Sayyiduna Hasan bin Ali رضي الله عنهما, who was the grandson of the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم, the leader of the youth of Paradise, and the beloved son of Hazrat Fatimah az-Zahra رضي الله عنها, was poisoned. Umair bin Ishaq narrated the details of this incident:
دخلت أنا ورجل علی الحسن بن علی نعودہ ، فجعل یقول لذلک الرجل: سلنی قبل أن لا تسألنی ، قال: ما أرید أن أسألک شیأا ، یعافیک اللّٰہ ، قال: فقام فدخل الکنیف ، ثمّ خرج إلینا ، ثمّ قال: ما خرجت إلیکم حتی لفظت طائفۃ من کبدی أقلبہا بہذا العود ، ولقد سقیت السمّ مرارا ، ما شیء أشدّ من ہذہ المرّۃ ، قال: فغدونا علیہ من الغد ، فإذا ہو فی السوق ، قـال : وجاء الحسین فجلس عند رأسہ ، فقال: یا أخی ، من صاحبک ؟ قال : ترید قتلہ ؟ قال: نعم ، قال: لئن کان الذی أظنّ ، للّٰہ أشدّ نقمۃ ، وإن کان بریأا فما أحبّ أن یقتل بریء . ”
I and another person went to visit Sayyiduna Hasan bin Ali رضي الله عنهما. Sayyiduna Hasan رضي الله عنهما said to that person: Ask me a question before your opportunity to ask ends. That person replied: I do not want to ask you any question, may Allah grant you healing. After that, Sayyiduna Hasan رضي الله عنهما got up and went to the restroom. When he returned, he said: Before coming to you, I expelled a piece of my liver (through defecation) and was turning it with a stick. I have consumed poison many times, but this time it was the most severe.
The narrator states that when we came to him the next day, may Allah be pleased with them, he was in a dying state. During this time, Sayyiduna Hussain, may Allah be pleased with him, came and sat by his bedside. He asked: O my brother! Who is the one who poisoned you? Sayyiduna Hasan, may Allah be pleased with them both, replied: Do you want to kill him? He said: Yes! Sayyiduna Hasan, may Allah be pleased with them both, said: If he is the one I suspect, then Allah is the most severe in taking revenge, and if he is innocent, then I do not want to kill any innocent person.
Who was the one who poisoned Sayyiduna Hasan bin Ali رضي الله عنهما? The Shia claim that Sayyiduna Hasan رضي الله عنه was poisoned with the involvement of Sayyiduna Muawiya bin Abi Sufyan رضي الله عنهما. However, this claim is baseless and unsubstantiated. The following is a critical review of the arguments presented by the Shia:
Argument Number 1: Ibn Abdul Barr narrated
“Abu Zaid Umar bin Shubah and Abu Bakr bin Abi Khaythamah say that Musa bin Ismail narrated to us, he narrated from Abu Bilal, who narrated from Qatadah that Hazrat Hussain (may Allah be pleased with him) said to Hazrat Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him): O brother! I have been poisoned, but never like this time. My liver is coming out. Hazrat Hussain (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: Who poisoned you? Hazrat Hasan (may Allah be pleased with both of them) said: Why do you ask about this? Do you want to fight them? I entrust their matter to Allah. When Hazrat Hasan (may Allah be pleased with both of them) passed away and the news of his death reached Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him), he said: It is surprising, Hasan drank a cup of honey with water from Rome and passed away.”
Commentary:
The chain of this narration has been declared extremely “weak” because its narrator Muhammad bin Salim Abu Hilal Al-Rasbi (d. 167 AH) is considered “weak” by the majority of hadith scholars. The statements of various eminent scholars about him are as follows:
Scholars who criticized:
Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
“حديثه مضطربة” His narrations from Qatadah are inconsistent.
Imam Yahya bin Ma’in, may Allah have mercy on him, was asked about Abu Hilal Al-Rasbi’s narrations from Qatadah. He replied:
“فيه ضعف، لا شيء”
Imam Ibn ‘Adi, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
“جميع أحاديثه عن قتادة مضطربة”
Due to the criticism of these three Imams, this narration is proven weak because it is narrated by Abu Hilal from Qatadah.
Imam Ibn Sa’d, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
“فيه ضعف”
Imam An-Nasa’i, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
“ليس بالقوي”
Imam Abu Zur’ah Ar-Razi, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
“ضعيف”
Imam Yazid bin Zuray’, says:
“ليس بشيء”
He also says:
“كنت أتعمد أن لا أسمع منه”
Imam Yahya bin Sa’id Al-Qattan did not take narration from him.
Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
“كان شيخاً صادقاً لكنه يخطئ كثيراً”
Imam Al-Bazzar, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
“وقد أخذ المحدثون حديثه”
Position of the Mu‘addileen:
Imam Al-Daraqutni, may Allah have mercy on him, has called him trustworthy.
However, this statement contradicts another statement of Imam Al-Daraqutni in which he declared him “weak.”
Imam Abu Hatim Ar-Razi, may Allah have mercy on him, considered him closer to the muhadditheen.
But this view is unacceptable compared to the criticism of the majority.
Imam Yahya ibn Ma‘in, may Allah have mercy on him, said in one statement that “لا بأس به”
but in another narration, he himself declared him weak.
Imam Abu Dawood, may Allah have mercy on him, also called him trustworthy.
but this statement is rejected due to the narrator’s absence.
Further Weaknesses:
Qatadah ibn Da‘amah is a mudallis (one who practices tadlees), which makes this narration weak. The principle is that when a trustworthy mudallis narrates with “‘an” or “qala” other than in Bukhari and Muslim, the narration is considered “weak.”
Absence of Samāʿ:
Qatadah bin Duʿāmah’s Samāʿ from the two Hasanains is not established, therefore this narration is disconnected, and a disconnected narration does not become proof.
Evidence Number 2: Statement of Haitham bin ʿAdī
“Haitham bin ʿAdī said that Sayyiduna Muʿāwiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) offered Sayyiduna Hasan’s (may Allah be pleased with him) wife, Suhail bint ʿAmrah, one thousand dinars so that she would poison Sayyiduna Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him). She sent that poison to him, and they accomplished this act.”
Commentary:
This narration is fabricated, i.e., invented. The narrator of this narration is Haitham bin ʿAdī, who is unanimously considered a liar and a transmitter of abandoned hadith (narrations that have been discarded). For this reason, this narration is not authentic and the Shia use it as a basis for their beliefs.
Evidence Number 3: Narration of Imam Ibn Saʿd
Abdullah bin Hasan narrates that Sayyiduna Hasan bin Ali رضي الله عنه used to marry frequently, and his wives had only a short time to stay with him. The women who married him would come to love him. It is said that he was poisoned, but he survived. Then he was poisoned again, but he recovered once more. The last time he was poisoned, he passed away. When his death was near, the physician came and said: This is the person whose intestines have been eaten away by poison. Husayn رضي الله عنه said: O Abu Muhammad! Tell me who gave you the poison? Hasan رضي الله عنه said: Why do you ask, O my brother? Husayn رضي الله عنه replied: By Allah! I will kill him before your burial or I will not be able to control myself, or he will be in a land difficult to reach. Hasan رضي الله عنه said: O my brother! This world consists of a few fleeting nights, leave it; I will meet him with Allah. He refused to reveal his name. I have heard from some people that Muawiyah رضي الله عنه had persuaded a servant of Husayn رضي الله عنه to poison him.
Commentary:
This narration is extremely weak because its narrator is Muhammad bin Umar Al-Waqidi, who is a liar. According to the scholars of hadith, Al-Waqidi is unanimously accused of lying, therefore his narrated reports cannot be accepted.
Evidence Number 4: Narration of Abu Bakr bin Hafs
“Sayyiduna Hasan bin Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, and Saad bin Abi Waqqas, may Allah be pleased with him, died ten years after the rule of Sayyiduna Muawiya, may Allah be pleased with him. People believed that Sayyiduna Muawiya, may Allah be pleased with him, had poisoned them.”
Commentary:
This narration is a satanic fabrication, concocted by Shia narrators and used as a basis for their beliefs. The following defects exist in this narration:
The author of the book is an Umayyad Shia:
There is no reliable authentication regarding this. The author’s student Muhammad bin Abi al-Fawaris says:
“كان قد اختلط عقله قبل موته”
The narrator of the narration is Ahmad bin Ubaidullah bin Ammar:
Imam Al-Khatib Al-Baghdadi states:
“كان على مذهب الشيعة”
Hafiz Zahbi says:
“كان من رؤساء الشيعة”
There is no authentic verification available regarding this.
Main Narrator Isa bin Mehran:
Hafiz Zahbi says:
“كان رافضياً كذاباً”
Imam Abu Hatim al-Razi says:
“كان كذاباً”
Imam Ibn Adi has declared him very weak in terms of hadith narration.
