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Hassān ibn Thābit
Hassān was a companion of the great Messenger (s.a.w.) and his poet1 about whom the Prophet (s.a.w.) said : “O Hassān! You will continue to be assisted by the Holy Spirit as long as you give assistance to us by your tongue.” He was a poet from among the Ansārs who used to satire the polytheists of Quraysh. He was also the one who versified the event of Ghadir al-Khumm in a poem.2
Hassān was a very coward, so he did not attend any of the battles of the Prophet (s.a.w.).3 He was a follower of `Uthmān and deviated away from Imām Ali (a.s.).4 He did not participate in the pledge of allegiance to Ali (a.s.) nor did he participate in any of the Imām’s battles, and he did not write any poems in honor of Imām Ali (a.s.) after his caliphate.
Hassān lived for sixty years in the pre-Islamic era (al-jāhiliya) and sixty years after the advent of Islam.5
61. Al-Mustadrak `alā al-Sahihayn –narrating from `Urwa on the authority of Safiya, daughter of `Abd al-Muttalib: “I was the first woman to kill a man. I was in the shelter of Hassān ibn Thābit and he stayed with the children and women while the Prophet (s.a.w.) was digging the ditch.”
Safiya said: “A Jewish man passed nearby and wandered around our fort. I said to Hassān: “This Jewish man is approaching the shelter as you see and our women are not safe while the Prophet (s.a.w.) and his companions are unaware of us. Go and kill him.”
Hassān said: “May God bless you, daughter of `Abd al-Muttalib! By God, you know I am not a man for this.”
Safiya said: “When Hassān said so and I found that he was not going to do anything, I prepared myself then picked up a pole from the shelter and went down to that person and beat him with the pole until I killed him. I then returned to the shelter and said: “O Hassān! Get out and take his clothes off. I would have done it myself had I not been a woman.’”
Hassān said: “I have no need to ransack him.”6
1.. Siyar A`alām al-Nubalā, vol. ۲, p. ۵۱۲, h. ۱۰۶.
2.. al-Irshād, vol. ۱, p. ۱۷۷, Khasā'is al-A'imma, p. ۴۲, I`lām al-Warā, vol. ۱, p. ۲۶۲ ۲۶۳.
3.. Siyar A`alām al-Nubalā, vol. ۲, p. ۵۱۳-۵۲۱, h. ۱۰۶, Usd al-Ghāba, vol. ۲, p. ۶-۹, h. ۱۱۵۳.
4.. Muruj al-Dhahab, vol. ۲, p. ۳۵۶, Ansāb al-Ashrāf, vol. ۳, p. ۱۶۴, al-Ghārāt, vol. ۱, p. ۲۲۱.
5.. Siyar A`lām al-Nubalā, vol. ۲, p. ۵۱۲, h. ۱۰۶, Usd al-Ghāba, vol. ۲, p. ۹, h. ۱۱۵۳.
6.. al-Mustadrak `alā al-Sahihayn, vol. ۴, p. ۵۶, h. ۶۸۶۷, al-Sunan al-Kubrā, vol. ۶, p. ۵۰۲, h. ۱۲۷۷۲.
