Imam Al-Hasan was grieving the loss of his father by assassination.  He, along with his brother and relatives had just finished washing the body of Imam Ali, praying Salat of Janaaza, and burying him.  It was mournful feeling, a feeling of vacuum, loss and emptiness, a sad one.

   A heavy responsibility fell upon Al-Hasan's shoulders and people from all around gave him their allegiance.  People's love and respect for Al-Hasan was very deep, he was a man who tended to peace and peaceful living.  He had to use a great deal of thinking and soul searching before deciding the direction he was to take.  He had seen too many happenings, way too many.

Lineage:

AL-HASAN (a.s.) REVIEWS HIS LIFE:  

   Imam Al-Hasan (a.s.) had many things on his mind, and as he reviewed his life, the memories came to him.

▪    of how when he was a child he so often played with the Prophet (pbuh), and

▪    how he went to the main mosque in the Prophet's company.

▪    He still remembered the kisses and hugs the Prophet (pbuh) gave him.

▪    He remembered his mother Fatima (a.s.) and how very sad she was after his grandfather Muhammad (pbuh) had died.

▪    Al-Hasan remembered how sick and weak his mother was until she died.  He remembered how much he cried then, along with his brother and two sisters, and how his father Imam Ali (a.s.) along with others prepared her body for burial.

▪    Al-Hasan (a.s.) also remembered vividly how his mother was buried at night, so that neither the Khalifa nor any of his administration would pray on her, as she had so wished.  For such were her angry and unhappy feelings about the state of affairs after the Prophet (pbuh).

▪    Imam Al-Hasan (a.s.) also remembered when the Prophet (pbuh) had put him under the mantle, along with his parents and Al-Husain, saying they were of the Ahlul Bayt, the honor of honors.

▪    Al-Hasan (a.s.) remembered the Mubaahala when the Prophet (pbuh) took him hand in hand, along with his family, to be a representative as his own son.

▪    Oh yes, Al-Hasan (a.s.) also remembered how very often he studied at his father's (a.s.) hands to learn about Islam, in its wealth, and how those studies opened his mind.

▪    He also remembered the many discussions, Quranic, Islamic, and others at the Mosque in Medina.  Home sweet home, he would think.

▪    Al-Hasan remembered his adolescence, marriage, then his participation in the North African war to pave the way for Islam to penetrate deep in Africa.

▪    Al-Hasan also remembered the emotional upheavals and anger of the general public during the last years of Uthman, the upheaval that ended in an uprising with an awful outcome.

▪    Imam Al-Hasan's mind went to the last few years when his father Imam Ali (a.s.) was fighting against the overwhelming odds.

▪    He remembered the encounters with the renouncers near Basrah, then with the malicious malignant at Siffin, then with the deviators at Nahrawan and the massive blood shed.

▪    Al-Hasan (a.s.) remembered the many speeches he gave, the nice way people received them, and the comfortable way they felt about them.

Come to think of it, Al-Hasan (a.s.) said to himself, let me review the whole situation now and to formulate a policy to follow.  After all, the responsibility is heavy, very heavy.

IMAM AL-HASAN (a.s.) COMES TO A CONCLUSION  

   To come to a conclusion, Imam Al-Hasan (a.s.) reflected on how the Muslim world was now compared to the early days.

► Kufa was still strange to him though he had been there for almost 5 years.  Kufa, Basrah, and other towns were new towns, recently built, and bustling.  They were along the Islamic Directives, but Islam seemed to be understood in diverse manners, often superficially, yet it was refreshing.  There were numerous converts to Islam, but with their deeply ingrained habits they had superficial uncertain understanding of it.

► There was a tremendous fear and anxiety and a great deal of distress.  The atmosphere of uncertainty, insecurity and anxiety was based on heresy caused by Mu'awiya's campaign against Ahlul Bayt.  Mu'awiya's campaign of defamation and damnation was unleashed against Ali by now, Ali the second man in Islam after the Prophet (pbuh)!!  The world around was infested with fifth column, the secret agents of Mu'awiya.  These agents were given privileges, were heavily paid, and they did a very destructive work as ordered.

