Hasan ibn Ali (625–669)
Born 625 CE, died 669 CE.
Hasan ibn Ali (Arabic: حسن ابن علي, romanized: Ḥasan ibn ʿAlī; c. 625 – 2 April 670) was the eldest son of Ali and Fatima, the elder brother of Husayn, and the eldest grandson of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. He briefly ruled as caliph from January to August 661 and is the second Imam in Shia Islam, succeeding his father Ali and preceding his brother Husayn. Hasan is a prominent member of the Ahl al-Bayt and the Ahl al-Kisa, and a participant in the Event of the Mubahala. Muhammad described Hasan and Husayn as the leaders of the youth of paradise. Hasan is traditionally described as having had the closest resemblance to the Prophet Muhammad. During the caliphate of Ali, Hasan accompanied his father in the military campaigns of the First Fitna. Following Ali's assassination, Hasan was acknowledged as caliph in Kufa. His authority was not recognized by Mu'awiya, the governor of Syria and his rival for the caliphate, who led an army toward Kufa while pressuring Hasan to abdicate through a series of letters. In response, Hasan dispatched an advance force under Ubayd Allah ibn al-Abbas to delay Mu'awiya's advance until he could arrive with the main army.
Text from the Wikipedia article Hasan_ibn_Ali, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.