the Mu'tazila and others, and some of the Marwānids and those who shared their inclinations, used to hate and revile him.

The same applies to the hadith of mutual imprecation: Fātima, Hasan, and Husayn (1) shared in it with him, just as they shared it with him (2) in the Hadith of the Cloak. It is thus known that this (3) was exclusive neither to adult men, nor to males generally, nor to the Imams; rather, a woman and a child may share in it (4). Hasan and Husayn were both young children at the time of the mutual imprecation, for it took place when the delegation of Najrān arrived after the conquest of Mecca, [in the ninth or tenth year] (5). The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—died before Husayn had completed seven years of age, and Hasan was about a year older than he was. He summoned these particular individuals only because he had been commanded to summon each one from among (6) his closest relatives: sons (7), women, and selves. Thus, each participant would summon (8) his sons, his women, and the man most closely related to him by lineage.

These were the people most closely related by lineage to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—even though others held a higher rank in his estimation. He was not commanded to summon the best of his followers, because the purpose was for each one of them (9) to summon those most closely connected to him, given the innate human fear for oneself and for those (10) among one’s blood relatives who are closest. This is also why he singled them out in the Hadith of the Cloak.