Chapter 11: Attempt to Assassinate Al-Hasan ibn Ali
An Attempt to Assassinate Al-Hasan ibn Ali:
There was an attempt to assassinate Al-Hasan ibn Ali after he mentioned his intention to pursue a peace agreement with Mu’awiyah.
Ibn Sa’d narrated in his at-Tabaqat (ancient works detailing the lives of the Prophet, his companions and the Tabi’in) that when Al-Hasan ibn Ali was appointed as the leader of the Muslims, a man attacked him and stabbed him with a dagger while he was prostrating in prayer.
This report was narrated from Abu Jameelah.
Husayn ibn Abdur-Rahman as-Sulami stated that he heard the one who stabbed Al-Hasan was a man from the tribe of Banu Assad. He said that his uncle, who was present at the incident, told him: They claimed that the wound was in his hip, and as a result, he remained ill for several months before recovering.
Al-Hasan’s Expedition from Kufa with the Army of Iraq:
Ibn Sa’d mentioned in his at-Tabaqat, in a report from Ash-Shu’bi, that after the death of Ali ibn Abi Talib, the people of Iraq pledged allegiance to Al-Hasan ibn Ali.
They said to him: Go to these people who have disobeyed Allah and His Messenger and have transgressed greatly. They have seized people’s property by force, we hope that Allah will help us prevail over them.
Al-Hasan then marched towards the people of Syria, appointing Qays ibn Sa’d ibn Ubadah as the commander of his army, leading twelve thousand men.
The people of Iraq pressured Al-Hasan into going out to fight the Syrians, despite this being against his wishes.
Ibn Kathir said: Al-Hasan had no intention of fighting anyone but they forced him. Because of this, a huge number of men were assembled, the likes of which had never been seen before.
Al-Hasan ibn Ali appointed Qays ibn Sa’d ibn Ubadah as the commander of the army over twelve thousand men, and he himself followed behind the army, heading towards Syria.
When he reached Mada’in, he stopped there and sent his army ahead. At this point, Mu’awiyah set out from Syria and headed towards Iraq after hearing that Al-Hasan and his army had left Kufa for Mada’in.
Ibn Sa’d said: Mu’awiyah came with the people of Syria asking for Al-Hasan and camped at Jasr Munayh, a village in Mesopotamia, the land of the Tigris and Euphrates.
Mu’awiyah had previously been wounded in an assassination attempt by a Khawarij member named Al-Barak ibn Abdullah.
This attempt occurred on the same day Ali ibn Abi Talib was assassinated.
Commotion in Iraq:
While Al-Hasan was in Mada’in, someone among the people of Iraq called out that Qays ibn Sa’d had been killed. This led to turmoil among the residents and they reverted to their old habits.
They attacked the tent of Al-Hasan, stole his belongings, pulled a rug from beneath him and stabbed him.
The governor of Mada’in at the time was Sa’d ibn Mas’ud at-Thaqafi and his nephew, Al-Mukhtar ibn Abi Ubayd ibn Mas’ud, said to him: Do you want to become rich and prominent?
Sa’d ibn Mas’ud asked: How? Al-Mukhtar replied: Tie up Al-Hasan and hand him over to Mu’awiyah after obtaining a guarantee of safety.
Sa’d ibn Mas’ud at-Thaqafi responded: May the curse of Allah be upon you! Should I strike at the son of the Prophet’s daughter and tie him up? What a bad man you are!
When Al-Hasan saw the people of Iraq return to their old ways, he realised he could not depend on them for support.