IMAM HASAN'S ROLE IN ISLAMIC LIFE - Imam Hasan Bin Ali [Electronic resources] نسخه متنی

IMAM HASAN'S ROLE IN ISLAMIC LIFE

At an early age, the role of the grandson of the Holy
Prophet (s.a.w.) began to evidence itself. It was before
he was officially appointed to the office of Imamate by
his father. His positive role took shape clearly from the
moment the Muslim ummah gave their pledge of allegiance
to Imam Ali (a.s.) as the new caliph. It rose to its
zenith after the martyrdom of Imam Ali (a.s.).

Imam Hasan (a.s.) performed all the tasks assigned to him
with unparalleled efficiency, ability, wisdom and
insight. If one examines the life of Imam Hasan (a.s.) he
will realize that his role underwent two phases:

Stage One: During His Father's Lifetime

Imam Hasan's (a.s.) role, during the lifetime of his
father, and especially under his caliphate, was marked by
his total obedience to his father, who was his example
and leader. He dealt with him, not only as a kind son,
but also as an obedient soldier in the deepest sense of
the word, with its implications of compliance and
discipline. The role of Imam Hasan (a.s.) was expressed,
during all the critical days his father, Imam Ali (a.s.),
lived through, in total submission to his father, his
leader and the source of his inspiration.

Following are some of his deeds during this part of
his life:

A. After the camp of Imam Ali (a.s.) was attacked, due
to the mutiny of Talha and al-Zubair in the city of
Basrah, and after the rising of the deviants under the
leadership of Mu'awiyah bin Abu-Sufyan, Imam Ali (a.s.)
felt he needed the support of the masses of Kufah to
protect the right and put down the sedition kindled by
some people. For that mission, he chose his elder son,
Hasan (a.s.). He ordered him to encourage the people of
Kufah to champion the pure Islamic cause, represented by
Imam Ali (a.s.). Imam Hasan (a.s.) accepted the mission
and made for Kufah in the company of Ammar bin Yasir.
Imam Hasan (a.s.) was carrying an edict from Imam Ali
(a.s.) to his governor in Kufah, Abu-Musa al-Ash'ari,
relieving him of his post due to his disgraceful stance
in failing Imam Ali (a.s.) and turning his back on the
indisputable truth.

As soon as he entered Kufah, the multitudes swelled
around Imam Hasan (a.s.) declaring their loyalty and
their readiness to help him. He made a speech, in which
he blew enthusiasm into their inept souls, and urged the
people to hoist the banner of jihad high. Imam Hasan
(a.s.) was most successful in accomplishing his mission.
He exorted them to support the right, defend the message
and its noble state.(16)

B. The battle of al-Jamal (The Camel) had already
ended in Basrah. Mu'awiyah was rapidly gathering Syrian
forces, stationing them at Siffin. Imam Ali (a.s.) got
wind of the moves of the Ummayad party. He divulged the
news to his soldiers, and asked their council. They all
announced their readiness to do whatever Imam Ali (a.s.)
ordered them.

In the meantime, Imam Hasan (a.s.) was standing amid the
masses calling them to rally around the truth. In one of
his speeches he said:

"Thanks be to Allah. There is no god other
than He. He has no partner. I praise Him and He is
Praiseworthy. Allah gave you great favors and showered
you with His graces which are beyond number. One cannot
possibly thank Him for them. Neither a statement or
saying can express them. We are angry only on behalf of
Allah. He favored us with what cannot be given by anyone
but Him. We should, therefore, thank Him for His
bounties, tribulations and favors. Our praise should
ascend to Allah, carrying our satisfaction to Him. It
should be truthful. Our praise has to be so true that
Allah believes us. It has to make us entitled to receive
more of his bounties. Our praise should increase rather
than decrease Allah's favors. No group of people gather
around some matter without making it firmer, and their
beliefs solid. So mobilize yourselves for the fight
against your enemy, Mu'awiyah, and his soldiers, because
he has advanced against you. And do not discourage one
another, for discouragement cuts assunder the
heartstrings. Advancing under the spearheads is a sign of
bravery and piety, for no people had ever observed jihad
without the lifting of malaise from among them by Allah.
He would spare them the tribulations of humility, and
guide them to the hallmarks of denomination..."(17)

In this speech, Imam Hasan's (a.s.) aim was to
solidify the bonds of unity, close the ranks of the
people, and rally the people to challenge the party led
by Mu'awiyah and a handful of opportunists.

