Ask an Alim

Assalamu Alaykum,
Thank you for oyur question,

Firstly, it is questions like these that increase our awareness about our Holy Imams (a) and give us insight into their lives and times.

The hadith about this historical event are authentic and overall two traditions recount this event.

One of the hadith is reported from Ali ibn Jafar (a) from his brother Imam Musa ibn Jafar (a):

‘Hasan and Husayn (a) used to pray behind Marwan and we (also) pray with them (the rulers).’

The chain of this hadith is considered authentic.

So this event is not fabricated. The question that remains is why would the Imams (a) pray behind a person whose animosity for the Ahl al-Bayt (a) was well-known. Several reasons can be given here:

1- Taqiyya is not a concept that protects the life of the person in question but it is meant to safeguard the life of the entire community when practised by the leader of the community. So Imam Hasan and Husayn as the leaders of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) and Bani Hashim had to act cautiously not only to safeguard their own lives but the lives of the Bani Hashim and the nascent Shia community. The propaganda machine of the enemies of the Ahl al-Bayt (a) was such that Imam Ali (a) who was the most pious individual after the Prophet (s) was introduced in Syria as someone who does not pray.

2- If Imams Hasan and Husain (a) would not attend the most important gathering of the Muslims then this was certain to lead to disunity and distrust among the Muslims and other people would have followed the example of the Imams (a).

3- In those days if a Muslim would not attend the congregational prayers and the Friday prayers he could be very easily bracketed as a hypocrite or a munafiq and consequently he would be liable to all sorts of action against him by the state. The Imams did not want to give their enemies any reasons to paint them as those who did not pray with the Muslims and hence were hypocrites whose backbiting would be allowed. Muslims had gone through some tumultuous years in which three internal wars had been fought and they were divided and in opposing camps. With cunning, intrigue and bribery a mutiny had been engineered in Imam Hasan’s forces and a peace treaty was forced upon him to save the nascent Shia movement. While the Imams were never afraid to stand with haqq and what was right they did so judiciously and with prudence and never gave their enemies any chance to tarnish their religious and social image as the leaders of the Muslim community.

So with respect to all these points, it becomes clear that the Imams were performing their religious duty by being present in the religious gatherings of the Muslims even though from the same pulpits Imam Ali (a) was being abused. It has been reported that Imam Husayn (a) would even reprimand Marwan over this. But maintaining the overall unity of the Muslim community and not giving the enemies any excuse seems to be of paramount importance for the two Imams (a).

Best wishes,
Sheikh Ahmed Danish