S'ad and giving him one thousand soldiers from his own army...

S'ad and giving him one thousand soldiers from his own army, set up the vanguard battalion with which Qais moved towards Syria." Tarikh al Khamis "Abu 'Umru says that when Hazrat ‘Ali b. Abi Talib (as) was martyred, forty thousand persons took allegiance to Imam Hasan (as). Earlier, all these persons had vowed to fight till death along with his father, Hazrat ‘Ali (as).

They liked Imam Hasan (as) more than his father and obeyed him more." The same narration has been recorded in 'Dhakair-al-'Uqba' by Muhib al Tabari. [^2] In this regard, nearly all historical records contain the same account, i.e. that before his martyrdom, Hazrat ‘Ali (as) had organized an army of forty thousand soldiers for a decisive attack on Muawiya. After his martyrdom, people paid allegiance to Imam Hasan (as).

These accounts maintain that as the people loved Imam Hasan (as) more than his illustrious father Hazrat ‘Ali (as), and obeyed him more, therefore, the number of men in his army was also forty thousand. However, they are cautious in this expression! Objections (1) The number of forty thousand soldiers in Kufa has a historical significance, as during that period the maximum number of soldiers has been mentioned as forty thousand.

However, if it is true that forty thousand soldiers had vowed to fight till death under the command of Hazrat ‘Ali (as), and after his martyrdom had paid allegiance to his heir and elder son Imam Hasan (as). Yet it cannot be assumed that all those persons had participated in the war along with Imam Hasan (as).

At a critical time in the his story of Kufa when there was a new crisis every hour and every home was in mourning, how can it be said that all those who had paid allegiance had participated in the war when there is a time lag of five to six months between the allegiance and the start of war! (2) After the declaration of war, Imam Al-Mujtaba (as) gave a sermon in the central mosque of Kufa.

Historians write that the grandson of the Holy Prophet (saws) was watchful about the defeatist mentality of the people and their will to retreat. After the sermon, no one supported him till Adi b. Hatim, the leader of Tai tribe condemned the people for not rising to support the war. From subsequent events like the 'movement of Hujr b. Adi' and the revolution of Imam Husayn (as), it becomes clear that the people were not at all willing for war in those conditions.