C. The Commander of the Faithful, Imam Ali bin
Abi-Talib (a.s.), had warned the people against the
arbitration during the Battle of Siffin. He knew it was a
trick. After the charade of arbitration was over--and it
ended with Abu-Musa al-Ash'ari's failing Imam Ali
(a.s.)--the camp of Imam Ali (a.s.) was thrown into
confusion. Chaos prevailed, and each group of people
began to disassociate themselves from the other. They
started reviling each other. Imam Ali (a.s.) wanted to
explain to the people the situation as it was, and to
show that the arbitration was invalid because it was not
based on truth and logic. He assigned this task to his
son Abu-Muhammad Hasan (a.s.).

"Stand up, son, and talk about these two men:
Abdullah bin Qais, (18) and Amru bin al-Aas,"
Imam Ali (a.s.) told his son.

Imam Hasan (a.s.) stood and addressed the people,
telling them the real dimensions of the situation. He
said:

"O people! You have talked too much about
these two men. They were only chosen to judge according
to the Book and in the light of its guidance. But, they
judged according to their whims and not the Book. This
being true, their verdict cannot be called a judgement.
Rather, it was an opinion forced upon them. Abdullah bin
Qais erred when he named Abdullah bin Umar as the caliph.
He made mistakes concerning three points: First, he
disagreed with his father who did not rate him as
qualified for caliphate, nor did he appoint him as a
member of the Shura (consultative group). Secondly, he
did not consult him on the matter. And thirdly, neither
the immigrants nor the ansar (helpers) rallied around
him. These are those who appoint the ruler and establish
his reign over the people. As for arbitration, the
Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) himself had chosen Sa'd bin
Ma'ath for this. And he did judge with what pleases
Allah. Undoubtedly, if he had deviated, the Messenger of
Allah (s.a.w.) would not have approved of him".(19)

In these words, the grandson of the Holy Prophet
(s.a.w ), Imam Hasan (a.s.), clarified the matter,
disclosed the falsity of the arbitration, and proved to
the people the mistake of Abu Musa al-Ash'ari, who was
elected by the common people among the army of Imam Ali
(a.s.), and without thinking it over, they charged him
with a task he could not fairly accomplish. The man had
bad intentions.

Imam Hasan (a.s.) demonstrated some of Abu-Musa's
mistakes. Among them was deposing Imam Ali (a.s.) and
calling Abdullah bin Umar bin al-Khattab the caliph of
Muslims. His judgement involved three errors, not to
mention the rest of his arbitration. Imam Hasan (a.s.)
was an astute thinker, had a sound foundation in logic
and politics. His analysis of Abu-Musa's actions in the
arbitration process was acute and left no doubt in a
reasonable mind that the analysis was without flaw.

He said that:

1. When Umar bin al-Khattab appointed a six-man
consultative group at his deathbed, he did not appoint
his son Abdullah as one of the group. That was because he
recognised that his son was not qualified to be a caliph,
and a leader of the people.

2. The pledge of allegiance, as was the order of the
day, was initiated by the immigrants and ansar, then, the
whole of the ummah followed suit. How could al-Ash'ari do
something without consulting them?

3. Al-Ash'ari, when he appointed Abdullah as the
caliph of Muslims, did it without seeking the view of the
man himself He could not tell whether Abdullah would
consent or refuse. The man was not informed of the
question earlier, and he was not asked about this most
historically critical matter.

Moreover, Imam Hasan (a.s.) set an example of a just and
good arbitration, which is approved of by Allah. He cited
the arbitration of S'ad bin Ma'ath, who was chosen by the
Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.), to settle the question of
Bani Quraidhah, after their military defeat by the
Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.). His judgement was firm and
sound.

D. Imam Hasan (a.s.) took part in all the wars fought
by his father, Imam Ali (a.s.), including those of
Basrah, Nahrawan, and Siffin. He played a critical role
in them. He fought in those battles and put down those
seditions without any motives other than his concern over
Islam.

