Al-Hasan ibn ʿAli

Son of ʿAli and Fatima, al-Hasan is the eldest grandson of the Prophet Muhammad and the second imam for the Shiites; for the Sunnis he is the fifth of the caliphs. He is also the ancestor of the Hassanids, among them the Idrisids of Morocco, and thus of the lineage of Shaykh Mohamed Faouzi Al Karkari.

Birth and childhood

Al-Hasan was born in Medina in 3 AH (624-625), the son of ʿAli ibn Abi Talib and Fatima, daughter of the Prophet Muhammad. He spent part of his childhood with his grandfather, who was very attached to him.

The caliphate

After ʿAli's assassination in 661, al-Hasan was recognised as caliph in Kufa. Mu'awiya, governor of Syria, refused to pledge allegiance to him and marched with an army towards Iraq. Anxious to avoid a fratricidal war, al-Hasan negotiated and gave up power after a few months, on precise conditions: that power be exercised according to the Qur'an and the tradition of the Prophet, that the successor be designated by consultation, and that his supporters be protected. That year went down in history as “the year of unity” (ʿam al-jamaʿa).

Withdrawal to Medina

He withdrew to Medina, where he lived modestly. He was renowned for his generosity: tradition reports that on several occasions he shared half of his goods with the poor.

Death

He died in Medina in 670, aged about 46, probably poisoned according to tradition. He was buried in the al-Baqiʿ cemetery.

Descendants

Among his children, al-Hasan al-Muthanna (661-715) was the father of ʿAbd Allah al-Kamil, forefather of the Idrisids. Al-Hasan's descendants, the Hassanids, form one of the two great branches of the sharifs, with the Husaynids.