History of Islam, Part 5 of 5: Legacy of Hasan and Husayn

Shirvan (0:00)

In the previous episodes of the history of Islam, we recounted the various developments that have shaped the core of Islamic identity. In episode 1, we explained the foundations of the Khalifat by Khalif Abu Bakr. Following this, we described the territorial expansions and the origins of Islamic jurisprudence by Khalif Umar. In the third episode, we recounted the evolution of the Islamic civilization by Khalif Uthman. And in the previous episode, we explained how the Islamic civil war between Khalif Ali and Governor Muawiyah laid the groundwork for the schism between Sunni and Shia Islam. Following Ali's victory in Al-Nahrawan against the radical Khawarji group, the latter planned the assassination of the Khalif. Two years later, a Hajarid follower stabbed Ali with a poisoned dagger.

Ali passed away in a few days, but his death left behind a power vacuum and a fragmented state. Welcome to a CaspianReport by me, Shirvan. However, the death of Ali was not to be the end of the Shiites, for Ali also left behind two sons, Hasan and Husayn. Following the death of the fourth Khalif and the first Imam, the partisans of Ali immediately looked to his eldest son, Hasan, as the rightful successor and named him the second Imam.

Yet, Hasan, exhausted from war and overtaken by grief, argued that taking power now would constitute as a political power grab, which would have disgraced the memory of his father. Instead of continuing the war, Hasan reached an agreement with Muawiyah and stepped aside. The governor had finally realized his ambition. He would become the next Khalif. However, there were conditions. Hasan was given the authority over the region of Kufa, and the tax collection in this region was deemed for him and his Shiite community. More importantly, the agreement stated that Khalif Muawiyah would have no right to appoint his successor, and that after his reign, Hasan was to rule as the sixth Khalif. This final point is critical to understand, because it was meant to prevent the rise of the Umayyad monarchy. All in all, the agreement became known as the Hasan Muawiyah Treaty. For this compromise, Hasan is recognized as Hasan the Peacemaker. In the year 662, with no other contender left, Muawiyah was crowned as the Khalif in Jerusalem. During the ceremony of his crowning, he held a speech and explained that unlike the previous Khalifs, his legacy would be determined not by expanding the foundations of Islamic identity, but by bringing glory and fortune to the Islamic world. The quote reads as the following, I have desired the way followed by Abu Bakr and Umar, but I was unable to follow it. And so I have followed a course with you which contains fortune and benefits for you despite some bias. So be pleased with what comes to you from me even if it is little. When good is continuous, even if it is little, it enriches, discontent makes life grim. Even though the Shiites perceive Muawiyah as a usurper, the new Khalif would continue on to become one of the most accomplished and skillful leaders in history. Once he settled in his office, Muawiyah turned his attention to the Byzantines. He conquered a number of strategic islands in the Mediterranean Sea, thereby securing the long-term naval interests of the Khalifat. Muawiyah kept pushing against the boundaries of the Byzantine Empire with a vengeance. In fact, roughly a decade after taking power in 674, Muawiyah sponsored a siege of Constantinople. Even though the siege against the Byzantine capital failed, it came strikingly close to victory. Throughout his reign, the Khalif sent a number of military expeditions in the Maghreb region, and even established military outposts in present-day Tunisia. This further accelerated the colonization efforts in the Iberian coastal towns, and would lay the foundations for the military conquest of the Iberian peninsula in 711

However, Mu'awiyah also understood that the conquered indigenous Christians would only remain content if they enjoyed religious freedoms. Thus, Mu'awiyah continued the policy set by Umar. Minorities were allowed to practice their traditions, religions and laws. This level of freedom is what allowed the Khalif to extensively focus on conquests of new territories without concern for losing control over their realm. All in all, the borders of the state expanded, trade and finances flourished, and along with it, the wealth and power of the Arab nobility.

But Mu'awiyah's rule was challenged by the radical Hawaji movement, who would continuously start revolts throughout the state. Furthermore, due to the bitter conflict with the Byzantine Empire, trade and communications between the Middle East and Europe were cut off, and they would never again recover. Both regions would develop separate civilizations. And as for the Shiites, they would become second class citizens in the new Khalifat. Towards the end of the first decade that Mu'awiyah reigned the Khalifat, it became clear that Hasan, who was 45 years, would outlive Mu'awiyah, who was 68 years. It was only a matter of time before Hasan would take the helm of the Khalifat. For Mu'awiyah, this was a disastrous outcome. It meant that everything he had worked for, the glory, fortune and nobility would be in vain. The only way to ensure the continuation of his legacy and that of the Umayyad family was to nominate his eldest son Yazid as his heir. But the treaty with Hasan formed a major obstacle to this plan.