These are a few of the practical attitudes which were
taken by Imam Hasan (a.s.) during the lifetime of his
father. They represent the first stage of his religious
role in the life of the Muslims.

Stage Two: During His Imamate

The second part or stage of the role of Imam Hasan
(a.s.) in the life of the Muslims commenced when his
father appointed him as the next Imam. In the wake of the
cruel attempt on his life by Abdul-Rahman bin Muljim and
his cohorts the dying Imam (a.s.) said his last will to
his son, Hasan (a.s.):

"...my son, the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.)
ordered me to inform you of my last will, and hand over
my books and weapons to you, exactly as he told me his
last will and gave me his books and weapons. He ordered
me to order you to give them to your brother, Hussein,
when death approaches you..."

Then he turned to his son, Hussein, and said:

"And the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) ordered
you to hand them to this son of yours."

Thereupon, he took hold of the hand of Ali bin Hussein
(a.s.) and said to him:

"And the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) ordered
you to give them to your son, Muhammad bin Ali. Remember,
the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.) and me to him."(20)

Then he named as the witnesses to his last will,
Hussein, his son Muhammad, all of his sons, and the
chiefs and leading men of his Shi'ites (followers).

The last days of Imam Ali (a.s.) teemed with many of his
moral guidelines, which were aimed at establishing the
right, and sticking to it. Most of them were addressed to
his sons and particularly to Imam Hasan (a.s.). He
emphasized his son's Caliphate and Imamate after him.
Shortly after the passing away of Imam Ali (a.s.), the
people of Kufah hurried to the mosque, dumbfounded and
shocked at that great adversity. The grandson of the
Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.), Imam Hasan (a.s.), stood
amid this multitude, promulgating the first of his
communiques, after the departure of his great leader. He
said:

"...this night, a man has died whom the first
Muslims did not outrun with good deeds, nor did the last
ones catch up with him in pleasing acts. He used to fight
by the side of the Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.), risking
his own life for the sake of the Prophet's. The Messenger
of Allah (s.a.w.) would send him as his standard-bearer.
Jibra'il would protect him by fighting on his right, and
Mika'il on his left. He would not return from the
battlefield until Allah had given him victory. He died in
this night, on which Isa bin Maryam (a.s.) ascended to
heaven, and Yusha' bin Noon, the trustee of Musa (a.s.),
passed away. He has left no dirhams or dinars besides the
700 Dirhams which were left over from his pay."(21)

At this point Imam Hasan (a.s.) halted his speech for
his tears choaked him. The image of the great departing
man, with his eternal deeds and stances, loomed before
his eyes. The Muslims could not help crying bitterly with
him. Then he resumed his speech. He said:

"O people! Who has recognized me, that is
that. Who has not, let him know that I am Hasan bin Ali.
I am the son of the Holy Prophet. I am the son of the
Trustee. I am the son of the bearer of the good news, and
the warner. I am the son of the Caller to Allah by His
permission. I am the son of the bright lamp. I am from
the house at which Jibra'il used to descend to us, and
ascend from us, and from the Ahlul-Bait whom Allah kept
away from uncleanness and totally purified them. I am
from a household whose love Allah made an obligation on
every Muslim. Allah, the Blessed and the Most High, said
to His Prophet:

‘...say. I do not ask of you any reward for it but
love for my near relatives;...’

Holy Qur'an (42:23)

Imam Hasan (a.s.) concluded his speech by saying, 'Doing
a good deed means loving us, the Ahlul-Bait...'"(22)

In this speech, Imam Hasan (a.s.) spells out the
qualities of the late leader. Also he presents his own
qualifications and stature in the Muslim world, and
asserted the fact that he, and not any other person, was
entitled to be the next leader of the Muslims.

No sooner did the Imam Hasan (a.s.) wind up his speech,
than Bin Abbas rose to his feet urging the people to give
their pledge of allegiance to the new Imam. And that was
exactly what the people did.

Imam Hasan (a.s.) received the pledge of allegiance
from the people, and was acknowledged as the caliph and
the ruler of Kufah. Then the other Muslim cities. The
news of the demise of Imam Ali (a.s.) and the passing of
the caliphate to his son, the grandson of the Messenger
of Allah (s.a.w.), soon spread.

