Muawiyah-A Muslim?

[Salman]

Yeah sure, Muawiyah was a Muslim. But then again so is Saddam, bin Laden, and Michael Jackson now.

Muaweyah bin Hind is a character whose antics have been meticulously recorded in the annals of history. From his birth onwards, the historians and Sunni scholars have managed to provide a significant insight in to the character of Muaweyah. His role within the history if Islam during the advent of Prophet Muhammad’s (pbuh&hp)mission is non-existent. In fact he spent the vast portion of it on the opposite side with his alleged father being 'Abu Sufyan leader of the Banu Umayya Clan who sought to undermine, fight and destroy the message of the Prophet(pbuh&hp). Abu Sufyan eventually conceded defeat following the conquest of Mecca and allegedly embraced Islam.

In the same way as Prophet Muhammad (pbuh&hp) was opposed by Abu Sufyan, his alleged son Muaweyah carried on the mantle of his father opposing the rightful khalifa (caliph) Imam Ali during his lifetime, refusing to give him bayya (oath of allegiance) and even after his martyrdom vented his hatred of Imam Ali via the disgraceful practice of cursing him during the Friday Sermons.

Muaweyah’s enmity towards the Prophet (pbuh&hp) did not restrict him to just opposing Imam Ali (A,S) and other descendants of Prophet (p), but also made him murder several companions and a wife of the Prophet (p) as well.

Muaweyah’s enmity towards the Prophet (pbuh&hp) did not restrict him to just opposing Imam Ali (A,S) and other descendants of Prophet (p), but also made him murder several companions and a wife of the Prophet (p) as well. (A Great Muslim huh? I think I shall go kill someone now, since that’s what good muslims do)

Despite his disgraceful acts, a new generation of Nasbis (also called Wahabis or Deobandis) disguising themselves as Sunnis, have appeared in recent years declaring their affiliation with Muaweyah and defending his actions and praising them. The Sunni Muslims are slowly falling prey to this conspiracy by the enemies of the Prophet (pbuh&hp) and his progeny (AS).

“Mauweyah invited Ayesha for dinner, and he got a ditch dug in the ground, filling it up with sharp knives and swords, with their blades facing upwards. According to Alama Ibn Khaldoon, Mauweyah masked that ditch with lanky pieces of wood, and spread a carpet on top of it all to camouflage it. He placed a wooden chair over it for Ayesha to sit. No sooner Ayesha sat on the chair, the whole set up retrieved and she fell in the pit, injuring herself from head to toe, and breaking a lot of bones. To hide his felony, Mauweyah got the ditched filled up with lime. That is how he murdered Ayesha; she was sixty four years old when Mauweyah murdered her towards the end of 57 Hijri. This proves, with out a doubt, that Mauweyah was an enemy of Prophet Mohammed (p), and he proved his enmity towards the Prophet (p) by murdering his (p) wife. The only reason that Mauweyah performed this heinous act was that Ayesha stopped him from making fun of Islam from the pulpit of Masjid-e-Nabvi.. This is why no one knows the exact location of Ayesha’s grave in Medina.”

…Due to this crime, Allah (SWT)’s wrath fell on Mauweyah and parts of his body became paralyzed, and he became delusional. It was under this state of delusion that Mauweyah acknowledged he had ordered the murder of many companions of Prophet Mohammad (pbuh&hp) and their children for the sake of his tyrant son Yazid…

Following the death of Muhammad bin 'Abu Bakr the people of Egypt gave bayya to Muaweyah. It was following this (event) that Ummul Mu’mineen Ayesha would curse Muaweyah and Amr bin Aas after every Salaat. Tadhkira ul Khawass page 62

Volume 6 page 71

[Salman]

....Mauweya was a nefarious politician. He was the son of Abu Sufyan, the leader of Mecca, who spent his whole life opposing Prophet Mohammad (pbuh&hp) in Mecca. He was also the leader of every pagan army that fought against the Islamic armies. Muaweyah’s mother was Hinda, who martyred Hazrat Hamza (RA), Prophet Mohammad's (pbuh&hp) uncle and chopped his body into pieces, which didn’t satisfy her appetite, so she tried to eat his heart. Mauweyah never accepted Islam in his heart. After the conquest of Mecca by Prophet Mohammad (pbuh&hp), both Mauwiya and his father Abu Sufyan accepted Islam as a necessity of the time with a loathing heart. After the murder of Uthman, Mauweyah rebelled against the fourth elected caliph Hazrat Ali (RA).

...All Historians have mentioned in disgust that Mauweyah (the governor of Damascus) back stabbed Islam when he made a thirty year peace treaty with the Roman king, rather than fighting for Islam, according to which Syria came under the rule of Roman empire and Mauweyah agreed to give thirty thousand coins, fifty Arab slaves and fifty Arab horses to the Roman king every year.

All of the Muslims of that era disliked this gesture of Mauwiya and cursed him."

Sunni References:

Musharriful Mahbubin by Hazrat Khuwaja Mehboob Qasim Chishti Mushrrafi Qadri (RA) Pages 216-218

Kokab wa Rifi Fazal-e-Ali Karam Allah Wajhu, Page 484, By Syed Mohammed Subh-e-Kashaf AlTirmidhi, Urdu translation by Syed Sharif Hussein Sherwani Sabzawari, Published by Aloom AlMuhammed, number B12 Shadbagh, Lahore, 1st January 1963.

Habib Alseer Rabiyah AlAbrar, Volume 1, Alama JarulAllah Zamik (530 Hijri),

Hadoiqa Sanai, by Hakim Sanai (Died 525 Hijri, at Ghazni), Page 65-67,

Namoos Islam, by Agha Hashim Sialkoti, Published Lahore, 1939 - Pages 66-67

Tazkarah Tul-Aikram Tarikh-e-Khulafa Arab-Wa-Islam by Syed Shah Mohamed Kabir Abu Alalaiyi Dana Puri, Published Le Kishwar Press, Lakhnow, April 1924/ 1346 H

Sipah e Sahaba and other Wahabi scum have introduced Muaweyah as a companion of the Prophet (pbuh) using narrations fabricated by Muaweyah and his filthy descendants.

One very clever move by the Wahabis was to declare Muaweyah a scribe (katib e Wahi) who wrote down the revelations of Allah's Messenger.

All praise be to Allah swt, the leading Sunni scholars realising this conspiracy of the Wahabis, have declared all hadith praising Muaweyah as fabricated.

Not a single hadith in praise of Muaweyah is Sahih (authentic)

Many classical Sunni scholars whilst listing those individuals honored as writer of the revelation did not count Mu'awiya. For evidence see the following texts:

Fathul Bari page 450 Volume 2
Irshad Saneed Volume 9 page 22
Umdhathul Qari Volume 9 page 307
Nasa al Kafiya page 170
Iqd al Fareed Volume 2 page 197
al Isaba Volume 3 page 413

On this topic the comments of the renowned Egyptian Sunni scholar Sayyid Qutb are worthy of note:

"The erroneous fable still persists that Mu'awiya was a scribe who wrote down the revelations of Allah's Messenger. The truth is that when Abu Sufyan embraced Islam, he besought the Prophet to give Muaweyah some measure of position in the eyes of the Arabs; thus he would be compensated of being slow to embrace Islam and of being one of those who had no precedence in the new religion. So the Prophet used Muaweyah for writing letters and contracts and agreements. But none of the companions ever said that he wrote down any of the Prophet's revelations, as was asserted by Muaweyah's partisans after he had assumed the throne. But this is what happens in all such cases".

Social Justice in Islam by Sayyid Qutb, English translation by John B. Hardie, page 215.

Al Hafidh Jalaluddeen Suyuti in "La'ali al-Masnuaa fi ahadith al-Mauduaa" Volume 1 page 424 states:

"Imam Hakim claims that he never came across a single hadith in praise of Muaweyah that was Sahih".
La'ali al-Masnuaa fi ahadith al-Mauduaa Volume 1 page 424

Muhammad bin Ali bin Shawkani in "Fawa'id al Mujmua fi bayan al-hadith al-maudu`a", page 147 states that:

"Ibn Hibban commented that all ahadith in praise of Muaweyah are fabricated".
Fawa'id al Mujmua fi bayan al-hadith al-maudu`a page 147

Al Muhaddith Shaykh Abdul Haqq Dehlavi in "Sharh Mishkat Shareef" - Volume 4 page 716 (published in 1873) after citing the hadith in praise of Muaweyah including the "guidance hadith" Abu Sulaiman cited from Tirmidhi comments:

"It is recorded in Jami` al-'Usul that many muhaddith scholars have concluded that there exists not even a single hadith in praise of Muaweyah that is Sahih".
Sharh Mishkat Shareef Vol. 4 page 716

Abu'l Hasan Quinani in "Thunziyaa as Shari'a al Murfoo'a", Volume 2, Chapter 8 page 7 comments

"Imam Hakim cites from a chain used by Sibt Ibne Jauzi who cites Isaan bin Ruhiyaa that 'there exists nothing in praise of Muaweyah that is Sahih".
Thunziyaa as Shari'a al Murfoo'a Vol. 2 Chapter 8 page 7

Allamah Ibn al-Jawzi al-Qurashi in "al- Mawdu`at" Volume 2 page 24 states:

"Imam Hakim narrated from Abu'l Abbas who heard from his father, who heard from Ishaq bin Ibraheem al-Hanzali that 'no hadith in praise of Muaweyah are Sahih'.
al- Mawduat Volume 2 page 24

Shaykh Ismail bin Muhammad in "Kashful Khafa" Volume 2 page 420 states:

'There exist no hadith in praise of Muaweyah that is Sahih"
Kashful Khafa Vol. 2 page 420

al 'Aini in "Ummdat al Qari fi Sharh Sahih al Bukhari page 994 Volume 7 comments:

"No reports in praise of Muaweyah are proven. If many are present, the reply is that no hadith exist with a Sahih isnad as stated by Isaac bin Rahvia and Imam Nasai, and that's why Imam Bukhari wrote Chapter bab ai Dhikr Muaweyah rather than bab ai Fadail Muaweyah."

