Muawiya

Maula 'ali (as) Was Cursed For Ninety Years

Allamah Shibli Numani writes:

"Traditions were first formed in book form in the days of Ummayads, who, for about 90 years, throughout their vast dominions stretching from the Indus in India to Asia Minor and Spain, insulted the descendants of Fatima and got Ali openly censured in Friday sermons at the mosques. They had hundreds of saying coined to eulogise Amir Muawiya." (taken from Siratun Nabi, Volume 1 page 60).

Siratun Nabi Vol.1 page 60 Summary of references

So to summarise from the references presented (many more could have been cited we felt this will suffice for the sake of brevity), we learn:

Mu'awiya used to curse Hadhrath 'Ali (as)

He introduced the bidah of cursing 'Ali (as) in the mosques following the Friday Sermons during his reign.

In line with the order his Governors would carry out the bidah of cursing 'Ali in the Mosques This outrageous bidah went on for 90 years During that same time (of cursing) hadith were first collected Umar bin Abdul Aziz abolished this ugly bidah.

Conclusions

In light of these established let us now see the true position of Mu'awiya in light of hadith and Fatwas of Ahl'ul Sunnah:

Rasulullah (s) cursed those who commit bidah

Abdul Qadir Jilani in "al Ghuniya" Voulme 1 page 60 narrates that Rasulullah (s) said:

"Whoever introduces a bidah or protects it is cursed by Allah (swt) his Angels and the vast bulk of mankind".

Allamah Abdul Qadir Gilani's Fatwa against Ahl'ul bidah Abdul Qadir Jilani in "al Ghuniya" Voulme 1 page 18, Chapter "Dhikr Mu'awiya" states: No one should go near Ahl'ul Bidah, don't go near them, don't share in their happiness on Eid, don't participate in their Salat or Funerals, don't read mercies upon them".

Allamah Saduddeen Taftazanee' s fatwa that Ahl'ul bidah should be cursed Allamah Saduddeen Taftazanee in Sharh al Maqasid page 270 comments:

"One should hate Ahl'ul bidah, talk ill of them, curse them, do not pray Salat behind them to do so is Makruh". These fatwas make it clear those that indulge in bidah are cursed and it is a duty to separate ourselves from such people. This being the case one needs no reminding that Mu'awiya was responsible for the introduction of the bidah of cursing Ameerul Momineen 'Ali throughout his empire a bidah that went on for 90 years.

Cursing Ali (as) is tantamount to cursing Allah (swt)

"Whoever curses (or verbally abuses) Ali, he has, in fact, cursed me, and whoever has cursed me, he has cursed Allah, and whoever has cursed Allah, then Allah will throw him into he Hell-fire."

Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, v6, p33

Hanafi Fatwa declaring it kufr to curse Hadhrath 'Ali (as)

In Sharh Mishkat Volume 11 page 345, esteemed Hanafi scholar Mulla Ali Qari states:

'Imam Ahmad narrates from the Prophet(s) "Whoever curses Ali, he has, in fact, cursed me, and whoever curses me, has cursed Allah.", this hadith means that cursing Hadhrath 'Ali is kufr'. Fatwa of al Muhaddith Shah Abdul Aziz - those that curse 'Ali are kaafir In Tuhfa Ithna Ashariyya Shah Abdul Aziz states on page 394:

"If the people of Syria i.e. Mu'awiya and his supporters bore enmity towards 'Ali(r), considered him a kaafir and cursed him, then I consider such people to be kaafir".

As is habit of the Ulema of his like, Shah Sahib has sought to cast doubts as to whether Mu'awiya did indeed curse Maula 'Ali (as). Fortunately as is common amongst such scholars his contradiction is exposed by the fact that he himself admitted in Fatwa Azeezi that Mu'awiya would curse Maula Ali (as).

Similarly the Grand Imam of the Nasibis Ibn Taymeeya whilst tactically avoiding to implicate Mu'awiya make this admission is his Fatawa Volume 2 page 408:

"The followers of Mu'awiya would curse Hadhrath 'Ali".

If those that curse Maula Ali are kaafir then from the Shah's own pen Mu'awiya IS a kaafir as are those that entertained this action. Fatwa of al Muhaddith Shah Abdul Aziz - whoever disrespects Ahl'ul bayt (as) is a murtad In Tuhfa Ithna Ashariyya Shah Abdul Aziz states on page 263:

"What view should we hold of those people who express happiness on Ashura when Imam Hussain was killed, who marry on that day who disrespect the family of the Prophet and the descendents of Sayyida Fatima? It is correct to refer to such individuals as Murtad".

