The memories did not belong to his conditions...

The memories did not belong to his conditions, nor did they belong to the misfortunes of his moment. Those memories pleased al-Hasan. Thus his soul was full of enjoyment and amusement. The pain sometimes extremely hurts the self. Intense thinking and silence sometimes exhaust it. So the self revolts to move from narrowness to vastness, from despair to hope, and from confusion to the indication full of hopes. Al-Hasan thought about the disturbances of his time.

He thought about the future of his religion that was liable to the dangers of this enemy who paid no attention to the holy things. He thought "that if he had put his hand in the hand of his enemy, the enemy would have not allowed him to follow the religion of his grandfather, the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless him and his family."[^1] As for this new surprise, it reminded al-Hasan of one third of a century.

Suddenly, he remembered the houses of the Prophethood, for they competed with each other to attract him. He remembered the places of the descents of revelation, for they vied with each other to embrace him warmly. He remembered the Ansar (helpers) who celebrated him. Those memories were visions. They possessed his feelings. They were sweet dreams that nursed his injuries. This is his (al-Hasan's) grandfather. This is the authority of his Prophethood among his community. These are the holy verses.

They are like the stars. They were revealed from time to time. They were like the postmen who traveled between the sky and the earth. They were revealed at his house. This is his (al-Hasan's) father, the helper of the Prophet and the greatest fighter (mujahid), who made the Arab brave men yield to the Words of Allah, and who conquered the Fort of Khaybar. This is his mother, who was pure and chaste. With her the Prophet challenged the Christians of Najran to a contest of prayers.

So she was meritorious to be the mistress of the women of the world. Al-Hasan remembered all these memories. If these were not external realities, then they were psychological ones. For his divine spirit made them appear before his eyes. He inherited this spirit from his parents ('Ali and Fatima), namely his self was not separated from them. In the meantime his body was with them on the day when Allah formed His delegation to challenge the Christians of Najran to a contest of prayer.

So the delegation was composed of al-Hasan, his grandfather, his father, his mother, and his brother.