Ibn Hajr al-Asqalani states in Fathul Bari Volume 7 page 104:

"Imam Bukhari on the topic of Muaweyah wrote a Chapter Bab ai Dhikr Muaweyah because no hadith in praise of Muaweyah are proven and Ibn Abi Asim and Abu Umar Ghulam Thalib and 'Abu Bakr Nakash wrote on the virtues of Muaweyah and Ibn Jauzi in Maudu'at wrote about him, then Ibn Jauzi stated in the opinion of Isaac bin Raaviya, in praise of Muaweyah no hadith is Sahih and that's why Imam Bukhari wrote a Chapter titled bab ai Dhikr Muaweyah rather than bab ai Fadail Muaweyah"
Fathul Bari Vol. 7 page 104

We read in Tareekh ibn Khalikaan page 35 Volume 1:

"The compiler of Sunan Nasa'i Ahmad bin 'Ali was a hafidh of Hadith and in his time an Imam of Ahl'ul hadith. Towards the end of his life he went to Damascus and he was asked about the virtues of Muaweyah, Imam Nasa'i replied "Muaweyah should protect himself, what praise should I shower on him, I know only virtue namely that Rasulullah (s) cursed him "May Allah never satiate his stomach"

Rawdah-al-Manazir fi al-Awai'l wa al 'Awakhir Volume 11 page 133:

"Imam Shafi'I said that the testimony of four companions will not be accepted and those four are Muaweyah, Amr bin Aas, Mugheera (bin Shuba) and Ziyad (bin Abi)"

This view of Imam Shafi'i has also been attributed to him by his student Hadhrath Rabi in Tareekh Abul Fidah Volume 1 under the chapter addressing the events of 45 Hijri. It can also be located in Kitab Mukhthasar fi Ahbar al Bashar Vol. 1 page 100

al-Nasa'ih al-Kaafiyah page 163

"Imam Ahl'ul Sunnah Muhammad bin 'Ali Shawkani wrote in his book Fawaid Majmu`a Dhar ahadith Maudu'ah states that in praise of Muaweyah no hadith exists"

Ibn Taymiyya in Minhaj al Sunnah page 207

"One party has created virtues of Muaweyah and these virtues have been presented as these hadith and all of these are lies".

Now after proving from the authentic texts of Sunni Muslims that all traditions in praise of Muaweyah are lies and fabrications, let me show you what the real merits of this enemy of Allah and the Prophet (pbuh&hp) actually are.

[Salman]

The meaning of Muaweyah

Leading Sunni scholars are in agreement that Muaweyah means "barking bitch".

Sunni References:

Tareekh ul Khulafa by al Hafidh Jalaluddin Suyuti (Urdu translation by Maulana Hakeem Nasree) page 253.

Sharh ul Aqaid page 510

Rabi' ul Abrar by Allamah Zamakhshari page 700

Tahzeeb ul Kamaal fi Asma' al-Rijal by Jamaluddin Mizzi page 371

Muaweyah, the spiritual father of Sipah e Sahaba and all other Wahabis, was the product of Nikah e Ijtimah (Combined Marriage)

Sunni scholar Ibn Abi al Hadeed in Sharh Nahjul Balagha notes the following:

"When Muaweyah was born, four people were thought to have been his father Abi bin Umar bin Musaafir, Abi Umar bin Waleed, Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib and Sabah the Ethiopian. 'Abu Sufyan was short and ugly whilst Sabah was young and handsome, Hinda offered him sex and amongst the Arabs there was also a view that 'Abu Sufyan's other son Utbah was also a product of this union".

Sunni reference: Sharh Nahjul Balagha by Ibn Abi al Hadeed Volume 10 page 130

Sunni scholar Allamah Zamakhshari records the following in his Rabi'ul Abrar:

"There were four people who were thought to be Muaweyah's father, Abi bin Umar bin Musaafir, Abi Umar bin Waleed, Abbas bin Abdul Muttalib and Sabah"

Sunni reference: Rabi'ul Abrar by Allamah Zamakhshari Volume 3 page 551

"Sham bin Muhammad Kalbi in his book Kitab Mushab notes that Imam Hasan said to Muaweyah 'Are you aware of the bed from which you was conceived?' This means he was born from four fathers".

Sunni reference: Tadkhirath al Khawwas page 114 Chapter 7

We also learn that Muaweyah's mother Hind was a prostitute:

"In relation to the birth of Muaweyah, four men were viewed to have been his father Umr bin Waleed bin Mugheera, Musaafir Abi Umar, 'Abu Sufyan and a forth individual was also involved. Hinda was a prostitute and had sex with black men, if any children were born from such a union she would kill them."

Sunni reference: Thanzeeya al Nasab fi Kubul al Arab

"Research has established that Musafir was a handsome and generous man, he fell in love with Hinda and fornicated with her, she was unmarried and became pregnant, this came to the knowledge of the Quraysh and Musafir ran away. Hinda's father Utbah summoned Muaweyah's father Abu Sufyan - bribing with a huge dowry, he married him to Hinda. Muaweyah was born three months after the marriage."

Sunni reference: Muasalib ibne Sa'man munkool uz thun'zeey al Nasab page 97

Mother of the believers Hazrat Ayesha's testimony that Muaweyah's mother Hinda committed adultery

"When Muaweyah's sister Umme Habeeba received news about Muhammad bin Abu Bakr's murder, she sent Ayesha a cooked goat suggesting that the reason for his killing was his murder of Uthman. When this happened Ayesha said "May Allah (swt) kill this daughter of fornicating woman. By Allah! I shall never eat this meat again".

Sunni reference: Tadkhira Khawass page 62 Chapter "Dhikr Khwaarij"

Here I would like to ask Mullah Azam Tariq (who is burning in Hell), chief of Sipah e Sahaba to change the name of his son as it exposes their family secrets.

[Salman]

Muaweyah was against the Islamic Shar'ia

Muaweyah and his filthy clan were opposed to Islam and the Prophet from the very beginning. As soon as he came into power, he started changing the Islamic laws and mocking them whenever he felt like it.

Muaweyah drank a prohibited substance

Imam of Ahl'ul Sunnah Ahmad Bin Hanbal records in his Musnad that:

"Muaweyah consumed a liquid that had been declared haraam by the Prophet (p)".

Sunni reference: Musnad Ahmed Bin Hanbal Volume 5 page 347

Inheritance.

Ibn Kathir narrates in Al Bidayah Volume 8 page 141 that:

"Imam Zuhri recorded that during the time of Rasulullah (s) and the four khulafa the Sunnath was that neither could a kaafir inherit from a Muslim, nor a Muslim inherit from a kaafir. During his reign Muaweyah allowed Muslims to inherit from Kaffir's, whilst Kaffir's could not inherit from Muslims. This practice was terminated by Umar bin Abdul Aziz, but was then revived by Abdul Malik".

Sunni reference: Al Bidayah Volume 8 page 141

Introduction of this practice was an open violation to the teachings of Islam and we read in Sahih al Bukhari Volume 8 hadith number 756 that Prophet (p) said, "A Muslim cannot be the heir of a disbeliever, nor can a disbeliever be the heir of a Muslim".

Blood money

Ibn Kathir also narrates that in relation to blood money, Muaweyah changed the Sunnah, namely that a non-Muslim's blood money would be equal to that of a Muslim, but Muaweyah halved it and kept the other half for himself

Sunni reference: Al Bidayah Volume 8 page 139).

Distribution of War Booty

"In the distribution of war booty Muaweyah acted in violation to Book of God and his Sunnah. The Qur'an and Sunnah dictated that the fifth portion of war booty be placed into the treasury and the remaining four / fifths be distributed amongst the troops that participated in the battle, but Muaweyah issued an order that from the war booty gold and silver would be removed, and the remainder would be distributed".

Sunni reference: Tabaqat ibn Sad Volume 7 pages 28-29

Muaweyah took interest

Sunni references:

Muwatta Book 31, Number 31.16.33

Sahih Muslim Book 010, Number 3852

Imam Thahavee's Mana al Ahsaar page 262

Eid prayers and Adhan

Imam of Ahl e Sunnah Al Hafiz Jajauddin Suyuti in his Tarikh al Khulafa writes that:

"Zuhri narrates in relation to the Salat of Eid, the first to deliver the Khutba before the Salat was Muaweyah bin Abu Sufyan".

Sunni reference: Tarikh ul Khulafa page 200

"Imam Zuhri narrates that Rasulullah (s), Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman lead the Eid Salat without Adhan, but Muaweyah introduced the Adhan in the Eid prayer".

Sunni reference: Kitab al Ilm Volume 1 page 229

"There is a difference of opinion over who introduced the Adhan in Eid Salat. Ibn Sheba has a tradition with a Sahih Isnad attributing this to Muaweyah, whilst Shaafi states Ibn Ziyad introduced this in Basra, Daud claims that Marwan introduced this - but the vast bulk of traditions do not support this. Muaweyah introduced this in the same way that he introduced the khutba of Eid before Salat".

Sunni reference: Ibn Hajar Asqalani in Fathul Bari Volume 2 page 529

Muaweyah deemed it it permissible for a man to marry two sisters at any one given time.

