I praise Him and He is praiseworthy.

I praise Him and He is praiseworthy. Allah gave you great favors and showered you with His graces which are beyond number. One cannot possibly thank Him for them. Neither a statement nor saying can express them. We are angry only on behalf of Allah. He favored us with what cannot be given by anyone but Him. We should, therefore, thank Him for His bounties, tribulations and favors. Our praise should ascend to Allah, carrying our satisfaction to Him. It should be truthful.

Our praise has to be so true that Allah believes us. It has to make us entitled to receive more of his bounties. Our praise should increase rather than decrease Allah's favors. No group of people gather around some matter without making it firmer, and their beliefs solid. So mobilize yourselves for the fight against your enemy, Mu'awiyah, and his soldiers, because he has advanced against you. And do not discourage one another, for discouragement cuts asunder the heartstrings.

Advancing under the spearheads is a sign of bravery and piety, for no people had ever observed jihad without the lifting of malaise from among them by Allah. He would spare them the tribulations of humility, and guide them to the hallmarks of denomination...”[^2]14 In this speech, Imam Hasan's (as) aim was to solidify the bonds of unity, close the ranks of the people, and rally the people to challenge the party led by Mu'awiyah and a handful of opportunists. D.

The Commander of the Faithful, Imam ‘Ali bin Abi Talib (as), had warned the people against the arbitration during the Battle of Siffin. He knew it was a trick. After the charade of arbitration was over - and it ended with Abu-Musa al-Ash'ari's failing Imam ‘Ali (as) - the camp of Imam ‘Ali (as) was thrown into confusion. Chaos prevailed, and each group of people began to disassociate themselves from the other. They started reviling each other.

Imam ‘Ali (as) wanted to explain to the people the situation as it was, and to show that the arbitration was invalid because it was not based on truth and logic. He assigned this task to his son Abu Muhammad Hasan (as). “Stand up, son, and talk about these two men: Abdullah bin Qais,[^3] and Amru bin al-Aas,” Imam ‘Ali (as) told his son. Imam Hasan (as) stood and addressed the people, telling them the real dimensions of the situation. He said: “O people!

You have talked too much about these two men. They were only chosen to judge according to the Book and in the light of its guidance.