Mu'awiyah rejoiced at the death of Ali (a.s.). His
capital witnessed noisy festivals. Happiness flooded it!
On the other hand, Mu'awiyah was greatly shaken by the
announcement of Imam Hasan (a.s.) as the new caliph, and
at the pledge of allegiance which he had received. He
sent for his advisors, and his leading men. They got
together in an emergency meeting at his palace to discuss
the latest developments and draw the policy which they
would adopt in challenging Imam Hasan (a.s.). The
participants decided to send spies to the Muslim
community, under the rule of Imam Hasan (a.s.) to
frighten the people and float rumors against the rule of
Ahlul-Bait (a.s.), to the interest of the Syrian
sedition.

Meanwhile the Umayyad party was busy winning over the
leadership and the influential chiefs, who could
influence the course of events in Iraq to the advantage
of the Umayyad rule. They were generous in bribery,
promising the people good rewards, presenting gifts to
them, threatening them...and so on.

Mu'awiyah lost no time in implementing the resolutions of
the meeting. He set up a network of spies, and appointed
two men to surprise them. One of them was named Humairi.
He made for Kufah. The other was called Qeeni. He headed
for Basrah...(23)

Imam Hasan's (a.s.) plans of solidifying the
government sys tem, and establishing it on a firm ground,
were soon effective in unearthing the plots of the
Umayyads.(24)

In the wake of that, Imam Hasan (a.s.) sent a letter to
Mu'awiyah warning him, and threatening him with war:

"...Mind you. You have sent stealthily men to
me. It is as if you like to go to war. I have no doubt
it. Then anticipate it, Allah willing. I have heard that
you rejoiced about what the wise men do not gloat over.
Your parable is like the one of whom the poet says:
"I and the one who had died are like someone who
goes home, goes to sleep, to wake up the following day.
So, tell him who remains behind that who departs:
'Prepare for something like this. You, too, will be
something of the past.’"(25)

Mu'awiyah, in a responding letter, dodged and denied
that he had rejoiced at the death of Imam Ali (a.s.),
something which we will not discuss in length here. They
exchanged letters. The most important of the letters was
that which was sent by Imam Hasan (a.s.) in which he
called on Mu'awiyah to stop opposing him and submit to
him as he was the legitimate leader. Tension heightened
between the two parties, so much so, that Mu'awiyah wrote
a letter in which he called on Imam Hasan (a.s.) to
abdicate and join him, with the promise that the
caliphate would be his after Mu'awiyah's death!

Imam Hasan (a.s.) sent a short letter which displays
his insistance and determination:

"Mind you, your letter has arrived. You
mention in it what you mention and I did not answer
you...I take refuge with Allah from that. Follow the
right, you will know that I am its follower. I will be a
sinner if I tell a lie. And peace be upon you."(26)

That was the last letter. The situation went from bad
to worst. War was declared between the two parties.

Mu'awiyah was the first to declare the state of war. He
began to advance his armies towards Iraq. The Muslims
communicated the news of Mu'awiyah's move to one another.
Imam Hasan (a.s.) took due measures to face the coming
enemy.

Imam Hasan (a.s.) announced, in a statement, the next
move. He called the ummah to mobilize and prepare to war:

"Mind you, Allah ordained jihad on His
creatures, and made it a duty which they receive
reluctantly. Then He said to the combatants: 'Be patient,
Allah is certainly with the patient.' You, O people, will
not win what you love without enduring what you do not
like. Go out, may Allah have mercy on you, to your camp
at al-Nukhailah, till we think and you think, and see and
you see."(27)

It brings excruciating pain to know that the
multitudes of people who listened to the statement of
Imam Hasan (a.s.) were susceptible to the Umayyad rumors
and lies.

Instead of preparing themselves to defend the clear
right, they were shocked and flustered. They responded
coldly to the statement of their Imam. They did not
accept his call to prepare for war and shoulder their
responsibilities.

Some of the people were resigned to the status quo and
they appeared drawn to life. Others were lured into
apathy by Umayyad money. Imam Hasan (a.s.) was
disappointed when he saw the true feeling of the masses
which he led, and in which he saw the base on which he
was depending to ward of the dangers encircling the
Islamic message because of the hostile activities of the
Umayyad party.

