Summary of the commission “Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.) and Shiites” in International Conference “Tradition and era of Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.)”

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Thursday, 03 November 2022

The session of the commission “Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.) and Shiites” was held on Thursday afternoon, in the Imam Hussain (a.s.) Hall of the Islamic Sciences and Culture Academy in Pardisan, Qom.

The session of the commission “Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.) and Shiites”, under the international conference “Tradition and Era of Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.)”, was held on Thursday afternoon, November 3, 2022, in the Imam Hussain (a.s.) Hall of the Islamic Sciences and Culture Academy in Pardisan, Qom.

The Board of Directors of this commission was composed of Dr. Sayed Hossein Falahzadeh, Dr. Sayed Mahmoud Samani, and Hojat al-Islam Dr. Sayed Nasser Mousavi.

Presenting his article entitled “Typology of the Imami Community (Shiites) in the Age of Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.); with the focus on Imamate”, Hojat al-Islam, Dr. Ahmed Falahzadeh, stated, “From the time of Imam Javad (a.s.) onwards, the Shiite society underwent changes that were very new for the society of that period, and the formation of new issues caused a change in the atmosphere.”

“Imam Hadi (a.s.) kept his son Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.) hidden from public view. Therefore, later some Shiite groups believed that Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.) is not an Imam!” he added.

“Each group of Shiites believed in the next Imam in a different way. A group accepted him based on orders and their heart belief. But the common people were not looking for an explicit order and wanted to see a miracle from the Imam or hear unseen news from him. Some had a political view of Imam, while some wanted to see who the head of the house after Imam Hadi is (a.s.),” the researcher continued.

“We need to use the tools of psychology, anthropology, linguistics, etc. to understand the society of the time of Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.),” he continued.

In the following, Dr. Sayed Mahmoud Samani presented his article entitled “The Relationships of Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.) with Iranian Shiites and the challenges ahead”.

Regarding the challenges of the 11^th Imam in communicating with the Shiites of Iran, he said, “Due to being under control, the Imam had limited communication, and the caliphate system monitored him. Also, some treacherous and opportunistic representatives had created challenges and crisis in the relationship between the people and the Imam. Another challenge was that the Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.) was unknown. Because Imam Hadi (a.s.) had not been able to enlighten people about the Imamate of his son. The remoteness and dispersion of the regions that followed the Imamate in Iran, and the doubt of Shiites about some representatives were among other challenges. On the other hand, although Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.) assumed the Imamate during the period of dissolution and disintegration of the Abbasids, the rulers of different regions did not tolerate the activities of the Shiites. Therefore, it was not easy for the Imam to communicate with the Shiites.”

Ms. Farzaneh Hakimzadeh, in presenting her article “Relationships between Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.) and the Shiites of Qom”, said, “Qom has a special status in Shiite narrations and this city is a scientific center in the End of the Time.”

About the history of Shia in Qom, she stated, “In the first century, the Ash’ari family, who were scholars, entered Qom. Since then, Qom has become the center of knowledge.”

“Most of the connections of the 11^th Imam were with the scholars of Qom and his best companions lived in this city. During the time of Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.), Qom was semi-independent, and resisted the cruel rulers. Even its governor was appointed from the Shiites,” the researcher added.

“Due to the intense pressure in Samarra, one of the most important ways of communication between the Shiites of Qom and the 11^th Imam was through letter writing. Therefore, a large number of the 137 letters of Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.) are addressed to the Shiites of Qom. Some of these letters are addressed to scholars, and others are related to ordinary people. Therefore, these connections make great scholars to be trained in Qom, and this city reaches a high position scientifically,” she continued.

In the continuation of the conference, Ms. Sayedeh Zahra Mohammadi presented her article entitled, “The political-social organization of Shiite community in the tradition of Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.)”

“In order to protect the Shiites, Imam used different methods. For example, he did not use a single pen in writing letters and told the Shiites that if they see him in the market, do not greet,” Ms. Mohammadi said.

According to Ms. Sayedeh Zahra Mohammadi, some ways of organizing the Shiites in the tradition of the 11^th Imam were:

Establishing a communication network of representation, representation and association, training of scientific-political human resources, organizational preparation of Shiites for the Era of Occultation (For example, through the indirect contact of Shiites with Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.), proving Imam Mahdi (a.s.) for Shiites. introduction of Imam Mahdi (a.s.) to the elite of the society, propagation of the thought of Mahdaviat and the tidings of the Reappearance), trying to solve social challenges and dead ends, political activities, and secret measures to maintain the Shiite organizations with the benefit of Taqiyah (ostensible denial of religious belief), using of knowledge of the unseen to prove Imamate and divine leadership, as well as removing doubt from the hearts of Shiites, creating a correspondence network and sending letters, material support for Shiites in order to preserve Shiite organizations, paying attention to providing financial resources for representatives of organizations, encouraging and strengthening political leaders in supporting Shiite organizations and ideals.

