At this time, Mu’awiyah raised the peace agreement.

At this time, Mu’awiyah raised the peace agreement. Imam Hasan (‘a) thought that if he did not make peace with Mu’awiyah, both he and his companions would be slain and then Mu’awiyah would declare that they did not accept his proposal for peace and had themselves killed. Thus, he would be slain and it would not bring about any advantage for Islam and Muslims. Appreciation of the duty is more important than its fulfillment.

Occasionally, we are compelled to keep quiet for a long time as sages have observed, “Sometimes withdrawal is the most effective assault.” In other words, at times peace is the most honorable combat. If Imam Hasan had been swayed by the emotions of his companions, he and his companions would have been slain in vain, and he would not have derived any result from his martyrdom.

Therefore, under those circumstances, Imam concluded that it is in the best interests of Islam and Muslims to accept peace, but within the framework of this peace, all the interests of Muslims should be guarded and Mu’awiyah’s true nature must be exposed. In fact, one of the wrong inclinations of some people is that, they tend to engage in warfare all the time, while on the other hand, the tendency to be constantly at peace with the enemies is also wrong.

A realistic person should take into account the interests and take steps accordingly. Sometimes, expediency compels us to wage a war and at times it dictates peace. In Islamic laws, there are rules pertinent to warfare and there are ones about peace. If the Prophet fought with the infidels in the conflicts of Badr and Ahzab, the same Prophet established peace with the same folks and signed the well-known Hudaybiyyah peace treaty.

Thus, at the command of God, the Exalted, Imam Hasan (‘a) made peace with Mu’awiyah in a peace agreement that contained some articles. Upon closer examination of this treaty, it grows clear how far Imam took the interests of the Islamic community into account. And the fact that Mu’awiyah did not abide by the peace agreement revealed his true nature and people more or less realized that he is not an Islamic leader but an ambitious, despotic, and secular tyrant.

The Text of the Peace Agreement Mu’awiyah must conduct himself in accordance with the divine book and the tradition of the great Prophet. He must refrain from reviling and maligning ‘Ali (‘a) and command his subordinates to abstain from abusing that Imam in their speeches. He must not introduce anyone as his successor or deputy.