Rebuttal of another Misunderstanding
Some historians, prominent among them being Ibne Kaseer, have written that Imam Mujtaba (as) was against the war but the views of the supporters of war and the Iraqi people prevailed over his own view; they gathered a large number of people after which the grand son of the Holy Prophet (saww) had to decide in favour of war. 10
There is no doubt that the religious devotees and the supporters of war had tried to pressurise the Imam (as) right from the beginning for war and had wanted the allegiance to him to be paid on the condition that he would consider the war against the rebels as the main goal of his caliphate. But the true Islamic caliph had turned it down and allowed them to pay allegiance only on following the Holy Book and the Sunnah. The historians have no doubt that ultimately the extremist group as well had agreed to the Imam (as)'s firm and rightful stand and gave allegiance on that basis. As they could not prevail over the Imam (as) at that critical moment, it was impossible for them to prevail over the Imam (as) after he had duly taken over as the caliph.
The reliable historical records show that the decision for defensive war was taken by Imam Mujtaba (as). The religious group had supported him in this regard which was appreciated by the Imam (as) and he had prayed to the Gracious God to bestow His blessings on them. This shows that on this issue there was no difference of opinion between him and the religious group. The basic question that remains, and the answer to which would put an end to all objections and misunderstandings, is: on what considera tions did Imam Hasan (as) appoint Ubaidullah as the commander of the vanguard brigade when persons like Qais b. S'ad b. Abadah Ansari were present in the army, whose military experience, sincerity towards the Ahle Bait (as), and honesty had already been tried?
The learned scholar Raazi Aale Yasin (RA), through a comprehensive analysis, gives four answers to this question:
The scholar Raazi Aale Yasin writes that when Imam Hasan (as) wanted to select Ubaidullah for the leadership, he had bound him down to consult Qais b. S'ad and S'eed b. Qais. This is clearly stated in his war command or the agreement. This way he did not allow the leadership to be confined to one person, which would not be prudent, but appointed a supreme committee of three persons who were the most capable persons in the army. If he had given preference to Qais b. S'ad over the other two, or over other companions, and had confined the leadership to one person, it was likely that other persons like him who had similar status, were sincere and had a shining record in the religious war ('jihad') and otherwise, would feel jealous. Among those were Hazrat Aboo Ayub Ansari, Hajar b. Adi Kandi, Adi b. Hatim Tai and some others. In such a situation, it was the best policy for Imam Hasan (as) to prefer the cousin of his father, who was also the cousin of the Holy Prophet (saww), and to bind him to consult Qais b. S'ad and S'eed b. Qais. In this approach there was no danger of any rivalry or disagreement.
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10. Ibne Kaseer, 'Albidayah val Nihaya', vol.8, p.14; H.A.R.Gibb and Kramers, Shorter Encyclopedia of Islam: Leiden, E.J. Brill, 1974, p.135.
Adapted from the book: "Imam Hasan and Caliphate" by: "Qurrat-ul-Ain Abidiy"