CHAPTER IV
MEETING IN KUFA
The two parties (ie, Al-Hasan and Mu'awiya) had adopted the idea of peacemaking. Thus it was natural for them to appoint a certain place to declare the Peace Treaty. In other words the two sides wanted to hold their meeting at one place to be a practical way of the peacemaking which history withnessed, and admit before the people the conditions which they had to fulfill. So they had chosen Kufa and went there. Large groups of people went with them. So the great capital (i.e., Kufa) was full of them. They were at most the soldiers of the two parties, who left their camps and hurried to witness that historical day when Kufa was expected to witness willingly or unwillingly. For the first time, the Iraqis capital was full of thousands of red Syrian soldiers, who were Muslims and Christians. These two camps (ie Kufa and Syrian) suffered from series of historical enmities and bloody battles beginnign from the events of Salman al-Bahili and Habbib b. Muslima al-Fahri, during the lifetime of Uthman b. Affan, to this day of peacemking. Then what do you think about the loyal Kufan soldier who expected to lay down their arms during the great wave of noise which the Syrian soldiers made in al-Masjid al-Jami which was founded on piety from Allah?
The deadly disaster hit the loyal group from the supporters of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them. Also it hit those supporters who ignored the aims of Al-Hasan through making peace with Mu'awiya or ignored the real motives that forced the former to make peace with later. As for the traitorous majority. They clealy showed their treason. Groups of the Kufans were seen among the masses of the Syrians. They wanted to take part in the cheated happiness of the Syrins during their cold festivals and to take part in their overcome victory.
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The people were summoned to al-Masjid al-Jami to listen to the two orators (ie, Al-Hasan and Mu'awiya) who had signed the Peace Treaty.
It was neccessary for Mu'awiya to compete with Al-Hasan for the pulpit, so the former got ahead of the latter and went up on it.
1 Then Mu'awiya addressed the people with his long speech which the reference have not narrated excepted some prominent paragraphs.
Among them, as al-Ya'qubi has narrated, is: "Now then, indeed, if community differs in opinion after its prophet, its falsehood will overcome its truth." He (ie, al-Ya'qubi), said: "Then Mu'awiya paid attention to what he had said, so he said: "Except what community had done."
2
Also among them is what al-Mada'in has narrated: "Kufans, do you think that I have fought against you to make you pray and fast and pay zakat and perform the pilgrimage? Indeed I know that you pray, pay zakat and perform the pilgrimage. However, I have fought against you to have power over you and to twist your necks and Allah has given that to me while you are reluctant (to that). Indeed every blood which has been shed in this discord is postponed and every condition I have given to Al-Hasan is under these two feet of mine. Nothing reforms the people but three (things): taking out the giving at its proper time, returning the soldiers at their suitable time, and attacking the enemy in his homeland. Indeed if you do not attack them, they will attack you."
On the authority of Habbib, b. Abu Thabit, Abu al-Faraj al-Asfahani has narrated that Mu'awiya mentioned Ali in this oration and defamed Him, then he defamed Al-Hasan.
3
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1. Jabir b. Sammra said: "I have not seen the Apostle of Allah delivering a speech but he was standing. So whoever tells you that he delivered a speech and he was sitting, then accuse Him of lying." Jaza'iri has narrated this tradition in his book Ayat al-Ahkam. p.75.
2. Al-Ya'qubi, Tarikh, vol.2, p.192.
3. Ibn Abu al-Haddid Sharh Nahj al-Balagha, vol. p.16.
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Abu Ishaq al-Subay'i
1 had added the following words to what he has narrated of Mu'awiya's oration; "Indeed everything which I have given to Al-Hasan b. Ali is under two feet of mine. I will not fulfill it.
Abu Ishaq said: "By Allah, he (Mu'awiya) was traitorous."