Imam of Ahl e Sunnah Al Hafiz Jajauddin Suyuti in his Durre Manthur records the following fatwa of Muaweyah (L):

"Qasim bin Muhammad records that Muaweyah was asked whether it was permissible for a man to marry two sisters at any one given time. Muaweyah replied 'There is nothing wrong with that'. Upon hearing this reply, Numan bin Basheer asked 'You have issued this fatwa?' to which Muaweyah replied 'yes'.

Sunni reference: Durre Manthur Volume 2 page 477

Muaweyah declared Ziyad (another of Abu Sufyan's illigitimate sons) as his brother

"Muaweyah declaring that Ziyad was his brother, was the first act that was in open contradiction to the laws of Sharia because Rasulullah (s) said that the legitimate child is one born from wedlock"

Sunni reference: Tarikh Kamil Volume 3 page 225

Hafiz Jalaluddeen Suyuti also acknowledges this in Tareekh ul Khulafa:

"Muaweyah declaring Ziyad to be the son of Abu Sufyan was the first act that contradicted an order of Rasulullah".

Prophet Muhammad (pbuh&hp) ordered the killing of Muaweyah in the event of him becoming Caliph

Allah's Messenger (pbuh&hp)said, "If you see Muaweyah on my pulpit then kill him"

Sunni references:

Mizan al-Itidal Volume 2 page 17; Volume 2 page 129 on the authority of Abu Said al Khudri; Volume 7 page 324 and Volume 8 page 74;

"Tadhib al Tadhib" by Ibn Hajar Asqalani Volume 5 page 110 (Hyderabad edition);

Kunz al Haqaiq by al Mu'awi page 9;

Tabaqat by Ibn Sad Volume 4 page 134-135 (Leiden edition);

al Kamil fi Safa al Rijal Volume 2 page 146 hadith number 343;

Ansab al Ashraf Volume 5 page 136;

Waq'at Sifeen page 216 and 221;

Tareekh Tabari Volume 8 page 186

[Salman]

Muaweyah instituted the bid'ah of cursing Imam Ali (as)

Ibn Hajar Asqalani in his commentary of Sahih al Bukhari "Fathul Bari" states:

"Muaweyah issued an order to curse Hadhrath 'Ali. Upon hearing this Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas said "Even if you place a sword over my head and demand that I curse 'Ali, I will refuse to do so".

Sunni reference: Fathul Bari Volume 7 page 74, Bab Manaqib 'Ali

In Sahih Muslim we read,

By him who split up the seed and created something living, the Apostle (may peace and blessing be upon him) gave me a promise that no one but a believer would love me, and none but a hypocrite would nurse grudge against me.

Imam Ali - Sahih Muslim, English version, Chapter XXXIV, p46, Tradition #141

"Muaweyah the son of Abu Sufyan, gave order to Sa'd, and told him: "What prevents you that you are refraining from cursing Abu Turab (nickname of Ali)?" Sa'd replied: "Don't you remember that the Prophet said three things about (the virtue of) Ali? So I will never curse Ali."

Sunni reference: Sahih Muslim - Chapter of Virtues of Companions, Section of Virtues of Ali - Tradition #5916

Mohibuddin al Tabari in his classical book of hadith Riyad ul Nadira states that, "Muaweyah ordered Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas to curse 'Abu Turab"

Sunni reference: Riyad ul Nadira Volume 3 page 194.

In Sunan Ibn Majah we read,

"On his way to Hajj, Sad met Muaweyah and his companions mentioned 'Ali upon which Muaweyah showed disrespect towards Ali, Sad got angry and asked 'why do you say such things?'"

In the Arabic text the words used by Muaweyah are "fanala minho" and the editor Muhammad Faula Abdul Bakee states in the footnotes that these words mean that Muaweyah cursed and disparaged 'Ali.

Sunni reference: Sunan Ibn Majah page 12 Dhikr 'Ali

Ibn Kathir in his "Al Bidayah al Nihayah" records that:

"Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas said to Muaweyah you have sat me next to you on your throne and begun to curse Hadhrath 'Ali"

Sunni Reference: Al Bidayah al Nihayah - page 341 Volume 7 - Chapter "The virtues of 'Ali"

Syrian Sunni scholar Abu Zahra in his Tarikh ul Islam states:

We recognized the hypocrites by their hatred of Ali.

Abu Said al Khudri (RA) - Fada'il al-Sahaba, by Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v2, p639, Tradition 1086

"When Muaweyah was proceeding to Hajj he saw Sad, grabbed him by the hand and sat him next to his pulpit. Thereafter he proceeded to curse Ali, Sad got angry stating you have sat me next to you and began to indulge in the awful act!"

Sunni reference: Tarikh ul Islam by Abu Zahra Volume 1 page 38

Another Sunni scholar, Ibn Manzur, clarifies this matter beautifully attacking Muaweyah's advocate Nawawi in the process. In his Lisan al Arab, he writes,

"It is proven from Sahih Muslim that Muaweyah would curse Hadhrath 'Ali. Nawawi in his Sharh Muslim displays dishonesty in his defence of Muaweyah. An Ahl'ul Sunnah scholar took notice of this, basing his comments on Sahih Muslim, we plead justice accordingly."

In Tashdheed al Mathan Volume 2 page 405, we read that Sunni scholar Wajideen Umar bin Abdul Muhsin in his famous work "Hilyatul Azhar Sharra Mushraak ul Anwar wrote,

"When the people of knowledge saw that Muaweyah's language contravened the dictates of norms, they sought to justify his actions and this is wrong, for it is clear that Muaweyah wanted Sad to curse Ali, and Sad objected. Muaweyah asked what prevented him from cursing Abu Turab, to which Sad replied citing three traditions as his reasons"

Sunni scholar Allama Sibt Ibn Jauzi al Hanafi in His Tadhkiratul Khawass states:

Whoever curses Ali, cursed me

Prophet Muhammad - Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v6, p323

"Muaweyah ordered the people and Sa'd bin Abi Waqqas to curse 'Ali, this angered Sa'd and fearing Allah (swt) he refused to do so, not caring what anyone else thought".

[Salman]

Hazrat Hajr bin Adi (RA) was murdered along with other companions of the Prophet (p) for refusing to curse Hazrat Ali (AS)

Maulana Sayyid Abul A'la Maudoodi in his book "Khilafat wa Mulukiyyat" cites several classical sources providing the reason behind the murder of Hajr bin Adi. Under chapter 4 "The elimination of freedom of speech", he states:

"Hajr bin Adi was a pious companion of the Prophet (saws) and played a vital role in the correction of the Ummah. During Muaweyah's reign when the custom of cursing Ali from the pulpit's of Mosques began, hearts of the Muslims were being bled dry but people bit their tongues fearing death. In Kufa Hajr bin Adi could not remain silent and he began to praise Ali (ra) and condemn Muaweyah. Until Mughira remained the Governor of Kufa, he adopted a lenient attitude towards this, but when Ziyad's Governorship of Basra was extended to include Kufa, serious altercations arose. He would curse Ali (ra) during the khutba and Hajr would refute him.

On one occasion he (Hajr) warned Ziyad for being late for Jumma prayers. Ziyad then arrested him along with twelve of his companions on false accusations of forming an opposition group to overthrow the Khalifa and was cursing the Khalifa. He also gathered witnesses to testify against them alleging that they claimed that khilafath was the exclusive right of the lineage of Ali ibne Abi Talib and further accused them of creating an uproar, throwing out the commander and of supportingAbu Turab Ali, of sending blessings upon him and hating his enemies. From amongst these witnesses, Qadi Shudhri's testimony was used. He later wrote to Muaweyah that the blood and property of people who said they offered Salat, paid zakat, and performed Hajj and Umrah, preached right and declared that evil was haram, however if you want to kill them so be it, otherwise forgive them.

The accused were sent to Muaweyah and he sentenced them to death. A condition was placed that if they cursed Ali (ra) and showed their hatred to him they would be pardoned. They refused and Hajr saidI will not say that thing that will displease Allah'.

Finally he and his seven companions were murdered. From amongst them Abdur Rahman bin Hassan was sent back to return with a written instruction that he be murdered in the worst possible manner, Ziyad buried him alive."

Sunni references :

Tarikh al Tabari, Volume 4 page 190 - 208

al Istiab by Ibn `Abdul Barr Vol I page 135

Tarikh by Ibn Athir Volume 3 page 234 - 242

al Bidayah al Nihaya by Ibn Kathir, Volume 8 page 50 -55

Ibn Khaldoon Volume 3 page 13

The Sunni Muslims love Hazrat Ali (AS) and and his adherents and hence have been particularly critical of the killing of Hajr bin Adi (RA) and his companions. Mufti Ghulam Rasul a modern day Hanafi scholar in his biography of Imam Jafar Sadiq "Subeh al Sadiq" discusses a number of topics including the slaughter of Hujr bin Adi.

"Hajr and his associates were killed in 51 Hijri and I pray that Allah (swt) showers his mercy upon them. Verily they sacrificed their to protect the honour and dignity of the Lion of Allah, 'Ali. Their murderers told them that they would be saved if they cursed 'Ali - they refused saying 'We shall not do that which shall cause the wrath of Allah (swt). This is because Hajr and his companions knew that the truth was with 'Ali, he was the example of Harun, he was the brother of the Prophet (p) in this world and the next, 300 verses had descended in his praise, 'Ali was with the Qur'an and the Qur'an was with 'Ali, to look at 'Ali's face was an act of worship, to hate 'Ali was an act of Kufr and to have love and faith in 'Ali was a part of Iman. Rasulullah (p) said that the sign of a momin was love for 'Ali and the sign of a munafiq was hatred of 'Ali. It was in light of these facts that Hajr and his companions refused to disassociate themselves from 'Ali, they happily accepted death and willingly sacrificed their lives due to their love for 'Ali".

