Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1
Ph.D. of Quranic Sciences and Hadith, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.
2
Ph.D. of Quranic Sciences and Hadith, Faculty of Theology and Islamic Studies, University of Mazandaran, Babolsar, Iran.
10.22034/hsr.2026.52597.1178
Abstract
The portrayal of Imam Ḥasan Mujtabā (AS) as excessively prone to divorce appears in both Shi‘i and Sunni sources. This characterization may be interpreted as a product of Abbasid political propaganda and the fabrication or distortion of narrations. However, certain narrations supporting this notion are found in early Shi‘i sources, such as al-Maḥāsin by Barqī and al-Kāfī by Kulaynī. They are attributed to Imam Ṣādiq (AS) with sound or reliable chains of transmission. Consequently, dismissing the notion of Imam Ḥasan’s frequent divorcing as mere fabrication does not adequately account for the presence of these narrations in authoritative Shi‘i sources. This study aims to elucidate why some sound or reliable narrations regarding this notion were issued and incorporated into Shi‘i hadith sources, utilizing library and documentary research and applying Isnād-based and historical-contextual analysis. Historical context reveals that during Imam Ṣādiq (AS)’s era, the Hasanids, particularly through their anti-Abbasid uprisings, emerged as significant centers of opposition to the government and garnered substantial social support.
In addition to political and military repression, the Abbasids pursued a policy aimed at diminishing the social standing and religious legitimacy of the Hasanid family. Within this context, the narrative of Imam Ḥasan’s frequent divorces may have served as a tool of Abbasid propaganda to undermine both his image and the status of his Hasanid descendants. The study’s findings suggest that Imam Ṣādiq’s limited articulation of this motif can be interpreted as a form of minimal, dissimulation-based accommodation with the prevailing discourse. By distancing the Imamite community from the Hasanid uprisings, this approach could mitigate the caliphate’s suspicion and reduce political pressure on both the Imam and the Shi‘i community. The dissemination of these narrations through a network of transmitters further supports the possibility of their social function. Therefore, narrations regarding Imam Ḥasan’s frequent divorces should be viewed not as historical confirmation, but as contextually situated, dissimulation-based discourse intended to protect the Imam and the Imamite community.
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