Reasons Behind the Poisoning of Imam Hasan (PBUH)

2021-06-22

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Abu Sulaiman then seeks to use some logic as follows: “…The truth is that Al-Hasan made peace with Mu’awiyah, and gave him the leadership and the allegiance. Therefore, for what reason would Mu’awiyah poison Al-Hasan?” Mu’awiya despite gaining power saw in Imam Hasan (a.s) a formidable opponent. As Abu Sulaiman admits Mu’awiya wanted Yazeed to succeed him. This contradicted one of the conditions stipulated in the agreement with Imam Hasan (as) namely that in the event of Mu’awiya’s death khilafath would return to Hasan. (1)

Mu’awiya had no intention to comply with this, to ensure the best approach would be to kill Imam Hasan (as) during his own lifetime. The famous commtentry of Sunan Abu Dawood has been written by Allamah Shams ul Haq Haqqani which is known as ‘Awn al Mabud Sharah Sunan Abu Dawud’(2) wherein he records:

لأن معاوية (رض) كان يخاف على نفسه من زوال الخلافة عنه

“Mu’awiya (ra) was afraid of losing his Caliphate”

Late Salafi scholar Maulana Waheed uz Zaman Khan Heydar-abadi states in his commentary of Sunan Abu Dawood: “As long as Imam Hasan (ra) lived, Muawiya was afraid of losing caliphate”(3)
Renowned Egyptian academic Dr Taha Husayn in his book’Ali wa Banooh’ (Ali and his sons) translated in Urdu as “Ali (ra)” by Maulana Abdul Hameed Numani writes: “By poisoning Hasan, Mu’awiya and Amr bin Aas had made the way clear for making Yazeed the next khalifa”.(4) Similarly we read in Ahl’ul Sunnah’s esteemed work ‘Maqatil al Talibeen’:(5)

ودس معاوية إليه حين أراد أن يعهد إلى يزيد بعده، وإلى سعد بن أبي وقاص سماً فماتا منه في أيام متقاربة. وكان الذي تولى ذلك من الحسن زوجته ” جعدة ” بنت الأشعث بن قيس لمال بذله لها معاوية.

“Muawiya administered poison to him (Hasan) when he wanted to appoint Yazeed, and poisoned Saad bin Abi Waqas and they both died in close days. The one who administered poison to al-Hasan was his wife J’ada bin al-Ash’ath bin Qais, for which she was rewarded with money, paid to her by Mu’awiya”.

The sole reason that Mu’awiya sought to kill Imam Hasan (as) was so that he could renage on the peace he had made, and place his drunkard son onto the throne of Rasulullah (s). Our assertion is further strenghtned when we take account of the fact that in ‘Al Imama wa al Siyasia’(6) Dhikr bayya Yazeed we learn: “An Iraqi tribal chief said to Mu’awiya ‘As long as Hasan is alive the people of Iraq and Hijaz shall not give bayya to Yazeed.”

Mu’awiya poisoned the Chief of the youth of Paradise Imam Hasan (as) to strengthen the seat of his Fasiq son Yazeed. Through this poisoning we can see a clear sign of Mu’awiya’s evil nature. He had no intention of honouring the honouring the promise that he had reached and signed as part of the peace treaty with Imam Hasan (as), and in this connection we read in Sahih Bukhari, Kitab al Iman:(7)

“The Prophet said, “The signs of a hypocrite are three:
1.Whenever he speaks, he tells a lie.
2.Whenever he promises, he always breaks it (his promise).
3.If you trust him, he proves to be dishonest. (If you keep something as a trust with him, he will not return it.)”

Consider this Hadith and measure it against the way Mu’awiya acted when agreeing terms with Imam Hasan (as). He breached the terms, by planning to make Yazeed Khalifa, during the lifetime of Imam Hasan (as), thus proving that he was a dishonest, untrustworthy liar.

Continue in the next article: ( Mu’awiya’s pleasure upon hearing the death of Imam Hassan (as) 1 )

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1. See: