الحسن البصري

Hasan al-Basri (RH)

al-Hasan al-Basri

Also known as: Hassan al-Basri

21–110 AH · 642–728 CE

Sufism & Theology Sufism Theology

The great preacher and ascetic of Basra, a towering figure of the Tabi'in generation.

Born in Madinah during the caliphate of 'Umar, al-Hasan grew up among the Companions and later settled in Basra. There he became the city's most famous preacher, known for sermons on sincerity, fear of Allah and detachment from the world, and for speaking frankly to rulers.

He was also a narrator of hadith and a jurist, and he served briefly as judge of Basra. Many later Sufi chains of transmission pass through him. Tradition holds that the theological split that produced the Mu'tazila began when Wasil ibn 'Ata' withdrew from his circle.

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