It has been said that Shias attribute kufr to Mu'awiyah because he fought Ali (a.s). However, the fact is that Imam Hasan bin Ali (a.s) made peace with Mu'awiyah…So, did the "infallible" Hasan (a.s) made peace with a kafir and gave him the leadership??
Even if someone calls Muawiyah a Kaafir, then that is no insult on Imam Hasan (as) for making peace treaty with him, since our infallible Prophet (s) negotiated peace with the kaafirs at Hudaibiya, contrary to the criticisms of `Umar.
we shall now explain why Imam Hasan (as) made peace with Mu'awiya, and shall counter the claim that his making peace proves that Mu'awiya was the rightful khalifa.
We read in Sunan Tirmidhi, Volume 2 page 169 Bab Tafseer al Qur'an and al Bidayah wa al Nihaya, Volume 8 page 21, Dhkir Khilafath Hasan:
"When Hasan made peace with Mu'awiya, one individual stood up and said 'You have blackened the face of the believers'. He replied 'Do not get upset with me, the Prophet saw in a dream that the Banu Umayya were climbing on to his pulpit. Upon seeing them on his pulpit the Prophet (s) was very saddened, so al-Kauthar descended- it means a river in the paradise - and then descended "We have descended it in the night of Qadr, a night better than thousand months" {Qadr 1-3}. Let it be acknowledged here that Banu Umayya ruled for 1000 moths It will be owned by Bani Umayyad after you O Muhammad."
The Prophet (s) saw the Banu Umayya climbing onto his pulpit. Mu'awiya is from the Banu Ummaya. It was incumbent on the Prophet (s) to explain how this sad state of affairs could be prevented, so as to prevent the Banu Ummaya from attaining power and occupying his seat.
We read in Shaykh Mufti Kamaluddin Ibn Talha Shafiyee recorded in Matalib al Seul:
When the battle came to an end Imam Hasan gave a sermon wherein he said'People of Allah! You know that Allah (swt) guided the people through my grandfather, and saved you from error and took you out of Jahiliyya. Mu'awiya has fought me over that matter which is my right not Mu'awiya's. I was worried about protecting the Ummah, and you gave me bayya on the condition that you make peace with whoever I make peace with and fight whosever I fight. I looked at the problems and made peace with Mu'awiya and put an end to war.
The comments of Imam Hasan (as) prove that Mu'awiya was not entitled to the Khilafath, rather he deemed him an unjust thief, and he made peace due to difficulties, and made peace like the Prophet (s) did with the Kufafr of Makka. In the same way objections and wrong interpretations cannot be brought for the Prophet (s) making peace with the Kuffar of Makka, the same is the case with Imam Hasan (as) making peace with Mu'awiya.
We read in 'Maqtal Hussain' and 'Asadul Ghaba' that Imam Hasan (as) said:
"Verily, the matter in which I and Muawiya disputed, either this is my right, and I left this in Muawiyah's favour in order to protect the Ummah, or this is the right of a person who is more deserving for this post, hence I left this on account of that person".
The words of Imam Hasan [as] prove that he [as] deemed caliphate to be his own right and did not deem Muawiyah to be eligible for that responsibility but since Muawiyah was a terrorist and wasn’t hesitant in shedding the blood of innocents thus Imam Hassan [as] accepted the treaty which doesn’t mean he accepted the caliphate of Muawiyah.
Imam Ibn Hajar Asqalaini records in Fathul Bari:
اني اشترطت على معاوية لنفسي الخلافة بعده
"Hasan said:'I placed a condition on Mu'awiya that I will become leader after Mu'awiya"
al Bidaya:
وقد كان معاوية لما صالح الحسن عهد للحسن بالأمر من بعده
"When Mu'awiya made peace with Hasan, he made a promise that leadership would go to Hasan after him"
Sahih al Bukhari makes it clear that a hypocrite is one who makes a promise and then breaks it. The peace treaty exposed the hypocrisy of Mu'awiya, and his enmity to the family of Maula'Ali (as). The treaty was set up to show to the Ummah that he was a hypocrite and his breaking of this promise through the poisoning of Imam Hasan (as) made this absolutely clear. Allah [swt] says in Holy Quran (13:25)
But those who break the Covenant of Allah, after having plighted their word thereto, and cut asunder those things which Allah has commanded to be joined, and work mischief in the land;- on them is the curse; for them is the terrible home!
Mu'awiya's reneging on his promise proves that he was a accursed one and a hypocrite (munafiq). The peace treaty rather than prove the faith of Mu'awiya exposes him as a hypocrite.
