لطفا منتظر باشید ...
POST-TREATY ERA
After signing the treaty, Imam Hasan (a.s.), the
grandson of the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.), remained in Kufah
for a few days. His heart was wrung by pain for what had
happened. He prepared to return to Medinah, the city of
his illustrious grandfather, the Messenger of Allah
(s.a.w.).When his noble procession set out, all the people of
Kufah went out. They were deeply remorseful, with the
look of great sorrow on their faces. They were either in
tears or sad-looking. And why not? They would be
humiliated after Imam Hasan (a.s.) and Ahlul-Bait had
departed? The seditionists were by now in control of
their lives, they appeared helpless, and disgrace
descended upon their city. Mu'awiyah transferred the
caliphate and general command from Kufah to Damascus. The
Umayyad military forces entered Kufah, tightening their
grip on it, striking fear into the hearts, and spreading
their terror. Those who collaborated with the Umayyads
were rewarded, and those who opposed them were put to the
sword.
Imam Hasan's (a.s.) caravan set off crossing the
desert, while pain was striking at his heart, parting
with his capital, and the places which held his memories.
It was hard for him to abandon his Shi'ites and elite who
supported him with firm determination and resolution,
until they arrived at a blind alley. They were besieged
and hunted down with the employment of every low and
cheap method. The Umayyad clique began their vengeance.On the other hand, when his caravan approached the holy
city of Medinah, its people rushed to welcome the Imam
and his family (a.s.). Rapture colored their faces. Why
not?The blessing of the presence of the Ahlul-Bait (a.s.) had
returned to them, and the goodness, all goodness, came to
their city.
As soon as he settled, Imam Hasan (a.s.) and his
family set about to take up his religious.
responsibilities, but on a new line.If he was a ruler before who discharged the affairs of
the ummah, and set plans for its future through the
office of political Imamate, and steered the ship to the
coast of happiness, goodness and guidance; after the
signing of the treaty he tread upon a new path.He established a great ideological school and leadership
so as to be a seat of guidance and knowledge by which the
ummah would be guided to the straight path of Allah, and
His concluding Message.That school played an effective part in ripening public
opinion, correcting its course, and saving it from the
deviation of the official bodies led by Mu'awiyah bin
Abu-Sufyan.The school of Imam Hasan (a.s.) gave fruit twofold. It
graduated the greatest scholars and traditionists, like
Hasan al-Muthanna, al-Musayyab bin Najbah, Suwaid bin
Ghaflah, al-Sha'bi, al-Asbagh bin Nubatah, Abu-Yahya
al-Nakha'i, Ishaq bin Yasar, and others...
If Imam Hasan (a.s.) had scored a great and glorious
victory for Islam by establishing this school; he obliged
the ummah and the Message another great favor. He called
the people to uprightness of behavior and faith, and the
following of the Messenger (s.a.w.) and his family
(a.s.), doing their best to spread good manners and fight
every evil act.Apart from this, he paid special attention to his
society. He took care of the poor, the helpless and
destitute. He looked after the needy. We cited some
examples of his care of the poor previously.Beside his ideological activities, it was only natural
that Imam Hasan (a.s.) would plan the future of his
ummah, both in social and political spheres. In these
fields, he took a good course for the benefit of the
Divine Message and the ummah. He created an Islamic
current of awareness among the ummah.
It became clear for the ummah that the legitimate
Imamate was the right of Ahlul-Bait (a.s.), and
particularly Imam Hasan (a.s.). Mu'awiyah and the likes
of him were not fit to rule. Obedience to them was
incompatible with the pristine Islamic line. Imam Hasan
(a.s.), and the Muslim intellectuals who graduated from
his school, succeeded in bringing about an ummah with a
sharp political awareness. An ummah which opposed the
Umayyad rule, in thought, course of action, and method,
and which defended Islam throughout the next generations.
