III. Imam Hussain and Imam Hasan
The Caliphate of Imam Hasan
Having lost his grandfather and mother in quick succession, then watched his father lead quietly and in the background for nearly twenty years before assuming his position as caliph, Hasan knew the many faces of a leader. He knew, also, the many faces of people—their caprice, their hidden motives.
Just days ago, when Ali was struck but still breathing, he had reached out for Hasan, his eldest son, and summoned him close with a request: “You lead the prayers at the mosque of Kufa.” Now, he made the same journey, to the same mosque, but with a more serious, final mission: “You are now responsible for the community of Muslims.” This was his father’s last directive to him, his eldest son. The poison had done its work. Ali, son of Abu Talib, was assassinated.
Hasan now stepped onto the pulpit, just steps away from the mihrab where his father had bent in his last ruku’. A sea of somber faces looked to him. Men who had fought alongside Ali, alongside their Prophet Muhammad, now waited with the heavy question: “What now?” He stood before them. Even in those moments, he must have been aware of the caprice, the tensions, the base desires that plagued his community, the ways they would inevitably sabotage themselves. How did the Prophets, each of them, feel, standing before their imperfect people?
“My father…” he began, “has gone to meet his Lord. He was a man, we know, who was unmatched in character and valiance. A man who fought alongside the Messenger of God, who was willing to give his own life to protect him. He has left behind no gold or silver, but 700 dirhams which he has left to his family.”
That confirmation was the breaking point for the congregation; it was as if they had been holding their breath, waiting for that moment. Weeping spread like the crackle of a log catching fire. Heaving sounds. Ali, Ali was dead! What now, what now?
“People.” He looked out at the worn faces, the elders, the youths. His uncle’s weather-beaten face. His brother, Hussain, watched him steadily.
“Whoever knows me, knows who I am. I am Hasan. I am the son of Muhammad, the son of he who summons us to God. With God’s permission, I am a lamp for you. I am of the Prophet’s family, who God has purified.”
A man stood. It was ‘Ubayd Allah son of ‘Abbas, the governor of San‘a who had fled and returned to Kufa. He turned, addressing the crowd.
“And we pledge allegiance to you, son of Ali and Muhammad!” This, too, sent a crackle of fire through the congregation, of resounding agreement. “Hasan, Hasan! You are our leader, and best fit to be leader.” Qays b. Sa'd b. 'Ubada al-Ansari raised his hand and spoke above the crowd:
“And we will wage war on whomsoever you wage war on, and we will make peace with whoever you make peace!” The sound of the crowd confirmed their assent.
Hasan gazed out into the sea of faces. He heard the implicit demand in Qays’s speech: “We want to wage war.” This moment of unity and concord, he must have known, would be fleeting. He had seen firsthand, alongside his father at Siffin, how quickly the whims of people change, how little few were those that could be relied upon.
At the time of Ali b. Abi Talib’s death and al-Hasan’s ascension to the caliphate Mu’awiya’s brutality was rearing its head. Many of the Kufans who had supported Ali’s opposition to Mu’awiya now expected al-Hasan to carry out what his father had begun and grew impatient waiting for the command to begin the campaign. According to some reports, Hasan’s ascension to the caliphate was affirmed by a crowd of 40,000 people immediately after the death of Ali. There was no recorded opposition to his rule. Some sources record that some of those who were worried that Hasan would not necessarily push for war against Mu’awiya in all circumstances approached Hussain and told him to stretch out his hand so they may pledge allegiance to him, and he would lead them to fight the Syrians under Mu’awiya. Hussain responded: “I seek refuge in Allah that I [would] take a pledge of allegiance from you while Hasan is alive.”51 Just as he was a loyal follower of Ali, so too was he to Ali’s successor, Hasan.
When it became clear that Mu’awiya did not intend on relinquishing his position, Ibn Abbas, one of Ali’s prominent supporters in the Battle of Siffin and al-Hasan’s uncle, wrote a letter to him from Basra, urging him to fight and not to relinquish his right, regardless of what might befall him. Despite his uncle’s support, al-Hasan was in a precarious position; though Ibn Abbas, urged on by many in his army, beseeched him to fight Mu’awiya, others among his men were less zealous. Many in Hasan’s army did not care much either way.
‘Ubayd Allah b. Abbas, who had stood up and declared his dedication to Hasan, had just months before acted against the express wishes of Ali by fleeing his governorship in San‘a in the face of Busr b. Abi Artah’s oppositional raid, instead of remaining and asserting his authority. The raid was another testament to Mu’awiya’s brutality, but also the reliability—or lack thereof— of the people who pledged their support. Al-Hasan had to grapple with this: Was it better to go to war with a fickle army and cost many lives, or to make peace, at the expense of tyranny, and of likely widespread betrayal? Which outcome would be better for the community at this moment in time?
