Childhood

him up on his shoulders and said, “May my parents be sacrificed on this kid. The boy resembles my master Prophet Mohammad and not his father.” Hearing this, Ali smiled.

(Bukhari)

 Ali relates, “Hasan is the perfect reflection of the Holy

Prophet from head to chest while Husayn is his perfect reflection from chest to feet.” (Tirmidhi 3779)

 Ali ibn Abi Talib says, “Anyone who wants to see a person who is exactly like the Holy Prophet from chest to head, he must see Hasan and anyone who wants to see a person who is exactly like the Holy Prophet from chest to feet, he must

see Husayn.” (Tabarani 2702)

 Anas ibn Malik states, “Nobody resembled the Messenger of

Allah more than Hasan ibn Ali.”

Hasan ibn Ali spent six years and four months under the kind attention of the Holy Prophet and was trained by sacred mother Fatimah bint Mohammad for seven years. His father Ali ibn Abi Talib graced him with beneficence for thirty-seven years. It is obvious that getting nurtured in the shadow of these sacred personalities ingrained same virtues in Hasan ibn Ali as these personalities themselves had. Several traditions verify the Holy Prophet‟s extreme love and affection for Hasan ibn Ali.

 Abu Hurairah narrates, “Hasan ibn Ali is beloved to me since the time I saw him putting his fingers in the Holy

Prophet‟s beard and the Holy Prophet was putting his tongue in Hasan‟s mouth and was saying, „O Allah I keep him beloved, You also make him Your beloved‟.”

 According to another tradition, the Holy Prophet said, “O Allah I love Hasan, You also love him and love the one who

loves him.” (Anwar al-Absaar)

 Ibn Zubayr narrates,

“When the Holy Prophet prostrated while offering salat, Hasan used to climb his back. The Holy Prophet remained in that state until Hasan climbed down by himself. And I saw when the Holy Prophet bowed, Hasan would enter between his feet. The Holy Prophet would not go to prostration until he came out of the other side.” (Tabaqat

ibn-e-Saad)

 Ibn Abbas narrated, “I saw the Holy Prophet was carrying his grandson Hasan on his shoulders when someone said to

Hasan, „O son, your ride is great!‟ The Holy Prophet replied, „The rider is great too‟.” (Bukhari, Muslim)

This is why, Hasan is known as „the rider of shoulders of the Prophet‟ . This is his famous title because he often used to stroll around the streets of Madina riding the sacred shoulders of his grandfather.

سخیالاا سیّد مجتبیٰ ؓحسن ہو

مسلا ںکھولا پہ تعز شود کبارا

Meaning: Countless salutations upon Hasan ibn Ali, the chosen one, master of the benevolent and the rider of shoulders of the Holy Prophet. Along with this love and affection, the Holy Prophet kept training him physically and spiritually. The already sanctified inward of Hasan ibn Ali absorbed Mohammadan light from the Prophet‟s Divine countenance and got enlightened with knowledge and gnosis of Allah. It is related by Tabarani in al-Mu’jam alKabir that the Holy Prophet said, “I have granted clemency to my son Hasan.”