It is a brief study of the normative conduct of the eleventh infallible Imam Hassan al-Askari (A) whose acts and practices guide the evil people in the prison.
Imam Hassan al-Askari (A) lived in very critical conditions at the time of the Abbasid Caliphs (846 – 874) who imprisoned the Imam (A) in his house, and did not allow him to have access to his followers and Shiites. Despite this Imam (A) tried his best to guide the people through different possible means and ways. His representatives were among the Shiites to bring them the sayings and instructions of the eleventh infallible Imam (A). In fact they were trying to pave the ground for the occultation of the twelfth Imam Mahdi (A) who is the son of Imam Askari but lives in hidden. In the absence of the twelfth Imam (A) it is the Shiite clerics and scholars who teach Muslims the Islamic teachings and traditions of the infallible Imams (A).
One of the most important lessons that we must learn from the eleventh Imam (A) is that a real Muslim must behave others in a way that his behavior itself guides others into the right path. It is said about Imam Kazim (A) and Imam Hassan al-Askari that they guided the most evil people through their behaviors and practices inside the prisons. It shows that Imam (A) himself is the exact symbol of morality in a way that if the most evil man accompanied him for a while he would become the best man of faith and worship.
One of the well-known stories about Imam Hassan al-Askari which is narrated by Muhammad b. Ismail is really instructive and illuminating. He narrates that 'The Abbasids visited Salih b. Wasif, and Salih b. Ali and a few other deviated people from this location also visited Salih b. Wasif when Abu Muhammad (AS) [Imam al-Askari] was in the prison. He said to him, 'Put him in strict confinement and give him no ease.' Salih replied, 'What more can I do with him when I have assigned two of the most evil men I could find to guard him, and surprisingly those two have turned to worship and prayers [as a result of the Imam]!' [1]
The aforementioned narration proves that Imam Askari (A) guided the most evil people through his deeds and practices. Because it is very clear that those evil people who were assigned to annoy and disturb Imam (A) did not believe in the imamate of the Imam (A), so that they could listen to his advices or obey instructions. But when they saw Imam (A) as a man of faith and morality they changed their behavior towards Imam (A) and other people.
Actually, Imam (A) practically proved that he is the one who according to his own hadith is “The most pious of people is he who refrains before suspicion. The most worshipful of people is he who keeps on obligations. The most ascetic one is he who refrains from unlawful things. The best mujtahid is he who refrains from sins.” [2]
Notes:
[1] Bihar al-Anwar, v. 50, p. 308, no. 6.
[2] أوْرَعُ النّاسِ مَنْ وَقَفَ عِنْدَ الشُّبْههِ، أعْبَدُ النّاسِ مَنْ أقامَ الْفَرائِضَ، أزْهَدُ النّاس مَنْ تَرَکَ الْحَرامَ، أشَدُّ النّاسِ اجْتِهاداً مَنْ تَرَکَ الذُّنُوبَ. أعیان الشّیعه، ج ۲، ص ۴۲.