Sunni reference: Subeh al-Sadiq pages 93 & 94

Hadhrath Ayesha narrated that Rasulullah (p) said:

"Whoever kills Hajr will incur the wrath of Allah".

Sunni reference: Kanz al Ummal Volume 7 page 87

One other move by the Wahabis is to propgate against the holy family of the Prophet (p). Muaweyah's rebellion against the rightful caliph, Imam Ali (AS) is defended by the illigitimate offsprings of Abu Sufyan, Sipah e Sahaba etc. till this day.

Mother of the Believers, Lady Ayesha compared Muaweyah's government to that of Firawn (Pharoah) and other Kaafirs (Pagans)

Aswat bin Yazeed said to Hadhrath Ayesha: 'Aren't you surprised that this Muaweyah is from Tulaqa (freed captive) and in Khilafath he fought the companions? Ayesha replied "This government and kingdom, Allah (swt) gives Leadership to both just and tyrannical, for 400 years in Egypt the enemies of God, Phiraun ruled as did other Kaafir Kings".

Sunni references:

Shaykh ul Mudira page 165

al Bidaya 131 Volume 8

Mukhtasar Ta'reekh al-Dimishk Volume 25 page 42

Saying Radiallahanho (Allah be pleased with him) with Muaweyah's name

Hanafi scholar Maulana 'Abdul Hakeem Chishti in his biography of Maulana Waheed uz Zaman cited his comments from "Waheed ai Lughath":

"To say Radiallahanho after Muaweyah's names takes a considerable amount of courage".

[Salman]

The Messenger of Allah cursed Muaweyah's stomach

Ibn e Abbas narrates that:

"I was playing with children and Allah's Apostle (peace be upon him) happened to pass by (us). I hid myself behind the door. He (the Prophet) came and he patted upon my shoulders and said: Go and call Muaweyah. I returned and said: He is busy in taking food. He again asked me to go and call Muaweyah to him. I went (and came back) and said that he was busy in taking food, whereupon he said: May Allah not fill his belly! Ibn Muthanna said: I asked Umm Umayyah what he meant by the word Hatani. He said: It means "he patted my shoulders".

Sunni reference:

Sahih Muslim Tradition number 6298

The Messenger of Allah cursed Muaweyah, his brother and father

"Imam Hasan reminded Muaweyah of the occasion "when your father was riding a red camel you were in front of him and your brother Utbah was dragging the camel by its nose? On that occasion Rasulullah (s) cursed your father, brother and you"

Sunni references:

Ahl'ul Sunnah's Mukthul Husayn page 117 part 4

Waq'at Sifeen Volume 8 page 185

Mother of Believers Lady Ayesha cursed Muaweyah and Amr bin Aas after every prayer

"Following the death of Muhammad bin 'Abu Bakr the people of Egypt gave bayya to Muaweyah. It was following this (event) that Ummul Mu'mineen Ayesha would curse Muaweyah and Amr bin Aas after every Salaat".

Sunni references:

Tadhkira ul Khawass page 62,

Tar'ikh Ibn al Wardi Voume 1 page 245

Tar'ikh Kamil Vol. 3 page 180

Muaweyah shall die a Kaafir

Abdullah ibne Umar narrates that he heard Rasulullah say:

"Muaweyah shall not die on the path of Islam".

Sunni references:

Tareekh Tabari Volume 8 page 186

Waq'at Sifeen page 217

Both the above books on the same pages also record a similar hadith, this time narrated by Jabir bin Abdullah who testified that he heard Rasulullah (s) say:

"At the time of his death, Muaweyah shall not be counted as member of my Muslim Ummah"

Muaweyah shall be raised with a different Ummah on the day of Judgement

The Messenger of Allah said:

"From this door shall enter a man from my Ummah who shall be raised with another Ummah on the Day of Judgement, at that point Muaweyah came through the door"

Sunni reference:

Ansab al Ashraf Volume 5 page 132

Muaweyah shall be in the deepest part of Hell

The Messenger of Allah said:

"Verily Muaweyah shall be in the deepest part of Hell from where he shall shout 'Ya Hanan, Ya Manan' verily I have sinned and spread fitnah throughout the earth".

Sunni reference: Lisan al Mizan Volume 1 page 284

The Messenger of Allah said:

"Muaweyah has a coffin in the deepest part of Hell, one that has a lock on it".

Sunni reference: Ansab al Ashraf Volume 5 page 132

Hazrat Abdullah ibne Umar al Khattab had also condemned Muaweyah as follows:

"Verily Muaweyah's coffin is in the deepest part of Hell, Had Firawn not declared that he was the most superior God, nobody would have been in a deeper part of Hell than Muaweyah".

Sunni reference: Waq'at Sifeen page 217

Muaweyah and his people are the sign of fire

"Rasulullah (s) said that `Ali and his people (qawm) are the sign of paradise while Muaweyah and his people are the sign of the Fire"

Sunni references:

al-Haythami, Majma` al-Zawa'id, 9:406

Kanz al-`ummal, 7:63 (Haydarabad)

The Messenger of Allah informed Hazrat Ali of the rebel group

The Messenger of Allah said:

"O Ali! Soon a rebellious group will fight against you, you will be on the truth. Whoever does not support you on that day will not be from us"

Sunni reference: Kanz al Ummal, by Ali Muttaqi al Hind quoting Ibn Asakir, hadith number 32970

The Messenger of Allah said:

"After me people shall experience fitna, you will split into groups, he then pointed at 'Ali and said Ali and his companions shall be on the right path"

Sunni reference: Kanz ul Ummal hadith number 33016

"Rasulullah (s) told 'Ali that people have enmity to you, and it will open up after me"

Sunni reference: Riyad ul Nadira V 3 page 234

The Messenger of Allah said to Hazrat Ali:

"Protect yourself from your enemies who have a hatred in their hearts. Those who hate you, Allah's has cursed such individuals"

Sunni reference: Yanabi al Muwaddah p 135

Deobandi scholar Al Muhaddith Shah 'Abd al-'Aziz Dehlavi in his book written against the Shi'a states:

"The title Shi'a was first given to those Muhajireen and Ansar who gave allegiance (bay'ah) to Ali (may Allah enlighten his face). They were his steadfast faithful followers during his (Ali's) caliphate. They remained close to him, they always fought his enemies, and kept on following Ali's commands and prohibitions. The true Shi'a are these who came in 37 Hijri" (NB 37 Hijri -the year Imam Ali (as) fought Muaweyah at Sifeen).

Sunni reference: Tuhfa Ithna 'Ashariyyah, (Gift to the Twelvers) (Farsi edition p 18, publishers Sohail Academy, Lahore, Pakistan).

Muaweyah was a Baghi (rebel)

Al Muhaddith Shah 'Abd al-'Aziz Dehlavi in the same book further states:

"Anyone who knows Farsi and school child who read Jami Aqaid Ahl'ul Sunnah should know there's a ijamaah that from Ali's khilfath up to Sulh Hasan, Muaweyah was a baghi because he didn't give bayya or obey the Rightful Imam"

Sunni Reference: Tuhfa Ithna Ashariyyah page 181 Chapter 7

"The aqeedah in Ahl'ul Sunnah is that the first baghi in Islam was Muaweyah"

Sunni Reference: Sharh al Maqasid page 306

"Muaweyah and his companions are baghis without a doubt and they are Qasitoon, Allah says Qasithoon are in deepest part of Hell".

Sunni Reference: al-Nasa'ih al-Kaafiyah page 22

"Being a Judge under a Zaalim King is permissible in the same way that one is appointed as a Judge under an Adil Imam, for example the Sahaba were Judges under Muaweyah Zaalim even though the truth was with 'Ali"

Sunni Reference: Hidaya Page 134, Volume 3

Companion of the Prophet, Hazrat Abul Hasan Ashari (RA) said:

"Muaweyah and Amr bin Aas fought against the rightful Imam. Ali fought the rebels, he was with the truth and the truth was with him.

Sunni reference: Al Milal wa al Nihal by Allamah Shahrastani - Volume 1 page 103

"In hadith it is proven that Hadhrath 'Ali was on the path of truth and Muaweyah and his companions were on falsehood. Only a stubborn person will deny this".

Sunni Reference: Naylul Autar page 187 Volume 7

According to Ahl e Sunnah, Laeen ibn e Laeen, Muaweyah bin Hind al Zaniyah was among the Qasatheen (those who refrain from giving bayya to Imam e Haq)

"Rasulullah (s) said to Ali 'Nakisheen, Qasatheen and Marakeen will fight you'. Muaweyah and his companions were Qasatheen they left the truth, which was to follow Ali and give him bayya".

Sunni reference: Sharh al Maqasid Volume 2 page 304

Abu Sa'id narrates:

"Rasulullah (s) ordered us to fight Nakisheen, Qasatheen and Marakeen. We asked under who? He said Ali ibn abi Talib! .. Amar will be killed in this war".

Sunni Reference: Usdul Ghaba page 114 V 4

Even the late Wahabi mullah and one of the many illigitimately born sons of Muaweyah and Yazeed, Ibn Taymeeya could not deny the narrations against Muaweyah and had to admit that:

"During Ali's reign the most entitled person to be the Khalifa of Rasulullah (s) was 'Ali. He was a rightly guided khalifa and to obey him was mandatory"

Muaweyah was a Fajir, Shaitan (Satin)

The 1st Imam of Shia Muslims and 4th rightful Caliph of Sunni Muslims, Hazrat Ali said:

"The Fajir son of a fajir is Muaweyah and the fajir son of a kafir is Amr bin Aas"

Sunni Reference: Tareekh Tabari Volume 4 page 77

For those who have fallen prey to the Wahabi/Nasbi/Deobandi propaganda and think that the Barking Bitch of Banu Umayya - Muaweyah bin Hind al Zaniya was on the right path, should read this Hadith of Hazrat Ali:

"Our Jamaat is Allah's and one who opposes us is Satans Party. One who regards them as equal is not from us".