Those listless multitudes were stolid. They lost their
vitality because of only a slight shock. It was because
of their weak faith.

The followers of the Imam (a.s.) were unaware of their
historical responsibility to keep the Divine Message
intact and keep it safe from sedition. They were
oblivious to the line of Imamate represented by Imam
Hasan (a.s.), and to the fact that they should obey him
and defend him because he was the actual representative
of the same Islam which was revealed to the Messenger of
Allah (s.a.w.).

Amid those stunned, defeated lumps of people, the call of
the few faithful of Islam and the true committed men who
attached themselves to Ahlul-Bait (a.s.), thundered. They
expressed their deep loyalty. They reproached those
cowardly multitudes, and spoke their minds
uncompromisingly and daringly.

At the top of the list of those faithful, pious men were:
Uday bin Hatim, Qais bin S'ad bin Ubadah, Ma'qal bin
Qais, and Ziyad bin Sa'sa'ah al-Timeemi.(28)

They scolded, reprimanded and urged the people to take
on their religious responsibility. At the same time they
did not forget their Imam (a.s.). They took his hand and
made a pledge to march forward in support of right and
face tyranny and sedition fearlessly until they achieved
martyrdom or victory.

Imam Hasan (a.s.) praised them for their true stance, and
addressed them in these words:

"You are truthful, may Allah have mercy on
you. I still know of your true intention and loyalty,
your approval and true love. May Allah reward you the
best of rewards."(29)

The committed people hastened to al-Nukhailah and
encamped there, in obedience to their Imam (a.s.). Imam
Hasan (a.s.), afterwards, followed them with an army,
estimated by some historians, at 4,000 men.(30) The rest
of the people were to join him.

Imam Hasan (a.s.) hoped that the people would support the
right cause and so come to defend Islam. But their delay
in joining him made Imam Hasan (a.s.) return once again
to his capital, Kufah, to egg on the people to join him.

He marched on, leading a tremendous army, which was
paradoxically in low spirit, eaten away by weakness and
disharmony. He arrived in al-Nukhailah, where he
organized his army, and set plans for the commanders of
the divisions. From there, he headed for Dair
Abdul-Rahman. There he decided to send a military force
ahead of his army. He elected his cousin Ubaidullah bin
al-Abbas as its commander. He said to him:

"...Cousin! I am sending with you twelve
thousand men, among whom there are famous horsemen of the
Arabs, and the Quranic reciters of Kufah. Each one of
them is equal to one battalion in courage. March with
them, be kind to them, look at them with a smiling face,
be humble to them, and consult them. They are the
remaining men whom the Commander of the Faithful (a.s.)
trusted. Lead them along the bank of Euphrates. Then
march till you come face to face with the army of
Mu'awiyah. If you meet him, keep him there till I join
you.

I will go, following you closely behind. Keep me informed
of your moves on a daily basis. Consult these two men,
Qais bin S'ad and Sa'eed bin Qais. If you meet Mu'awiyah,
refrain from engaging him in battle till he fights you.
Should he do so, then fight him. If you are injured or
killed, Qais bin S'ad will succeed you as the commander
of the army, and if he is injured or killed, Sa'eed bin
Qais will succeed him."(31)

The vanguard took its position at Maskin, on the banks
of al-Dijail river in Iraq. The main army, under the
command of Imam Hasan (a.s.), encamped at Madhlam Sabat,
near al-Mada'in.

It was not long before all the hitherto hidden ills came
to the surface, in the forms of disunity, frailty,
sedition, chaos, and conspiracy against the leadership
itself Imam Hasan (a.s.) was pressured to sign a treaty
with Mu'awiyah.

This document still remains in a state of vagueness to
many of the researchers who wrote about the life of Imam
Hasan (a.s.). The circumstances and implications that led
to its signing are not explained or covered in any
detail. It is vague in its causes and outcome. For these
reasons we try to analyze it here. Hoping to shed some
light on it, to arrive at the truth. By doing so, we can
make the ingenuity of Imam Hasan (a.s.) clearer.