After Imam Hassan (peace be upon him) was born, Lady Fatimah (peace be upon her) said to Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him): “Give him a name.”
Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him) replied: “I will not precede the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) in naming him.”
Imam Hassan was brought to the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family), and he said the call to prayer (adhan) in his right ear and the iqamah in his left ear. Then, the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) asked Amir al-Mu’minin (peace be upon him): “Have you given him a name?”
He replied: “I will not precede you in naming him.”
The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) said: “I will not precede my Lord in naming him.”
Then, Allah commanded Jibril (Gabriel): “A son has been born to Muhammad, go to the earth, convey my greetings to him, congratulate him, and say to him: ‘Ali is to you as Harun was to Musa (Moses).’ Therefore, name him after the son of Harun.”
Jibril came to the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) and delivered Allah’s message.
The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) asked: “What was the name of Harun’s son?”
Jibril replied: “His name was Shubayr.”
The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) said: “My tongue is Arabic.”
Jibril said: “Name him Hassan.”
So, he was named Hassan, because Shubayr in Arabic is Hassan, and the name of Harun’s elder son was Shubayr.
The care and attention the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) showed to Imam Hassan (peace be upon him) are evident in numerous instances, from his birth and naming to the many expressions of love he showed towards him. Below is one of these examples:
Ibn Mas’ud says: “I heard from the Messenger of God: ‘Whoever loves me, loves Hassan and Hussain, because Allah has commanded me to love them.’”
It is narrated that one day, the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) stood for prayer, and Imam Hassan (peace be upon him) was beside him. When the Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) went into prostration (sujood), Imam Hassan mounted his back. The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) prolonged his prostration.
When the Prophet finished his prayer and greeted the congregation, his companions said: “O Messenger of God! You prolonged your prostration to such an extent that we thought revelation had descended upon you.”
The Messenger of God (peace be upon him and his family) replied: “No revelation was sent down upon me, but this son of mine was on my back, and I did not wish to rush his dismounting, so I prolonged the prostration.”
Taken from the book “Jala’ al-‘Uyoun,” written by Allama Majlisi (may God have mercy on him).