Sunni References:

al-Nasa'ih al-Kaafiyah page 23
Kanz al 'Ummal page 89 Volume 6

And the Messenger of Allah said to Hazrat Ali:

"O 'Ali you are the Imam of the pious and the slayer of those that are fasiq and fajireen"

Sunni References:

Nuzul ul Abrar Chapter "Dhikr Fadail Ali" p24

Similarly, in all the following Sunni books, the Prophet referred to Hazrat Ali as the killer of the Fajireen.

Fara'id us Simtayn page 157
Kifaya al Talib p 221 Ch 58
Mawaddatul al Qurba p 45
Manaqib al Khawarazmi p 11
Nuzul ul Abrar "Dhikr Fadail Ali" p24
Kunuz al Haqaiq v 2 page 16
Jami' al Sagheer v 2 p 65
Qurrat al 'Aynayn p 141
Maula wa Mu'awiya p 141

Sunni scholar Mir Seyyed Shareef in his book Sharh Mawafiq states:

"In eyes of Ahl ul Sunnah there is agreement that those who fought him were sinners and Qadi Ibn al Arabi states that this sin is not fisq. View of the Shia and majority Sunnis is that those who fought 'Ali became fasiq and fajir"

Sunni Reference: Sharh Mawafiq page 745

And why wouldn't the above mentioned Sunni scholars not condemn Muaweyah as unlike the Nasbis/Wahabis/Deobandis/Salafis of Sipah e Sahaba and other groups, these scholars were alhamdolillah born ligitimately.

"Love of 'Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Hussain is a sign of one being legitimate, hatred of them is the sign of one being illegitimate".

Sunni reference: Riyad ul Nadira Volume 3 page 117 Chapter 116

"Allah's Messenger (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said regarding 'Ali, Fatima, Hasan and Husayn (Allah be pleased with them all): I am at peace with those with whom you make peace and I am at war with those with whom you make war."

Sunni References:

Sunan Ibn Majah, English translation by Muhammad Tufail Ansari, Volume 1 page 81

Fada'il al-Sahaba, by Imam Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v2, p767, Tradition 1350

al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, v3, p149

[Salman]

To all those who are still confused because of the fabricated Ahadith in praise of Muaweyah, I present to you the words of Shaer e Khoda (Lion of Allah), Bab e Madinatul Ilm (Gate to the city of Knowledge), Zauj e Batool (Husband of Syeda Zahra (SA), the prophet's daughter), Akhi e Rasool fi Dunya wal Akhira (Brother of the Prophet in this world and the hereafter) Hazrat Ali ibn e Abi Talib calling all of you:

"I made a promise with Rasulullah (s) that I shall never forego. Your enemies are approaching, you should know that their leader is a hypocrite son of a hypocrite. He is inviting his supporters to Hell Fire while you have the cousin of Rasulullah (s) in your midst, as you know, no one else performed Salat with Rasulullah (s) before me. I am from amongst the participants of Badr while Muaweyah is the freed captive, son of a freed captive. By Allah! We are on the path of truth whilst Muaweyah is on the path of falsehood".

Sunni References:

Waq'at Sifeen page 314
Jamarth Khattab al Arab Volume 1 page 353
Sharh Ibn al Hadeed Volume 5 page 245

I also present to you Hazrat Ali's letter which he wrote to Hazrat Muhammad bin Abu Bakar, inviting him to join him against Muaweyah. This call is still echoing all over the world - as long as their is a single follower of Muaweyah inviting others to join him on the way to Hell.

"Protect yourself from Hind's lying son and his invitation, stop and think, the Imam of guidance and the Imam of destruction, Rasulullah's wasi (executor) and Rasulullah's enemies can never be seen as equals".

Sunni Reference: Sharh Ibn Al Hadeed Volume 6 page 71

[Ibn_Sadique]

Salman – What do want to achieve by this ‘Cut & Paste’ job from Shia encyclopedia? Just more friction and a cat fight?
There is a very appropriate Ayah in the Holy Quran’ which I have shown below:

Those are a people who have passed away. Theirs is that which they earned, and yours is that which ye earn. And ye will not be asked of what they used to do. [2:134]

We should this advise and concentrate on our own deeds which one day we will have to present to our Lord (saw).

History is a very biased – every one has their own version.

Just to let you know that there is also another version presented of Hazrat Mu’wiya (ra), I am matching your deed by ‘Cutting & Pasting’ from the ‘other side’.

Mu'awiya as a Model of Islamic Governance

(This is a talk given in Norwich. Most of its contents and more will be found in a book with the same title which is due to be published by Dar al-Taqwa insha'llah)

I have been asked to speak on Mu'awiya and his governance. Mu'awiya was one of the Companions of the Prophet and one of his scribes who recorded the Revelation. He was appointed governor of greater Syria by 'Umar after the death of his brother Yazid who had been appointed by Abu Bakr, and remained governor under 'Uthman. As he was related to 'Uthman, he was a leading force in demanding that his murderers be brought to justice. Thus he and 'Ali came to be on opposite sides in the Fitna or Civil War. Eventually 'Ali was murdered by a Kharijite and his son Hasan declared khalif. When Hasan realised he could not control the situation, he handed over power to Mu'awiya which led to peace and re-unification of the Umma in 40/661, the year known as the Year of the Jama'a, or Community. There was no further major civil unrest - except for the odd Kharijite agitation - during his reign. When he died, another chapter of the Fitna ensued in the form of the war between his son Yazid and first Husayn, 'Ali's son, and then Ibn az-Zubayr in the Hijaz.
So what was it about Mu'awiya which made his rule so successful to such an extent that the famous historian, adh-Dhahabi, points out that after al-Hasan had surrendered his claim to the khalifate, "Mu'awiya reigned without a rival, and without losing any of the conquests of Islam. Neither 'Abdu'l-Malik, nor al-Mansur, nor Harun ar-Rashid earned this praise, unique in the annals of Islam"?

Before examining governance under Mu'awiya, it must first be pointed out that defining the nature of governance in an Islamic context is somewhat difficult, not least because it has been a long time since Islam formed the foundation of governance and Muslims have tended to base themselves on Western political theories and then to "Islamicise" these theories. Even the question of what an umma is causes problems. What precisely is the Muslim Umma? When it is translated as "nation", it is inevitable that some of the connotations of the modern nation-state creep in, or if "community" is used, it becomes a purely social concept, something like a undefined social unit without any real political role. So any attempt to deal with Islamic governance is often fraught either with tinges of historical romanticism and utopic idealism, or else a pragmatism devoid of any real Islamic content - and so we find ourselves like Odysseus trying to pass between the twin perils of Scylla and Charybdis without being destroyed by either one. It is with the hope of avoiding these twin perils that we will examine how Mu'awiya, one of the most successful of Muslim rulers, governed.

So what is the umma? The concept of umma was an entirely new one which superseded previous tribal and family allegiances, although these tendencies kept coming back, particularly in the case in the Ridda, or Revolt, which followed the death of the Prophet. We read in the Qur'an: "You will not find any people who believe in Allah and the Last Day who are loving to anyone who opposes Allah and His Messenger, even if they were their fathers or their sons, or their brothers or their clan." (Qur'an 58:22) Acceptance of and allegiance to the umma, based on following Allah and His Prophet, became one's primary allegiance. This means that the umma is not a nation-state based on ethnicity or language. It is not surprising, then, that it left the Arabs of the time somewhat bemused. Like the revelation with its uncompromising statement of tawhid, the idea of a community whose central core of political cohesion was based on that same principle was entirely alien to them. In fact, it was probably alien to just about everyone of the time. And indeed, it kept being forgotten, and still is forgotten, in favour of 'asabiyya, or tribal solidarity.

The umma is further delineated in the Qur'an when Allah says, "You are the best umma brought forth to mankind - enjoining the correct and forbidding the incorrect and believing in Allah" (3:110) and "The believers, men and women, are protector-friends of each other, enjoining the correct and forbidding the incorrect." (9:71)
The Covenant of Madina stipulated that the Muslims "Constitute one umma" and "All believers shall rise as one man against whomsoever rebels or seeks to commit injustice, aggression, wrong action or spread mutual enmity between the believers, even though he be one of their sons. ... All believers are bonded together to the exclusion of other men."

This, then, is the polity of the Muslims, and it is clearly a political as well as a spiritual collective, the one being a logical consequence of the other. Being a Muslim necessarily entails certain political consequences.
Having defined what the polity is, the question becomes: how it is to be governed? Historically, there has been two basic forms of governance - and indeed fiqh - which seem to reflect an eastern/ western split - and we find the same split in the forms of governance in eastern and western Christendom. In the east, we find the imperial form, reflecting the Persian Sassanid and Soghdian traditions, and, on the other side, initially in the Hijaz and Syria, a more open form of governance based on amirate and shura, which moved to Spain when the Abbasids overthrew the Umayyads. I leave the imperial form to others. From 138/756, the Umma is split because the Umayyads in Spain regarded the Abbasids as usurpers. From 316/929 there were two rulers with the title Amir al-Mu'minin, and in 334/945, the Buwayhids, the Persian military dynasty, assumed full power, and the khalif was a mere figurehead.

