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Sahaba / Tabi‘eenPhase 4a · Muhajirun, Ansar, Tabi‘eenMajor figure

Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan (RA)

معاوية بن أبي سفيان

d. 60 AH; governor of Syria c. 18/20-40 AH; caliph 41-60 AH date disputed

A companion and scribe who governed Syria for about two decades, opposed Ali at Siffin, and became caliph after al-Hasan's peace (41 AH), founding the Umayyad dynasty. His nomination of his son Yazid introduced hereditary rule.

Biography

Mu'awiyah accepted Islam around the conquest of Makkah (some say earlier) and served as one of the Prophet's scribes (Sahih Muslim). Umar and Uthman appointed him governor of Syria, where he built a strong administration and the first Muslim navy.

After Uthman's murder he demanded retribution before giving allegiance to Ali, leading to Siffin (37 AH) and the arbitration. The hadith 'the rebellious group will kill Ammar' (Sahih Bukhari 447) is cited by many Sunni scholars to conclude that Ali's side was in the right; Sunni scholars traditionally describe Mu'awiyah's stance as an error of ijtihad while maintaining his status as a companion, whereas Shia scholars judge him far more harshly. After al-Hasan's abdication (41 AH, 'Year of Unity') he ruled as caliph from Damascus until 60 AH. His designation of Yazid as heir, unprecedented under the Rashidun, is widely criticised and set the stage for Karbala.

Sources & explanation

۞ Qur'an

No specific verses cited for this node.

📜 Hadith verified on sunnah.com

  • Sahih Muslim 2404d Sahih

    Mu'awiyah asked Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas what prevented him from reviling Abu Turab (Ali); Sa'd cited three sayings of the Prophet ﷺ: the Harun-Musa hadith, the Khaybar banner, and the Mubahalah, when he gathered Ali, Fatimah, Hasan and Husayn saying 'O Allah, these are my family'.

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 2704 Sahih

    'This son of mine (al-Hasan) is a sayyid; perhaps Allah will reconcile two great groups of Muslims through him' — fulfilled by his peace with Mu'awiyah. Narrated by al-Hasan al-Basri from Abu Bakrah.

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 447 Sahih

    While building the Prophet's mosque: 'May Allah have mercy on 'Ammar; the rebel (aggressor) group will kill him. He invites them to Paradise and they invite him to the Fire.' (narrated by Abu Sa'id al-Khudri)

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 1406 Sahih

    Abu Dharr explained at al-Rabadhah that he had differed with Mu'awiyah in Sham over 9:34 (hoarding gold and silver), and 'Uthman let him settle there.

  • Sahih Muslim 2501 Sahih

    Abu Sufyan asked three things of the Prophet ﷺ, including that Mu'awiyah be made his scribe (katib), and the Prophet ﷺ agreed.

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 3765 Sahih

    Ibn 'Abbas, told that Mu'awiyah prayed one rak'ah of witr, said 'He is a faqih' (in another report: 'he was a companion of the Prophet ﷺ').

  • Sahih Muslim 2604a Sahih

    The Prophet ﷺ sent Ibn 'Abbas to call Mu'awiyah, who was eating; after the second time he said 'May Allah not fill his belly'. (Imam Muslim places it in the chapter of the Prophet's supplications; interpretations differ.)

  • Sahih al-Bukhari 4827 Sahih

    Marwan, governor of Hijaz for Mu'awiyah, urged allegiance to Yazid; 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr objected, and Aisha rejected Marwan's claim that 46:17 was revealed about him.

💬 Explanation Mirza view verified

Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's perspective

Methodological note (not a direct quote): Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza's widely known approach is to build narratives primarily on the Quran and Sahih Hadith, to set aside Israiliyat (Judeo-Christian lore absorbed into later tafsir) and weak or fabricated narrations, and to avoid sectarian framing. Applied to this node: Verified from his videos (paraphrase): Mirza refers to Mu'awiyah with 'radiyallahu anhu' and treats his companionship as a real virtue no later Muslim can reach, but argues that it is the only virtue soundly established for him. He says the Sahih Muslim wording calls him a 'katib' (scribe) without 'of revelation', and cites Ibn Hajar (Fath al-Bari) that no specific virtue of Mu'awiyah is authentically established. He presents Mu'awiyah's nomination of Yazid as heir, against the consultation (shura) term he cites from al-Hasan's peace treaty, as the background to Karbala. His detailed treatment of the Ammar hadith's word 'baghi' in relation to Mu'awiyah is discussed in his videos but is not marked verified here.

Verified from the auto-transcript of 3IDpU9uHR3o ('Katib-e-Wahi? Fazail-e-Moaviah ki Haqeeqat': 'RA', companionship as the established virtue, 'katib' wording, Ibn Hajar), the chapter list of Kt9Qros3f5k (2:38:34 'Ibn Hajar, Fath al-Bari - koi fazilat sabit nahi'), and the auto-transcripts of 6zhjdo3CoFk (treaty terms) and ywqlRL1hUWs (nomination of Yazid). Machine transcripts; paraphrased, not quoted.

Related videos Engineer Muhammad Ali Mirza

Empires in their lifetime

Further references

  • Sahih Bukhari 447
  • Sahih Muslim (Mu'awiyah as scribe)
  • Sahih Bukhari 2704 (al-Hasan's peace)
  • Tarikh al-Tabari (Siffin; succession of Yazid)

Connections

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