Hasan Al-Basri (Arabic: الحسن بن أبي الحسن البصري‎; full name: Al-Hasan ibn Abi-l-Hasan al-Basri), (642–728), was a well-known Sunni preacher, theologian, and scholar of Islam who was born in 642 from Persian parents. Brought up in the house of Umm Salama, Hasan met many companions of Muhammad including, it is said, seventy of the warriors who fought in the Battle of Badr. Hasan grew up to become one of the most prominent figures of his generation, being famous for his piety and condemnation of worldliness. When he died on Friday 5th of Rajab 110 AH, at the age of 89, the entire population of Basra attended his funeral, so that the first time in history of Basra the Jami Masjid of the city remained empty at the hour of the Asr prayer. Hasan quickly became an exemplar for other saints in the area and his personality made a deep impression upon his contemporaries.

Hasan's father, Peroz, was made a prisoner at the town of Maysan, in Iraq. He was later brought to Medina, where he met Khayra, who was to be Hasan's mother. According to tradition, Hasan was born in Medina in 642 C.E. He grew up in and around the area but later, after the Battle of Siffin, decided to move to Basra. As a young man, Hasan took part in the conquests and campaigns in eastern Iran, but he became a famous personality after denouncing arrogance and sin to take up life as pious Muslim in Basra.

Basra (Arabic: البصرة‎; BGN: Al Baṣrah) is the capital of Basra Governorate, in southern Iraq near Kuwait and Iran. It had an estimated population of two million as of 2009. Basra is also Iraq's main port, although it does not have deep water access, which is handled at the port of Umm Qasr.

The city is part of the historic location of Sumer, the home of Sinbad the Sailor, and a proposed location of the Garden of Eden. It also played an important role in early Islamic history, being built in 636 CE, or 14 AH. It is Iraq's second largest and most populous city after Baghdad.

The city was called by many names throughout its history, Basrah being the most common. Although some Chaldean Christians argue that the name has Akkadian roots, other sources claim that the name is derived from the Persian word Bas-rah, which means "where many paths meet". During the pre-Islamic era, the area was known to the Arabs as al-Khariba due to the existence of an ancient city called al-Kharba. After the present city was built, it was called by many names, including "the mother of Iraq", "the reservoir of Arabs", "the prosperous city", and "al-Faiha".