If one who shows disrespect towards Ahl'ul bayt (as) is a Murtad then clearly one of the rank and file of Mu'awiya who demonstrated his disrespect of 'Ali (as) by introducing the cursing of him in the Mosques comes at the fore-front of such murtads. Moreover one should also highlight Mu'awiya's pleasure upon receiving the news that Imam Hasan (as) was dead.

An appeal to justice

Is it not curious that those that curse the Sahaba are kaafir (as a general rule) whilst those that curse Imam 'Ali (as) are not kaafir but the Imam of Nasibis, whom Allah (swt) is pleased with? Now think about the personality being cursed, a Khalifa Rashid, the cousin and son in law of the Prophet (s) - Ali ibne abi Talib (as).

The phantom merits of Mu'awiya

The aim of the writer (Abu Sulaiman) behind this passionate defense was to:

Ansar.org states:"defend the writer of the revelation whom the Prophet peace be upon him said about: "O' Allah, make him guided, a guider, and guide people through him." [Sunan Al-Turmidhi, Book of "Virtues," Chapter of "Virtues of Mu'awiyah," #3842, see also Saheeh Al-Turmidhi #3018] Was Mu'awiya the writer of the revelation?

Ansar.org states:"It is a firm thing that Mu'awiyah was among the writers of the revelation. Muslim narrated in his Saheeh from Ibn Abbas that Abu Sufyan asked the prophet peace be upon him for three things: (He (Abu Sufyan) said to the prophet: "O' Prophet of Allah, give me three things." The prophet said: "yes." ... Abu Sufyan said: "Mu'awiyah, make him a writer (of the revelation) under your hands."

The prophet answered: "Alright.") [Muslim with explanation. Book of "Virtues of the Companions," Chapter of "Virtues of Abu Sufyan," vol.17, p.2501] Ahmad narrated in his Musnad, and Muslim from Ibn Abbas who says: (Once I was a kid playing with other boys when I looked behind and I saw the prophet peace be upon him coming towards us.

So I said: "The prophet did not come to anyone but to me." So I went behind the door to hide. I did not feel until the prophet found me, grasped my neck, and pressed my shoulders gently. The prophet said: "Go and call Mu'awiyah for me." And Mu'awiyah was his writer (of the revelation). So I went looking for Mu'awiyah and told him: "Go and answer the prophet of Allah peace be upon him because he needs you.") [Musnad Ahmed, vol.1, Musnad Ibn Abbas #2651, and Muslim with explanation, Book of "Al-Birr wa Al-Silah," #2604] These two hadeeths prove that Mu'awiyah was one of the writers of the revelation"

Prominent Ulema of Ahl'ul Sunnah have not counted Mu'awiya as writer of the revelation One wonders to what extent Mu'awiya was the writer of the revelation, after all he embraced Islam following the conquest of Mecca, so the vast bulk of the revelation had already been revealed. In fact 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

Mu'awiya wrote letters not the revelation In Iqd al Fareed Volume 2 page 197 we read that:

"Hadhrath 'Ali was a good writer, in addition to his being a relative of Rasulullah (s) he was also a writer of the revelation, thereafter he also became Khalifa. Khalid bin Saeed, Mu'awiya bin 'Abu Sufyan were entrusted with the duty of writing documents other than Wahy". Similarly in al Isaba Volume 3 page 413 we learn that:

"According to Madani the Writer of the Revelation was Zaid bin Thabit and letters to provinces were written by Mu'awiya".

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 Mu'awiya 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 Mu'awiya 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 Mu'awiyas 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).

A writer of the revelation became a kaafir In Fathul Bari Volume 9 page 22 we read:

"The first man from the Quraysh who was the writer of the revelation was Abdullah bin Sad. After this he apostatised and became a kaafir and then became a Muslim again".

As we see from this reference attaining the station of Writer of the Revelation means absolutely nothing, it does not in any way protect you from deviance since Sad who was incidentally Mu'awiya own Umayya relative became a kaafir after attaining this post. Even if we accept that Mu'awiya attained this honour then his later transgressions are even more damning.

The writing down of the revelation does not in any way 'protect' Mu'awiya from the wrath of Allah (swt). It is the end result that counts; Allah (swt) was so impressed by the subservience of Iblis the Jinn that he elevated him to the Heavens. Despite this he was expelled and cursed by Allah (swt) following his refusal to submit himself to the will of Allah (swt). Hence Mu'awiya's behaviour despite having benefited from sitting with Rasulullah (s) will no doubt be viewed as a greater transgression in the eyes of Allah (swt).

