What a great loss Islam suffered from when its caliphs were of such a kind!

What a great loss Islam suffered from when its caliphs were of such a kind! It was the claimed cleverness that urged Mu'awiya to follow such a kind of killing, which his son Yazid was unable to accomplish. Thus this (i.e., Yazid) was "a self-conceited young man and that (i.e., Mu'awiya) was experienced in managing the affairs!

If Abu Sufyan had lived for a longer time, he would have been sure that these two sons of his (i.e., his son Mu'awiya and his grandson Yazid) were able to achieve the game, which he hoped for the children of his father. Accordingly, Mu'awiya ordered Marwan b. al-Hakam [1] to convince Ju'da bint al-Ash'ath b. Qays al-Kindi, who was one of the wives of al-Hasan, peace be on him, to give poison, which was a drink of honey mixed with Rome water, to drink.

If al-Hasan died, Mu'awiya would marry her to his son Yazid, and would send her a hundred thousand dirhams. As Ju'da was the daughter of al-Ash'ath b. Qays, the known hypocrite who became Muslim twice and there was atrocious apostasy between them, she was the nearest of all people to accept this abominable bargaining. Imam Ja'far b. Muhammad al-Sadiq, peace be on him said: "Indeed al-Ash'ath took part in killing the Commander of the faithful (i.e., Imam 'Ali), peace be on him.

His daughter Ju'da poisoned al-Hasan. Moreover, his son Muhammad took part in killing al-Husayn." I (i.e., the author) say: In this manner Mu'awiya accomplished what he wanted. Through this plot Mu'awiya was able to control the affairs of all the community. Thus he subjected the community to many disasters. Moreover, he filled himself and his children with spites so that they [1] Al-Mas'udi (Hamish b. al-Athir, vol. 5, p. 198) and al-Bayhaqi (al Mahasin wa al-Masawi', vol. 1, p.

64.have mentioned: "Al-Hasan, peace be on him, strove (to take) security for Marwan when he was captured at the Battle of the Camel. It was said that Marwan hid in the house of a woman in Basrah." In Nahj al-Balagha (vol. 1, p. 121), al-Sharif al-Radi said: "When Marwan was taken prisoner at the Battle of the Camel, he asked al-Husayn, peace be on them, to intercede for him with the Commander of the faithful. Thus the latter released him.

Then they said: 'Commander of the faithful, he (i.e., Marwan) desires to pledge allegiance to you.' Thus he, peace be on him, said: 'Did he not pledge allegiance to me after the killing of 'Uthman? I am in no need of his pledge of allegiance. For (his hand) is a Jewish hand.

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