Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan
A Qurashi of the Umayyad clan, son of Abu Sufyan and Hind bint Utba, who accompanied the Prophet and served as one of his scribes. Umar put him in charge in Syria after his brother Yazid, and he later refused allegiance to Ali, fought him at Siffin, and was recognised as caliph in the year of the community, 41/661, when al-Hasan stood down. He ruled until 60/680, held the Byzantine front by land and sea, governed through tribal leaders, and had the oath taken to his son Yazid; the Encyclopaedia of Islam reports that later writers judged him in sharply different ways.
Reign · Umayyad Caliphate · no. 1 in the chain · 661–680 CE
Ruled the caliphate
Events of the reign
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The early Arab siege of Constantinople under Mu'awiya
Arslan's chapter on Arab sieges of Constantinople describes the first large attempt, under Mu'awiya, when a fleet sailed from Tripoli in Syria under Busr ibn Abi Artat, and a land army is thought to have begun the siege. He reports disagreement among Arab historians over the death of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari during the siege, and doubts the later legend of his grave. The same chapter notes a later siege under Harun al-Rashid that ended in a truce and tribute. This is Arslan's compilation of sources that disagree on the dates.
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The pledge to Yazid as heir apparent
Mu'awiya summoned the Syrians to pledge the succession to his son Yazid — the first to bequeath the caliphate to a son and the first to do so in his own lifetime — and wrote to Marwan at Medina to take the pledge. Marwan preached that the caliph wished to appoint Yazid 'after the manner of Abu Bakr and Umar'; Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr rose: 'rather after the manner of Chosroes and Caesar — neither of them gave it to a son or any of their house'. When Muawiya made the hajj in 51 he took the pledge in person: Ibn Umar answered that earlier caliphs had sons no worse than Yazid yet chose for the Muslims, while disclaiming any wish to break the community's staff; Ibn Abi Bakr leapt up vowing to return the matter to shura; Ibn al-Zubayr retorted 'if you are weary of rule, retire and bring your son — whom would we obey if we pledged you both?'. Muawiya then announced from the minbar that the three had 'heard, obeyed and pledged' — which the crowd affirmed and they denied.
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The Taking of Hisn Kamkh
In al-Baladhuri: Habib ibn Maslama raided the fortress of Kamkh after taking Shimshat without success, as did Safwan; then in year 59 — the year he died — Safwan raided it with Umayr ibn al-Habab al-Sulami, who scaled the wall and fought alone until the Byzantines gave way and the Muslims climbed — it fell to Umayr ibn al-Habab, his lasting glory; the Byzantines retook it, Maslama ibn Abd al-Malik took it again, and it kept changing hands until year 149, when al-Mansur marched from Baghdad to Hadithat al-Mawsil, sent al-Hasan ibn Qahtaba then Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath, and set al-Abbas ibn Muhammad over the expedition against Kamkh — Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath remaining at Amid — al-Abbas and al-Hasan reached Malatya, took provisions, camped on Kamkh, and al-Abbas ordered mangonels set; the defenders hung juniper wood over their fort so the stones would not bite, and stoned the Muslims killing two hundred men, whereupon the Muslims employed armoured shelters and fought bitterly until they took it — Matar al-Warraq was with al-Abbas; the Byzantines re-seized it, and in year 177 Muhammad ibn Abdallah ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Amr al-Ansari — Abd al-Malik ibn Salih's governor of Shimshat — took it, entering on the fourteenth of Rabi' II; it stayed Muslim until Muhammad ibn al-Rashid's time when its people fled — or, it is said, Ubaydallah ibn al-Aqta' handed it over — then Abdallah ibn Tahir took it in al-Ma'mun's caliphate, and it remained in Muslim hands until a group of Shimshat's Christians conspired with Yiqala and Baqrat ibn Ashut by way of Khilat to deliver it to the Byzantines over estates in the Shimshat district.
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The Death of Habib ibn Maslama at Damascus
In al-Baladhuri: when Habib had taken what he took of Armenia's land he wrote of it to Uthman ibn Affan, whose answer reached him with Salman's death reported — Uthman near giving him all Armenia, then judging it better to make him a raider of the Syrian and Jaziran frontier for his worth in such service, and gave Armenia's march to Hudhayfa ibn al-Yaman al-Absi, who repaired to Bardha'a posting his agents over what lay between it and Qaliqala and to Khizan, until Uthman's writ came ordering his return and the leaving behind of Sila ibn Zufar al-Absi who was with him — and he left him; Habib marched back to Syria raiding the Romans, camped at Hims, and Mu'awiya moved him to Damascus where he died in year 42, being thirty-five years old; Mu'awiya had earlier sent Habib at the head of an army to Uthman's aid when he was besieged, but at Wadi al-Qura word of Uthman's killing reached him and he turned back.