This brings up the question of leadership: how is a leader chosen?
When it comes to choosing the Khalif, in the early community there were four ways that the Khalif was chosen:
1. By the bay'a of the people of loosing and binding (ahl al-hal wa'l-'aqd) i.e. the 'ulama' (people of knowledge), leaders and army commanders, as happened with the first Khalif, Abu Bakr;
2. By the will and appointment of the preceding khalif as happened with the second Khalif, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab;
3. By a decision of the consultation (shura) of a certain group - as with 'Uthman and 'Ali, the third and fourth khalifs;
4. By the successful assumption of power of a man possessing the requisite qualities and qualifications to be khalif (sometimes in conjunction with 1 or 2).
When the khalif has been chosen, bay'a takes place. It is an act of validation by which the ruler accepts the duties of office and receives the power to discharge them, and the subjects undertake to obey him. It is usually translated as "allegiance" but this is somewhat unfortunate because rather than being one-sided, it is an agreement undertaken by two parties, like the conclusion of a sale from which the word is derived. As in any transaction, each side has an expectation of the other. In essence, the khalif makes an undertaking or covenant ('ahd) to act according to the Shari'a.
Hence the ruler has certain duties. He must respect and enforce the Shari'a and thus he must protect the interests of the umma, defend or expand the frontiers, carry out jihad, administer public property, dispense justice and maintain internal security.
The behaviour of the ruler vis-a-vis his subject is a trust and a matter of grave concern for him in this world and the Next. The ruler is empowered to implement the Shari'a and all that entails, but he is nevertheless a custodian, and he expects to be corrected by the people of knowledge if he errs. When Abu Bakr was given the bay'a as Khalif, he stood up and addressed people, saying:
O people! I have been put in charge over you, but I am not the best of you. If I act well, then help me, and if I act badly, then put me right. Truthfulness is a trust and lying is treachery. The weak among you is strong in my sight until I restore his right to him, Allah willing. The strong among you is weak in my sight until I take the right from him, Allah willing. People do not abandon jihad in the way of Allah but that Allah afflicts them with humiliation. Shamelessness does not spread in a people but that Allah envelops them in affliction. Obey me as long as I obey Allah and His Messenger. If I disobey Allah and His Messenger, you owe me no obedience.

(Sira Ibn Hisham)

[Ibn_Sadique]

This clearly indicates the existence of a certain reciprocity in the relation between ruler and ruled. Abu Bakr's successor, 'Umar ibn al-Khattab was also concerned about overstepping his authority.
Salman said that 'Umar asked him, "Am I a king or a khalif?" Salman answered, "If you have taxed the lands of the Muslims one dirham, or more or less, and applied it to unlawful purposes, then you are a king, not a khalif." And 'Umar wept. (At-Tabari, Tarikh, p. 2754)
This view of leadership was also held by Mu'awiya. He came to Madina and spoke to the people, saying, "I desired the way followed by Abu Bakr and 'Umar, but I was unable to follow it, and so I have followed a course with you which contains fortune and benefits for you despite some bias, so be pleased with what comes to you from me even if it is little. When good is continuous, even if it is little, it enriches. Discontent makes life grim."

He also said in a khutba which he delivered to the people, "O people! By Allah, it is easier to move the firm mountains than to follow Abu Bakr and 'Umar in their behaviour. But I have followed their way of conduct falling short of those before me, but none after me will equal me in it."
The Greek historian Theophanus does not call Mu'awiya a king or an emperor, but rather a primus inter pares, or in Greek, a protosymboulos, "a first among equals". Theophanus also referred to 'Umar ibn al-Khattab as "primus inter pares", so there cannot have appeared to be much difference between the rule of 'Umar and that of Mu'awiya to an outside non-Muslim observer. We must attribute the later fixation on Mu'awiya as a king with the sense of an absolute monarch or despot to the backdating of things that happened later.

---

The role of Mu'awiya is interesting in modern terms because the rule of Mu'awiya and his immediate successors involves bringing disparate elements into a single unity - as there were really three power bases for a time: Syria and the Umayyads, Iraq where 'Ali based himself, and the Hijaz as represented by Ibn az-Zubayr. How did Mu'awiya manage to bring about a unity and prevent the fragmentation of the Umma into three states? Eventually the single unit broke up again under the Abbasids, and never again were the Muslims a single entity. During Mu'awiya's rule, he had no rivals, a situation which was never to prevail again. Even the Ottomans, the most successful in later times, did not encompass the entire community of Muslims.
The fitna itself was partially a reaction to the centralisation of power. As the provinces manifested a tendency towards autonomy, 'Uthman tried to counter this by appointing people who were loyal to him - who happened to be mostly from his family. Perhaps if 'Uthman had been of a less mild disposition, he might have succeeded. Of course, this raises the question: is it inevitable that such a large political unit will break up into smaller autonomous or semi-autonomous unit? Are 'nations' inevitable? Can this only be countered by an imperial form - which is not the original form of governance? What happens when the centre will not hold?

Looking at the course followed by Mu'awiya to re-establish the centre, once peace was established, Mu'awiya reconciled many of the Muslims who had been fighting each other by his generosity and fairness, not to mention the intrinsic power of his position, and resumed the conquests of Islam which had been interrupted by the fighting. Even the most stubborn of opponents would often melt under his generosity and diplomacy. He also managed through fine diplomacy to balance out the tribal rivalries which later destroyed Umayyad rule. The importance of jihad cannot be understated because without the external struggle against the unbelievers, almost without fail the struggle for power becomes internal.

We have an example of Mu'awiya's astuteness when he visited 'A'isha, the daughter of the murdered 'Uthman, who was lamenting and crying for her father. He said, "Cousin, our subjects have sworn to obey us. In return, we promised to pardon them. If our act of clemency is tarnished by the memory of the past, their submission is also not free of regret. Each, with his hand on his sword, searched the eyes of his comrades. If we were to now break our commitments, we would push them into being disloyal to us. That would open a spate of new difficulties whose end result cannot be foreseen. "
When his friends expressed surprise at the vastness of his gifts to his opponents, he said, "a war costs infinitely more." He said that he preferred to buy men than to cut off their heads, and he took the example of the Prophet, and the Book of Allah in this. This amounts to the Qur'anic category of ta'lif al-qulub, reconciling hearts (see Qur'an 9:60). This is gaining hearts rather than closing mouths, and it was a technique which was quite effective with the unruly Bedouins. Mu'awiya asked 'Amr b. al-'As, "How great is your cunning?" He replied, "I have never entered into anything but that I got out of it." Mu'awiya said, "And I have never entered into anything that I wanted to get out of!"
Mu'awiya was famous for both for his self-possession or hilm and for his political finesse, his daha'. To have daha' means to be a good orator, to have firm resolution in matters, a fertile imagination, an ability to foresee future turns of events, and an ability to manoeuvre people. Mu'awiya had the ability to single out enemies and turn them into allies. Ibn az-Zubayr said of him, "Truly the son of Hind deployed a dexterity and mental resourcefulness as one will never see after him. When we tried to impose something on him, an irritated lion with claws unsheathed would not show more audacity than him. He knew when to give into us, to even allow himself to be tricked when we tried to do that to him. He was the most artful of men, more crafty than a thief. I wished that we would never lose him, just as a rock remains on this summit," pointing to the mountain of Abu Qubays outside Makka.
An example of this is found in al-Baladhuri which involves his wife, Fakhita bint Quraza:
She said to him, "Amir al-Mu'minin, why do you flatter people when you know that they are treated fairly by you? If you were to take the upper hand, they would be the ones abased and you would have force over them." He said, "Bother you! There still is some force in the Arabs. If it were not for that, I would turn them upside down." She said, "By Allah, there is only you and you have power over them!" He said, "Would you like me to show you some of that on their part?" She said, "Yes."
So he put her in a room and lowered a curtain over it and then commanded his doorman to admit one of the nobles at the door.
Mu'awiya was welcoming to his subjects at every hour of the day, including mealtimes. He created the first postal system and put it at the disposition of his subjects to use. He was known for his impartiality and justice, even where his family was concerned. He did not make 'Uthman's mistake of putting his relatives into the limelight to the exclusion of others. He would often give judgement against the Umayyads in favour of the Hashimites, especially if it involved Hasan ibn 'Ali whom he was always eager to honour. He once imposed 100 lashes to 'Abdu'r-Rahman ibn al-Hakam, the brother of the governor, Marwan, and confiscated his property. He would have an incorrect punishment publicly rescinded on the minbar, no matter who had issued it.
He admitted a man from Qays called al-Harith. Mu'awiya said, "Little Harith! Is it you who attacks the khalifate and disparages its people? By Allah, I would like to make an example of you!" He replied, "Mu'awiya, have you summoned me for this? By Allah, my arm is strong and my spear is straight! My sword is sharp and my answer ready. If you do not take what I give with thanks, then you will be wrested from what we dislike with humiliation." He said, "Remove him from me." He was removed.
Fakhita said, "How bold this one is and how strong his heart!" Mu'awiya said, "That is only due to his pride in how his people obey him."
Then he ordered the doorman who admitted a man of Rabi'a called Jariya. Mu'awiya said to him, "Little Jariya, it has reached me that you cause disaffection in the army and show little gratitude." He said, "And what should we be grateful for? You only give to avert and you are only forbearing out of flattery. Strive your hardest! Rabi'a is behind me, a strong support! Their shields have not grown rusty since they polished them, and their swords have not become blunt since they sharpened them!" He said, "Remove him."
Then he commanded his doorman who brought in a man from Yemen called 'Abdullah. He said to him, "Little 'Abd! You have behaved badly to people and spoken freely. I have heard such evil things about you that I want to exile you! You will be a lesson for the people of Syria!" He said, "Mu'awiya! Did you summon me for this and then use the diminutive of my name without using my kunya? I call you Mu'awiya, the name of a female dog who barks at dogs! Restrain yourself! That would be better for you!" He said to his doorman, "Remove him."
Fakhita said, "Flatter people with your effort and some of your gentleness and forbearance. Allah will disgrace the one who censures you!"
As regards his hilm, or his forbearance, the quality of resorting to force only when absolutely necessary, Mu'awiya is known for his famous saying, "I do not apply my sword where my lash suffices, nor my lash where my tongue is enough. And even if there be one hair binding me to my fellow men, I do not let it break. When they pull, I loosen, and if they loosen, I pull."