We read in Tarikh ibn Asakir, Volume 13 page 280 Dhikr Hasan:
"After Hasan made peace with Mu'awiya, Malik ibn Dhumr said'You have blackened the face of the believers to which he [Hasan] replied'Don't say this! I feared that the Muslims would be exterminated from the earth. My desire is that some people will remain on the earth who will mention Islam to the people"
Tarikh ibn Asakir, Volume 13 page 280
Even if someone calls Muawiyah a Kaafir, then that is no insult on Imam Hasan (as) for making peace treaty with him, since our infallible Prophet (s) negotiated peace with the kaafirs at Hudaibiya, contrary to the criticisms of `Umar.
we shall now explain why Imam Hasan (as) made peace with Mu'awiya, and shall counter the claim that his making peace proves that Mu'awiya was the rightful khalifa.
We read in Sunan Tirmidhi, Volume 2 page 169 Bab Tafseer al Qur'an and al Bidayah wa al Nihaya, Volume 8 page 21, Dhkir Khilafath Hasan:
"When Hasan made peace with Mu'awiya, one individual stood up and said 'You have blackened the face of the believers'. He replied 'Do not get upset with me, the Prophet saw in a dream that the Banu Umayya were climbing on to his pulpit. Upon seeing them on his pulpit the Prophet (s) was very saddened, so al-Kauthar descended- it means a river in the paradise - and then descended "We have descended it in the night of Qadr, a night better than thousand months" {Qadr 1-3}. Let it be acknowledged here that Banu Umayya ruled for 1000 moths It will be owned by Bani Umayyad after you O Muhammad."
The Prophet (s) saw the Banu Umayya climbing onto his pulpit. Mu'awiya is from the Banu Ummaya. It was incumbent on the Prophet (s) to explain how this sad state of affairs could be prevented, so as to prevent the Banu Ummaya from attaining power and occupying his seat.
We read in Shaykh Mufti Kamaluddin Ibn Talha Shafiyee recorded in Matalib al Seul:
When the battle came to an end Imam Hasan gave a sermon wherein he said'People of Allah! You know that Allah (swt) guided the people through my grandfather, and saved you from error and took you out of Jahiliyya. Mu'awiya has fought me over that matter which is my right not Mu'awiya's. I was worried about protecting the Ummah, and you gave me bayya on the condition that you make peace with whoever I make peace with and fight whosever I fight. I looked at the problems and made peace with Mu'awiya and put an end to war.
The comments of Imam Hasan (as) prove that Mu'awiya was not entitled to the Khilafath, rather he deemed him an unjust thief, and he made peace due to difficulties, and made peace like the Prophet (s) did with the Kufafr of Makka. In the same way objections and wrong interpretations cannot be brought for the Prophet (s) making peace with the Kuffar of Makka, the same is the case with Imam Hasan (as) making peace with Mu'awiya.
We read in 'Maqtal Hussain' and 'Asadul Ghaba' that Imam Hasan (as) said:
"Verily, the matter in which I and Muawiya disputed, either this is my right, and I left this in Muawiyah's favour in order to protect the Ummah, or this is the right of a person who is more deserving for this post, hence I left this on account of that person".
The words of Imam Hasan [as] prove that he [as] deemed caliphate to be his own right and did not deem Muawiyah to be eligible for that responsibility but since Muawiyah was a terrorist and wasn’t hesitant in shedding the blood of innocents thus Imam Hassan [as] accepted the treaty which doesn’t mean he accepted the caliphate of Muawiyah.
Imam Ibn Hajar Asqalaini records in Fathul Bari:
اني اشترطت على معاوية لنفسي الخلافة بعده
"Hasan said:'I placed a condition on Mu'awiya that I will become leader after Mu'awiya"
al Bidaya:
وقد كان معاوية لما صالح الحسن عهد للحسن بالأمر من بعده
"When Mu'awiya made peace with Hasan, he made a promise that leadership would go to Hasan after him"
Sahih al Bukhari makes it clear that a hypocrite is one who makes a promise and then breaks it. The peace treaty exposed the hypocrisy of Mu'awiya, and his enmity to the family of Maula'Ali (as). The treaty was set up to show to the Ummah that he was a hypocrite and his breaking of this promise through the poisoning of Imam Hasan (as) made this absolutely clear. Allah [swt] says in Holy Quran (13:25)
But those who break the Covenant of Allah, after having plighted their word thereto, and cut asunder those things which Allah has commanded to be joined, and work mischief in the land;- on them is the curse; for them is the terrible home!
Mu'awiya's reneging on his promise proves that he was a accursed one and a hypocrite (munafiq). The peace treaty rather than prove the faith of Mu'awiya exposes him as a hypocrite.
We read in Tarikh ibn Asakir, Volume 13 page 280 Dhikr Hasan:
"After Hasan made peace with Mu'awiya, Malik ibn Dhumr said'You have blackened the face of the believers to which he [Hasan] replied'Don't say this! I feared that the Muslims would be exterminated from the earth. My desire is that some people will remain on the earth who will mention Islam to the people"
Tarikh ibn Asakir, Volume 13 page 280
never rendered allegiance to Muawiya