The Umayyad rule was not unaware of these nascent
Islamic activities. It was they, as a matter of fact, who
were to be reckoned with. That is why the high-ranking
officials of the Umayyad government held a meeting to
discuss the matter. The meeting was attended by, in
addition to Mu'awiyah, Amru bin al-As, al-Walid bin
Aqabah bin-Mu'eet, Utbah bin Abu-Sufyan and al-Maghirah
bin Shu'bah!They said to Mu'awiyah, in part: "'Hasan has
certainly animated his father and revived his memory. He
talked and he said the truth, gave orders and was obeyed,
and was followed by the people. Such thing would raise
him to a higher level. Every time we hear from him
something which does us harm..."(42) This report, though brief, was the most dangerous report
submitted by the chiefs of the Umayyad house and its
leaders, to their chief, Mu'awiyah, about the activities
of Imam Hasan (a.s.).
The movement of Imam Hasan (a.s.) gained strength, so
much so that he left for Damascus, the capital of the
Umayyads. There he sat down with Mu'awiyah, explained to
him the mistakes and schemes of the Umayyad rule, the
superficiality of those in charge, and their diversion
from the original Islamic line. His discussions there won
him a lot of supporters and advocates.(43)The fresh activities of Imam Hasan (a.s.), and the new,
historical mission which he shouldered to preserve the
sound Islamic line among the people, made the Umayyad
rule lose its head, and forge a hostile policy to get rid
of the Imam (a.s.) and his Islamic leadership.The main ingredients of that policy were:
1. Hunting down the faithful leadership in every
Islamic region, and putting them to the sword. Men like
Hijr bin Uday and his companions, Rasheed al-Hajari, Amru
bin al-Hamq al-Khauza'i and others, were murdered, and
persecuted.
2. Cracking down on the whole of the Shi'ites of Imam
Ali (a.s.) by resorting to terror, suppression, making
people homeless, cutting off their income, tearing down
their houses, and so on.
3. Employing some of the preachers and those loyal to
the Umayyads, to tarnish the image of Ahlul-Bait and
particularly Imam Ali (a.s.) who was cursed, as a ritual,
on the pulpits. Traditions were invented and attributed
to the Holy Prophet (s.a.w.). They were of great benefit
to Mu'awiyah and his party. False beliefs were also made
up and unfairly ascribed to Ahlul Bait (a.s.).This is one of the most sad and enduring results of the
Umayyad rule. So many false hadiths were introduced,
first by the Umayyads and later by the Abbasids, that
today, we Muslims of the 20th century have become so
misguided by the lies which have remained in our hadiths
and sunnah of our prophet (s.a.w.). Surprisingly enough,
the historians and narrators of hadith have not tried to
eliminate and filter through these obvious lies. They
continue to propagate them, confuse the ummah and
misguide them to their own detriment. This is one of the
main reasons that the Muslims of today remain weak and
disunited.
4. Handing out money, boundlessly, to the tribal
leaderships which posed a threat to the Umayyads in order
to bring them under control. For example, Malik bin
Hubairah al-Sakooni, who was shocked at the murder of
Hijr bin Uday and his companions, planned to lead a
military offense against the Umayyad rule. But Mu'awiyah
dissuaded him with 100,000 dirhams which he sent to
him.(44) He was pleased with this sum and forewent his
earlier plans.Others were hushed by money also. A poet described this
phenomenon in these two lines of verse:
"When a tongue criticizes you, it is cut with
dinars, And when a conscience rocks you, it is shaken
with a good official post."
5. The last item of this unjust, oppressive policy,
was the plan to murder Imam Hasan (a.s.) with poison.
Mu'awiyah presented it to him through Imam's wife,
Ja'dah, the daughter of al-Ash'ath.Thus, Imam Hasan (a.s.) went to meet his Lord, while
standing in the fields of jihad, for the sake of Islam,
which was preached by his father, the Commander of the
Faithful, Imam Ali (a.s.) and his grandfather, the Great
Messenger of Allah (s.a.w.).
Imam Hasan (a.s.) attained martyrdom on the seventh
day of the month of Safar (or the fifth or twentieth of
the month of Rabi' al-Awwal in some reports), in the year
50 After Hijrah. He had asked his family, in his last will, to be buried
by the side of his grandfather, the Messenger of Allah
(s.a.w.), but the Umayyads and the governor of Medinah
refused to allow his burial there.(45)
Ahlul-Bait (a.s.) was thus forced to inter him at
al-Baqi', by the side of his mother, Fatimah al-Zahra'
(a.s.).
Peace by upon you, Abu-Muhammad Hasan bin Ali, when
you were alive, wronged, and dead.
"And praise be to Allah, the Lord of the
worlds".