Then the people looked forward to Al-Hasan. Suddenly, they saw the grandson of the Apostle of Allah, who was the most similar of them all to Him in form, manner, dignity, and correctness, coming from the direction of the mihrab (prayer niche) of his father in the great mosque to go up on his pulpit. The mobs were fon of curiosity. They were eager to conclude the obscure things from the affairs of the great figures. So they remembered the stammering Mu'awiya made in his speech. They understood the plentiful self possion of Al-Hasan when he went up on the pulpit and began looking at the large gatherings of people who crowded in the wide mosque. They were eager to hear Al-Hasan's answer to Mu'awiya who refused the conditions of the Peace Treaty, broke the covenants shed blood, and attacked the innocent. Al-Hasan b. Ali peace be on them, was a clever orator. He made a speech during that critical situation. His long eloquent speech was wonderful document. Through this speech, Al-Hasan was able to explain the situation standing between the people and the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them, after the death of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless Him and his family. At the beginning of the speech, Al-Hasan preached and advised the Muslims. Then he summoned them to conform to love, satisfaction, and unity. In the middle of the speech, he reminded them of the attitudes of his family, rather the attitudes of prophets. At the end of the speech, he asnwered Mu'awiya without any abusing or cursing. However, through his eloquent style, he was the most painful curser and abuser.
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1. He was Amru b. Abd Allah al-Hamadani al-Tabi'i. Concerning Him, it is said that he performed the noon prayer with darkness ablution (Wdu al-Atama) for forty years. He ended the Koran in every night. No one worshipped Allah more than he did, and no one was more reliable than Him in the tradition.
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In his speech, Al-Hasan said: "Praise belong to Allah whenever a man praises Him. I testify that there is no god but Allah whenever a man testifies Him I testify that Mohammed is His servant and His apostle who He send with truth and whom He entrusted with revelation, may Allah bless Him and his family. Now then by Allah, I hope that I shall always be with Allah's praise and kindness. I am the sincerest of Allah's creatures in giving advise to them. I do not bear malice to any Muslim, nor do I wish evil misfortunes for Him. Indeed unity (jama'a) is better than division. I take care of you more than you take care of yourselves. Therefore do not oppose my commands and do not reject my judgement. My Allah forgive both me and you. May He guide me and you to that in which there is love and satisfactions.
1
"Men indeed, Allah has guided you though the foremost one of us and spared your blood through the last one of us. Indeed there is a period of time for this authority, and the world changes. Allah, the Great and Almighty, said to his Apostle: I do not know whether what you are threatened with is near or far. Surely He knows what is spoken openly and He knows what hide. And I do not know if this may be a trial for ou and a provision till a time."
2
Indeed Mu'awiya have told you that I see Him appropriate for the successon to authority, and I do not see myself appropriate for it. So Mu'awiya have told you lies. We are worthier of the succession to authority than the people in the Book of Allah, the Great and Almighty, and on the tongue of His Prophet. We, the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), have been oppressed since Allah made His prophet to die. So Allah is between us and Him who oppressed us, controlled us, provoked the people against us, deprived us of our share of booty, and deprived our mother of what the Apostle of Allah had alloted to her. I swear by Allah, if the people had pledged allegiance to my father when the Apostle left them, the sky would have
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1. Shayk al-Mufid, al-Irshad (Iran), p.169.
2. al-Mas'udi, Hamish b. al-Athir, vol.6. p.61-2.
Ibn Kuthayr, al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya, vol.8, p.18.
Al-Tabari, Tarikh, vol.6, p.93.
