The Status of Negotiations with the Enemy in the Uprising of Imam Hussain (as); an Analysis of the Theory of Muhammad Soroush Mahallati

Referring to the conversation between Imam Hussain (as) and Umar ibn Sa'ad in Karbala, Soroush Mahallati, in a speech titled, “The possibility or impossibility of negotiating with the enemy in the revolutionary politics of Imam Hussain (as)” seeks to prove that Imam Hussain (as) was looking for negotiations and agreement in Karbala (with Yazid) to prevent the war. The present article is a historical analysis of his opinion. Despite the advantages, such as separation of the dimensions of the problem, detailed discussion in the historical dimension and collecting the less well-known opinions from elders, this speech has important shortcomings in both method and content. These shortcomings, in terms of the method, include the unidirectional narration of history and unreliable trust on the opinions of elders, and in terms of content it includes, disregarding the motive of forgery and the process of disseminating of the attributed suggestions to Imam (as), incorrect translation of the important part of the cited report, neglecting the Yazid’s seeking allegiance, disregarding the foundations and purposes of the Imam's uprising and providing a vague image of it.