Hasan al-Basri

Abu Sa'id al-Hasan ibn Abi al-Hasan Yasar al-Basri (21-110 AH / 642-728 CE) was one of the most prominent Tabi'een (Successors) and a towering figure in early Islamic scholarship and spirituality. Born in Madinah and raised in the household of Sayyidah Umm Salamah, he later settled in Basra where he became the most influential scholar of his generation. He was renowned for his asceticism (zuhd), moving sermons that would bring people to tears, deep knowledge of the Quran and Sunnah, and his fearless speaking of truth to those in power. Many chains of spiritual transmission (silsila) in Tasawwuf trace through him.