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given them its rain and the earth its boon, and you, Mu'awiya, would have not wished for it (the authority). When it (ie the authority) came out of its origin, Quraysh differed over it. So the freed prisoners and their sons, you and your friends, wished for it. Indeed the Apostle of Allah said: "If a community appoints a man over its authoirty and among it there is the one who is more knowledegeable than Him (ie, the man) their authority will come to nothing till they return to Him whom they have left. Indeed the children of Israel had left Harun (Aron) while they knew that he was the successor of Musa (Moses) and they follwed al-Samiri ( samaritan). This community had left my father while it certainly heard the Apostle of Allah say: you are in the same position with respect to me as Harun Aaron to Musa (Moses) except prophthood. Indeed they (the community) saw the Apostle of Allah appointing my father on the day of Ghadir Khum and ordered the present to convey his order to the absent. The Apostle of Allah left his people while he was summoning them to (believe) in Allah so that he entered the Cave. If he had found supporters, he would have not left them. My father sufficed Him (the Prophet) when he summoned and called them for help, but he was not helped. So Allah made Aaron at ease when they considered Him weak and wer about to kill Him. Allah made the Prophet at ease when he entered the Cave and found no helpers. Also my father (was) and I am at ease from Allah when this community had deserted us. Indeed the (Divine) laws and the examples follow each other
1
By Him Who sent Mohammed with the truth, if someone decreases our right, we the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), Allah will decrease his act. When oppressions befalls us, the final result will be for us, surely you will know its news after a time.
2
Then Al-Hasan turned to Mu'awiya again to refute the defamation which Mu'wiya ascribed to his father. So he said wonderful words; "O you who mention Ali, I am Al-Hasan and Ali was my father. you are Mu'awiya and your father was Sakhr (Abu Sufyan).
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1. Al-Majlisi, Bihar al-Anwar vol.10, p.114.
2. Al-Mas'udi, Hamish b. al-Athir, vol.b. pp.61-2.
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My mother was Fatima and your mother was Hind. My grandfather was the Apostle of Allah and your grandfather was Harb. My grandmother was Khadija and your grandmother was Futayla. May Allah curse Him who tries to reduce our reputation and to diminish our nobility, who does evil against our antiquity and yet who had been a head of us in unbelief and hypocrisy."
The narrator said: Groups of the people in the mosque shouted out: Amen Amen! al-Fadl b. Al-Hasan said: Yahya b. Ma'in said: "I say: Amen!" Abu al-Faraj said Abu 'Ubayd said: al-fadle said; "I say Amen!" Ali b. al-Husayn al-Asfahani (ie, Abu al-Faraj) said; Ibn Abu al-Haddid said: Amen! I said: Abd al-Hamid b. Abu al-Haddid, the author of this book, (ie, Sharh Nahj al-Balagha) said: Amen!"
1
I (ie the author) say: Also we say: "Amen"
In the history of the world speeches, this is the only speech that finds favor with generations throughout history.
Such is the true speech. It ascends and nothing ascends over it!
After that, Al-Hasan got ready to go to Medina.
The leaders of Shi'a came to Al-Hasan to see Him off. Among them were al-Musayyab b. Nujayya al-fazari and Zabyan b. Ammara al-Timimi. So Al-Hasan said: Praise belongs to Allah Who overcomes His affairs. If all creatures came together to prevent something from occuring, they would be unable to do that." Then al-Musayyab talked and showed his loyalty to the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peac be on them. So Al-Hasan, peace be on Him, said to Him: Musayyab, we know that you love us." Also Al-Hasan, peace be on Him said: "I have heard my father say: Whoever loves (a group of) people is with them." Then al-Musayyab and Zabyan asked Him to return with them. So he said: "There is no way for that." Early in the morning, he left Kufa. The people saw Him off while they were weeping. After the Peace Treaty, he stayed in Kufa for some days.
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1. Ibn Abu al-Haddid, Sharh Nahj al-Balagha, vol.4, p.6.
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When Al-Hasan arrived at Dir Hind
1 (al-Hira), he looked at Kufa and said:
I have left the house of my folks not because of hate.
It is they who defended my possession and my family.
2
I (the author) say: How wonderful this angelic self is! Though Al-Hasan suffered from the disobedience and disasters of this city (ie Kufa), he left it reciting this line of poetry. He remembered nothing of the long history of Kufa but the loyalty of the loyal who defended his possessions and his family, who protected Him from those who attacked Him at al-Mada'in, and who obeyed Him when he faced hardships at Maskan. So they were sincere companions and good supporters though they were few in number.
Then the great caravan moved carrying the rest of the servants of Allah in the earth and the heritage of the Apostle of Allah, may Allah bless Him and his family, in Islam. They were unable to hear the situation in Kufa so tht they headed for their homeland to seek protection in the grave of their grandfther against the adversities of the traitorous time.
