Imam Hasan (May Allah be well pleased with him) and the caliphate

 

We can understand with a moment’s reflection that the desire of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) was that His Family (i.e. the Ahle Bait) should have the high stations of the hereafter to which the first step is asceticism and renunciation of the pleasures of this world.  This was the reason why such divinely ordained events took place that the Prophet’s Family didn’t get the caliphate.  This was because the divine writ was that the true caliphate should be for 30 years and after that monarchy would be established as mentioned in Hadith. 

 

As it was necessary that the true caliphate should remain for 30 years, in the earlier years, Imam Hasan (May Allah be well pleased with him) gave thought to it and handled the caliphate for 6 months.  When 30 years of the true caliphate were over, the Imam got the thought that Muslims are being killed indiscriminately, made an agreement with Hadhrat Ameer Mu’awiya (May Allah be well pleased with him) and gave up the caliphate.  Although after that people would taunt him and try to provoke him, but the Imam wouldn’t have any of it.

 

        Thus, it is mentioned in Tareekh Ul Khulafa that after the Imam gave up the caliphate, his associates addressed him as “O you who has disgraced the believers” and such terms, but the Imam’s response was:  I didn’t do this to disgrace Muslims, but I consider it undesirable to have you be killed in a war of power. 

 

It is mentioned in Tareekh Al Kaamil that when the Imam decided to go from Kufa to Madina, there was an uproar in Kufa.  Somebody asked him:  O Imam!  What made you do this?  The Imam replied:  First, this world is undesirable to me and the second is the disloyalty of the people of Kufa.  Just see, what excesses have they committed against my illustrious father!

 

When the Imam was leaving, a person came and spoke to the Imam disrespectfully.  The Imam said:  Don’t berate me!  The real reason behind this is something else which you don’t know.  That is that once the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) saw a dream that the Clan of Ummayya were jumping on His pulpit like monkeys.  On this, the Surah Kauthar was revealed and the Surah Qadr was also revealed on this occasion.  In the latter Surah, the glad tidings are there that the Night of Qadr is better than 1000 months.  Which 1000 months?  That is the period of the rule of the Ummayyads.  It is mentioned in Tareekh Ul Khulafa that this Hadith is present in Jame’ Tirmidhi (Babu Wa Min Sooratil Qadr, Hadith No. 3673) and one of the narrators of this Hadith, Qasim bin Fadhl says:  When we calculated, the rule of the Ummayyads was for exactly 1000 months.  It is also mentioned that this Hadith is present in Mustadrak ‘Alas Sahihain (Babu Wa Min Fadhaaili Hasan bin ‘Ali Raziallahu ‘Anhu, Hadith No. 4780).  It is also mentioned in Khasaais-e-Kubra, Pg. No. 119 on the authority of Baihaqui that as the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) did not like the Ummayyads jumping on His pulpit, Almighty Allah sent a revelation.

 

Thus, it was ordained that the sultanate should be lumped onto the Ummayyads and the highest stations of the hereafter should be given to the Prophets’ Family.  The difference between them has already been explained in the Holy Quran.

 

As Hadhrat Imam Hasan (May Allah be well pleased with him) was convinced that the caliphate will never come to the Prophet’s Family, at the time of his demise, he advised Hadhrat Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him):  By Allah!  I can never accept that Almighty Allah will gather both Prophethood and caliphate in our family.  Beware!  Lest you are misled by the fools of Kufa!

 

Just see, how convinced the Imam was that the Prophet’s Family will never get the caliphate, that he even said it on oath and this is what ought to happen as the mind will never accept that Almighty Allah grants them a special excellence and then gives them something which He Himself considers undesirable.

 

In Khasaais-e-Kubra, Imam Suyuti (May Allah shower His mercy on him) has related this Hadith:

 

Translation: The Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) said:  This matter has begun with Prophethood and mercy.  After this, there will be caliphate and mercy.  After that, tyrannic and cruel monarchy will take root.

 

        It has also been said that the era of the true caliphate will be only 30 years and this Hadith says after this tyrannical monarchy will take root, meaning that the monarchs will be such.  Thus, if they (i.e. the Prophet’s Family) gained the caliphate, it couldn’t be the true caliphate as its period had ended.  Then the attributes of tyranny and cruelty would have turned out to be about them although these qualities are undesirable and hated by both Allah and His creation.

 

Thus, Hadhrat Imam Hasan (May Allah be well pleased with him) had understood this subtlety and for this reason, he summarily rejected this material world.  Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) also had understood but for him the divine intent was to grant him the very pinnacles of martyrdom apart from the stations of asceticism and renunciation of the material world.  For this reason, the first stirrings of this were immediately after the martyrdom of Hadhrat Imam Hasan (May Allah be well pleased with him).

 

Thus, it is mentioned in Tareekh Ul Khulafa that the people of Kufa had started corresponding with Imam Hussain (May Allah be well pleased with him) right from the time of Hadhrat Ameer Mu’awiya (May Allah be well pleased with him) that he should become the successor to Hadhrat ‘Ali (May Allah be well pleased with him), but the Imam kept putting them off.  Later when Yazeed became the king, then because of his disgusting character, the Imam also paid some attention to it.  Thus, at times he would be willing to go to Kufa, at other times, he wouldn’t be willing. 

 

Eventually divine will made him go to Kufa.  Even though, the Companions tried to prevent him and Hadhrat ‘Abdullah bin ‘Umar (May Allah be well pleased with him) told him frankly that he shouldn’t leave from there at any cost.  Almighty Allah had given the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) the right to choose between this world and the hereafter and He had chosen the hereafter.  The Imam is also a part of the Holy Prophet (Sallallahu alaihi wa sallam) and as such he can never try to garner this material world!!

 

        Divine Will can never be put off.  The Imam didn’t accept anybody’s advice and what transpired at last was that instead of worldly progress, the Imam was made to acquire all the stations of spiritual progress and instead of worldly kingship, the Imam was given the kingship of the hereafter.

[Excerpted from Maqasid Ul Islam, Vol. 5]