[Ibn_Sadique]

One thing that is clear in Mu'awiya is his reliance on shura and openness to his subjects with some modifications because of the situation in Syria. Az-Zuhri said, "Mu'awiya acted for two years (in Syria) as 'Umar had acted without altering it." Mu'awiya himself said that he had done his best to follow the behaviour of Abu Bakr and 'Uthman. But when he realised that the environment and circumstances in Syria were different from those in Madina, and that the prevailing culture and people were different, he modified his style of governance accordingly. Mu'awiya himself used this excuse to 'Umar when he came to Syria in 18 AH and Mu'awiya met him with a great retinue. 'Umar disliked that, but Mu'awiya excused himself, saying, "We are in a land where there are many enemy spies. We must display the might of power in which the might of Islam and its people lie. We will frighten them by that." 'Umar was satisfied with that.

This use of pomp does not mean that Mu'awiya indulged himself in luxury, taking advantage of the excuse that he was impressing the Byzantines with his wealth. Mu'awiya could be seen speaking to the people on the minbar of Damascus wearing a patched garment. Yunus ibn Maysar al-Himyari said, "I saw Mu'awiya riding in the Damascus market with his servant behind him. He was wearing a shirt with a patched pocket, going along in the Damascus markets."

Although Mu'awiya is said to be the first king in Islam as he himself is credited, probably posthumously, as saying, "I am the first of the kings and the last of the khalifs," it was a rather strange sort of kingship. He continued to receive deputations from the provinces and the tribes and consulted these assemblies as much as possible, asking for their counsel, mixing with them, and accepting their criticisms. In fact, he knew just how to allow individualism scope without letting it run rampant. He did not worry about what they said about him, saying, "I do not trouble about words as long as they do not lead to deeds," certainly well anticipating the principle of free speech, but with responsibility for any actions to which such words might lead.

He also let people speak their piece and allowed malcontents to vent their bad temper. When informed of a vicious satire against him and another Arab, he said, "I know a more effective method – both of us should raise our hands to heaven to pray against our adversary!" This freedom of expression also provided a healthy brake on centralisation, as people knew that they would always have a hearing. They could always speak out against something and be assured of a hearing in the presence of the Khalif.

Deliberations between the khalif and the bedouins took place in the Community Mosque, where the speakers were free and unconstrained towards the khalif. It is reported about him: "If he wanted to do something, he 'had a look at the people,'" i.e. he consulted them. When he wanted to undertake a major decision, such as delegating Yazid as the next khalif, he summoned such a shura and the debate was unrestrained and very lively indeed.

On one occasion, Mu'awiya ascended the minbar and praised Allah. When he wanted to speak, a lad of the Ansar interrupted him and said, "Mu'awiya! What makes you and the people of your house more entitled to this wealth than us! Allah gave it as spoils to the Muslims by our swords and our spears. We have no wrong action against you that we know of other than our slaying of your uncle Walid, your grandfather 'Uqba, and your brother Hanzala." Mu'awiya said, "By Allah, nephew, you did not kill them. Rather Allah killed them with angels upon angels at the hands of the sons of their father. That was not a fault nor a loss." The Ansari said, "So where is the fault and loss then?" He said, "You spoke the truth. Do you need something?" He said, "Yes. I look after an old woman and sisters and things have been hard on us." Mu'awiya said, "Take what you can from the treasury." The boy took it and then Mu'awiya resumed his khutba.

Once in Madina, he visited a house he wanted to buy and the owner, whose wits were somewhat addled, got up and chased him with a stick. Mu'awiya was amused.
In another instance, Mu'awiya had sent 500 dinars to an Ansari who thought the amount paltry. He told his son to go and throw it in the khalif's face. The young man came and told Mu'awiya what he had been told to do by his father. Mu'awiya put his hand over his face and said, "Come on, obey your father, but do not be too hard on your uncle!" The man threw the money to the ground and Mu'awiya doubled the amount.

Once, losing his composure, he described a bedouin as lying in a report he was giving. The nomad retorted, 'By Allah, the liar is to be found in your shirt!" Surprised, Mu'awiya smiled and said, "Here is the repayment of precipitation!"
He said, "There is nothing I like better than anger I swallow by which I hope for the reward of Allah."
He said, "Intelligence and forbearance are the best things granted to mankind. If someone is reminded, he should remember. If someone is given something, he should be thankful. If someone is tested, he should be steadfast. If someone is angry, he should restrain it. If someone has power over another, he should forgive. If someone does wrong, he should ask forgiveness. If someone makes a promise, he should fulfil it."

Mu'awiya said to 'Amr ibn al-'As, "I free myself from there being a wrong action greater than my pardon, ignorance greater than my forbearance and a fault which I do not cover and evil greater than my charity (ihsan)."
He remarked about his fierce governor and half-brother, Ziyad, "Ziyad mastered Iraq with the sword and I mastered Iraq, Syria, the Hijaz and the Yemen with forbearance."
Once some people came to Mu'awiya and said that his governor had cut off someone's hand on simple suspicion without clear evidence, and Mu'awiya paid them the blood money for the hand and dismissed the governor in question, asking them whom they would like as governor instead.
Another important point was the answerability of the ruler to scholars. He appointed people as qadi who were known for their knowledge of the Shari'a. Mu'awiya himself was subject to judgement. We have the following story in the Ansab al-Ashraf of al-Baladhuri:
'Abdu'r-Rahman b. Zayd ibn al-Khattab owned some land which was next to the land of Mu'awiya. Mu'awiya's trustee in Madina, his client an-Nadir, took 'Abdu'r-Rahman's land and added it to Mu'awiya's land and informed him of this. 'Abdu'r-Rahman said, "I have evidence that Abu Bakr granted it to me on account of my father's participation in the fighting at Yamama." An-Nadir said, "This is the land-grant of the Amir al-Mu'minin."

He took the dispute to Marwan b. al-Hakam and he said, "Make peace between yourselves." He did not like to give a definitive judgement against Mu'awiya. So 'Abdu'r-Rahman b. Zayd went to Syria. When he reached Mu'awiya's door, the doorman met him at al-Khadra' in Damascus. He said to him, "Ask permission for me to visit the Amir al-Mu'minin! He put him off, so he raised his voice, saying, "I must see him! Our ties of kinship must be maintained and our property kept safe which we need more than having it taken from our possession!" Mu'awiya heard him and said, "Let him in."

He entered and greeted him and said, "Your trustee in Madina has gone too far and has taken my land grant received from the khalif of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, which was allowed me by 'Umar. He went to my land and claimed that he had a letter from 'Uthman that he had given it to you. How could 'Uthman give to you a right which was mine?" Mu'awiya said, "You left your land without cultivating it until I worked it. Then I planted 5000 palm-shoots in it. I said, 'It is the grant of Abu Bakr and it is related that 'Umar heard that some people sequestered some land and then left it idle and some other people came and cultivated it. He said that it belonged to the one who cultivated it.'" He said, "By Allah, you have not spoken the truth, Mu'awiya! Give me justice!" He said, "Then I must have the qadi, who is Fadala b. 'Ubayd al-Ansari az-Zuraqi."

The Qadi would not come to the khalif and stayed in his house, saying "One comes to the arbiter." So Mu'awiya and 'Abdu'r-Rahman went to him and he gave them a cushion and said, "Sit down on it."
'Abdu'r-Rahman made his previous statement and Mu'awiya made his previous statement. Fadala thought that the statement of 'Abdu'r-Rahman's was right and gave judgement in his favour.
Mu'awiya said, "We accept what you have said. What is your opinion about what we have planted in it?" He said, "That was undertaken by you. If 'Abdu'r-Rahman wishes, he can pay the price of your planting, and if he wishes, he can make you responsible for them in exchange for the price of the land." 'Abdu'r-Rahman said, "You have been fair!"
Then Fadala said, "Amir al-Mu'minin, is this being done to the like of the descendants of Zayd and 'Umar?" Mu'awiya said to his gardener, "Anything he takes a liking to in our land, is his by the connection of kinship," and he wrote to his trustee to that effect on his behalf and settled his debt and gave him the highest pension (sharaf al-'ata'). He said, "You deserve it, nephew of al-Faruq and son of the martyr." And he gave him some money.

When 'Abdu'r-Rahman had gone, Fadala said to Mu'awiya, "By Allah, if you had acted otherwise, he would have gone to the people of the City of Hijra and to the rest of the people and complained about you. Then what is neither good nor attractive would have occurred." Mu'awiya said, "May Allah repay you for helping me to the truth!" Ibn Zayd left and took his money.

[Ibn_Sadique]

There are various things to be seen in this story. First of all, when 'Abdu'r-Rahman b. Zayd considered he had been wronged by the governor, Marwan, he felt free to go straight to the Khalif and take up the matter. Although Mu'awiya's position was based on valid ijtihad, realising that it was a conflict between himself and someone else, Mu'awiya empowered the Qadi to judge over him. This means that the khalif was not above the judgement of the Shari'a. Indeed, the Qadi would not even go to the khalif. The khalif had to go to the qadi, which indicates that all were equal as far as the Shari'a was concerned, and Mu'awiya accepted this. He accepted it when the judgement went against him and even thanked the Qadi for ensuring that he did what was right. There is absolutely no sense of royal prerogative here and a complete admission that he was in the wrong and the willingness to be corrected and put right.

