WISDOM IN RETREAT — Farsightedness

After Ali’s martyrdom, the denizens of Kufa (capital city of Ali in Iraq) made Hasan the Caliph. On the other hand, for Muawiyah, Ali’s passing away from this world had cleared the road, as it were. As soon as he heard of Ali’s martyrdom, he adopted the title of Amir-ul-Mumineen or ‘Commander of the Faithful’ for himself, and made a plan to bring the remaining Muslim territories (Iraq and Iran) under his dominion. After renewing people’s oath of allegiance, Muawiyah headed, along with a force of 60,000 men, from Damascus towards Kufa. Before entering Kufa, he sent a message to Imam Hasan, telling him that instead of entering into war, it would be better if he reconciled with him and accepted him as the Caliph. At that time, Imam Hasan, too, had an army of 60,000 men, who were brave fighters. But he thought it necessary to save Muslims from shedding each other’s blood. And so, he withdrew his claim to the Caliphate, and, remaining as Caliph for just six months, gave the oath of allegiance at Muawiyah’s hand in a mosque in Kufa. To avoid protesting is not to ignore a problem, but, rather, a way to focus one’s resources on positive and constructive work instead. For some of Imam Hasan’s ardent followers, this ‘insult’ was intolerable. They raised a hue and cry over his decision. They labelled him as a disgrace for the Muslims, and said he had become a kafir. They tore his clothes, and even attacked him with swords. Yet, Imam Hasan refused to engage in oppositional politics under any conditions whatsoever and said, ‘If the Caliphate was the right of Muawiyah Ibn Abi Sufiyan, then it has reached him. And if it was my right, I have given it to him.’ With Imam Hasan’s stepping back, internecine fighting among Muslims was replaced by internal solidarity. In this way, Muslims were able to use their strength and resources in the propagation of Islam, which would otherwise have gone to waste in civil war. As this example shows, sometimes stepping back is the way to move forward, although few people are cognizant of this fact of life. This action of Imam Hasan’s did not represent any sort of defeat or escapism. Rather, it was a very wise political decision, and entirely in keeping with the model established by Prophet Muhammad in his life.