and His Messenger. Events have shown that al-Hasan’s view was more beneficial to Muslims, as the outcomes in the one case and [in] the other made clear (1).
Sahīh al-Bukhārī relates that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—would say concerning al-Hasan and Usāmah:
“O Allah, I love them both, so love them, and love those who love them.” (2)
Both disliked taking part in the fighting. Usāmah kept out of it: ‘Alī and Mu‘āwiyah sought his participation, but he fought alongside neither of them. Most of the eminent Companions—may Allah be pleased with them—likewise kept out of the fighting, including Sa‘d ibn Abī Waqqās, Ibn ‘Umar, Muhammad ibn Maslamah, Zayd ibn Thābit, Abū Hurayrah, ‘Imrān ibn Husayn, Abū Bakrah, and others.
What al-Hasan did was better in Allah’s sight than what al-Husayn did; for he and his brother are the two leaders of the young men of Paradise, and al-Husayn was unjustly killed as a martyr.
People divided into three groups regarding his killing:
One group holds that he was rightfully killed, citing the report in the Sahīh that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:
“Whoever comes to you while you are united under one man, seeking to divide your community, strike his neck with the sword, whoever he may be.” (3)
They say: “He came while the people were united under one man, seeking to divide their community.”
Another group holds that those who fought him are disbelievers. Indeed, they hold that anyone who does not believe in his imamate is a disbeliever.