Gather and Testify

BACKGROUND: The Eminent Imam Hasan Mujtaba, peace be upon him, achieved martyrdom in 49 H.Q., when poisoned by Muawiyyah at the hands of Jo’deh, the daughter of Ash’ath ibn Qays, that Eminent one’s wife. Following this, intrigue, discord, and calamity continuously increased, putting the Shia, (the followers of the Prophet and of his divinely designated successor, Ali ibn Abi Talib, peace be upon him) increasingly under pressure. In all the Islamic regions, there was not one person who was close to Allah and did not fear for his or her own life and blood and who was not rejected, hated, and harassed. On the other hand, the enemies of God were free and easy, priding themselves in their corruptive ways, conceited and smug in their deviation.

One year before Muawiyyeh died, the Eminent Husain ibn Ali, the Lord of the Martyrs, peace be upon him, set out for the pilgrimage to Mecca, to the Sacred house of Allah. Along with him were Abullah ibn Ja’far and Abdullah ibn Abbas. That Eminent one gathered all of the men and women of the Bani Hashem, and all of their dependents (including their servants, their adopted children, those who had treaties with them, etc.). He also gathered the Ansar whom he knew (the people from Medina who had supported the Prophet when he migrated from Mecca to Medina), along with his own family and dependents.
He instructed messengers: “Do not leave behind even one person from the Companions of the Prophet who is known for piety and righteousness and worship; bring them all together to me at Mina (a station of the Hajj ritual).

--What was the purpose of this gathering? Why did the Imam take such great pains to be sure that all of those people who had known the Prophet, would be brought together before him? What did he have in mind?

The purpose was to ask these people who had known the Prophet, or who had directly received information from the people who knew the Prophet, to publicly testify about what they knew about the relationship of the Prophet with his divinely designated successor, Ali ibn Abu Talib. And to carry this testimony back to their communities after the Hajj. In this way, perhaps the lies, slander and treachery carried out by Muawiyyeh against Ali ibn Abu Talib (peace be upon him) and his followers could be brought to an end.