he detested them with a deep loathing (1) and thereupon wrote to Muʿawiya ibn Abi Sufyan—who had already marched out with the people of Syria [to fight the people of Iraq] and had encamped at Maskin—seeking to negotiate a reconciliation between them. Muʿawiya therefore sent ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAmir and ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Samurah to him; they came to Kufa and offered him whatever sums of money he desired. He stipulated that he receive from the treasury of Kufa five thousand thousand dirhams, that the land-tax of Dar Abjard be assigned to him [along with other items he mentioned], and that ʿAli not be reviled in his hearing. If these conditions were met, he would relinquish authority to Muʿawiya and spare Muslim blood. Thus they agreed, and unity was achieved around Muʿawiya, as will be explained in detail. Al-Husayn then reproached his brother al-Hasan (2) for this decision, but al-Hasan would not accept his view; the correct course lay with al-Hasan—may Allah be pleased with him—as we shall soon demonstrate.
Al-Hasan ibn ʿAli next sent word to the commander of the vanguard, Qays ibn Saʿd (3), instructing him to listen and obey [Muʿawiya]. Qays refused, disassociated himself from the authority of both men, withdrew with those who followed him, and then, after reconsidering, pledged allegiance to Muʿawiya shortly thereafter, as we shall relate.
The prevalent view is that al-Hasan’s pledge to Muʿawiya occurred in the year 40 AH; for that reason the year is called “the Year of Unity,” because the community’s word united upon Muʿawiya. Ibn Jarir (4) and other biographers, however, maintain that it happened at the beginning of 41 AH, as we shall mention, Allah willing (5).
In that same year—meaning 40 AH—al-Mughira ibn Shuʿba led the people in the pilgrimage (6). Ibn Jarir (7), citing Ismaʿil ibn Rashid, claimed that al-Mughira forged a letter in Muʿawiya’s name so that he might assume the leadership of the pilgrimage that year, while ʿUtba ibn Abi Sufyan, carrying a letter from his brother appointing him to the office, hurried to do the same. Al-Mughira therefore hastened and halted the pilgrims on the eighth day to outpace ʿUtba to the position. This report transmitted by Ibn Jarir is unacceptable; such a thing would never be attributed to al-Mughira—may Allah be pleased with him. We mention it only to show that it is false, for the Companions are far nobler than that; rather, it is a Shiʿi insinuation.
Ibn Jarir (8) also said: “In this very year Muʿawiya was given the pledge of allegiance at Iliya (Jerusalem). When ʿAli died, the people of Syria rose and pledged allegiance to Muʿawiya as Commander of the Believers, for he then had no rival. The people of Iraq thereupon set up al-Hasan ibn ʿAli—may Allah be pleased with him—so that they might oppose the Syrians, but they failed to achieve what they intended. Their downfall stemmed from their own scheming and from their divergent opinions, which conflicted with those of their leaders. Had they but understood, they would have valued the favor Allah had granted them by pledging allegiance to the son…” (9)