The blessed month of Ramadan is the most sacred season in the Islamic calendar, a time of divine mercy, heightened worship, and spiritual renewal for Muslims across the globe. Within its thirty luminous days, certain dates carry a significance that echoes across the centuries, and the 15th of Ramadan is among the most cherished of them all. It marks the birth of Imam Hasan ibn Ali (peace be upon him), the eldest grandson of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him and his family), a man whose life became a living testament to generosity, compassion, and the pursuit of peace.
Born in 3 AH in the radiant city of Medina al-Munawwarah, Imam Hasan (AS) was the son of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA) and Sayyidah Fatimah al-Zahra (RA) and the deeply beloved grandson of the Final Messenger of Allah (SWT). His birth was celebrated as a moment of profound blessing for the entire Muslim Ummah, and his life went on to set a standard of charity and moral excellence that continues to inspire millions around the world today. This Ramadan, as we reflect on his extraordinary legacy, Al Qulub Trust’s Ramadan Appeal invites you to honor his memory through the most powerful act of worship this blessed month has to offer: generously giving to those in need.
Imam Hasan (AS) was born into the most honored lineage in all of Islamic history. His father, Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA), was the cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet (PBUH), the fourth Caliph of Islam, and a man revered across the Islamic scholarly tradition for his unmatched wisdom, his courage, and the extraordinary depth of his knowledge and piety. His mother, Sayyidah Fatimah al-Zahra (RA), was the beloved daughter of the Prophet (PBUH), described in multiple narrations as the leader of the women of Paradise and a woman of extraordinary sacrifice and spiritual strength.
Together, they formed the heart of the Ahlul Bayt, the household of the Prophet (PBUH), whose purification and special status Allah (SWT) affirms directly in the Holy Quran: “Indeed, Allah intends only to remove from you the impurity, O people of the Prophet’s household, and to purify you with extensive purification” (Surah Al-Ahzab, 33:33). Imam Hasan (AS) was therefore not merely born into worldly nobility. He was born as a living continuation of prophetic light, raised within the very household from which the guidance of Allah (SWT) flowed to all of humanity.
According to widely accepted historical accounts, Imam Hasan (AS) was born in the middle of Ramadan in the third year after Hijrah in Medina al-Munawwarah, the city of the Prophet (PBUH). At that time, the Muslim community was still in its formative years, the foundations of the Islamic state were being firmly established, and the month of Ramadan, newly prescribed as the month of obligatory fasting, was being lived with a fervor and spiritual intensity unlike anything the Companions had previously experienced.
His birth at the midpoint of this month of divine mercy was, to those who witnessed it, a deeply symbolic moment, a foreshadowing of the values he would spend his entire life embodying. Upon his birth, the Prophet (PBUH) performed the Adhan in his right ear and the Iqamah in his left, welcomed him into the fold of Islam, and named him “Hasan,” meaning beautiful and good, a name chosen by divine guidance and one that would prove a perfect reflection of everything the man would become.
The Prophet (PBUH) made his feelings about his grandson unmistakably clear throughout his life. He frequently carried Imam Hasan (AS) on his shoulders before his Companions, kissed him openly, and on one famous occasion ascended the pulpit holding him. His declaration about his two grandsons has been preserved and verified in authenticated collections of Hadith for over fourteen centuries.
“Hasan and Husain will be the leaders of the youth of Paradise, and their father is better than them.” Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) Sunan Ibn Majah, 118
Imam Hasan (AS) was widely known by the title Karim Ahl al-Bayt—the Generous One of the Prophet’s Household, a distinction he earned through a lifetime of extraordinary giving. Classical Islamic historical sources record that he divided his entire wealth between himself and the poor on two separate occasions, giving away not only his money but his home and everything within it. This was not an occasional act of charity performed from a position of abundance but a recurring, deeply personal surrender of everything he owned rooted in an unshakeable conviction that wealth is a trust from Allah (SWT) to be used in the service of those in need.
He also performed the Hajj pilgrimage on foot over twenty times, despite having every means to travel in comfort, walking the entire sacred journey as an act of deliberate humility and submission to Allah (SWT). The Prophet (PBUH) taught this very principle in one of the most authenticated narrations in all of Hadith literature: “Charity does not decrease wealth; no one forgives another except that Allah increases his honor; and no one humbles himself for the sake of Allah except that Allah raises his status” (Sahih Muslim, 2588). Imam Hasan (AS) did not merely narrate this teaching; he lived it, completely and repeatedly, throughout his entire life.
