Zubair ibn Bakkaar, an early historian has recorded an incident in his book al-Mufaqiaat from the son of Muqaireh Ibn Shu’bah:
My father and I travelled to Damascus to visit Mu’awiyah. We were his guest and my father visited him every day, where they would speak for some time, and my father would return every evening speaking of Mu’awiyah’s intelligence and insight. One night my father returned and had no appetite for dinner. I found him very angry, so I waited an hour before I approached him, since I thought he is upset for our destiny. When I asked him the reason for his agony
he said: My son! I have just returned from the most evil and unfaithful of all men.
I asked: Huh? How so?
He said: There was no one near me and Mu’awiyah. I addressed him: O master of all believers, you are at the point in which you have attained your goals and dreams. If you begin to treat your clan – the Bani Hashem family, the prophet’s progeny with better treatment, and visit them for a bit, you will leave a good name for yourself after you pass away. I swear to God that this family has nothing for you to fear!
Mu’awiyah replied: Alas! That is impossible. Abu Bakr became the ruler and tried to be just! He bared all those hardships! To Allah, his name died with him the moment he died, unless a lecturer mentions the name: Abubakr!! Then Umar came to power. He worked very hard during the ten years of his rule. Only a few days had passed before everyone forgot about him unless a lecturer mentions his name! Then our brother Othman became the Caliph. There were none like him in terms of ancestry!! And he did that which he did and people treated him as they treated, yet the moment he was killed, by God his name, acts, and manners died with him. Yet the name of this Hashemite man (Prophet Muhammad (PBUH&HP)) is mentioned at least five times a day around the Islamic world (from the tops of minarets) and remembered with greatness. By God! I will not rest until I bury this name. (1) (1. Morooj al-Dhahab (with footnotes of Ibn Athir), vol. 9, p. 49, the events of year 212. Interpretations of Nahj ul Balaghah by Ibn Ab al-Hadid, vol. 1, p. 436)
Mu’awiyah’s heart was filled with hatred towards the popularity of Prophet Muhammad’s (PBUH&HP) name, as his brother, grandfather, uncle, and other blood relatives of his were killed by the Muslim army in the Battle of Badr. He held on to a grudge he would not let go, even though the Battle of Badr was initiated by his confederates and the disbelievers themselves. He wanted to bury this name and erase all its traces. Mu’awiyah’s initial plan was one, no one from the clan of Bani Hashem should stay alive, and two, make everyone forget the name of the family of revelation. It was with this plan that he produced an enormous system of fabricating prophetic narrations to leave an ill-name of the Prophet’s family (PBUH&HP), and cover the ill nature of the Quraish in general, and specifically the Bani Umayyah (ancestry of Mu’awiyah).(2) (2. Morooj al-Dhahab vol. 3, p. 28, under the “Days of Mu’awiyah” (Research of Muhammad Mohyee al-Din))
These matters are all evidence of the complicated conspiracy Imam Hassan (PBUH) was faced with. He was faced with an enemy, namely Mu’awiyah whom wished for the disappearance of the Prophet’s (PBUH) name, yet had gained the reputation as the Prophet’s successor under the Islamic Ummah.
Despite Mu’awiyah’s attempt to destroy the character of Imam Hassan (PBUH), and eventually finalizing his plot of martyring the Imam to remove an important obstacle from his path, Imam Hassan’s (PBUH) deep and well thought out insight changed the results. Through the peace treaty, and despite a period of cultural chaos and shortage of companions, the Imam (PBUH) was able to unveil Mu’awiyah’s evil character among many Muslims.
With the efforts of Imam Hassan (PBUH) and his patience in the treaty with Mu’awiyah, the Bani Hashem were protected from mass murder (3) (3. Imam Hassan Mujtaba (PBUH) in a sentence explains the reason for his treaty: “Indeed I have made a treaty to prevent the murder and fear of myself, my family, and the pious from my companions….” (Bihar al-Anwar, vol. 44, p. 22)) , and the name of Ahl al-Bayt remained in history, while the Bani Umayyid’s plan was unveiled.
With the insight of Imam Hassan (PBUH), the Ashura revolution was completed. The two events were part of one divine plot for the revival of Islam. The tragedies and patience of Imam Hassan (PBUH) in this path, eventually unveiled the Umayyids true characters. With the movement of Ashura and the completion of this politics, the Umayyad dynasty came to an end in 130 A.H.
(Taken from the book “The Role of Aysha in the History of Islam” by Late Sayyid Murtaza Askari, with certain changes)
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