Chapter 18: Ill Treatment Towards Al-Hasan ibn Ali
The Ill Treatment Towards Al-Hasan:
Al-Hasan ibn Ali spoke about how some of the people of Iraq treated him badly and humiliated him.
He said: I think, by Allah, that Mu’awiyah is better for me than these people, who claimed to be my supporters but then took my property and wanted to kill me. By Allah, making a covenant with Mu’awiyah to protect my life, grant safety and security to my family is better than letting them kill me and exposing the members of my household and my family to danger. By Allah, if I fight Mu’awiyah, they will grab me by the neck and hand me over to him without any effort on his part. On the other hand, by Allah, if I make peace with him when I am still strong, that will be better than letting him execute me after capturing me, or letting him set me free, which would give him a favour to remind Banu Hashim of until the end of time. Mu’awiyah would continue to remind me of it and his children would remind those of us who are alive and those who are dead.
Al-Hasan also said: I know the people of Kufa and have tested them, and none of the corrupt ones among them is good for me. They are dishonest and do not adhere to any covenant in word or deed. They are divided (amongst themselves); they tell us that their hearts are with us, but their swords are unsheathed against us.
Because of what they did to his father Ali ibn Abi Talib and their attempts on his own life, Al-Hasan no longer trusted the people of Kufa.
He told them: O People of Iraq, if I did not give up on you except for three things, those would be sufficient for me to give on you; you killing my father, you stabbing my mule and you robbing my belongings (or he said: you stealing my cloak from my shoulders).
A man present then asked Al-Hasan: what made you do what you did?
Al-Hasan ibn Ali replied: I came to hate this world and I realised that if the people of Kufa were trusted, we would be defeated and lost. not one of them agrees with my opinion or inclination. They are divided and have not resolved to do either good or evil. My father suffered a great deal because of them, and I wonder whether there will be any good for anyone who comes after me.