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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Life of Imam Al-hasan Al-mujtaba Chapter Xxiii : To Damascus The historians have unanimously agreed that Imam al-Hasan (a.s) came to Mu’awiya in Damascus. However they have differed over whether he traveled one time or more than one time. To elaborate on this topic is useless. The most important thing is to know the reason why he traveled.

I (the author) think that he traveled to propagate the principles of and to display the Umayyad reality to those people Mu’awiya misled and turned away from the straight path. The proof for that is the Imam’s attitudes and debates with Mu’awiya, which we will mention. Through them he could expose him, showed his defects and shortcomings, and destroyed the thrones of his state. Suppose that he traveled to take the pay from Mu’awiya, as some people maintain.

It was said that how was it permissible for him to take the pay while most of it was usurped properties? The Muslim jurists have sufficed us the burden of the research on this problem. They have mentioned that the donations and gifts of an unjust ruler are permissible unless they include usurped properties and that the one who has usurped them is definitely known. Otherwise, it is not permissible to take them.

If they are taken, it is obligatory to return them to their owners.[^1] Most properties which were taken from Mu’awiya were from the properties of the land taxes, zakat, and the like from among the properties that the state collected. Mu’awiya unlawfully controlled them because he was among the oppressive, tyrannical rulers. However the good Muslims had the right to save them and to return them to their owners. Besides, the Imam had a general authority over the Muslims.

As for those who maintain that Imam al-Hasan traveled to take the pay, they have depended on a fabricated narration, as we think. It was narrated that he went to Mu’awiya every year, and he gave him a hundred thousand (dirhams). One year he did not go, so Mu’awiya forgot him and did not send him the pay. The Imam intended to write to him.

However he saw Allah’s Apostle, may Allah bless him and his family, in his sleep (and heard him) say to him: “O Hasan, why are you going to write to a creature to ask him for your need and leave asking your Lord?” “What shall I do?” asked al-Hasan.