetoric[2]. He also taught people in his house about piety and asceticism. As a mufassir (a commentator  of the Qur’an), his commentaries were mentioned several times in the books of tafsīr (commentary of the Qur’an). 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-Hasan, a man can struggle in the way of Allah without striking a sword, 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-Hasan’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-Hasan 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 cured.

 According to al-Hasan asking forgiveness from Allah is the solution of many problems. The classic al commentator al-Qurṭubī said that when a man complained to him concerning the drought, another concerning his poverty, another the  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)

__________

 

  

  المصادر:

المكتبة الشاملة

( تفسير الطبري (ت. 310 هـ

تفسير القرطبى (ت. 671 هـ(

تفسير ابن كثير (ت. 774 هـ)

Ahmad von Denffer, ‘Ulum a-l Qur’an. 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 Ahmad ibn Hanbal and Yahya ibn Ma ‘in entered a mosque where a story teller was delivering his tale. When he said   that he heard from Yahya ibn Ma’in and Ahmad ibn Hanbal said that the Prophet said such-and-such thing, they looked at each other and asked whether any of them had said such thing, 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 Yahya ibn Ma’in and Ahmad ibn Hanbal?” Another incident was when a story teller was eating while he has walking in 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 said: “O people, listen to what the Prophet said.” ‘Whowever is able to touch his nose with the tip of his tongue will enter Paradise”. When the listeners 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 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 Tafsir al-Qurtubi.

[4] عن الحسن، قال: وقرأ( كَلا بَلْ رَانَ عَلَى قُلُوبِهِمْ مَا كَانُوا يَكْسِبُونَ ) قال: الذنب على الذنب حتى يموت قلبه, see Tafsir 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 Tafsir al-Țabarī.