► It was true, Imam Al-Hasan (a.s.) thought, that his father Imam Ali had stood like a lion in the face of all difficulties, but many thousands of people lost their lives because of it.  Almost every house in Kufa, he thought, seemed to have a man killed because of the imposed wars, be they the Jamal battle or Siffin, and numerous families were in unfortunate state.  Those families were in material need too.  Not only that, but Al-Hasan (a.s.) thought too, that Basrah, and other small towns in Iraq, as well as Damascus, and numerous towns in Syria also had the same family devastation.  It was all caused by the pursuit of power by Mu'awiya, the opportunist, power hungry man—nay, the power-worshipping man.

► It was obvious, Al-Hasan also thought, that coming to terms with Mu'awiya might lead to ending the blood shed, and perhaps Mu'awiya would die within a short time and the cancer of the Islamic Ummah disappears.

AL-HASAN (a.s.) DURING THE FIRST FEW MONTHS  

   Imam Al-Hasan (a.s.) discussed the matter with his brother Imam Al-Husain (a.s.) and other close relatives.  He revealed to them the concept to make peace with Mu'awiya and abdicate until after Mu'awiya dies.

   In the meantime, Mu'awiya kept doing his destructive moves, maintaining a war of propaganda and scaring the ordinary citizens.  He and Benu Umayya kept up the tension and anxiety in the hearts of people of Iraq and vicinity.  Mu'awiya sent secret agents, or gangs of a few people, to terrorize, kidnap, or even kill innocent people who loved Ali or were loyal to him.  They often attacked homes or destroyed belongings—terrorism was the new game.  To spread such terror they concentrated on the well known supporters of Imam Ali (a.s.) and Al-Hasan (a.s.), and they did atrocities beyond belief.  The subversive gangs looted, stole, and at other occasions spilled blood of the very innocent.

   Seeing Muslims suffer and terrorist unabashedly ignoring or disregarding Islamic teachings and Directives, Al-Hasan (a.s.) decided to sign an agreement Mu'awiya had offered.  This was done after confrontation of two forces, that of Imam Al-Hasan versus Mu'awiya's.  In this confrontation Mu'awiya bribed many Generals of Imam Al-Hasan and bought them to his side.  Thus Mu'awiya further undermined the forces under the leadership of Al-Hasan.  At this stage a Khariji attacked Al-Hasan and wounded him in the thigh.  The whole thing was a confused mess and it was at this point that Mu'awiya sent to Al-Hasan an offer to come to terms of peace.  This was accepted and it ended with an agreement.

THE AGREEMENT:  

   The terms of the agreement were dictated by Imam Al-Hasan (a.s.) himself and agreed upon by Mu'awiya:

The terms were agreed upon and signed.  It was advised that Imam Al-Hasan should appear publicly and confirm what he had done.  So Mu'awiya called Imam Al-Hasan in the huge central Mosque of Kufa and asked him to speak.  Imam Al-Hasan ascended the pulpit and said:

Mu'awiya, having secured all the power in his hand, declared the objective of his government, unabashedly, in the following words:

AL-HASAN (a.s.) RETURNS TO MEDINA       

   Having sold their homes in Kufa, Imams Al-Hasan (a.s.) and Al-Husain (a.s.) along with their families and the family of Imam Ali (a.s.) took the long journey to Medina.  While traveling a good many thoughts came to the Imam's mind, one of which was the intensity of the dishonesty and deception of Mu'awiya.  Then he would think, who can trust a man of such mettle!  And if Mu'awiya was not to be trusted, what was he likely to do!  What lay ahead, is it ruin, devastation or otherwise?!  Al-Hasan (a.s.) wondered and wondered.  None can ever trust a man like Mu'awiya, a man of seventy faces!  The experience of the last few years were like that of a nightmare and it would never have happened were it not for the campaign of Mu'awiya and his family Benu Umayya, the campaign of lies, bribery, physical intimidation, and emotional hysteria.

   Then Imam Al-Hasan thought about Mu'awiya's illegal use of the public treasury.  What to do about a man who uses the public treasury (like tax money nowadays) as if it belonged to him personally, to live in luxury and often to buy people's loyalty and allegiance.

   Yes, Imam Al-Hasan thought, if a person lies and keeps repeating the same lie over and over again, people listening will believe the lie, and even the person himself will believe it.  This will be so if there are no countermeasures or anti-defamation campaigns, something not possible in those days.  That was partly the reason, Imam Al-Hasan thought, why people in Syria believed in Mu'awiya and fought on his side.

