that the blood of Muslims should be spared, detested civil strife, and had witnessed from the Iraqis conduct he found repugnant.

Jarīr ibn Ḥāzim said: The people of Kūfah pledged their allegiance to al-Ḥasan after his father and loved him even more than they had loved his father.

Ibn Shawdhub said: Al-Ḥasan set out toward Syria, while Muʿāwiyah advanced with the Syrians. When the two forces met, al-Ḥasan disliked engaging in battle and therefore gave the pledge of allegiance to Muʿāwiyah on the condition that the caliphate would revert to him after Muʿāwiyah’s death. Al-Ḥasan’s followers used to say to him, “O disgrace of the believers!” He would reply, “Disgrace is better than the Fire.” (1)

ʿAwānah ibn al-Ḥakam related: Al-Ḥasan continued his march until he encamped at al-Madāʾin. He had placed Qays ibn Saʿd at the head of the vanguard with twelve thousand men. While al-Ḥasan was in al-Madāʾin a herald cried out, “Know that Qays has been killed!” The people fell into turmoil, the rabble pillaged al-Ḥasan’s pavilion—pulling away even the carpet beneath him—and a Kharijite from Banū Asad struck him with a dagger. The Kharijite was killed, whereupon al-Ḥasan withdrew to the White Palace and wrote to Muʿāwiyah seeking a truce. A similar report was transmitted by al-Shaʿbī and Abū Isḥāq (2).

He suffered from that wound for several months and then recovered.

Hilāl ibn Khabbāb narrated that al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī said: “O people of Kūfah! Had my soul been distressed by nothing in regard to you except three matters, that alone would have sufficed: your killing of my father, your stabbing of my thigh, and your plundering of my possessions.” (3)

The Prophet ﷺ said about al-Ḥasan: “This son of mine is a leader, and through him Allah will reconcile two great factions…"