Imam al-Hasan b. Ali al-Mujtaba (a): Difference between revisions

'''Al-Ḥasan b. ʿAlī b. Abī Ṭālib (a)''' (Arabic: {{ia|الحسن بن علي بن أبي طالب}}) (b. [[3]]/[[625 CE|625]] - d. [[50]]/[[670 CE|670]]), known as '''Imam al-Hasan al-Mujtaba''', was the second [[Imam]] of the [[Shiʿa]] (40-50 AH), the fifth [[caliph]] of the Muslim community for seven months, and regarded by some Sunnis as the last of the Rightly Guided Caliphs.

On [[Ramadan 21]], [[40 AH]]/[[January 28]], [[661 CE|661]], and after the [[martyrdom]] of Imam Ali (a), al-Hasan (a) became the Imam and successor of his father. More than forty-thousand men pledged their [[allegiance]] to him on the same day. However, [[Muʿawiya]] did not accept his caliphate, and launched a military expedition against him. Imam al-Hasan (a) sent an army under the command of [[Ubayd Allah b. al-Abbas]] to confront Muʿawiya’s army. The Imam (a) himself headed to [[Sabat]] with a group of soldiers. Muʿawiya tried to spread rumors among the Imam’s (a) troops to prepare the ground for a peace-treaty. At the same time, one of the [[Kharijites]] tried to assassinate Imam al-Hasan (a), which resulted in the Imam’s (a) injury. The Imam (a) was taken to [[Madain]] to receive treatment. Simultaneously, a group of Kufan chiefs wrote a letter to Muʿawiya and promised him to either kill al-Hasan (a) or to surrender him to Muʿawiya. Muʿawiya sent their letter to Imam al-Hasan (a) and proposed a peace treaty to the Imam (a). Seeing no other choices before him, Imam al-Hasan (a) accepted the peace treaty and abdicated the caliphate with the condition that Muʿawiya should rule according to the [[Qur'an]] and the [[Sunna]] of the Prophet (s) and should not appoint any successor for himself, and that no one, including the Shiites, should be persecuted. Muʿawiya did not abide by any of these conditions later. The peace treaty with Muʿawiya led to the dissatisfaction of a number of the Imam’s (a) companions, so much so that some of them called the Imam (a) the Humiliator of the Believers.

When Muʿawiya decided to introduce his son [[Yazid]] as his successor and demanded that people pledge their allegiance to him, he sent one-hundred thousand [[dirham]]s to [[Jaʿda]], Imam al-Hasan’s wife, to poison the Imam (a). She did so and Imam al-Hasan (a) was martyred forty days after he was poisoned. According to a report, the Imam (a) had requested to be buried next to the grave of the Prophet (s), but [[Marwan b. al-Hakam]] and a group of the [[Umayyads]] did not let that happen. Thus, he was buried in [[al-Baqiʿ cemetery]].

Al-Shaykh al-Mufid (d. 413) reports that Imam al-Hasan (a), together with [[Ammar b. Yasir]] and [[Qays b. Saʿd]], was tasked with calling the Kufans to join the Imam’s (a) army. In [[Kufa]], al-Hasan (a) delivered a speech in which he mentioned his father’s virtues and high status in Islam and [[Talha]]’s and [[Zubayr]]’s betrayal of their [[allegiance]], and then called the people to support Imam Ali (a).

According to Shiite and Sunni sources, after the martyrdom of [[Amir al-Mu'minin (a)]] in 40/661, people pledged their allegiance to al-Hasan b. 'Ali (a). According to al-Baladhuri (d. 279/892), after the burial of Imam 'Ali (a), [['Ubayad Allah b. 'Abbas]] went to people and gave the news of the Imam's martyrdom, telling them: "he has left a well-deserved and patient successor. You can pledge your allegiance to him if you would like to." According to ''[[al-Irshad]]'', in the morning of Friday, Ramadan 21/January 28, al-Hasan b. 'Ali gave a speech in the mosque, in which he enumerated the virtues and merits of his father, emphasized on his own connection to the Prophet (s), pointed to his own merits, and appealed to verses of the Qur'an concerning the special place of [[Ahl al-Bayt]]. After the speech, [['Abd Allah b. 'Abbas]] stood up and told people: "pledge your allegiance to the son of your Prophet and the successor of your Imam." And people pledged their allegiance to him. According to sources, the number of people who pledged allegiance to him amounted to over 40,000. On al-Tabari's account, [[Qays b. Sa'd al-'Ubada]], a commander of Imam Ali's army, was the first person to pledge allegiance to him.

In different sources, different dates have been mentioned for the peace treaty, including Rabi' I of 41/July 661 and Jumada II/October of the same year. In ''al-Tanbih wa al-ishraf'', al-Mas'udi considered Rabi' I correct and more famous.

Imam al-Hasan (a) was the administrator of the endowments and charities of his father after the latter’s martyrdom, according to a will written by Imam Ali (a) in [[10 Jumada I]], [[37 AH]].

Imam al-Hasan (a) reportedly requested from his brother to be buried beside the [[Prophet (s)]], his grandfather. According to a report, al-Hasan (a) had informed [[A'isha]] about his wish and she had agreed. However, when [[Marwan b. al-Hakam]] learned about this decision, he reported it to Mu'awiya, and the latter asked him to forcefully prevent that. According to another report, however, Imam al-Hasan (a) had requested only that his [[coffin]] be taken to the grave of the Prophet (s) before his burial beside the grave of his grandmother [[Fatima bt. al-Asad]]. According to this report, the Imam (a) had urged his brother to avoid any conflict during his burial ceremony.

It is reported that Marwan said, “While Uthman is buried on the outskirts of the city, we won’t tolerate that you bury al-Hasan next to the Prophet.” A conflict was about to break out between Banu Hashim and the Umayyads, but [[Imam al-Husayn (a)]], because of his brother’s prior request, did not allow that to happen. Thus, the body of Imam al-Hasan (a) was taken to al-Baqiʿ cemetery and buried beside the grave of his grandmother Fatima bt. al-Asad.