By: Seyyed Ali Shahbaz
     
 “Allah is the Light of the heavens and the earth. The parable of His Light is a niche wherein is a lamp, the lamp is in a glass, the glass as it were a glittering star, it from a blessed olive tree, neither eastern nor western, whose oil almost lights up, though fire should not touch it. Light upon Light. Allah guides to His Light whomever He wishes. Allah draws parables for mankind, and Allah has knowledge of all things.”  (Holy Qur’an 24:35)
These Words of the Almighty Creator are not just a reference to His Majestic Radiance but also guides us towards the beings He has enlightened. These are none other than the “Mercy unto the creation” Prophet Muhammad (SAWA), and the 13 other Infallible ones of the Ahl al-Bayt who are referred here as “Light upon Light”.
These days we are celebrating the auspicious birthday of a Lustrous Light that emanated from the Seal of Messengers in the month of Rabi al-Akher in the year 232 AH (846 AD) in Medina.
Named “Hasan” in honour of the Prophet’s Elder Grandson, Imam Hasan al-Mujtaba (AS), he lived most of his life in the Iraqi garrison city (mu’askar) of Samarra, where he acquired the epithet “al-Askari” – reference to the military environment.
“Al-Askari” also indicates the Eleventh’s miraculous demonstration of his spiritual might, when an Abbasid caliph tried to browbeat the Prophet’s Heir by assembling armed mercenaries in combat order. To the caliph’s horror, the Imam raising his two fingers showed him the vision of an army of angels stretching all the way from the earth to the heaven, ready to whisk away the caliph to the netherworld if the Imam ordered.
Last month we commemorated the martyrdom anniversary of Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS) at the young age of 28 years and shed light on his blueprint for good governance by qualified jurists during the lengthy absence (ghaibat) of his son and successor, who will rise in the end times as “Qaem al-Mahdi” to fill the Planet with peace, prosperity, and justice.
Here are some more recommendations from Imam al-Askari (AS) to build virtuous societies based on adherence to the letter and spirit of the Holy Qur’an and the dynamic instructions of the Prophet and his progeny,
“I recommend you to fear Allah, be pious in your religion, strive in the way of Allah, be truthful in speaking, give deposits back to their owners, whether he be good or evil, increase prostrations, and be good to neighbours. Through these (principles) Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) preached his mission. 
“Associate with your kin, attend their funerals, visit their sick, and fulfil their rights, for if anyone of you is pious in his religion, truthful in his speech, he gives deposit back to its owner, and treats people kindly, then it shall be said about him: This is indeed a Shi’a (true believer)...
“We have a right in the Book of Allah, kinship to the Messenger of Allah, and purification from Allah that no one other than us could be the Imam. Mention Allah excessively and remember death! Recite the Qur’an and send peace and blessings on the Prophet, because the sending of blessings on the Prophet has ten good deeds.”
These passages are an excellent code of social behaviour for leading a sound and healthy life, bequeathed to the faithful by the peerless person who reposes in eternal peace in the golden-domed mausoleum of Samarra, along with his venerable father, Imam Ali an-Naqi (AS).
Thus, during his Imamate of six years, mostly spent either in prison or under house arrest, the Eleventh Imam spared no efforts to enlighten minds and souls. His disciples carried his message from North Africa and Spain to Khorasan, and subsequently to India and Central Asia.
It is outside the scope of this brief newspaper column to dwell on many aspects of the days of Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS) including his removing of doubts from the fallible mind of the Philosopher of the Arabs, Yaqoub ibn Ishaq al-Kindi. 
       When this philosopher doubted some of the Ayahs of the Holy Qur’an and by writing a blasphemous book that was dragging him to the brink of the eternal inferno, Imam Hasan Askari’s (AS) timely enlightening of his mind through a common disciple saved him
Al-Kindi repented and tore to pieces whatever rubbish he was trying to write, and said in explicit words that the Prophet’s Righteous Heir had saved him from dying the death of an infidel.
     There are numerous other instances of the glorious 6-year Imamate of the Eleventh Imam, including the dictating of an exegesis of parts of the Holy Qur’an to salvage minds and souls from darkness.
Once, in order to save Muslims from turning towards Christianity on the deception of a monk, whose exposure of a piece of bone of a long-dead saint to the sky, resulted in a freak rainfall during a period of drought, Imam Askari (AS) first took away the bone from the palms of the Christians and then prayed to God Almighty. The result was an abundant rainfall that filled the water sources and made the land lush green again. 
The greatest service of Imam Hasan al-Askari (AS) to humanity was to keep secret the birth of his son and successor, Imam Mahdi (AS), who is occultation, so that the regime would be despaired of finding and killing him.