Then, Ms. Najmeh Salehi in presentation her article entitled “The political and cultural performance of female narrators in the era of Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.)”, stated, “Historians paid less attention to Shiites and women. Therefore, we are facing a lack of resources on this issue. Therefore, I referred to Tafsirs, translations and books of Rijal (Biographical evaluation) to investigate the issue.”

“Five women were among the hadith narrators of Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.). Due to confinement and being under control, he had to report to authorities of Samarra twice a week. Therefore, companions and men could not meet him. But the sensitivity was less for women. Therefore, women used to visit him, and hence, women played a prominent role in the narration and transmission of his hadiths,” she added.

“During the era of AhlulBayt (a.s.), women were seeking to know the Hujjah (proof) of God, recognize their duty and take practical action, and in the era of Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.), women were the guardians of the secrets of the Imamate, responsible for announcing the birth of Imam Mahdi (a.s.) to certain Shiites, and hiding this news from those who were not trusted,” the researcher continued.

Further in the conference, Dr. Sayed Hassan Qurayshi Kerin, in presenting his article entitled “The role of Ahmad bin Ishaq Qomi (advocate of Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.)) in the expansion of Shiism” said, “Qom is one of the ancient cities of Iran, and according to the antiquities discovered in the city, it is even more ancient than Kashan.”

On the settlement of the Ash’ari people in Qom, he said, “The Ash’aris came to Qom from Kufa and eventually ruled this city for 280 years and provided valuable services.”

About the character of Ahmad Ibn Ishaq Qomi, he said, “He was a companion and representative for Imam Jawad (a.s.), Imam Hadi (a.s.), Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.), and even lived during the time of Imam Mahdi (a.s.).”

“Ahmad bin Ishaq Qomi founded Imam Hassan Askari mosque in Qom. His house in Qom was a gathering place for scholars, and people used to give him Shari’a Payments. The Imams had approved him financially and scientifically and he was trusted,” he added.

“The era of Ahmad Ibn Ishaq Qomi, was contemporaneous with different sects and groups, and even the Shiites rebelled thirty times. He talked with deviant groups such as Waqefiyyah and Ghulat (exaggerators), and guided them, and he made many efforts to enlighten them,” Dr. Qurayshi Kerin said.

In the following, Ms. Zahra Zarei, in presenting her article entitled “The occupations of the companions of Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.)” stated, “Islam considers work and occupation among the obligations and necessities of life. Some occupations of the prophets are mentioned in the Quran, and the AhlulBayt (a.s.) were engaged in work in different eras and encouraged their companions to work.”

“The occupations of the companions of Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.) were ministry, manufacturing, commerce, crafting, and service jobs such as writing and teaching. Some companions used to communicate with the Imam under the pretext of their job,” he added.

Then Hojat al-Islam, Dr. Mohammad Saeed Nejati, in presenting his article titled “Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.) and Obligation of Khums”, stated, “Khums created the advocacy organization. The hadiths about Khums are less than hadiths about Zakat. Because the Khums had a political connotation and could strengthen the Imam.”

Regarding the difference between Sunni and Shiite views on Khums, he said, “Sunnis consider Khums to be specific for war trophies. But from the Shiite point of view, Khums is not specific to war trophies and all people must pay it. On the other hand, there was a sporadic reference to Khums during the life of the Imams (a.s.), but it was institutionalized from the time of Imam Baqer (a.s.) onward.”

“Three of the important representatives of the Imams (a.s.) betrayed about Khums, and this caused mistrust among the Shiites,” Hojat al-Islam Nejati said.

“Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.) has a central position in the discussion of Khums,” he added, “There are eight hadiths about Khums from the 11^th Imam. He emphasizes that Khums is obligatory, and it includes all kinds of incomes.”

At the end of the conference, Hojat al-Islam Seyyed Qassem Razzaghi, in presenting his article entitled “Social Relationships in the Era of Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.)” stated, “The behavior of Imams (a.s.) was based on the principle of tolerance and avoiding inciting differences. They also confront deviations in their action and speech.”

About the interactions of the 11^th Imam with sects and religious groups, he said, “In dealing with Fet’hiyah, he sought their guidance. He damned the Waqefiah and had a severe confrontation with them. It is also seen in the history of Imam’s strong and serious action against Ghulat (exaggerators). Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.) stressed about the Sufis that they are deviant and have inappropriate behaviors. Because the Nasibis were deviant and insulted publicly, the Imam’s confrontation against them was severe. On the other hand, in his interactions with non-Muslims, Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.) emphasized on peaceful coexistence with them to attract their hearts.”

It worth mentioning that the opening ceremony of the international conference “Tradition and Era of Imam Hassan Askari (a.s.)”, was held on Thursday morning, November 3, 2022, in the Islamic Sciences and Culture Academy in Pardisan, Qom, with the presence of ulama and scholars.

AhlulBayt (a_s_) World Assembly Imam Hassan Askari (a_s_) Shiites