One of the most celebrated accounts of Imam Hasan’s (AS) compassion describes the day he came across a group of poor men eating scraps of bread by the roadside. Rather than pass by or send a servant to assist them, he dismounted from his horse, sat beside them in the dust, shared their simple meal, and then invited them to his home for a proper feast. This single act captures the essence of his character: not distant or institutional generosity, but personal, dignified solidarity with the poorest members of his community, expressed in a way that preserved their dignity and honored their humanity.
His devotion to Allah (SWT) was equally profound. He would weep during Salah, and narrations record that his face would pale with awe each time he stood to pray a reflection of the sincere, trembling consciousness of the Divine that he carried within him at every moment. When a servant once accidentally spilled hot food over him, Imam Hasan (AS) responded by freeing the servant entirely, reciting in response the Quranic verses about restraining anger, pardoning others, and doing good (Surah Al-Imran, 3:134) demonstrating in a single exchange the full depth of his forbearance and magnanimity.
Following the martyrdom of Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (RA) in 40 AH, Imam Hasan (AS) assumed the political leadership of the Muslim community at one of the most turbulent moments in early Islamic history. He inherited a community deeply fractured by civil strife, exhausted by years of internal conflict, and now facing the formidable military and political ambitions of Mu’awiya ibn Abi Sufyan. The test before him was not a test of military capability—it was a test of moral vision, political wisdom, and the courage to make a deeply unpopular decision in pursuit of a greater good.
His brief caliphate required him to navigate the most complex of circumstances while maintaining his integrity, his principles, and his commitment to the preservation of Muslim lives. He did not waver. He assessed the situation with absolute clarity and chose a path that his supporters initially questioned but that history has since recognized as one of the most consequential and principled decisions in early Islamic political thought.
In 41 AH, Imam Hasan (AS) entered into a peace treaty with Mu’awiya ibn Abi Sufyan, a year that came to be known as Aam al-Jama’ah (the Year of Unity). Many of his closest supporters urged him to continue the armed conflict, viewing the treaty as a concession. But Imam Hasan (AS) understood that a full-scale war would cost tens of thousands of Muslim lives, devastate families across the Ummah, and cause irreparable harm to the civilization the Prophet (PBUH) had spent his life building. Sunni scholars have also noted that this decision fulfilled a prophetic prediction that Hasan (AS) would one day unite two warring Muslim factions, a sign of the divine wisdom embedded in his choice.
He stipulated firm and non-negotiable conditions within the treaty: the full protection of his supporters from persecution, the preservation of Islamic principles, and the safeguarding of the rights of the community, before agreeing to step aside. Scholars across the breadth of the Islamic scholarly tradition have recognized this not as weakness but as an act of extraordinary moral courage: the willingness to sacrifice personal power and political prestige in order to preserve Muslim lives. The preservation of life (hifz al-nafs) stands as one of the five fundamental objectives of Islamic law, and Imam Hasan (AS) demonstrated his mastery of that principle in the most consequential way possible.
The charitable legacy of Imam Hasan (AS) is documented in specific, concrete detail across the most respected classical sources in Islamic scholarship. He divided his entire accumulated wealth and distributed it to the poor on multiple occasions, giving away his home, his possessions, and everything he owned. He personally fed the destitute, sitting beside the hungry rather than simply sending food from a distance, and he ensured that no one who came to his door ever left without being properly provided for. He walked to Hajj on foot over twenty times, directly assisted those crushed by debt, freed enslaved people, and provided consistent support to widows and orphans throughout the city of Medina.
What makes his charitable legacy so enduring is not merely the scale of his giving but the spirit behind it. His generosity was not an occasional public act performed for recognition; it was a permanent, private state of being, rooted in a deep love for Allah (SWT) and an equally deep love for the people Allah (SWT) had created. To support the poorest families in the world this Ramadan in the spirit of his giving, visit Al Qulub Trust’s Food Security Appeal and help ensure that no family goes hungry during the blessed month.
The values embodied by Imam Hasan (AS) are not confined to history; they are alive and thriving in British Muslim communities today, as confirmed by multiple published research studies. According to Blue State’s UK Muslim Giving Behaviors Report (April 2024), British Muslims give an average of £708 per year, which is more than four times higher than the national average of £165 for non-religious donors. Civil Society The Equi Report (2023–24) estimates that British Muslims collectively contributed around £2.2 billion in charitable donations in that period, with roughly half of respondents indicating plans to increase their giving further in the year ahead.
