Introduction

This is the story of a severe drought in Samarra, a time when the people were shaken by what they saw and what they thought they saw. Muslim prayers for rain brought no result, but Christian monks appeared to bring rain through an act that confused the public and created doubt. In the middle of this crisis, Imam Hasan Askari, peace be upon him, was brought out of prison to reveal the truth.

Historical Background

The event took place in Samarra during the imamate of Imam Hasan Askari, peace be upon him, while he was living under severe Abbasid pressure and imprisonment.

The city suffered from famine and drought. The Abbasid Caliph, Al-Mu'tamid, ordered the people to perform the prayer for rain, Salat al-Istisqa. The Muslims went into the desert for three days and prayed, but no rain came.

Then the Christian Catholicos, the Jathiliq, came out with his bishops and monks. When one of the monks raised his hand to the sky, rain began to fall. The same thing happened again the next day. This caused confusion among the Muslims, and many people began to doubt. The situation became serious, and the Caliph became alarmed.

The Story

When the drought continued, Al-Mu'tamid sent for Imam Hasan Askari, peace be upon him, and brought him out of prison.

The Caliph spoke to him in fear and urgency, saying: "Save the Ummah of your grandfather! The people are realizing they have been misled!"

Imam Hasan Askari told him, "Let the people go to the desert tomorrow, on Tuesday."

The Caliph replied that there was no need, because enough rain had already come and the people no longer wanted to go out again.

The Imam answered, "By the will of Allah, I will dispel the doubt and suspicion."

The next day, following the Imam's instruction, the Caliph ordered everyone out to the desert. The bishops and monks came again, along with a great crowd of Muslims and Imam Hasan Askari, peace be upon him.

When a certain monk raised his hand to pray for rain, the sky became cloudy at once and rain began to fall.

At that moment, the Imam ordered his companions to seize the monk's hand and remove whatever was hidden between his fingers. They opened his hand and found a dark, blackish human bone concealed there.

The bone was given to Imam Hasan Askari, peace be upon him. He wrapped it in a piece of cloth and then told the monk, "Now pray for rain!"

The monk raised his hands again. This time the clouds disappeared immediately, the sky cleared, and the bright sun appeared.

The Caliph was amazed and asked the Imam, "What is this bone?"

Imam Hasan Askari, peace be upon him, explained that it was a bone from among the bones of the divine prophets, taken from a prophet's graveyard.

Then he revealed the law at work in this matter: whenever the bone of a prophet is exposed to the open sky, rain will surely fall.

Ending

With this explanation, the confusion was removed. What had seemed like a miracle through the monks was shown to be dependent on the hidden bone. The Imam exposed the truth and ended the doubt that had spread among the people.

Lessons from the Story

This story shows that during times of confusion, the knowledge of the Imam is a protection for the Ummah.

It also shows the weakness and dependence of tyrants. The Abbasid Caliph had imprisoned Imam Hasan Askari, yet when the faith of the people was threatened, he had no choice but to seek the Imam's help.

The story also shows the sanctity of the prophets. Even the bones of the prophets were connected to a special divine effect.

Most importantly, it teaches that truth can be hidden by appearance, but the Imam's wisdom separates reality from illusion.

Quran and Hadith

The provided research does not attach a specific Quranic verse to this report.

No separate standalone hadith was quoted in the text of this story.

Sources

  • Ihqāq al-Haqq (احقاق الحق), Volume 12, page 470.
  • Ihqāq al-Haqq (احقاق الحق), Volume 12, page 470.