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Imam al-Hasan b. Ali al-Mujtaba (a): Difference between revisions
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==The Short Period of Caliphate== | ==The Short Period of Caliphate== | ||
Imam al-Hasan (a) was a Caliphate of Muslims since [[Ramadan 21]], [[40]]/[[January 28]], [[661 CE|661]], for six or eight months. Appealing to a hadith attributed to the Prophet (s), Sunni Muslims takes him as the last caliph from among the [[Rashidun Caliphs]]. His caliphate began after the allegiance of people of [[Iraq]] and support of people from neighboring lands. People of [[Syria]] (al-Sham) opposed his caliphate under the leadership of [[Mu'awiya]]. Mu'awiya and armies from Syria went to a war with Iraq. The war was cultivated in a peace in which the position of caliphate was left to Mu'awiya, the first [[Umayyad]] caliphate. | Imam al-Hasan (a) was a Caliphate of Muslims since [[Ramadan 21]], [[40]]/[[January 28]], [[661 CE|661]],<ref>Mufīd, ''al-Irshād'', vol. 2, p. 9.</ref> for six or eight months.<ref>Masʿūdī, ''Murūj al-dhahab'', vol. 2, p. 426; Dhahabī, ''Tārīkh al-islām'', vol. 4, p. 5.</ref> Appealing to a hadith attributed to the Prophet (s), Sunni Muslims takes him as the last caliph from among the [[Rashidun Caliphs]].<ref>Masʿūdī, ''Murūj al-dhahab'', vol. 2, p. 429; Muqaddasī, ''al-Bidaʾ wa al-tārīkh'', vol. 5, p. 238; Ibn Kathīr, ''al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya'', vol. 6, p. 250.</ref> His caliphate began after the allegiance of people of [[Iraq]] and support of people from neighboring lands.<ref>Jaʿfarī, ''Tashayyuʿ dar masīr-i tārīkh'', p. 158-161.</ref> People of [[Syria]] (al-Sham) opposed his caliphate under the leadership of [[Mu'awiya]].<ref>Ibn Kathīr, ''al-Bidāya wa l-nihāya'', vol. 8, p. 21.</ref> Mu'awiya and armies from Syria went to a war with Iraq.<ref>Mufīd, ''al-Irshād'', vol. 2, p. 11; Ibn Aʿtham, ''Kitāb al-Futūḥ'', vol. 4, p. 286.</ref> The war was cultivated in a peace in which the position of caliphate was left to Mu'awiya, the first [[Umayyad]] caliphate.<ref>Jaʿfarīyan, ''Ḥayāt-i fikrī wa sīyāsī-yi aʾimma'', p. 147-148.</ref> | ||
===Allegiance of Muslims and Oppositions by People of Syria=== | ===Allegiance of Muslims and Oppositions by People of Syria=== | ||
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 (a)]]. 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 b. 'Ubada]], a commander of Imam Ali's army, was the first person to pledge allegiance to him. | 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).<ref>Yaʿqūbī, ''Tārīkh al-Yaʿqūbī'', vol. 2, p. 214; Ṭabarī, ''Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī'', vol. 5, p. 158; Masʿūdī, ''Murūj al-dhahab'', vol. 2, p. 426.</ref> 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."<ref>Balādhurī, ''Ansāb al-ashrāf'', vol. 3, p. 28.</ref> 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 (a)]].<ref>Mufīd, ''al-Irshād'', vol. 2, p. 7-9; Abū l-Faraj al-Iṣfahānī, ''Maqātil al-ṭālibīyyīn'', p. 62.</ref> 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.<ref>Mufīd, ''al-Irshād'', vol. 2, p. 8-9.</ref> According to sources, the number of people who pledged allegiance to him amounted to over 40,000.<ref>Maqrizī, ''Imtāʿ al-asmāʾ'', vol. 5, p. 358.</ref>.<ref>Ibn ʿAbd al-Barr, ''al-Istīʿāb fī maʿrifat al-aṣḥāb'', vol. 1, p. 385.</ref>.<ref>Dīyārbakrī, ''Tārīkh al-khamīs'', vol. 2, p. 289.</ref>.<ref>Nuwayrī, ''Nihāyat al-ʾirb'', vol. 20, p. 229.</ref> On al-Tabari's account, [[Qays b. Sa'd b. 'Ubada]], a commander of Imam Ali's army, was the first person to pledge allegiance to him.<ref>Ṭabarī, ''Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī'', vol. 5, p. 158.</ref> | ||
