❖ Introduction
The original article has been authored by Shaykh Ghulam Mustafa Zaheer Ameenpuri (حفظه الله). For ease of reading, it has been enhanced with headings and structured formatting.Sayyiduna Hasan bin Ali (رضي الله عنهما), the beloved grandson of the Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, the leader of the youth of Paradise, and the cherished son of Fatimah al-Zahra (رضي الله عنها), was poisoned. This tragic incident is narrated in detail by ʿUmayr ibn Isḥāq:
دخلت أنا ورجل علی الحسن بن علی نعودہ...
Translation summary of the narration:
‘I entered along with another man to visit Hasan bin Ali (RA) during his illness. He urged the man to ask him anything before it was too late. Hasan (RA) went to relieve himself, then returned and said he had vomited a piece of his liver due to poison. He said he had been poisoned before, but never had it been this severe. The following day, he was in critical condition. When his brother Husayn (RA) arrived and asked who poisoned him, Hasan (RA) replied that if the person was truly guilty, Allah would exact retribution; but if innocent, he would not want an innocent person killed.’
This narration is recorded in:
Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah (15/93, 94), Kitab al-Muḥtadarīn by Ibn Abi Dunya (132), Mustadrak al-Hakim (3/176), al-Istiʿāb by Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr (3/115), Tārīkh Ibn ʿAsākir (13/282) — with a ḥasan chain of transmission.
❖ Who Poisoned Hasan (RA)? — The Shia Claim Examined
Shi'a sources allege that Sayyiduna Muʿāwiyah bin Abi Sufyan (RA) was behind the poisoning. This claim, however, is baseless and unauthenticated. Below is a critical analysis of the arguments presented by Shi'a proponents:◈ Who Poisoned Hasan (RA)? — The Shia Claim Examined
A narration involving Abū Hilāl al-Rāsibī — known for his weak memory — has been cited.Critical Comments:
- Rejected by major hadith critics like Imam Ahmad, Ibn Maʿīn, Ibn Saʿd, Nasā’ī, and others.
- His narrations from Qatādah are confused and unreliable.
- Qatādah was a known mudallis, and no clear evidence of hearing from Hasan or Husayn (RA) exists.
- The chain is weak and disconnected.
◈ Argument ①: Report by Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr
Claim: Muʿāwiyah offered a woman (wife of Hasan RA) 1000 dinars to poison him.Critical Comments:
- Narrator Haysam bin ʿAdī is considered a fabricator and liar.
- This narration is fabricated (موضوع).
◈ Argument ②: Statement by Haysam bin ʿAdī
Critical Comments:- Muḥammad bin ʿUmar al-Wāqidī is unanimously declared a liar and fabricator.
- This narration holds no scholarly weight.
◈ Argument ③: Narration from Ibn Saʿd via al-Wāqidī
Claims that people thought Muʿāwiyah poisoned Hasan (RA).Critical Comments:
- Based on narrators who were Rāfiḍī extremists.
- ʿĪsā bin Mihrān: labeled a liar and a devil by major hadith critics.
- Contains accusations against companions, fabricated statements.
◈ Argument ④: Report in Maqātil al-Ṭālibīn
Same as earlier narration, no new evidence or reliable chain.◈ Argument ⑤: Another Version by ʿUmayr ibn Isḥāq
Claim: Yazīd promised marriage to Jaʿdah in exchange for poisoning Hasan (RA).Critical Comments:
- Based on Yazīd bin ʿIyāḍ bin Jaʿdah al-Laythī, declared:
- Weak (ḍaʿīf), rejected (munkar al-ḥadīth), abandoned (matrūk al-ḥadīth) by scholars like Bukhārī, Muslim, and others.
- No credible scholar has authenticated this report.
◈ Argument ⑥: Story of Yazīd and Jaʿdah bint al-Ashʿath
Claim that Jaʿdah poisoned Hasan (RA) over a 40-day period.Critical Comments:
- Contains an unknown narrator (Yaʿqūb) and lacks verification of transmission from Umm Musā.
- Hence, this chain is also weak.
❖ Comprehensive Analysis
All narrations implicating Muʿāwiyah (RA) or Yazīd in the poisoning of Hasan (RA) are fabricated, weak, or baseless. No reliable isnād supports this accusation.❖ Warning Against Spreading Weak Narrations About the Companions
Spreading such narratives:- Falls under sū’ al-ẓann (evil suspicion), which is condemned.
- Builds beliefs on unfounded or weak sources, which is not the methodology of the Ahl al-Ḥaqq.
❖ Contradiction in Shi'a Belief
Shi'a doctrines claim:"The Imams know when they will die and do not die except by their own choice."
(Uṣūl al-Kāfī al-Kulaynī: 1/258)
"Every Imam either dies a martyr or is poisoned."
(Bihār al-Anwār al-Majlisī: 43/364)
If Hasan (RA) was aware of the poison, why did he not avoid it?
❖ Conclusion
The accusation that Muʿāwiyah (RA) poisoned Hasan (RA) is a grave lie and baseless allegation, supported only by fabricated or weak narrations. The only authentic reports abstain from naming any perpetrator, and Hasan (RA) himself refrained from making accusations.وَاللهُ أَعْلَم، وَعِلْمُهُ أَحْكَم!
