Imam Hasan al Askari is the 11th infallible successor from pure progeny of the holy prophet who undertook serious efforts to revive genuine divine teachings at sensitive juncture of history.
Imam al Askari, Born in Madina on the 10th of Rabuil Akhar 232 Hijri ( 6.12.846 AD) Died in Samarrah Iraq on 8th of Rabiul Awwal 260 Hijri (4.1.874) aged 28 years. Period of Imamate 6 years.
Samarra (Surre Mun Ra’) was a garrison town about 60 miles north of Baghdad. River Euphrates flows in the middle of the town, and because of the surrounding hills a cool breeze keeps the area cooler in comparison to Baghdad.
Imam Hasan al Askari’s (as) life from childhood to adulthood was spent in this house where his father Imam ‘Ali Naqi (as) was to remain under house arrest by the Abbasid Caliphate.
Imam’s life in Samarrah was not in peace even under house arrest. From time to time he was taken to Baghdad, questioned and put in prison there. On one such occasion, the Imam was taken by guards to Baghdad where he was kept in prison during the short reign of the Caliph al-Muktadi and al-Mu’tamid afterwards.
The Rasekhouna fil-Ilm (firmly grounded in esoteric knowledge) – to use the Qur'anic term in the honour of the Imams – were the divinely-decreed vicegerents of Prophet Muhammad (SAWA) on earth.
In other words, neither imprisonment could hamper their mission nor could martyrdom. Imam Askari (AS) in his brief period of spiritual leadership of the ummah, in between the bouts of imprisonment to which he was subjected or held under house arrests, expounded to the faithful the true meaning of the holy Qur'an.
During the rule of Al-Mu’tamid poison was given to the Imam mixed in some fruit and he was martyred on 8th Rabi-al-Awwal 260 Hijri. He left only one son, whose name was Muhammad who was only five years old when his father died.
Our Eleventh Imam was buried in the same house where he had passed away, by the side of his father Imam ‘Ali Naqi (as) . By the passage of time, the place was transformed into a great mausoleum and pilgrims from all over the Islamic lands came to pay their homage to the two Imams of Ahlul Bayt who were buried there.