Muhammad ibn Saʿd said (1): “Ismāʿīl ibn Ibrāhīm al-Asadī related to us, from Ibn ʿAwn, from ʿUmayr ibn Isḥāq (2) who said: ‘Of all those who ever spoke in my presence, none was dearer to me—so that I wished he would never fall silent—than al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī. I never heard him utter a single obscene word save once, when a dispute arose between him and ʿAmr ibn ʿUthmān. Al-Ḥasan said, “All he shall get from us is what rubs his nose in the dust.” That is the harshest expression I ever heard from him.’

Muhammad ibn Saʿd also said (3): “Al-Faḍl ibn Dukayn narrated to us; Musāfir the Plasterer narrated to us, from Ruzaīq ibn Sawwār (4) who said: ‘There was a quarrel between al-Ḥasan and Marwān. Marwān kept hurling harsh words at al-Ḥasan while al-Ḥasan remained silent. Then Marwān blew his nose with his right hand. Al-Ḥasan said to him, “Woe to you! Do you not know that the right hand is for the face, and the left for the privates? Fie upon you!” whereupon Marwān fell silent.’

Abū al-ʿAbbās Muḥammad ibn Yazīd al-Mubarrad said: ‘It was said to al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī, “Abū Dharr (5) says, ‘Poverty is dearer to me than wealth, and sickness is dearer to me than health.’” He replied, “May Allah have mercy on Abū Dharr. As for me, I say: Whoever relies upon Allah’s wise choice for him will never wish to be in any condition other than that which Allah has chosen for him. That is the limit of true acceptance of whatever the decree brings.”’ (6)

Abū Bakr Muḥammad ibn Kaysān al-Aṣamm reported that al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī once said to his companions: ‘I shall tell you about a brother of mine who ranked among the greatest of people in my eyes, and what made him so great was how insignificant this world was in his sight. He was free from the domination of his stomach: he did not crave what he lacked, nor overindulge when it was at hand. He was free from the domination of his passions: his reason and judgment were never led astray by them. He was free from the domination of ignorance: he never extended his hand unless certain of the benefit, [and he never took a single step except toward a good deed] (7). He was neither irritable nor weary. When he sat with scholars, he was keener to listen than to speak; and if bested in conversation, he was never bested in silence. Most of his time he was silent, but when he spoke he outshone (8) all other speakers. He laid claim to no distinction, entered into no wrangling, and advanced no argument unless before a judge who said what he did not practice and practiced what he did not say—out of pure magnanimity. He never neglected his brothers, nor kept anything exclusively for himself. He never reproached (9) anyone for something for which an excuse could be found. Whenever two courses of action confronted him and he could not tell which was closer to the truth, he would look to whichever was nearer to his own desire—then do the opposite.’