Sayings of Al-Hasan Al-BasreeImam Muhammad ibn Sa`d
Excerpted from The Men of Madina, Volume 1
© 1997 A. Bewley
http://islaam.com//Article.aspx?id=242
Abu Hilal said, "When al-Hasan finished his hadith, he would say, 'O Allah, you
see our hearts full of idolatry, pride, hypocrisy, showing-off, reputation,
doubt and uncertainty in your deen. 0 Turner of hearts, make our hearts firm in
Your deen and make our deen Straight Islam!"'
'Umara ibn Mihran said that al-Hasan was asked, "Why do you not visit the
rulers and command them to the correct and forbid them the incorrect?" He
replied, "'Thee believer should not waste himself. Their swords precede our
tongues when we speak. They speak thus with their swords." And he made a
striking gesture with his hand.
'Umara said, "I did not see anyone whose words are in harmony with his actions
except al-Hasan."
It is related that al-Hasan said, "When a young man is devout, we do not
recognise him by his speech. We recognise him by his actions. That is
beneficial knowledge."
'Umara said that al-Hasan told him that he disliked voices trilling when
reciting the Qur'an.
Al-Hasan said, "Guard against having a bad opinion of people."
Ar-Rabi' ibn Subayh said, "Al-Hasan disliked being praised to his face. If
invocation was made for him, that delighted him."
Ghalib al-Qattan said, "I brought al-Hasan a letter from 'Abdu'l-Malik ibn Abi
Bashir and he said, 'Read it.' So I read it and there was a supplication in it.
Al-Hasan said, 'Many a true brother of yours was not actually born of your
mother."'
It is related that 'Imran ibn Khalid al-Khuza'i said that a man told him,
"Matar asked al-Hasan about a question and said, 'The fuqaha' oppose you.' He
said, 'May your mother be bereaved, Matar! Do you see a faqih at all? Do you
know what a faqih is? The scrupulous ascetic faqih is the one who does not care
about who is above him nor mock the one below him, and who does not accept
ephemeral rubbish in exchange for the knowledge which Allah has taught him."'
It is related that when al-Hasan saw a funeral, he would say, "Praise belongs
to Allah who has not made me part of that which is snatched away." He said, "He
would not relate anything that day."
Muhammad ibn 'Umar said, "Al-Hasan died in 110." Isma'il ibn 'Ulayya said that
it was in Rajab. There were a hundred days between the deaths of Muhammad ibn
Sirin and him, al-Hasan dying first.
Hammad ibn Zayd said that al-Hasan died on Friday night. He said that Ayyub and
Humayd at-Tawil washed him. He was brought out when the people left. He said,
"My father took me with him," and Mu'adh ibn Mu'adh said, "Al-Hasan was ten
years older than Muhammad."
