THE ROLE OF IMAM HASAN

The situation Imam Husayn faced against Yazid had already appeared—more severely—in the life of his elder brother, Imam Hasan, against Mu‘awiyah. But Imam Hasan responded in a completely different way. His approach was markedly different from that of Imam Husayn. It is worth noting that in Hadith collections, under the section of virtues, many reports are recorded about both Hasan and Husayn. Still, there is a difference between the two brothers. Regarding Imam Husayn, the authentic narrations mainly describe the Prophet’s love for him, which was natural since Husayn was his grandson. For example, Usamah ibn Zayd reports that he heard the Prophet (ﷺ) say:

“These two (Hasan and Husayn) are my sons and the sons of my daughter. O God, I love them, so You love them too.” (Sunan al-Tirmidhi, Hadith No. 4103)

In contrast, the narrations about Imam Hasan are not only stronger in authenticity, but they also point beyond natural affection. For example, Anas ibn Malik reports:

“No one resembled the Prophet (ﷺ) more than Hasan ibn ‘Ali.” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 3752)

Beyond physical resemblance, another fact stands out: in reliable narrations, we do not find any mention of a predicted historical role for Imam Husayn. But regarding Imam Hasan, it is established that the Prophet (ﷺ) foretold a great role for him:

Abu Bakrah says: “I saw the Messenger of God on the pulpit, with Hasan ibn ‘Ali beside him. The Prophet looked once at the people and once at Hasan, and said: ‘This son of mine is a leader. Perhaps God will use him to bring peace between two great groups of Muslims.’” (Sahih al-Bukhari, Hadith No. 2704)

This prophecy came true word for word in Imam Hasan’s life. His caliphate began in the year 40 AH, when conflict among Muslims was still ongoing. Some people had rallied under the banner of Banu Umayyah, while others were with Banu Hashim. Neither side could defeat the other, and neither was willing to yield. When Imam Hasan accepted allegiance, he also made people promise: “Whoever I fight, you will fight; whoever I make peace with, you will make peace with.” After the martyrdom of ‘Ali, pledging allegiance to his son meant a direct challenge to Mu‘awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, the leader of the Umayyads. From his capital in Damascus, Mu‘awiyah marched with an army of sixty thousand towards Kufah, where Hasan ibn ‘Ali was based. Imam Hasan also set out from Kufah with almost the same number of soldiers. One witness described them as “battalions like mountains.” These were men who had pledged to fight to the death under ‘Ali ibn Abi Talib and were unwilling to settle for anything less.

Both armies encamped near Madain. Mu‘awiyah then sent Imam Hasan a message, saying that peace was better than war, and proposing that Hasan recognize him as caliph and give him allegiance. After careful thought, Imam Hasan accepted the offer. He remained caliph for six months, and in 41 AH pledged allegiance to Mu‘awiyah, handing over the caliphate. For Imam Hasan’s zealous supporters, this “humiliation” was unbearable. They loudly protested against his decision, calling him ‘aar al-muslimeen (the disgrace of the Muslims) and mudhill al-mu’mineen (the one who humiliated the believers). Some even called him a disbeliever. They tore his clothes and attacked him with a sword. Yet Imam Hasan refused to adopt a confrontational path. He said:

“If the caliphate was Mu‘awiyah’s right, then it has reached him. If it was my right, then I have given it to him.” (Mustadrak al-Hakim, Athar No. 4873)

After the peace agreement, Mu‘awiyah fixed an annual allowance of one hundred thousand dirhams for Imam Hasan. (Hafiz al-Dhahabi, al-‘Ibar, vol. 1, p. 48)

The result of this single step back was that Muslim infighting turned into unity. The year 41 AH, which could have been remembered as the third great bloodshed in Islamic history after Siffin and Jamal, came instead to be known as ‘Aam al-Jama‘ah—the Year of Unity. Instead of division, it became the year of solidarity. The strength of the Muslims, which had been wasted in internal battles, was now directed toward spreading and expanding Islam. To step back is the greatest form of courage—though very few are willing to prepare themselves for such courage.

For twenty years after the Prophet’s passing (11 AH), Muslim conquests continued. Each month brought news of a new region being won. But in the final years of the third caliph, civil wars began that brought conquests to a halt for almost ten years. It is a historical fact that the person who reopened this closed door was Imam Hasan. On the surface, giving up the caliphate in 41 AH looked like a withdrawal from the field of action. In reality, it was a better way of returning to action. It redirected Muslim strength from internal conflict to external field of action. This retreat opened new opportunities for success in Islamic history. Had Imam Hasan insisted on retaining the caliphate, it is quite possible that Islamic history would have come to an end in the very first century AH. The Muslims would have continued to destroy one another through internal conflict, while the opponents of Islam would have regained their strength and ultimately wiped out Islam altogether.