WISDOM IN RETREAT — Farsightedness

A FTER the demise of the Prophet Muhammad in 632 A.D., for a period of 20 years, Muslims made huge conquests. Every month, news poured in of some large territory being conquered by Muslim armies. But with the murder of the third Caliph in 646 A.D., internecine fighting broke out among Muslims, which put a break to this series of conquests for around a decade. The person who reopened this closed door was Imam Hasan. In 661 A.D., he withdrew his claim to the Caliphate, expressing, as it were, his decision to retire from worldly action. But this stepping back actually opened up new doors for positive developments in Islamic history. Hasan ibn Ali ibn Abi Talib was born in the year 624 A.D. and passed away in the year 670 A.D. When his father, Ali ibn Abi Talib, was martyred in 660 A.D., Hasan was 37 years old. At that time, only Iraq and Iran remained under Ali’s Caliphate. In territories such as Yemen, the Hijaz (present day western Saudi Arabia), Palestine, Egypt etc., Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufiyan had established his rule. Many people were secretly opposed to him. After Ali’s martyrdom, a large number of people pledged the oath of allegiance to Hasan, Ali’s eldest son, accepting him as the Caliph. Only that person can act successfully who knows the secret of successful retreat. Cognizant of the delicate situation then prevailing, Hasan accepted the responsibilities of administering the Caliphate. But he very soon realized that, in the given conditions, his insistence on the Caliphate would only exacerbate dissensions among the Muslims. Reflecting his pragmatism, he once told his younger brother, Husain, ‘I know that Prophethood and the Caliphate cannot remain together in our family.’ 1 Because of this delicate situation, while accepting people’s oath of allegiance to him as Caliph, Hasan also took from them their assent to fight against those whom he engaged in war with, and to make peace with those whom he made peace with. WISDOM IN RETREAT 1. Ali ibn Abi Talib was Prophet Muhammad’s son-in-law; and Ali’s sons, Hasan and Husain were the Prophet's grandchildren.