According to Husayn Muhammad Ja'fari in his book, ''[[Tashayyu' dar masir-i tarikh]]'' (Shiism in the course of history), many companions of the Prophet (s) who had resided in [[Kufa]] after the construction of the city or had moved to the city in the period of Imam 'Ali's caliphate pledged their allegiance to Imam al-Hasan (a) or otherwise accepted his caliphate. Ja'fari relies on certain pieces of evidence to show that people of Mecca and Medina also agreed with the caliphate of al-Hasan b. 'Ali, and people of Iraq considered him as the only candidate for the position. According to Ja'fari, people of [[Yemen]] and Fars ([[Persia]]) had also implicitly endorsed his caliphate, or at least, they showed no opposition thereto. | According to Husayn Muhammad Ja'fari in his book, ''[[Tashayyu' dar masir-i tarikh]]'' (Shiism in the course of history), many companions of the Prophet (s) who had resided in [[Kufa]] after the construction of the city or had moved to the city in the period of Imam 'Ali's caliphate pledged their allegiance to Imam al-Hasan (a) or otherwise accepted his caliphate.<ref>Jaʿfarī, ''Tashayyuʿ dar masīr-i tārīkh'', p. 158.</ref> Ja'fari relies on certain pieces of evidence to show that people of Mecca and Medina also agreed with the caliphate of al-Hasan b. 'Ali, and people of Iraq considered him as the only candidate for the position.<ref>Jaʿfarī, ''Tashayyuʿ dar masīr-i tārīkh'', p. 158-160.</ref> According to Ja'fari, people of [[Yemen]] and Fars ([[Persia]]) had also implicitly endorsed his caliphate, or at least, they showed no opposition thereto.<ref>Jaʿfarī, ''Tashayyuʿ dar masīr-i tārīkh'', p. 161.</ref> | ||
According to some sources, certain conditions were proposed at the time of allegiance. For example, the book, ''[[al-Imama wa l-siyasa]]'', reports that al-Hasan b. 'Ali told people, "will you pledge your allegiance on the condition that you obey me, and you fight whomever I fight, and you make peace with whomever I make peace?" Upon hearing these words, some people became hesitant. Thus, they went to al-Husayn b. 'Ali to make their allegiance to him, but he said, "I refuge to God from letting you make allegiance to me as long as al-Hasan is still alive." They went back and made allegiance with al-Hasan b. 'Ali. Al-Tabari (d. 310/923) says that when Qays b. Sa'd pledged his allegiance to him, he stated the condition that he acts upon the [[Book of God]] and the [[Tradition of the Prophet (s)]] and to fight those who permit the shedding of the bloods of Muslims. However, al-Imam al-Hasan (a) only accepted the Book of God and the Tradition of the Prophet (s), suggesting that every other condition should derive from these two. Some people concluded from these reports that Imam al-Hasan (a) was a pacifist, war averse person, and his practice was different from that of his father and brother. | According to some sources, certain conditions were proposed at the time of allegiance. For example, the book, ''[[al-Imama wa l-siyasa]]'', reports that al-Hasan b. 'Ali told people, "will you pledge your allegiance on the condition that you obey me, and you fight whomever I fight, and you make peace with whomever I make peace?" Upon hearing these words, some people became hesitant. Thus, they went to al-Husayn b. 'Ali to make their allegiance to him, but he said, "I refuge to God from letting you make allegiance to me as long as al-Hasan is still alive."<ref>Ibn Qutayba, ''al-Imāma wa l-sīyāsa'', vol. 1, p. 184.</ref> They went back and made allegiance with al-Hasan b. 'Ali. Al-Tabari (d. 310/923) says that when Qays b. Sa'd pledged his allegiance to him, he stated the condition that he acts upon the [[Book of God]] and the [[Tradition of the Prophet (s)]] and to fight those who permit the shedding of the bloods of Muslims. However, al-Imam al-Hasan (a) only accepted the Book of God and the Tradition of the Prophet (s), suggesting that every other condition should derive from these two.<ref>Ṭabarī, ''Tārīkh al-Ṭabarī'', vol. 5, p. 158.</ref> Some people concluded from these reports that Imam al-Hasan (a) was a pacifist, war averse person, and his practice was different from that of his father and brother.<ref>Encyclopedia Iranica</ref>.<ref>Jaʿfarī, ''Tashayyuʿ dar masīr-i tārīkh'', p. 161.</ref> | ||
