Martyrdom of Imam Hasan al-Askari

Imam Hasan al-Askari, the eleventh Imam in Twelver Shi'a Islam, spent much of his life under Abbasid surveillance in Samarra and died there in 874. His title al-Askari reflects the military garrison district in which he lived. Twelver teaching identifies him as the father of Muhammad al-Mahdi, the hidden twelfth Imam.

Iran observes his death on 8 Rabi al-Awwal with a nationwide public holiday. Worshippers attend mourning assemblies, religious teachers discuss his reported letters and traditions, and some pilgrims travel to the al-Askari shrine in Samarra, Iraq. Because Friday is already Iran’s statutory weekly rest day, a Friday occurrence does not automatically create a substitute Monday.

Imam Hasan al-Askari, the eleventh Twelver Imam, lived under Abbasid surveillance in Samarra and died in 874. Twelver belief identifies him as the father of the hidden Imam Mahdi, giving his death a decisive place in the line of the Imams. Iran’s official 1405 calendar marks 8 Rabi al-Awwal as a public holiday. The 2026 date is Friday, August 21; Friday already is the Labour Law’s weekly paid rest day, and no universal substitute Monday follows automatically.