And since he viewed Imam al-Hasan (as) as in a way opposed...

And since he viewed Imam al-Hasan (as) as in a way opposed to many of his anti-Islamic and ambitious goals, he plotted the murder of the Holy Imam (as) with the help of Ja‘da, the wife of Imam al-Hasan (as) and martyred the grandson of the Holy Prophet (S) in the final days of Safar, 50 A.H (March, 670 CE). Upon the martyrdom of Imam al-Hasan (as), Mu‘awiya found it more convenient to carry out his ominous intentions.

First of all he commenced a series of persecutions, tortures, and murdering of the Shi‘ites and followers of Imam ‘Ali (as). This horrific era coincided with the Imamate of Imam al-Husayn (as), who was an Imam for ten years. All his Imamate period – except his last six months of life – was spent during the caliphate of Mu‘awiya. The circumstances then were of an extremely adverse nature and toughest strangulation.

Among the elements which prompted the great uprising of Imam al-Husayn (as) were: reappearance of the paganism ( jahiliyya ); increasing spread of monarchy and royal luxury; wasting and embezzling of public treasury of the Muslims; unduly liberality; oppressions and cruelties done in the name of Islam; deprivation of the followers of ‘Ali (as)'s household of their undeniable rights in the public treasury and granting them to the sycophant of the court; and above all, invalidation of religious rules and the Islamic laws and violation of divine precepts and indifference to commands and prohibitions of Allah and of the Messenger of Allah (S).

Mu‘awiya and his cronies made great efforts to force (a.s.) into seclusion, eradicate the Shi‘ites by any means, and obliterate the name of ‘Ali (as) and his progeny. When they uttered his name, they did it with curse and abuse. At the same time the propaganda system (of Sham) was to convince people that cursing such a great man as ‘Ali (a.s.) was regarded as worship and would be rewarded in the next world!

With his vile and crafty plans, Mu‘awiya intended to gradually establish the foundations of the rule and kingship of his lewd, nasty, and drunkard son, Yazid. When gradually Mu‘awiya's intention about his son, who was notorious as a despicable and lewd person, was revealed, a group of Muslims were unhappy about it and began to express their dissidence. Mu‘awiya, however, proceeded with new crackdown and severities to prevent the widespread dissidence.

Imam al-Husayn (as) was well aware that the Abu Sufyan's clan basically opposed Islam and the name of Muhammad b.