Khatib Baghdadi writes:
“كان عيسى بن مهران شيطاناً من شياطين الرافضة، وبلغني عنه كتاب فيه طعن على الصحابة وتكفيرهم وتفسيقهم، والله إنني قرأته فاقشعر جلدي لما فيه من أحاديث مكذوبة.”
Evidence Number 5: The narration of Umair bin Ishaq
“Umair bin Ishaq narrates that I was present in the house with Hasan and Husayn, may Allah be pleased with them. Sayyiduna Hasan, may Allah be pleased with him, entered through the door, then came out and said: I have been poisoned…”
Comment:
This narration is also fabricated and its meaning and implication are the same as those of the previously mentioned narrations. It contains the same defects and weaknesses present in the earlier narrations, therefore it cannot be relied upon.
Evidence Number 6: The story of Yazid and Ja’dah
“Ibn Ja’dah said that Ja’dah bint al-Ash’at bin Qays, who was married to our master Hasan bin Ali, may Allah be pleased with them both, was told by Yazid to poison Hasan, and he would marry her. She did so, and when Hasan, may Allah be pleased with him, passed away, Ja’dah demanded Yazid fulfill his promise. Yazid said: By Allah! We did not choose you for Hasan, so how would we choose you for ourselves?”
Commentary:
This story is false. It is based on the narration of Yazid bin Iyad bin Ja’dah al-Laithi, which various leading hadith scholars have classified as “weak,” “rejected hadith,” and “abandoned hadith.” There is no authentic statement supporting its authentication. The opinions of the hadith scholars regarding this are as follows:
Yazid bin Iyad bin Ja’dah al-Laithi:
Imam Yahya bin Ma’in, Imam Ali bin al-Madini, Imam Bukhari, Imam Muslim, Imam Nasai, Imam Ibn Adi, Imam Abu Zur’ah al-Razi, Imam Abu Hatim al-Razi, Imam Saji, Imam Juzjani, Imam Amr bin Ali al-Fallas, and other Muhaddithin have declared him “weak,” “denier of hadith,” and “abandoned hadith.”
Muhammad bin Khalaf bin al-Marzuban al-Ajri:
None of the earlier Muhaddithin authenticated him. Imam Darqutni, may Allah have mercy on him, says:
“كان رجلاً ضعيفاً في التاريخ”
Therefore, it is not correct for Hafiz Dhahabi, may Allah have mercy on him, to classify him as “Saduq” (truthful).
Evidence Number 7: The narration of Umm Musa regarding Ja’dah bint al-Ash’at
“Umm Musa narrates that Ja’dah bint al-Ash’at bin Qais poisoned Sayyiduna Hasan, may Allah be pleased with him, which caused him to fall ill. A vessel was placed under him and another was taken away; this continued for about forty days.”
Comment:
The chain of this narration is weak because the identity of the narrator named Ya’qub is uncertain, and its transmission from Umm Musa is also not established. Therefore, this narration cannot be relied upon.
Overall Analysis:
All those narrations in which Sayyiduna Muawiyah رضي الله عنه or Yazid are accused of poisoning Sayyiduna Hasan bin Ali رضي الله عنهما are all fabricated and unauthentic. If anyone has any other chain of narration besides these, it can be examined. But none of these narrations are reliable, and forming beliefs based on narrations without chains or weak narrations is not the way of the people of truth.
Presenting weak and baseless narrations about the Companions is not permissible
Because this falls under suspicion, and avoiding suspicion has been commanded. Suspicion has been declared the greatest lie.
Contradiction with the Rafidi Shia belief:
These false narrations are also against the beliefs of the Rafidi Shias, because it is written in the authentic books of the Shia religion that:
“الأئمة يعلمون متى يموتون، ولا يموتون إلا باختيارهم.”
Mulla Baqir Majlisi writes:
“ما من إمام إلا ويقتل أو يموت مسموماً”
If their belief is that the Imams are the unseen guardians, then why did Sayyiduna Hasan bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with them) not know that there was poison in his food?
Final Conclusion:
The claim that Sayyiduna Muawiya (may Allah be pleased with him) poisoned Sayyiduna Hasan bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with them) is a great lie and baseless accusation, because all the narrations regarding this are fabricated and unauthentic.
And Allah knows best, and His knowledge is the most wise!
