21/08/2026
🏴 | Today marks the martyrdom anniversary of the 11th Imam, Imam Hasan al-Askari (A), the last Imam from the Ahlulbayt (A) to live physically among the Muslim community and the father of the Awaited Imam, Imam Muhammad al-Mahdi (A). His martyrdom officially concludes the two months and eight days of mourning observed across the Shi’a world, beginning with Muharram and continuing through Safar. Imam Hasan al-Askari (A) was martyred in Samarra at the age of 28 by the Abbasid tyrant al-Mu’tamid, after years of imprisonment, surveillance, and strict military confinement imposed to isolate him from his followers and prevent the continuation of the line of Imamate. The Abbasid regime feared the birth of the promised Imam al-Mahdi (A), and therefore subjected the Imam, his household, and the Shi’a community to intense monitoring, persecution, and political pressure.
Historical discussions surrounding this period also mention the influence of powerful Jewish financiers and money changers, known as jahbadh, within the Abbasid court, with some historical and sectarian accounts arguing that these financial networks played a supporting role in the regime’s surveillance, intelligence gathering, and economic pressure against Imam Hasan al-Askari (A) and the Shi’a in Samarra, although historians differ on the extent of this influence.
Alongside the political struggle, Imam Hasan al-Askari (A) became one of the foremost defenders of Islamic theology, engaging in debates against intellectual deviations and false interpretations of religion. One of his most well-known discussions is his commentary on Surah al-Baqarah, verse 78, where he criticizes the Awam al-Yahud (the common Jews), distinguishing between sincere followers of divine revelation and those who blindly followed corrupt religious authorities despite the truth being evident to them. The Imam emphasized that believers carry the responsibility of seeking authentic knowledge and not surrendering to blind imitation or distorted religious leadership.
His martyrdom therefore marks not only the end of the public presence of the Imams among the people before the occultation of Imam al-Mahdi (A), but also the completion of one of the most significant periods of mourning and remembrance in the Shi’a calendar.
