section_path: Succession
section_name: Succession
paragraph_text: Succession
  
  When Ali died, his son Hasan was acknowledged as the next caliph in Kufa. As Ali's legatee, Hasan was the obvious choice for the Kufans, especially because Ali was vocal about the exclusive right of Muhammad's kin to leadership. Most surviving companions of Muhammad were in Ali's army, and they also pledged their allegiance to Hasan, but overall the Kufans' support for Hasan was likely weak. Hasan later abdicated in August 661 to Mu'awiya when the latter marched on Iraq with a large force. Mu'awiya thus founded the dynastic Umayyad Caliphate. Throughout his reign, he persecuted the family and supporters of Ali, and mandated regular public cursing of Ali.