Al-Mugheerah said: “The most knowledgeable in judgment and history is Ash-Sha’bee. The most knowledgeable in Salaah and Zakah is an-Nakha’ee.  The most knowledgable in Hajj is ‘Atta. The most knowledgeable in Tafseer is Sa’eed ibn Jubayr. The most knowledgeable in business transactions is Ibn Seereen.  As for al-Hasan, he has mastered them all.“

al-Hasan ibn Yasaar al-Basree was born in Madinah, 22 years after the migration of the Prophet Muhammad salAllahu ‘alayhi wa sallam (642 CE).  His father, Yasaar, was the slave of the great Companion Zaid ibn Thabit, the scribe of the Prophet and well-known head of the committee which compiled the Qur’an.  His mother, Khayrah, was the slave of Umm ul-Mu’mineen Umm Salamah, the wife of the Prophet, who also suckled him.  So, from his first years, al-Hasan grew up in the household of Rasoolullah, and had an amazing example with the presence of Zaid ibn Thabit in his life.

When al-Hasan was born, he was brought to ‘Umar who made du’aa for him: “Oh Allah!
Give him understanding of the religion, and make him beloved by the people.” Allah accepted the du’aa of ‘Umar and everyone loved al-Hasan al-Basree.

To get an idea of the extent of his knowledge, we need only look at who his teachers were:
‘Uthman ibn ‘Affan, ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib, Abu Musa al-Ash’aree, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Umar, ‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas, Mu’awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, Jabir ibn ‘Abdillah, Anas ibn Malik, and ‘Imran ibn Husayn, radiyallahu ‘anhum ajma’een.

With so many great teachers, most of whom were from among the senior Companions, it is no wonder that al-Hasan acquired so much knowledge and became a master in all of the Islamic sciences.

al-Hasan later traveled with Anas to Basra, in Iraq, and settled there until his death in 110 hijri (728 CE).

His status was renowned amongst the scholars of his time.  Their statements can show us his impact on knowledge and da’wah:
Qataadah said: “I have never met a scholar without seeing that he benefited from Al-Hasan. He was the most knowledgeable person in halaal and haraam.”
Qatadah also said: “I have not seen anyone’s opinion closer to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattab than Al-Hasan.”
Ayyub as-Sukhtyani said: “The people of Makkah said: We have never seen anyone like Al-Hasan al-Basree.”

Anas ibn Malik was asked about an issue, and he replied: “Ask my slave, Al-Hasan.” They questioned: “We are asking you and you are referring us to Al-Hasan?” He said: “Ask him.  He heard what I heard, but he remembered what I forgot.”

This was the scholar we know today as al-Hasan al-Basree.  His life was an amazing example for us to learn and extract lessons and gems from.

What are the factors that shaped his life, that made him into a great scholar?  What were his special qualities?  What significant historical events transpired during his lifetime which he witnessed?  What was his physical appearance, and how did others describe him?

How can we learn from his example and apply these lessons to ourselves, our children, our communities, and to the society at large?

All of these questions will be answered, along with so many stories and lessons from the life of al-Hasan al-Basree, in the upcoming AlMaghrib seminar Torch Bearers: Scholars of Islam, taught by Shaykh Waleed Basyouni.  This double-weekend seminar is coming to New Jersey on March 12-14 & 20-21, 2010, at the NJIT Campus Center in Newark, NJ.

There is a special FREE session on Friday, March 12th, 7:30pm at the NJIT Campus Center.  Don’t miss out!  Seating is limited, and spots are going very fast, so Enroll Now!

All information is available here:
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