After Mohammed's household had left Kufa, Allah punished the Kufans with plague. It was the immediate punishment because of their attitude towards these righteous ones. al-Mughira b. Shu'ba, the Umayyad governor of Kufa, fled Kufa because he was afraid of plague. Then he returned to it, but was infected with plague and died.
3
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1. Hind was the daughter of al-Nu'man b. al-Mundhir.
She was nun in this abbey of her in al-Hira.M
2.Ibn Abu al-Haddid, Sharh Nahj al-Balagha, vol.4, p.6.
3. al-Mas'udi, Hamish b. al-Athir, vol.5, p.97.
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CHAPTER V
NEW FIELD
I hope you will agree with me that there are accurate criteria to evaluate the character of men when they ae worried during their attempts. These criteria are their attitudes towards their stipulations. Rather they bind themselves to fulfill their stipulations willingly and voluntarily. Every man who takes care of is Himanity shoue fulfill his stipulations of his own accord. For if he breaks them he will defame his character, his reputation, and his right. It is easy for us to imagine the person who makes desperate efforts to keep his words and his promises. That is because such a person dies for an ideal manner through which he loses the limited life to win the limitless life. Also he adds a new value to ideal humanitaria society.
As for the person who breaks his promise, violates his oath, does not keep his words, similes at his friend and deceives Him during certain conditions, then he frowns at his friend, turns away from Him, and repents of what he has given Him, he is not regarded as a human being. Rather he is he enemy of humanity. That is because he destroys the rules of humanity and paralyzes its decisions. Moreover, such a person is the enemy of his character, for he subjects it to wrath, scorn, bad reputation, and deprivations of the trust of the society. After that, it does not avail Him when he says or when the people say concerning Him: "The end justifies the means." That is because this excuse itself is a perfect crime which the forgiving heartt cannot bear. The ends, though different, must have the moral value on which the people have agreed. Therfore every end should have moral means. Besides the end is never moral unless it depends on moral means.
It is an act of kindness that all people, since the beginning of society, have agreed on the morality of the oath and of the promise to
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guarantee mutual interests. Apart from this all Divine religions have agreed on fulfilling the covenant.
It may be better for us to read, here, what the Commander of the faithful, peace be on Him, wrote to Malik al-Ashtar al-Nakaha'i concerning this matter. He said: "Do not rejectthe peace to which your enemy may call you and wherein there is pleasure of Allah, because peace brings rest to your army nd relief of your worries and safety for your country. However, after peace there is great apprehension from the enemy because often the enemy offers peace to benefit by your negligence. Therfore be cautious and do not act my wishfulness in this matter. If you conclude an agreement between yourself and you enemy or enter into a pledge with Him, then fulfill your agreement and discharge your pledge faithfully. Place yourself as a shield against whatever you have pledged because among the obligations of Allah there is nothing on which people are more strongly united despite the difference of their ideas and variation of ther views than respect for fulfilling the pledges. Besides Muslims even unbelievers have abided by agreements because they realized the dangers to come in the wake of violation (there of). Therfore do not deceive your enemy, because no one can offend against Allah save the ignorant and the wicked. Allah made agreement and pldege the sign of security which He has spread over his creatures through His mercy and an asylum in which they stay in his protection and seek benefit of HIs neighborhood. Therfore there should be no deceit, cunning or duplicity in it. Do not enter into an agreement that may admit defferent interpretations and do not change the interpretation of vague words after conclusion and confirmation (of the agreement). If an agreement of Allah involves you in hardship do not seek its repudiation without justification, because bearing of hardships through which you expect relief and handsome result is better than violation whose consequence you fear, and you apprehend that you will be called upon by Allah to account for it and you will be unable to seek forgivesness for it in this world or the next.
I (i.e., the author) say: If we return to our subject, we will see that the stipulations which Al-Hasan b. Ali, peace be on Him, imposed on Mu'awiya in the Peace Treaty were certain pledges and strong oaths
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which history had never witnessed before. Moreover, Mu'awiya Himself had wirtten their final cope with his pen and stamped them with his stamp.
