with the nobility of her funeral service?' Ali the favoured excused himself by saying that he had acted in accordance with a special request. It is reported that Fatima the illustrious had called Ali the favoured to her bedside, and laid this injunction upon him, 'When I am dead, bury me at night, so that no eye by which I cannot legally be seen, may see my corpse.' Eighteen traditions are derived from her of which one is generally accredited.

Fatima's two sons, Hasan and Hosein, are the two most renowned of Mohammed's grandchildren.

Hasan was in all his parts, from the chest upwards to the pate of his head, most like the Apostle of God. The learned biographers narrate that one day the Calif Abu Bekr observed Hasan at play with other boys, when he took hold of him, placed him on his shoulders, and said to him, 'O Hasan, thou exceedingly resemblest the seal of the prophets, but art unlike Ali.' Ali, hearing this, smiled, and said that Abu Bekr was right. Hasan died in Ramadan, A.H. 53.

The Hamadan Hafiz Abu-l-Ala narrated that when Ali, the Commander of the faithful, reached the land of the mercy of God (i.e. died), Hasan, the Commander of the faithful, ascended the pulpit and said, 'O ye people, to-night some one has departed from amongst you, whose like those who have been before you have never seen, and those who come after you will never see. A person who, when ordered by the Apostle of God to exterminate the rebels and enemies, was accompanied and assisted by Gabriel on his right side, and by Michael on his left, and who never turned back until victory was achieved; that person died in the same night in which likewise Moses, the son of Amran died, and in which Jesus, the son of Mary, ascended into heaven.'

According to some books, the people took the oath of allegiance to that Excellency immediately after this address, and according to others, just before. The prince who had the luck and blessedness of first laying hold on the skirt of that Excellency's allegiance, was Kais Ibn Saad of the Ansars. He said, 'I take the oath of allegiance to thee, O Commander of the faithful, on the Book of God, and on the Law of the best of created beings, and on the religious war against the enemies.' Hasid replied, 'Religious war against all sorts of opponents is enjoined in the Book of God and the Law of Mohammed the chosen; there is no need of proving this by special quotations.' From this expression the people inferred that that Light of the eye of the virgin (viz. Fatima) and that Lamp of the

assembly of the accepted ones, had no inclination to enter upon a struggle and murderous war against adversaries.

When Moawia, the son of Abu Sofyan, had received the tidings of his Excellency Ali's death, and of the people's oath of allegiance to his son Imam Hasan, he left a locum tenens at Damascus, and set out with 60,000 men for Persia, marching in the direction of Kufa. As soon as Hasan heard of this, he departed from Kufa with 40,000 men, and on the way ordered Kais Ibn Saad to join him with 12,000 horsemen. Having reached Madain, the Commander of the faithful ordered a halt, to rest his troops. Here he held a council, in which he said, 'O ye people, you have taken an oath of allegiance to me, to follow me in the case of war or peace. By that God whose power is supreme, I declare that I have no hatred or enmity against any man in this world.' From this word the people understood that his Excellency was going to make peace with Moawia and resign the Califate. A number of rebels said amongst themselves, 'He has turned infidel' All the people became so enraged that they attacked Hasan, tore his clothes, and pulled away the carpet on which he was sitting. Most of the soldiers repented of the oath of allegiance which they had taken. His Highness mounted a horse and called out, 'Where are the people of Rebia and Hamadan?' They at once came forward to protect him, and conducted him back to Madain. Still, a rebel succeeded on the way in dealing him a blow and wounding his thigh, but was immediately cut down for the deed. The Commander of the faithful was taken to the white tower of Madain, wounded, and groaning with pain. But under the care of his surgeons he soon recovered.

Meanwhile Moawia had overtaken Kais, Hasan's commander-in-chief, at Ambar, and surrounded him. Abd Allah Ibn Amir, with a troop of warriors, came upon the soldiers of Imam Hasan, and called out aloud, 'O ye people of Irak, I am the advance-guard of Moawia's army; I am not come with the intention of fighting you, for at this very moment a great fight is going on at Ambar, and Moawia has surrounded Kais Ibn Saad. Give my salutation to Imam Hasan, and tell him that I swear by God to suspend hostilities, and not to shed the blood of himself and those who are with him.' When Imam Hasan's soldiers heard this word of Abd Allah, fear and terror seized their mind, so that no strength remained in their arms for fighting. The Commander of the faithful re-entered Madain, and Abd Allah went after him, surrounding the city. Hasan, on witnessing the fear and weakness of his companions,