[[Rasul Ja'fariyan]] believes that these conditions did not mean that al-Hasan b. 'Ali did not intend to go to war since early on. Instead, his main goal was to protect his authority as the leader of the society to freely make decisions, and his subsequent actions show that he insisted upon war. According to [[Abu l-Faraj Isfahani]], one of the first measures taken by al-Hasan b. 'Ali (a) after his ascension to caliphate was a one-hundred percent increase of the wages of warriors. | [[Rasul Ja'fariyan]] believes that these conditions did not mean that al-Hasan b. 'Ali did not intend to go to war since early on. Instead, his main goal was to protect his authority as the leader of the society to freely make decisions, and his subsequent actions show that he insisted upon war.<ref>Jaʿfarīyan, ''Ḥayāt-i fikrī wa sīyāsī-yi aʾimma'', p. 132.</ref> According to [[Abu l-Faraj Isfahani]], one of the first measures taken by al-Hasan b. 'Ali (a) after his ascension to caliphate was a one-hundred percent increase of the wages of warriors.<ref>Abū l-Faraj al-Iṣfahānī, ''Maqātil al-ṭālibīyyīn'', p. 64.</ref> | ||
According to some reports, Imam al-Hasan (a) did not take any measure toward war or peace for about 50 days or more after the martyrdom of his father and the allegiance of people. The first measure of Imam (a) after allegiance was doubling the salary of soldiers. | According to some reports, Imam al-Hasan (a) did not take any measure toward war or peace for about 50 days or more after the martyrdom of his father and the allegiance of people.<ref>Balādhurī, ''Ansāb al-ashrāf'', vol. 3, p. 29.</ref> The first measure of Imam (a) after allegiance was doubling the salary of soldiers. | ||
=== War with Mu'awiya=== | === War with Mu'awiya=== | ||
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When informed of [[Imam 'Ali]]'s (a) martyrdom and that people had given [[allegiance]] to Imam al-Hasan (a), [[Mu'awiya]] sent two spies to [[Kufa]] and [[Basra]] in an attempt to incite the people against Imam al-Hasan (a). So, Imam al-Hasan (a) ordered the arrest and punishment of the two. Letters were exchanged between Imam al-Hasan (a) and Mu'awiya and in them, Imam al-Hasan (a) proved his right to the [[caliphate]].<ref> | When informed of [[Imam 'Ali]]'s (a) martyrdom and that people had given [[allegiance]] to Imam al-Hasan (a), [[Mu'awiya]] sent two spies to [[Kufa]] and [[Basra]] in an attempt to incite the people against Imam al-Hasan (a). So, Imam al-Hasan (a) ordered the arrest and punishment of the two. Letters were exchanged between Imam al-Hasan (a) and Mu'awiya and in them, Imam al-Hasan (a) proved his right to the [[caliphate]].<ref>Mufīd, ''al-Irshād'', p. 350.</ref> | ||
Mu'awiya tried to mobilize his army and sent letters to his governors asking them to support him. He led his army towards [[Iraq]] and left Dahhak b. Qays al-Fihri in the capital as his temporary substitute. It is reported that 60,000 soldiers or more accompanied Mu'awiya.<ref> | Mu'awiya tried to mobilize his army and sent letters to his governors asking them to support him. He led his army towards [[Iraq]] and left Dahhak b. Qays al-Fihri in the capital as his temporary substitute. It is reported that 60,000 soldiers or more accompanied Mu'awiya.<ref>Qurashī, ''Zindigānī-yi Imām al-Ḥasan'', p. 334-335.</ref> When the army of Mu'awiya crossed Manbaj bridge over Euphrates, Imam al-Hasan (a) asked people of Kufa to prepare themselves for jihad and ordered Hujr b. 'Adi to mobilize people. | ||
Imam (a) joined the army of [[Kufa]] in [[Sabat]] of [[Mada'in]] and in a sermon, called people to unity and said that reconciliation is better than disunity, rancor and enmity. People understood from his speech that Imam (a) wanted to make peace with Mu'awiya. Thus, some people accused him of disbelief and attacked his tent and many people left him.<ref>Mufīd, ''al-Irshād'', vol. 2, p. 11.</ref> Also, Mu'awiya sent a letter to 'Ubayd Allah b. 'Abbas, the commander of the army of Iraq and pretended that Imam al-Hasan (a) asked him for peace and mentioned that if 'Ubayd Allah accepted to side with him immediately, he would give him government and great amount of money. So, 'Ubayd Allah who had thought that Imam (a) had asked for peace, sought his personal interests and accepted Mu'awiya's request and joined Mu'awiya at night with two third of his army. | |||
One of the consequences of this event was that some of the chiefs of Iraqi tribes wrote a letter to Mu'awiya and expressed their support for him. After this event, Mu'awiya wanted to bribe Qays b. Sa'd who had become the commander of Iraq's army but failed.<ref>Balādhurī, ''Ansāb al-ashrāf'', vol. 3, p. 38.</ref> | |||
=== Peace Treaty === | === Peace Treaty === | ||