Question:

Did Al-Hasan (a.) Mu’awiyah take the oath of allegiance because he was a good man?

Answer:
Ja’far As-Sadiq (a.) reported that Imam Al-Hasan (a.) said: “When the cursed Mu’awiyah learned of the murder of my father (a.), he sent the cursed illegitimate Ziyad with 150.000 fighters to Kufa and gave the order to arrest me, my brother Al-Husain, the rest of my brothers, the people of my house and my followers and loved ones and to receive from us the oath of allegiance to Mu’awiyah and to decapitate him and bring his head to Mu’awiyah, who should refuse of us.” [Ilzam-un-Nasib of Al-Ha’iri, Volume 2, page 270]

عن جعفر الصادق عليه السلام عن الإمام الحسين عليه السلام قال: وبلغ اللعين معاوية قتل أبي فأنفذ الدعي اللعين زيادا إلى الكوفة في مائة ألف وخمسين ألف مقاتل فأمر بالقبض علي وعلى أخي الحسين وسائر إخواني وأهل بيتي وشيعتنا وموالينا وأن يأخذ علينا البيعة لمعاوية فمن يأبى منا ضرب عنقه وسير إلى معاوية رأسه

Zaid Ibn Wahb reported that Imam Al-Hasan (a.) said: “By God, it is better that I sign an agreement with Mu’awiyah which averts the shedding of my blood and keeps my people safe rather than killing me and losing the people of my house and relatives. By God, if I were to fight Mu’awiyah, they would have grabbed me by the collar and handed me over to him.” [Bihar-ul-Anwar of Al-Majlisi, vol. 44 page 20 Hadith 4]

عن زيد بن وهب عن الإمام الحسن عليه السلام قال: والله لأن آخذ من معاوية عهدا أحقن به دمي وآمن به في أهلي خير من أن يقتلوني فتضيع أهل بيتي وأهلي والله لو قاتلت معاوية لأخذوا بعنقي حتى يدفعوني إليه سلما

Al-Fadl reported that Imam As-Sadiq (a.) said: “Mu’awiyah addressed himself in a letter to Al-Hasan Ibn Ali (a.): “You and Al-Husain and the companions of Ali shall come here”! Then Qais Ibn Sa’d Ibn Ubadah Al-Ansari set out with them and they came to the Levant. Mu’awiyah let them enter and prepared some speakers for them and said: “O Hasan, arise and take the oath of allegiance! He rose up and took the oath of allegiance. Then he said to Al-Husain (a.): “Rise and take the oath of allegiance! He rose and took the oath of allegiance. Then he said: “O Qais, arise and take the oath of allegiance! Qais turned to Al-Husain (a.) to see what he would order him to do, but Al-Husain (a.) said: “O Qais, he is my Imam! By which he pointed to Al-Hasan (a.).” [Ar-Rijal of Al-Kashshi, page 86 Hadith 2]

عن الفضل عن الإمام الصادق عليه السلام قال: إن معاوية كتب إلى الحسن بن علي صلواة الله عليهما أن أقدم أنت والحسين وأصحاب علي فخرج معهم قيس بن سعد بن عبادة الأنصاري وقدموا الشام فأذن لهم معاوية وأعد لهم الخطباء فقال: يا حسن قم فبايع فقام فبايع ثم قال للحسين عليه السلام: قم فبايع فقام فبايع ثم قال: يا قيس قم فبايع فالتف إلى الحسين عليه السلام ينظر ما يأمره فقال: يا قيس إنه إمامي يعني الحسن عليه السلام

Ali Ibn Isa reported that Imam Al-Hasan (a.) said: “Mu’awiyah denied me a right to which I am entitled, to the exclusion of him, but I turned my eyes to the common good and to the prevention of the temptation, and you had sworn allegiance to me to make peace with the peace with which I made peace and to declare war with the war to which I declared war, but I considered it appropriate to make peace with Mu’awiyah and to bury the hatchet with him and so I swore allegiance to him and considered the protection of the blood from its shedding to be better and I had nothing but your wellbeing and preservation in mind, although I know that for you it is a temptation and a temporary usufruct.” [Kashf-ul-Ghummah by Al-Irbili, volume 2 page 193 – 194]

عن علي بن عيسى عن الإمام الحسن عليه السلام قال: إن معاوية نازعني حقا هو لي دونه فنظرت لصلاح الأمة قطع الفتنة وقد كنتم بايعتموني على تسالموا من سالمت وتحاربوا من حاربت فرأيت أن أسالم معاوية وأضع الحرب بيني وبينه وقد بايعته ورأيت حقن الدماء خير من سفكها ولم أرد بذلك إلا صلاحكم وبقاءكم وإن أدرى لعله فتنة لكم ومتاع إلى حين

Ali As-Sayjad (a.) reported that Imam Al-Hasan (a.) said: “The community has betrayed me and so I swore allegiance to you, O son of Harb, but if I had found truly faithful supporters against you, I would not have sworn allegiance to you and Aaron (a.) was declared innocent by God when His people weakened Him (7:150) and hostiled Him and so God declared me and my Father (a.) innocent when the community abandoned us and followed others besides us and we found no supporters against them and these are just the same customs and examples. Some of them follow others.” [Al-Burhan of Al-Bahrani, Volume 3 page 481 Hadith 1]

عن علي السجاد عليه السلام عن الإمام الحسن عليه السلام قال: وقد خذلتني الأمة وبايعتك يابن حرب ولو وجدت عليك أعوانا يخلصون ما بايعتك وقد جعل الله عز وجل هارون في سعة حين استضعفه قومه وعادوه وكذلك أنا وأبي في سعة من الله حين تركتنا الأمة وتابعت غيرنا ولم نجد عليها أعوانا وإنما هي السنن والأمثال يتبع بعضها بعضا

Sulaim Ibn Qais reported that Imam Al-Hasan (a.) said: “The Messenger (s.) fled from his people when he called them to God, until he then took refuge in a cave and had he found supporters against them, then he would not have fled from them and had I found supporters against you, then I would not have sworn allegiance to you, o Mu’awiyah and Aaron (a.) was declared innocent by God when they weakened him (7:150) and almost killed him and he found no supporters against them and also the Prophet (s.) was declared innocent by God when he fled from his people and found no supporters against them and just as God declared me and my Father (a.) innocent when the community abandoned us and swore allegiance to others besides us and we found no supporters and these are just customs and examples. Some of them follow others.” [Kitab Sulaim of Al-Hilali, page 459 – 460 Hadith 76]

عن سلين بن قيس عن الإمام الحسن عليه السلام قال: وقد هرب رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله من قومه وهو يدعوهم إلى الله حتى فر إلى الغار، ولو وجد عليهم أعوانا ما هرب منهم. ولو وجدت أعوانا ما بايعتك يا معاوية وقد جعل الله هارون في سعة حين استضعفوه وكادوا يقتلونه ولم يجد عليهم أعوانا، وقد جعل الله النبي في سعة حين فر من قومه لما لم يجد أعوانا عليهم. وكذلك أنا وأبي في سعة من الله حين تركتنا الأمة وبايعت غيرنا ولم نجد أعوانا. وإنما هي السنن والأمثال يتبع بعضها بعضا