Martyrdom of Imam Hassan Asgari – September 12, 2024

History of Martyrdom of Imam Hassan Asgari

According to Shia sources, Hasan ibn Ali ibn Muhammad, better known as Hasan al-Askari, was born in Rabi al-Awwal 230 in the Islamic calendar. In the Gregorian calendar, this would be between November 844 A.D. and 847 A.D. He was born in Medina or Samarra to Ali al-Hadi, the tenth Shia Imam. At the age of two, Hasan and his father moved to Samarra. After al-Hadi died around 868 A.D., most of his followers accepted al-Askari as the new Imam, though Ja’far, another one of al-Hadi’s sons, tried unsuccessfully to claim the Imamate for himself.

During his time as Imam, al-Askari was closely watched by the Sunni Abbasid Caliphate and was barely allowed to have contact with the Shia population. In fact, the name ‘al-Askari’ was attributed to him because he was forced to live in Samarra, also known as Askar. Other than the fact that there was a general persecution of Shias by the Caliphate, it’s also been suggested that the reason behind this restriction was the belief among certain members of the Shia elite that the eleventh Imam would be the one to father the Mahdi. In Islam, the Mahdi is believed to be a messianic deliverer who will bring justice and equality to the earth, restore true religion, and usher in a golden age lasting eight or nine years before the world’s end.

At the young age of 28, al-Askari died on the eighth day of the month of Rabi al-Awwal, somewhere around December of 873 A.D. or January of 874 A.D. Most Shias believe that al-Askari’s death was caused by poisoning at the behest of al-Mu’tamid, the caliph. He was buried in his ancestral home, next to his father. The house was later converted into a shrine by major Shia and Sunni patrons.