2799 – Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Musa narrated to us; he said: Muhammad ibn Jaʿfar ibn Yazid narrated to us; he said: ʿAli ibn Harb narrated to us; he said: ʿAbd Allah ibn Bakr al-Sahmi narrated to us, from Hatim ibn Abi Ṣaghīrah, from ʿAmr ibn Dīnār, who said:

Muʿāwiyah knew that al-Ḥasan ibn ʿAli was the person most averse to civil strife. When ʿAli died, he sent to him and privately settled matters between them. Muʿāwiyah then gave him a solemn pledge that, should he himself die while al-Ḥasan was still alive, he would hand the leadership over to him. Once al-Ḥasan had secured that undertaking, ʿAbd Allah ibn Jaʿfar said:

I was sitting with al-Ḥasan and was about to stand up when he said, “Stay where you are, good fellow.” So I sat back down, and he said, “I have reached a decision, and I would like you to support me in it.” I asked, “And what is that?” He replied, “I have decided to leave for Madinah and reside there, letting Muʿāwiyah have this affair to himself. The turmoil has gone on too long: blood has been shed, family ties severed, the prescribed penalties and moral safeguards neglected, and the roads cut off ⦗1539⦘.” I said, “May Allah reward you with goodness; I am with you in this.”

He then said, “Call al-Ḥusayn for me.” When al-Ḥusayn arrived, al-Ḥasan repeated to him what he had just told Abū Jaʿfar. Al-Ḥusayn said, “I seek refuge in Allah lest you declare ʿAli a liar in his grave while affirming Muʿāwiyah!” Al-Ḥasan replied, “By Allah, I have never intended a matter without you opposing me and turning to something else. I have almost shut you up in a house and plastered it over you until I could carry out my plan.” When al-Ḥusayn saw that he was angry he said, “You are the eldest of ʿAli’s children and his successor; our opinion follows yours, so do whatever you think best.”

Al-Ḥasan then rose and addressed the people, saying, “O people, I was the one most reluctant about this affair at its outset. Yet today there is a rightful claim I have already delivered to its owner who is more entitled to it than I, or a right that has arisen for the welfare of Muhammad’s ummah. Allah has placed you, Muʿāwiyah, in charge of this matter—whether it is some good He knows to be with you or some evil He knows to lie within you: ‘And I do not know; perhaps it is a test for you and an enjoyment for a while’ (Qur’an 21:111).” He then stepped down.