Hudayth (mother of Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a)
Hudayth (mother of Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a)) Teknonym Umm al-Hasan Epithet Jadda Places of Residence Medina , Samarra Burial Place The Holy Shrine of 'Askariyyayn (a) Notable roles Executor of Imam Hasan al-'Askari's (a) Will Ḥudayth (Arabic: حُدَیث) was Imam al-Hadi's (a) wife and Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari's (a) mother. She was the executor of Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari's (a) will administrating his endowments and charities and a medium between Imam al-Mahdi (a) and people. According to Shiite sources, she was an honorable and pious woman. Since Ḥudayth was Imam al-Mahdi's (a) grandmother, she came to be known as "Jadda" (grandmother). She is buried in the holy shrine of Imam al-Hadi (a) and Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a).
Contents
1 Names and Kunyas
2 Virtues
3 Children
4 Dispute with Ja'far
5 Imam Hasan al-'Askari's (a) Executor
6 Resting Place
7 References
Names and Kunyas
She is known as Hudayth, Salil, Susan, Hurayba, 'Asfan, and Jadda. Her kunya was Umm al-Hasan. She is called Jadda (grandmother) because she is Imam al-Mahdi's (a) grandmother.
Virtues
According to a hadith from Imam 'Ali al-Naqi (a):
Salil is immune from harms, vices and impurities. Then the Imam (a) told Salil: soon will God give His hujja (proof) to people. He will fill the earth with justice, as it is filled with cruelty. She is admired and praised in Shiite sources. In his Jala' al-'uyun, 'Allama al-Majlisi praised her as a virtuous, honorable and poius woman, and in his Anwar al-bahiyya, Shaykh 'Abbas Qummi said that Imam al-'Askari's (a) honorable mother was the most virtuous, pious, pure, and prominent woman of her time, and narrators of hadiths counted her as an ascetic, righteous woman.
Children
Like mothers of some other Imams (a), Hudayth was a bondwoman. Her children with Imam al-Hadi (a) were Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a), Muhammad, Husayn, Ja'far, and 'A'isha.
Dispute with Ja'far Before his demise, Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a) sent his mother to the hajj pilgrimage. When she heard that Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a) passed away, she left Medina to Samarra. When she learned that her other son, Ja'far al-Kadhdhab claimed the position of imamate for himself and seized all of his father's heritage, she complained to the ruler, and the judge ruled in her favor. After a while, Ja'far lost his money, and Jadda had to pay for his living expenses, as well as those of his children and animals.
Imam Hasan al-'Askari's (a) Executor Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari (a) appointed his mother, Hudayth, as the executor of his will and the administrator of his endowments and charities. According to some historical sources, Ahmad b. Ibrahim said that:
In 262/875-76, I visited Hakima, the daughter of Muhammad b. 'Ali al-Rida (Imam Muhammad al-Taqi (a)), Abu l-Hasan al-'Askari's sister in Medina and talked with her about some secret issues and asked her who she takes as the Imam. She said: such and such the son of Hasan (a), and named him. I told her: did you see him or hear about him? She said: I heard about him from Abu Muhammad (Imam al-Hasan al-'Askari) (a) in a letter he wrote for his mother. I asked Hakima: where is that child? She said: he is hiding. I asked: so who should Shiites refuge to? She responded: to his grandmother, Abu Muhammad's (a) mother. I asked: should I follow someone who appointed a woman as his executor? She replied: Imam Hasan al-'Askari (a) followed Imam al-Husayn (a) who apparently addressed his will to his sister, Zaynab bt. 'Ali (a) in order to save Imam al-Sajjad (a)'s life. She then said: you are an informed person. Have you not heard in hadiths that the nineth son of Husayn (a) is alive while his heritage will be distributed? In Kitab al-Ghayba, al-Shaykh al-Tusi wrote that Imam Hasan al-'Askari (a) appointed his mother as the executor of his will to hide the birth of his son. Al-Tusi goes on to say that the same thing was done by Imam al-Sadiq (a) who appointed five people as his executors, one of whom was a woman called Hamida Barbariyya.
Resting Place
Jadda willed to be buried in her own house. Her resting place is now inside the holy shrine of Imam al-Hadi (a) and Imam Hasan al-'Askari (a) in Samarra.
References
The material for writing this article has been mainly taken from (حدیث (مادر امام حسن عسکری in Faris WikiShia.