ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Imam Hasan and Caliphate Imam Hasan and Allegiance Although there is difference of opinion among the Muslims about the vicegerency of the Holy Prophet (saws), or in other words, about who should have been the caliph of Muslims after the death of the Holy Prophet (saws), Shi'a believe that the caliph should have been appointed by the Holy Prophet (saw) as had always been the practice in accordance with the commands of Almighty God, while Ahlul Sunnat believe that the Holy Prophet (saws) had left the method of selection of the caliph to the discretion of the people.

According to them, if people pay allegiance to a person, then he is a caliph, otherwise not. If for a moment this criterion is accepted, then there will be left no choice but to accept that only Hazrat ‘Ali (as) and the first caliph are caliphs, as the common Muslims had only paid allegiance to these two persons. As against this, the second caliph was nominated while the third caliph was selected through a committee of six persons.

Therefore, it becomes clear that the allegiance by the people alone is not enough for a person to be declared Imam or caliph. On the other hand, it is known that there has always been a difference of opinion among the Muslims about the caliphate and the vicegerency of the Holy Prophet (saws).

To be just and fair, after the Holy Prophet (saws) it was only Imam Hasan (as)'s eminent and undisputed personality about whom no difference of opinion was witnessed in the Islamic society regarding his caliphate.

Whether the Holy Prophet (saw)'s hadith, or the nomination of the next caliph by the earlier caliph, or the people's allegiance, or the learned and eminent personality of Imam Hasan (as) is taken as the criterion for the true Islamic caliphate or Imamat, Imam Hasan (as) emerges as the most suitable person among the Muslims of the time for the high rank of Islamic caliphate. That is why all the Muslim states of that period had acknowledged him as the caliph.

The only exception was a group of insurgents who did not pay allegiance and vowed to fight against him. The Holy Prophet (saws), as extensively quoted by the Shi'a and Sunni Hadith narrators, had stated that there would be twelve caliphs after him and emphatically said that all of these would be from among the Quraish. There is no doubt that the second name among these is that of Imam Hasan Al-Mujtaba (as).