Imam al-Hasan had stipulated that Mu’awiya should refrain...

Imam al-Hasan had stipulated that Mu’awiya should refrain from cursing his father, but Mu’awiya paid no attention to that. Imam Ali passed away, but Mu’awiya went on cursing him. It was said: Respecting the dead is a must even if they are far. Just imagine how much more it is when they are near.[^1] Mu’awiya used all his abilities to disparage Imam Ali and to degrade his position.

He employed all the organs of his government for that, to the extent that he regarded cursing the pure family (of the Prophet) as among the religious practices. So the Muslims protested when it (the cursing) was stopped, They called each other to perform it, and felt that they committed a sin when they did not perform it. Without doubt cursing Imam Ali, the Commander of the faithful, means cursing and disparaging the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family.

It has been narrated from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, his sauying: “Whoever curses Ali curses me.

Whoever curses me curses Allah.”[^2] It has been narrated that he has said: “Whoever hurts Ali hurts me.”[^3] He, may Allah bless him and his family, has said: “O Allah, befriend whoever befriends him, be hostile to whoever opposes him, support whoever supports him, and desert whoever deserts him.” True traditions transmitted from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family, have mentioned that Imam Ali was his brother, his guardian, his bosom friend, and the gate of the city of his knowledge.

They have also mentioned that had it not been for his jihad and his defending the religion of Allah, no pillar of Islam would have stood, no worshipper would have worshipped Allah, and no monotheist would have professed the unity of Allah. It was said in the past: Do you openly curse him on the pulpits while their sticks have been installed for you through his sword?

As for the reason that Mu’awiya cursed Imam Ali, it was that Mu’awiya came to know that the affairs would not go well except through cursing and [^1] Al-Safi, Diwan, p. 589. [^2] Al-Hakim, Mustadrak, vol. 3, p. 121. Dhakha’ir al-‘Uqba, p. 66. [^3] Imam Ahmed bin Hanbal, Musnad, vol. 3, p. 483. Asad al-Ghaba, vol. 4, p. 113. In al-Haythami’s Majjma‘, vol. 9, p. 129, it has been mentioned on the authority of Sa‘d bin Abi Waqqas, who said: “I and two men were sitting in the mosque.

We disparaged Ali. So Allah’s Apostle, (a.s.) angrily came towards us. Anger was seen on his face. So I sought refuge with Allah from his anger.