Therefore no wonder when the Islamic public opinion at that time looked forward to fulfilling these conditions because they were obligatory according to these pledges and oaths, and because their fulfillment would be appropriate for two figures of such a kind in Islam.
As for that srange surprise which Mu'awiya started within a week after concluding the Peace Treaty, it shook the Muslims society. As we have already mentioned, Mu'awiya (according to al-Mada'ini's narration) said: "The conditions which I have made with Al-Hasan are under these two feet of mine. Also he (according to the narration of Abu Ishaq al-Suby'i) said: "Indeed every thing which I have given to Al-Hasan b. Ali is under these two feet of mine. From now on I will not fulfill anything." Then al-Husayn b. al-Mundhir al-Raqqash bore witness against Mu'awiya when he said: "Mu'awiya did not fulfill what he had given to Al-Hasan. He killed Hijr and his companions, pledged allegiance to his son, and poisoned Al-Hasan."
1
In this way, this man (ie, Mu'awiya) with large possessions and narrow telents became the worst of all people in trust, and the least of them in importance according to the moral critetia on which the people had greed. That is because he broke openly his oath and his pledge. That was a suitable punishment. For most of those who were deceived by Him denied Him as he denied his pledges and covenants. They put Him at the place where he had put his conditions.
We do not know. We may be at crossroads between the overcome past and the vivtorious future through which the historical struggle between Al-Hasan and Mu'awiya will appear. Now, we are about to understand the great plan through which Al-Hasan b. Ali, peace be on Him, made peace with Mu'awiya and imposed is will on Him, though the latter was known for his cleveness in avoiding the
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1. Ibn Abu al-Haddid, Sharh Nahj al-Balagha, vol.4, pp. 6,7, and 16.
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failure in the plans he made to achieve his interests.
As we know, Al-Hasan was the most knowledgeable of people in the truthfullness and loyalty of Mu'awiya. For this reason Al-Hasan made Mu'awiya give stron forms of oath and pledges to be sure his truthfulness and hosnesty and to show the stupid his abilities in his religion, his covenant, and his honor.
Al-Hasan took the intiative to start his movement towards his second field. From here he was able to add a new value to the matter of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them. Then the time passed. So the successful steps appeared one by one.
The most prominent steps which Al-Hasan, peace be on Him, accomplished through his plan to defame Mu'awiya, whether dead or alive, and the Umayyads are as follows:
1. He incited a large number of the geart figures in the Islamic countries against Mu'awiya at the beginning of his independent period. So some of them cursed Him openly; some of them regarded Him as a wicked person; some of them said concerning Him: "By Allah, he '(Mu'awya) was traitorous"; and some of the said concerning Him; "Mu'awiya had four qualities. If he had only one of them, it would have been a grave sin."
1 Besides many men and women treated Him in such a way. Now we do not intend to mention their number and their words.
2. He made some classes oppose Mu'awiya. That is because the items of the Peace Treaty included them whether concerning the security imposed in the items or the textual financial rights. So a great group of people regarded Him as a mortal enemy, for he broke the
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1. His friend Samara cursed Him, His friend al-Mughira described Him as the most evil of all people. A'isha and others blemed Him face to face. Malik b. Hubayra al-Sikuni abandoned Him. al-Rabi, b. Zyyad al-Harithi died of sadness because of his (Mu'awiya) acts. Abu Ishaq al-Subay'i said concerning Him (By Allah, he was traitorous), and Al-Hasan al-Basri said: "Mu'awiya had four qualities ..." Concerning these words see these book: Nahj al-Balagha, al-Kamil fi Tarikh, and Muruj al-Dhahab.
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conditions regarding their lives and belongings.
3. Through breaking Al-Hasan Peace Treaty, Mu'awiya thought that he would be able to create a froma. situation for the pledge of allegiance to his son Yazid. In other words, with this situation, he wanted to destroy the Islamic laws which the Muslims adopted for the pledge of allegiance and the powers of the successor.
