He thought it prudent under the circumstances, to come to terms with Mu'awiyah. Together they signed a treaty. Hasan gave up any claim to temporal power but secured the promise that his followers will not be harassed or molested, and that the succession after Mu'awiyah will be left to general consensus among the Muslims. Mu'awiyah agreed in principle to these conditions. But, in practice he did what he wanted. Hasan died mysteriously of poisoning, in the 50th year of Hijra.
Many well known Companions of the Prophet who were known as the Qurra (those who had learnt Qur'an by heart), were killed, their properties plundered and their families harassed into silence or submission. Money was used for the purpose of fabricating Hadeeth. People like Abu Hurayra, a mere beggar on the streets, became so rich in the process that his inheritance, a mound of gold, had to be chiselled with axes to be distributed among his next of kin, after his death.
Mu'awiyah did not stop here. He went on to appoint his debauch son Yazeed as his successor and asked the governors in the provinces to promise him that they would support Yazeed after his death. Husayn at this time, was forty-six years old.
Husayn being a man of principles, kept a quiet watch on the course of events. He was bound by his own convictions to respect and honour the treaty signed by his brother, although the other party was a defaulter all the way.
Mu'awiyah died in the month of Rajab, in the 60th year of Hijra (April 680 A.D.). Husayn had now reached the mature age of 57.
Soon after Mu'awiyah's death Yazeed succeeded to the throne of Damascus. One of the first things he did was to order Waleed, the governor of Madinah, to summon Husayn to his presence and ask him to swear allegiance to Yazeed. Waleed did this. Husayn came to his presence with his brothers and nephews. Waleed stated the purpose of the meeting. Husayn very diplomatically refused to oblige.
When Waleed asked Husayn for Yazeed's Ba'ya (allegiance to one's authority), Husayn replied that since he was the senior most member in the Prophet's house at that time, his Bay'a should be much more publicly acknowledged. Therefore, it would be more appropriate to ask the question again in the mosque at a general gathering. Waleed agreed to this. Marwan, another infamous Umayyad, was sitting there. He said to Waleed:
" If Husayn is allowed to leave now, you shall never get hold of him. Either ask him to swear allegiance to Yazeed now or have him killed."
Husayn became angry at this and asked Marwan to shut up. When Husayn's voice reached outside of the house where his relatives were waiting, they all rushed into the house. Both Waleed and Marwan were intimidated and Husayn and his family members left the house.
This scene is not very different from what happened fifty years ago at the door of Fatima Zahra. Husayn was being threatened for his life for ba'ya exactly like Imam Ali had been threatened for his life for bay'a.
Times had changed but policies remained the same. Faces were different but questions and answers remained the same.