   The trip from Kufa to Medina was long and tiresome.  Finally they arrived in Medina, with the familiar surrounding mountains, the usual Mosque, and other landmarks.  Once there, each family bought a modest house and settled therein, soon to set to work.

WHAT DID THEY DO?  

   It was obvious to Imam Al-Hasan (a.s.), his brother, and family that there was a massive need to teach Islam, and to prepare many to become scholars in it.

   It was obvious to them that Mu'awiya was a wicked wolf dressed in the clothes of an innocent lamb.  That Mu'awiya was using every possible trick at his disposal to reach his goal, and that is to rule over the whole Islamic nation, no matter what or how much Islam or the Muslims suffered.

   Once settled in Medina, both Imams Al-Hasan and Al-Husain lost no time in holding meetings for Islamic discussions as they and their father had done 15-20 years back.  Those nightly meetings proved to be a smashing success, and they were very popular.  Many people started to attend, solo or in groups, to hear the material and to discuss it.  It was rare for a day to pass without such meetings.  The demands were persistent and excessive, and the two brothers, the fountain of such knowledge, were graciously and eagerly giving.  The reputation of such discussions began to fly to far away places.  People from as far as Egypt, Iraq, Yemen, and other distant places traveled to Medina, to absorb as much as possible from the two Imams.

   As years passed, the knowledge given started to bear fruits.  The number of Islamic scholars increased, and they owed their initiation and learning to this experience with Al-Hasan and Al-Husain.  Thus, the eventual benefit to Islam was vast and deep.  Medina was a university town, so to speak, with the deans, professors and instructors being Imam Al-Hasan (a.s.), Al-Husain (a.s.), and others of their household.  It is true that there were many others who were good scholars, but often they were busy with their livelihood, and not able to spend all their time exclusively for this field.  The scholars were never a match to such authorities as Al‑Hasan (a.s.) and Al-Husain (a.s.), neither in the store of Islamic knowledge nor its correctness or precision.

DID MU'AWIYA HONOR THE TREATY?  

   You remember the financial payment Mu'awiya was to make to Imam Al-Hasan (a.s.); Mu'awiya held only to this part of the agreement.  This was the only point of the agreement Mu'awiya held to.  Other points he broke, and it was not surprising to anyone that a person of such a mettle would do differently.

   But the payments came regularly, and as soon as Imam Al-Hasan received the money he distributed it to the needy and to the families that lost one or more members in the recent wars.  The money was highly appreciated, and this help went on for a number of years.

   Poor people were on Al-Hasan's long list of the needy too, and most of them got their share of assistance.

   But why so many needy?  The reason is because of the bad form of the present government, since the State Governors were appointed by Mu'awiya.  They were supposed to help the needy with the public treasury, instead Mu'awiya's appointees were no different than Mu'awiya himself.  They freely used the public treasury as if it belonged to them, for their own use.  This of course was at the expense of the needy and poor.  And by now:

► No one ever dared raise his voice against the ruling family otherwise he would be liquidated or silenced.

► Freedom suddenly died and dictatorship took its place, suppression became the rule.

► Suppressing the masses was the new game.

► Forgotten by the government were the Islamic Directives of love, assistance, kindness and general welfare.

► The name of Islam was utilized by the government as they wished and desired, to whatever the ruling class under Mu'awiya dictated.  The welfare of the society was largely ignored!!

THE ISLAMIC NATION NOW  

   It was not difficult to see the behavior of Mu'awiya and the course he was taking.  Once Imam Ali (a.s.) was assassinated, Mu'awiya stopped his propaganda of avenging the blood of Uthman (r).

► You remember that avenging Uthman's blood was the very core by which Mu'awiya used to arouse the emotions of the public, exploiting this to the utmost.  But now Mu'awiya is silent, blood of Uthman is forgotten, the killers of Uthman are not brought to justice.  Instead, Mu'awiya was busy with a campaign of foul language to defame Ali!

► Mu'awiya wanted to defame and ruin Imam Ali's reputation, of all things!  This vicious campaign continued for almost 70 years!  It was in the form of cursing Imam Ali on the pulpits after the Salats, especially Friday Salats.  Imagine the hundreds of thousands of Mosques holding Salats every day, and Imam Ali being cursed!!  The leaders of the Prayers were obligated to do so or else they would lose their jobs and livelihood.