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Death of al-Hasan ibn Ali
Hasan died at Medina poisoned — the account names his wife Ja'da bint al-Ash'ath ibn Qays, suborned by Yazid ibn Mu'awiya with a promise of marriage that he afterwards refused: 'we did not approve you for Hasan — shall we approve you for ourselves?'. His death fell in 49, or on 5 Rabi' I 50, or 51 by the variants. His brother pressed him to name his poisoner; he refused — 'if it is whom I think, God's vengeance is harsher; else let no innocent be killed for me'. On his deathbed he told Husayn that the caliphate had been turned from his father and that prophethood and caliphate would not be joined in them. He had asked Aisha for burial beside the Prophet; she consented, but Marwan barred it — Husayn and his men armed until Abu Hurayra turned him back — and he was buried in al-Baqi beside his mother. Marwan wept at his funeral; when Husayn reproached him he said 'I did that to one more forbearing than this' and pointed to the mountain.
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Death of Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan
Mu'awiya died in Rajab of year 60 and was buried between Bab al-Jabiya and Bab al-Saghir at Damascus; he is said to have lived seventy-seven years. Keeping hairs and nail-parings of the Prophet, he willed they be placed in his mouth and eyes — 'do that, and leave me with the Most Merciful of the merciful'. He had been governor of Syria twenty years and caliph twenty more.
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The Founding of Qayrawan
In al-Baladhuri: Mu'awiya ibn Khudayj sent — or, some say, Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan gave him the Maghreb — Uqba ibn Nafi' al-Fihri, who raided Ifriqiya with ten thousand Muslims, conquered it, and laid out its Qayrawan, whose site was a thicket of trees and thickets unapproachable for beasts, snakes and deadly vermin; Uqba being a righteous man whose prayer was answered, he prayed to his Lord and all that was removed — till the very beasts carried away their young in flight; and Musa ibn Ali said the first to build it was Uqba ibn Nafi', who laid it out then built — the people building houses and dwellings with him — and built its congregational mosque; and a body of Ifriqiya's people told from their shaykhs that when Uqba wished to make Qayrawan a misr he pondered where its mosque should be, and saw in a dream as though a man gave the call to prayer in the place where its minaret stood — so when morning came he built the minarets in the man's station, then built the mosque. Al-Waqidi said Abdallah ibn Sa'd stayed governor until Muhammad ibn Abi Hudhayfa seized Egypt; then Mu'awiya gave Maslama ibn Mukhallad al-Ansari Egypt and the Maghreb, and he gave the Maghreb to his mawla Abu al-Muhajir; when Yazid ibn Mu'awiya ruled he restored Uqba to his office — who raided Sus al-Adna beyond Tangier, roaming unchallenged till he returned; Abu al-Abbas gave Muhammad ibn al-Ash'ath al-Khuza'i Ifriqiya — he repaired Qayrawan's city and mosque — then al-Mansur dismissed him and gave his place to Umar ibn Hafs Hazarmard.
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The Ibadi imamate rises in Oman
The Ibadi imamate rose in Oman about 51/671, settling Muscat and the coast under its imams.
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Mu'awiya's annexation of Ziyad ibn Abihi
Mu'awiya annexed Ziyad ibn Abihi to his own lineage from Abu Sufyan, in year 43 or 44 — described by al-Tha'alibi and others as the first judgment in Islam that contravened the Prophet's ruling.
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Ibn Samura's March to Kabul
Mu'awiya's appointment of Ibn Amir over Basra sent Ibn Samura back to Sijistan — Abbad ibn al-Husayn al-Habati over his shurta, and with him the ashraf Umar ibn Ubaydallah ibn Ma'mar, Abdullah ibn Khazim, Qatari ibn al-Fuja'a and al-Muhallab ibn Abi Sufra — reconquering town after town whose folk had apostatized, by force or sulh, until Kabul. Months of siege and mangonels opened a great breach; Abbad spent the night spearing the polytheists so they could not close it — al-Hasan: 'I never thought one man could stand for a thousand until I saw Abbad ibn al-Husayn'. At dawn the foe sallied; Ibn Khazim hamstrung their elephant which fell blocking the gate so they could not shut it — Abu Mikhnaf says it was al-Muhallab — and the Muslims entered by force. Victory-dispatch went with Umar ibn Ubaydallah and al-Muhallab; then Ibn Samura crossed Wadi Nasl, took Khawash and Quzan by force, Wazan whose folk fled, Khushak by sulh, al-Akhj by fighting, Zabulistan broken with captives, and Kabul again.
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The Taking of Qal'at Busr
In al-Baladhuri: Uqba ibn Nafi' sent Busr ibn Abi Artat to a castle of Qayrawan's which he opened, killing and taking captive — it is known today as Qal'at Busr, near a town called Majjana by the silver mine; and I have heard it told that it was Musa ibn Nusayr who sent Busr — then eighty-two years old — to this castle, which he opened, Busr having been born a year before the Prophet's death; and others than al-Waqidi claim he related of the Prophet — God knows best.
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Rutbil's War and al-Rabi' ibn Ziyad
The Kabul Shah mustered and expelled every Muslim in Kabul; Rutbil came and took Zabulistan and Rukhkhaj as far as Bust. Al-Rabi' ibn Ziyad rode out with the people, fought Rutbil at Bust and routed him, pursued him to Rukhkhaj and fought him there, then went on to conquer the Dawar country.
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The Second Fitna
Draft card for the Second Fitna, the civil wars of the late Umayyad house after Yazid's death, from Ibn al-Zubayr's rising to the Marwanid restoration under Abd al-Malik; its sources are not yet checked on the page.
The positions on his accession
When did Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan embrace Islam?
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- sunni —
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