A Central Condition of the Treaty
Among the stipulations of the treaty was the following:
“The innovation of reviling and insulting the Commander of the Faithful, Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him), and cursing him during prayer must be terminated. Imam Ali (peace be upon him) is to be remembered only with respect and honor.”
Rationale Behind the Condition
The practice of publicly cursing Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) was instituted by Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan and institutionalized within the Umayyad political apparatus. Governors and followers of Bani-Umayya routinely engaged in this act from official pulpits. One of the decisive conditions set by Imam al-Hasan (peace be upon him) in the treaty was the prohibition of such practices, including the uttering of curses against Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib (peace be upon him), particularly during the saying of the prayer.
Other oppressive measures implemented by the adversaries of Amir al-Muminin included
- A public ban on narrating his virtues,
- The suppression of hadith transmission attributed to him,
- A prohibition against invoking his name with honor,
- And even a prohibition on naming children “Ali.”
Historical Context of the Abuse
Following the assassination of Uthman, his partisans sought to evade allegiance to Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) by attributing responsibility for Uthman’s death to him. Muawiya, exploiting this sentiment, institutionalized the revilement of Imam Ali (peace be upon him) as a political tool of opposition.
Al-Zamakhshari, in the book “Rabi al-Abrar,” records:
“During the Umayyad era, on seventy thousand pulpits Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) was cursed, in accordance with the practice established by Muawiya.”
The Termination of the Practice
This reprehensible practice persisted for nearly sixty years, until the caliphate of Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz, the eighth Umayyad caliph. Upon assuming power, he issued a general decree to all his governors ordering the cessation of this policy. His administrative conduct distinguished him from other Umayyad rulers. Ibn Khaldun, the fourteenth-century historian, notes:
“The Umayyads continuously cursed Amir al-Muminin (peace be upon him) until Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz wrote to every province of the Islamic realm ordering its termination.”
However, as some contemporary scholars observe, this prohibition appears to have been only temporary, with the practice resuming after Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz’s reign.
Prophetic Condemnation
According to a narration transmitted from Umm Salama (Prophet Muhammad’s wife), the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) declared, “To revile Ali (peace be upon him) is equivalent to reviling me.” Other versions of the report state, “…it is tantamount to reviling God Himself.”
