Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan

Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan, Sakhr ibn Harb ibn Umayya al-Qurashi al-Umawi, "Commander of the Faithful", as Ibn Hajar calls him. ¹ He was born five years before the mission, it is also said seven years before, and it is also said thirteen; "the first is more famous". ¹ He was the son of Abu Sufyan and Hind bint Utba, and his sister was Umm Habiba, mother of the believers. ²

Abu Nu'aym said that he was among the eloquent scribes, forbearing and dignified. ¹ Khalid ibn Ma'dan said that he was tall, fair and bald-headed. ¹ "He accompanied the Prophet and wrote for him." ¹ Al-Mada'ini said that Zayd ibn Thabit (may God be pleased with him) wrote the revelation, and that Mu'awiya wrote for the Prophet in matters between him and the Arabs. ² In the Musnad of Ahmad, and in its origin in Muslim, Ibn Abbas relates that the Prophet said: "Call Mu'awiya to me", and he was his scribe. ²

Ibn Hajar summarises: Umar appointed him over Syria after his brother Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan, and Uthman confirmed him. "Then he persisted and did not give the oath to Ali; then he fought him and became independent in Syria; then he added Egypt to it; then he called himself caliph after the two arbitrators." Then he became sole ruler when al-Hasan made peace with him and the people united around him, "so that year was called the year of unity." ^{1 2} For the details see Siffin and the arbitration. Abd al-Malik ibn Marwan said: "Ibn Hind lived twenty years as an amir and twenty years as a caliph"; Ibn Hajar comments that this is a loose statement, since he did not complete twenty years as caliph. ²

In the Sahih of al-Bukhari, from Ikrima: I said to Ibn Abbas that Mu'awiya prayed a single rak'a of witr, and he said: "He is a jurist"; in another version: "He accompanied the Messenger of God." ² From Ibn Abbas: "I have never seen anyone sweeter to kingship than Mu'awiya", and when Umar looked at him he would say: "This is the Kisra of the Arabs." ² In the version of Abu Ya'la, the Prophet said to him: "O Mu'awiya, if you are given command, fear God and be just"; its chain includes Suwayd, of whom there is criticism, and al-Bayhaqi relates it through another channel. ²

He transmitted from the Prophet, from Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and his sister Umm Habiba. From the Companions, Ibn Abbas, Jarir al-Bajali, Mu'awiya ibn Hudayj, al-Sa'ib ibn Yazid, Abdallah ibn al-Zubayr, al-Nu'man ibn Bashir and others transmitted from him; and from the great Successors, Marwan ibn al-Hakam, Abdallah ibn al-Harith ibn Nawfal (may God be pleased with him), Qays ibn Abi Hazim, Sa'id ibn al-Musayyib and Abu Idris al-Khawlani. ²

This is a disputed entry. The museum presents here what is in al-Isaba alone on Mu'awiya's biography. Other Sunni sources have not yet been added, nor the views of non-Sunnis on Mu'awiya and his wars with Ali. All of that is to be written, attributed to its proponents, in a later batch, and needs specialist review before the entry is upgraded.

His name appears in the history of the Muslims in Syria: he was governor of Caesarea in the events of the nineteenth year, according to the accounts of Abu Ma'shar and al-Waqidi. ³ In the index of the fourth volume, there is mention of Ali sending Jarir ibn Abdallah to him calling him to obedience, and of Siffin and the fighting over the water. ^{4 5}