Immediately, the accomplished fact prevented Mu'awiya from achieving his aims. For this new pledge of alleginace to his son Yazid incited all Muslims against the objectives of the Uamayyads towards Islam. That was from the day when Mu'awiya nominated Yazid as a successor after Him.
4. Mu'awiya killed good Muslims from the early companions and the later companions (of the Prophet) without any guilt. So these bloody disasters, which he committed openly after he had broken the Peace Treaty, were other factors to defame Him and to destroy his claimed spirits. That took place according to the firm plan which Imam Al-Hasan, peace be on Him, wanted from the day when he decided to make peace with Mu'awiya.
5. The matter of al-Husayn in Karbala in the 61 A.H. was the greatest of Al-Hasan's matters, for the latter paved the way to the former to fight against their mutual enemy who was the enemy of their father before.
We must notget that Al-Hasan said to al-Husayn on the day when he was about to die; Abu Abd Allah, there is no day (battle) like your day."
Though these words are short, they were the only symble which was heard from Al-Hasan, peace be on Him, when he refrrred to the sectret plan whose six dimensions obscurity covered from the day when he made peace with Mu'awiya to the day when he said these words. From these words you understand the languate of the supreme commander who distributed the leaders according to the battle, and the days according to the occasions, then he distinguished his brother and the day of his brother when he said: "Abu Abd Allah, there is no day like your day."
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Surely, the time occasions showed the steps of the plan one by one. It was necessary for one step to wake the other, the latter step to hire the former one, the first step to burn the firebrand of teh second one, and so on. Also Al-Hasan considered theses steps carefully from the day when he intended to make peace with Mu'awiya. Apart from this, he studied the psychological features of his opponenets who were displeased with Him, his brother, his Shi'a (followers), and all his objectives. These wide scale studies were the base on which Al-Hasan built his future steps that were necessary for both Himself and his enemy. Certainly, al-Husayn would have adopted these steps if Al-Hasan Himself had been unable to achieve them. This is what we wanted at the beginning of this chapter.
In this manner the immortal uprising of al-Husayn was teh greatest step in the plan of his great genius brother.
The tragedy of Karbala, which all the languages in the earth have contained, is still the black stain that dyed the history of the Umayyads with shame as long as there is a mark for Karbala and name for the Umayyads.
6. In the historical periods after the tragedy of al-Husayn, peace be on Him, in Karbala, the plan with strategic goals was still denoting a series of bloody events resulted from the core of the Umayyad situation with similar features to the period between the time of Mu'awiya and the time of his cousin called al-Himar (the donkey).
1
Those who were interested in their Islam regarding the Ummayyads as unjust government. Also they regarded them as the ones who overcame the people with oppression, extravagance, and deviation
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1. His name was Marwan. He belonged to the Ummayyds. The Ummayyads dynasty ended during his lifetime. He was called al-Himar (ie the donkey) and al-Ju'di, for he as attributed to his teacher al-Ju'di b. Dirham. Ibn Dirham was an athiest, so he taught Marwan his doctrine. The people dispraised Marwan, for he belonged to al-Ju'di b. Dirham. The Abbasid conquerors defeated Marwan and followed Him, but he sought protection in the church at Bousir. I (the author) wonder: Why did Marwan not seek protection in the Mosques?
See Ibn al-Athir, al-Kamil fi al-Tairkh, vol. 5, pp. 159-60.
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from the religious laws. In the course of time, the people were very indignant with Umayyads and were read to sacrifice their lives to fight against them.
Therefore the Peace Treaty was concluded in the interest of Islam, the interest of the members of the House (ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them, and the interest of the Islamic mission. Moreover, less than one century, Al-Hasan b. Ali, peace be on them, became the victorious winner over his opponents who were defeated in history.
Al-Hasan's steps were successful. His policy was above all policies. He had done all that with silence, humbleness, and patience. Therefore he achieved righteouness, peace, and sparing the blood of the Muslims.
Accordingly, I (ie the author) wonder: Is greatness a thing other than this?