   They cursed Imam Ali about whom Muhammad (pbuh) said:

They cursed Ali about whom the Quran says:

and they cursed Ali about whom and Ahlul Bayt Muhammad (pbuh) also said:

► After suffering many years under the yoke of such corrupt Umayya Governments a nationwide revolution took place, and the Umayya dictatorship was destroyed, and with this, all of Benu Umayya and their collaborators were dispensed with, destroyed and exterminated.

► Even without any countermeasures, it proved to be true that you cannot fool all the people all the time.  That was the very point Mu'awiya did not realize, that his lies would be discovered, and that people would come to their senses, sooner or later.  In spite of Mu'awiya's persistent efforts to change the minds and thinking of the Muslims, Islam was too big for him and people refused to believe him or Benu Umayya.  They revolted many times, and finally they became victorious and did away with all the Umayya clan.

► During his reign Mu'awiya gathered a very large number of collaborators.  They were those who had a weakness for money and/or were power-hungry, the ones who unabashedly did anything for the money.  They were his loyalist who:

1. supported his line of thinking,

2. were materialistic like him, and

3. would step on their conscience and be prisoners to their desires.

   They counted in the tens of thousands, and they formed Mu'awiya's administrative staff and appointees.  They, like him, talked in terms of Islam but used it as a lip service.  Many were rude and crude, but Mu'awiya thought they would do for the purpose as long as they upheld him.  Mu'awiya paid them well, often with rich awards just for saying a poem in his praise!  Mind you this is Public Treasury (the tax money)!  Or he appointed them in sensitive positions to dictate to the masses his policies.

► If this was not enough, Mu'awiya made sure to bring some ideas of the pre-Islamic era, such as making the Arabs superior to the non-Arabs or the clannish competition leading to clashes, one tribe against the other.  Some started to claim superiority of birth, others of nationality or name!  Islam had abolished all such tendencies or even such thinking!  Islamicly it is a grave sin to do so, but Mu'awiya  delved in it and helped popularize it.  And with the passage of time this policy produced tremendous friction and clashes on many occasions, and a good many revolts and blood baths were the result.

MU'AWIYA REPLACES SHOORA WITH CAESAR-LIKE RULE!  

   As if he had not done enough, Mu'awiya was in for another one, a concept foreign to Islam.  He wanted to impose a rulership by inheritance.  In other words, he forced a change on the constitution of Islam, the Shari'ah itself, and imposed such a change on the Islamic nation. (Al-Maududi, Al-Khilaafah and Mulk.  Also Ahmad Amin, Yawm Al-Islam.)  Mu'awiya wanted to impose his son Yazid on the Muslims, to make him the Khalifa after him—despite the fact his son was a play boy well known to everyone.  His son was drinking and becoming an alcoholic at an early age, and he was highly interested in the pleasures of the flesh.

   If Islam does not accept Caesar-like rule, and Mu'awiya insists upon it, one still wonders how his son can be made the Head of State, since he was such a misfit?

   Mu'awiya thought and thought, and he took a long time for this one.  He proceeded step by step according to priorities.  The most important priority was the treaty with Imam Al-Hasan which said that if Al-Hasan (a.s.) was to outlive Mu'awiya, he would be the Khalifa.  Mu'awiya thought, "if Al-Hasan does not outlive me, I will do as I please," so Mu'awiya lay a wicked plan—he did it carefully, very carefully.

MU'AWIYA KILLS IMAM AL-HASAN (a.s.) BY POISONING  

   A cold blooded murderer can achieve his aim in many of different ways.  Mu'awiya, knowing the weakness of people for money or power, set to the task.  His aim was to murder Imam Al-Hasan but to do it in an imperceptible manner. 

   It was 10 years since Imam Al-Hasan (a.s.) had abdicated.  He was now 47 years old, very involved in religious teaching, day in, day out, year in, year out.  He had been continually conferring with others, freely and cheerfully, from his limitless fountain of knowledge.  His wife, Jo'da, was the daughter of Al-Ash'ath who had been a secret agent for Mu'awiya against Imam Ali (a.s.) in Siffin.

   Mu'awiya sent someone to approach Jo'da and persuade her to do a simple deed, no more than a small favor to put a small amount of powder in the food of Imam Al-Hasan!  For such a small thing he offered her a large sum of money, a reward, and as a result, Al-Hasan (a.s.) perhaps would pass away.  If it happened as planned he promised she would be the wife of his son Yazid.