So in this early vision of leadership, the khalif has conditional rather than absolute authority as a despot would have. Once Mu'awiya said in a khutba, "'Umar appointed me over Syria and then 'Uthman did so after him. By Allah, I never swindled nor monopolised. Then Allah appointed me to command, and I did well sometimes and badly sometimes." Then a man stood up and said, "O Mu'awiya! Rather you monopolised and were bad and neither good nor just!" He said to the man, "Sit down. Why are you speaking?" They went on to exchange words with each other until Mu'awiya said, "Sit down or I will make you sit down." At which the man exclaimed, "I will not sit down! I will go as far from you as possible!" He made to leave and Mu'awiya said, "Bring him back." They brought him back and Mu'awiya said, "I ask Allah's forgiveness. I saw you when you came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and greeted him and he returned the greeting to you and you were guided to him and he accepted that from you. You became a good Muslim. We have spoken harshly to you. Tell us what you need and I will give to you and you will be satisfied."
The Companion, al-Miswar b. Makhrama visited Mu'awiya and said, "Peace be upon, you, O king!" He said, "I know better what you said. Why do you attack the amirs?" He replied, "I do not leave anything without criticising it." He said, 'Miswar! We are not innocent of wrong actions but we hope for the mercy of Allah. I am following a Shari'a of certainty in which Allah accepts the good and overlooks the evil. If I were to be given a choice between Allah and what is other than Him, I would chose Him, and then He would take care of my needs."
He once wrote to 'A'isha requesting some succinct advice and she wrote back, "I heard the Messenger of Allah say, 'If anyone seeks the pleasure of people at the expense of the wrath of Allah, Allah will entrust him to them until the one who praised him becomes his critic. If anyone seeks the pleasure of Allah at the expense of people, Allah will be enough for him against them.'" He took this to heart and later said on the minbar of Damascus, "No one abandons fearfulness of Allah but that the one who praised him becomes his critic."

One of the instructions of Mu'awiya to a new governor was:
"Open your door to the people; thus you will have information from them. You and they are equal. When you decide on a matter, express it openly to the people, and no one will expect anything or make demands on you, and you will be able to carry it out. When you encounter your enemies, and they defeat you at the border of your territory, do not let them defeat you in its interior. If your companions need you to assist them personally, do so."
He also said, "Fear Allah and do not prefer anything to that, for there is a reward in fearing Him." He added, "Do not tempt anyone with that to which he has no right, and do not make anyone feel hopeless regarding his rights." This sense of duty to the people under one's authority was important.

Mu'awiya also said when he appointed someone, "The matters most proper to be hastened are the rights of Allah."
If you look closely at Mu'awiya and examine his behaviour, you will see that what he actually did was to take on the Sunna of the Prophet and try to embody it as much as possible in a real and constructive way. If one looks at his statements and behaviour, his inspiration always came from the Prophet, may Allah's blessings be upon him. He envisaged himself as following in the footsteps of his predecessors.
At this point, we should perhaps remark on what is perhaps the major criticism most people direct against Mu'awiya – the fact that he chose his son Yazid to succeed him, thereby instituting a dynasty. Mu'awiya had seen the effects of a civil war and was keen to avoid another one. There was more than one possible contender for leadership at that time. There was not only Husayn, the grandson of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, but also 'Abdullah ibn az-Zubayr, who had an even larger following in the Hijaz. 'Abdullah ibn 'Umar could also have made a claim, but he was only interested in matters of the deen. There were also various Kharijite groups waiting for an opportunity to assert themselves.

Mu'awiya, a great pragmatist, realised that Husayn certainly had better character than his son and Ibn az-Zubayr a wider following, but he realised also that Yazid had the army of Syria behind him, which could enforce peace and prevent civil war. He urged Yazid to avoid bloodshed as much as possible. When criticised for having people give their allegiance to Yazid in advance, Mu'awiya pointed out that Abu Bakr had named 'Umar as his successor before his death, and that the upheaval involved in an election could lead to another civil war, which would involve Muslim blood being shed and offer the enemies of the Muslims an opportunity to attack. It was not the desire for a dynasty which led Mu'awiya to have people offer allegiance to his son while he was still alive, but the desire to ensure peace and prevent civil war.
To repeat the judgement on Mu'awiya in a nutshell: The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
"The best of your Imams is the one you love and who loves you, who gives to you and you to him."

During Mu'awiya's rule he put into practice the advice that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant peace, had given him, "When you rule, do it well." He was scrupulous about justice and was generous and fair to people of all classes. He honoured people who possessed ability and talent and helped them to advance their talents, regardless of their tribe. He displayed great forbearance towards the rashness of ignorant men and great generosity towards the grasping. He made the judgements of the Shari'a binding on everyone with resolution, compassion and diligence. He led them in their prayers and directed them in their gatherings. He led them in their wars. In short, he proved to be a balanced and model ruler. 'Abdullah ibn 'Abbas stated that he did not see a man more suited to rule than Mu'awiya.
There has been ample testimony to Mu'awiya's abilities. Ibn Taymiyya said, "The behaviour of Mu'awiya with the people was the best behaviour of any ruler. His people loved him," reflecting what the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, is recorded as having said in the Sahih of Muslim: "The best of your Imams is the one you love and who loves you, who gives to you and you to him." This was Mu'awiya's behaviour in a nutshell.

'Umar ibn al-Khattab said, "Do not mention Mu'awiya with anything but good. I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say, 'O Allah, guide him!'" Abu Musa al-Ash'ari called him, "Aminu'llah," the trusty one of Allah."

Sa'd ibn Abi Waqqas, the conqueror of Iraq and Iran and one of the oldest Companions and one of the ten promised the Garden, said that after 'Uthman, he did not see anyone who judged by the truth more than Mu'awiya. He also said, " After 'Uthman I did not see anyone giving more judgement for what was right than Mu'awiya."

[Lajawab]

Oh man...It's a war of the long posts...This could get ugly...:D

Guys guys, specially Salman...Believe what you will contrary to Sunnis but keep it to yourself instead of creating rife, k? Now be a good boy and go flail yourself...

[fatehahmad]

I don't know what we are going to get by maligning Hazrat Ameer Muawiah. I can't understand what we are going to gain by discussing this.

I consider Hazrat Ameer Muawiah to be a Sahabi of the Holy Prophet (peace be upon him). He may have make some mistakes during his lifetime (he was a human after all) but I don't consider my position high enough to criticize him. May Allah bless his soul!

[Ibn_Sadique]

I am going to Quote Hazrat Ali (ra) from Najhul Balagha where he is addressing Hazrat Mu'awiya (ra) on his (Ali's) right to the caliphate.

"The thing began in this way: We and the Syrians were facing each other while we had common faith in one Allah, in the same Prophet and on the same principles and canons of religion. So far as faith in Allah and the Holy Prophet was concerned we never wanted them (the Syrians) to believe in anything over and above or other than what they were believing in and they did not want us to change our faith. Both of us were united on these principles. The point of contention between us was the question of the murder of Uthman. It had created the split. They wanted to lay the murder at my door while I am actually innocent of it."

Please note his words. Hazrat Ali (ra) says that his and his opponents beliefs were the same.

They only differed on 'how to deal with those who had murdered Hazrat Uthman (ra).

There is doubt that Hazrat Ali (ra) was vastly superior in rank to Hazrat Muawiya (ra).

I only posted on this very 'sectarian thread' to let you know the 'other' side of your post.

Let's concentrate on our own deeds than to dig up history and too a biased one.

[Salman]

So I guess it's okay that Muawiyah killed Ayesha?
And don't give me that crap that only Allah can judge. KILLING IS HARAM!
The problem with you is that you refuse to pick sides. Righteous people pick Moses over the Pharoah, David over Goliath, and ultimately God over Satan. But you sunnis like everybody: Husain is good and so is Yazid, Ali is good and so is Muawiyah. You need to decide which side to choose, right or wrong.

[Lajawab]

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Salman: *
So I guess it's okay that Muawiyah killed Ayesha?
[/QUOTE]

Who cares what happened 1,400 years ago...These noble people are now dead and buried...Leave them in rest instead of bringing up arguments from centuries ago to create problems and misunderstandings today...

[Salman]

exactly who cares what happened 1400 years ago? Islam was born, but who cares? it's old, let's all become atheists.

[Ibn_Sadique]

[QUOTE]
So I guess it's okay that Muawiyah killed Ayesha?
[/QUOTE]

This is a blantant lie. Hazrat Ayeisha Al Sadiqah is buried in Jannatul Baqui.

[Lajawab]

[QUOTE]
*Originally posted by Salman: *
exactly who cares what happened 1400 years ago? Islam was born, but who cares? it's old, let's all become atheists.
[/QUOTE]

Perhaps your faith entails becoming a better Muslim by insulting and abusing people who died 1,400 years ago and rehashing incidents which happened then...Why don't you concentrate on the now? Becoming a better Muslim now? Seeing what's happening with Muslims now? Helping Islam now? Aiding Muslims now? That is far better than trying to be a better Muslim by digging up old incidents and people to create arguments and fights...Just my view...

If you do wish to learn from the past, Islam is a treasure trove of knowledge...You know that...Look up the actions of the Sahaba, learn from them...Use history as a learning tool to better yourself, not as a weapon to create dissension and strife...