পৃষ্ঠা 33: প্রথম অধ্যায়: দূরবর্তী আলামতসমূহ যা ইতিমধ্যে প্রকাশ পেয়ে অতিক্রান্ত হয়েছে

"...our followers, to the extent that it has become our custom, so we cannot endure scarcity; and indeed this Ummah has plunged deeply into its own blood" - meaning the two armies, the Syrian and the Iraqi, and they have killed one another - "so they will not desist except through pardon and refraining from vengeance."

They both said: "He offers you such and such, and he appeals to you and requests of you." He [al-Hasan] said: "Who will guarantee this for me?" They both replied: "We guarantee it for you."

Thereupon, Mu'awiyah wrote to him: "Ask whatever you wish and stipulate your conditions, for I shall certainly fulfill them for you." He also sent him a blank sheet of paper bearing his seal at the bottom and said: "Write upon it whatever you wish." So al-Hasan stipulated several conditions, among which were: that the public treasury (Bayt al-Mal) of Kufa would belong to him, that the revenue of Darabjird would be his, and that the caliphate after Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) would return to him and to his brother al-Husayn.

And in another narration: that the caliphate should be left to the Muslims to appoint whomsoever they wish, and that he would not cause harm to the people of Iraq nor take vengeance against them.

Then al-Hasan (may Allah be pleased with him) stepped down from the caliphate and pledged allegiance to him. Thereupon, Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Speak, O Hasan."

So he stood up, praised Allah and extolled Him, and said: "O people, indeed Allah guided you through the first of us, and spared your blood through the last of us. Truly, Mu'awiyah has disputed with me over a matter to which I possessed greater right than him; yet I have relinquished it solely to spare the blood of the Muslims and in pursuit of the reward with Allah."

Thereupon, a group of the Companions testified that they had heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) saying about al-Hasan: "Indeed, this son of mine is a master (Sayyid), and through him Allah will reconcile between two great factions of Muslims between whom a tremendous battle will take place."

And that year was called "The Year of Unity" (Sanat al-Jama'ah) on account of the reunification of the people and the cessation of fighting among them.

And on the authority of al-Harith, who said: When 'Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) returned from Siffin, he realized that he would never gain complete control, so he spoke of matters he had never spoken of before, and narrated hadiths he had never previously narrated.

And among the things he said was: "O people, do not detest the rule of Mu'awiyah; for by Allah, if you were to lose him, you would surely see heads severed from their shoulders tumbling like colocynths."