These figures are remarkable in their own right, but they become even more striking in context. Despite the fact that 50% of British Muslims are considered to be living in poverty compared to just 18% of the wider UK population, the community continues to give at a rate that dwarfs any comparable group in Britain. The Muslim Charities Forum estimates that at least £200 million of total annual Muslim charitable giving is donated during Ramadan alone, underscoring the central importance of this blessed month as a time of transformative generosity. To add your contribution to this extraordinary collective effort, make your general donation through Al Qulub Trust today.
Across the Muslim world and within British Muslim communities, the 15th of Ramadan is honored through charitable and commemorative traditions that draw directly on the example of Imam Hasan (AS). Mosques and Islamic centers organize community food distributions, open iftars welcoming people of all backgrounds, educational gatherings on his life and character, and charitable campaigns directed towards orphans, families in crisis, and those without access to clean water or healthcare. These traditions are not merely symbolic; they are a living, annual act of emulation, a collective decision by the Muslim community to make his values real in the present day.
In the United Kingdom specifically, organizations such as Al Qulub Trust channel this spirit of Ramadan giving into tangible, life-changing relief, providing food packs, healthcare support, water and sanitation projects, and emergency aid to vulnerable communities both in the UK and internationally. Their Orphan Sponsorship Programme provides consistent dignified support to children who have lost their parents, and their Healthcare Appeal brings medical care to those who would otherwise have no access to it, both deeply aligned with the values that Imam Hasan (AS) spent his entire life embodying.
From the holy cities of Mecca and Medina to the Islamic centers of London, Birmingham, and Manchester, the birth of Imam Hasan (AS) is observed across the Muslim world with reverence, communal generosity, and deep spiritual reflection. In countries including Iran, Iraq, Lebanon, and across South Asia, the 15th of Ramadan is marked by illuminated mosques, public gatherings, large-scale food distributions, and charitable campaigns conducted in honor of a man whose very name has become synonymous with giving. In Medina al-Munawwarah itself, where he was born and where he is buried in Jannatul Baqi, pilgrims visiting during Ramadan offer special prayers and reflect on his extraordinary contributions to the moral and spiritual foundations of the Islamic Ummah.
In the United Kingdom, the Muslim community, numbering approximately 3.9 million according to the Office for National Statistics Census 2021, marks this occasion through lectures and seminars by respected scholars; charity drives and food bank contributions; nightly Duas and collective Quran recitations; and youth programs that engage younger generations with the values of generosity, peacemaking, and community service. British Muslims are also significantly more likely to volunteer than the general population, with 43% having volunteered in the past year, compared to just 10% of the wider UK public. This spirit of active, hands-on community service is itself a direct reflection of the legacy of Imam Hasan (AS), a man who did not merely give money but gave his time, his presence, and his personal effort to those in need.
The Prophet (PBUH) was asked about which form of charity carries the greatest reward, and his answer was unambiguous. It has been narrated by Ibn Abbas (RA) that the Prophet (PBUH) said, “The Prophet was asked, ‘Which charity is best?’ He replied, “Charity in Ramadan” (Jami al-Tirmidhi, 663, classed as Hasan by scholars of Hadith). This narration, widely cited and acted upon across the Islamic scholarly tradition, underscores why the 15th of Ramadan, the birth date of one of Islam’s greatest examples of charity, holds such profound spiritual significance as an occasion for giving.
The convergence of the blessed month with the anniversary of his birth creates an unparalleled opportunity for Muslims to deepen their commitment to the values he lived. If you have not yet calculated your Zakat this Ramadan, Al Qulub Trust’s Zakat calculator makes the process straightforward, ensuring your obligatory giving is correctly fulfilled and directed to those who need it most. Every pound given in Ramadan carries a weight of blessing that cannot be replicated at any other time of year.
The 15th of Ramadan is far more than a date in the Islamic calendar. It is an annual summons, a call to remember and emulate a man whose entire life was an unbroken act of worship, service, and moral courage. Imam Hasan ibn Ali (AS) demonstrated through every choice he made that true greatness is not measured in political authority or accumulated wealth but in the depth of one’s generosity, the sincerity of one’s compassion, and the courage of one’s commitment to peace and justice. He chose peace when war was the easier path. He gave away his home when keeping it was the comfortable choice. He sat in the dust beside the poor when distance would have been far more convenient.
Visit Al Qulub Trust and make your general donation today because in every sincere act of charity, the spirit of the Prince of Peace lives on.
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