Was Mu'awiya a Hadi? A number of interesting facts need to be considered before analyzing the authenticity of this hadith. It is quite logical that Rasulullah (s) would not just say something like this out of the blue. Mu'awiya must have demonstrated some quality in his presence that led to Rasulullah (s) making this dua. It is common an individual is only praised when he has committed a praiseworthy action and proven his worth e.g. on the battlefield, in exams etc. The clearest proof comes from a tradition that Abu Sulaiman cites:

Ansar.org states:A'amir bin Sa'ad bin Abi Waqqas who narrated from his father who says: (Mu'awiyah bin Abi Sufyan ordered Sa'd and asked him: "What prevented you from insulting Abu Turab (Ali bin Abi Talib)?" Sa'ad answered: "The prophet peace be upon him said three things to him (Ali bin Abi Talib), so I would not insult him because to have one of these three things is more beloved to me than Humr Al-Nni'am (a kind of best camels). I heard the prophet peace be upon him saying to appoint Ali as a leader when the prophet used to go to Jihad (Holy War). Ali then would say to him:

"O' Messenger of Allah, you left me with the women and children?"

The prophet peace be upon him answered him: "Would not you be pleased if you were for me as Haroon was for Mousa? Except there is no prophecy after me." And I heard the prophet saying at the day of Khaybar: "I would give this banner to a man who loves Allah and His Messenger and who Allah and His Messenger love him too." He said: "Then we were looking for this honor." Then the Prophet said: "Call Ali."

Ali was brought and he had sore eyes. So the prophet peace be upon him spitted in his eyes and gave him the banner. Then Allah granted victory to the Muslims by the hands of Ali. And when this verse revealed: "Come, let us gather together, our sons and your sons," the messenger of Allah called Ali, Fatima, Hasan, and Hussain and said: "O' Allah, they are my family.") [Saheeh Muslim with Explanation, Book of "The Companions," Chapter of "Virtues of Ali," #2404]

All three traditions praising Ali (as) have a context as to 'why' Rasulullah said these words praising 'Ali, thus explaining the reason BEHIND these words. Now could Abu Sulaiman cite us the reason why Rasulullah (s) prayed for Mu'awiya as Hadi? Moreover with such a desire that Mu'awiya become a Hadi, surely Rasulullah (s) would have sought to train Mu'awiya in this role. Could Abu Sulaiman cite us any events when he sent Mu'awiya on dawah campaigns to guide the people or to converts to Judge over them (as he did when he sent Ali (as) to Yemen).

One should also ask Abu Sulaiman, is it not curious that Mu'awiya never once recollected this hadith? Would this not have been clear evidence to convince his doubters?

It is also quite fascinating that Rasulullah referred to Mu'awiya as a Hadi who would guide the people whilst he never referred to the three caliphs as Hadi who would provide Hidaya (guidance). No such tradition appears about these three in the Sihah Sittah. Is Abu Sulaiman therefore suggesting that Mu'awiya was more learned on matters pertaining to the Deen than them?

With such a strong hadith do we have any evidence that the three khulafa ever appointed Mu'awiya as a Judge over the Muslim Ummah after all the role of a Judge far outweighs the role of a governor - since only a Hadi can attain the station of Qadi. So did the three khulafa recognize Mu'awiya's greatness and appoint him as a Judge?

A Hadi is one who guides his followers in accordance with the Qur'an and Sunnah Hadi is one that guides the Ummah in accordance with the Qur'an and Sunnah, so exactly what Hidaya did Mu'awiya provide for his followers? Can we interpret this hadith to mean that he was the Hadi that would lead the Ummah to fight Imam Ali (as) and curse him in the mosques?

If Mu'awiya was indeed a Hadi for the Ummah and people would be guided by him then that in effect means that anyone that opposes him is opposing guidance and has deviated from the right path. In other words the alleged hadith would suggest that Mu'awiya and his supporters were right at Sifeen and Ali (as) and his Shi'a were deviants as they were fighting the Hadi - does Abu Sulaiman uphold this view?

If we look in to the works of Ahl'ul Sunnah we learn that this alleged Hadi made decisions in violation to the Sharia.

Mu'awiya 'the Hadi' made decisions that contradicted the Shar'ia on 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 Mu'awiya 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".

Al Bidayah Volume 8 page 141

Mu'awiya's 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 Rasulullah (s) said, "A Muslim cannot be the heir of a disbeliever, nor can a disbeliever be the heir of a Muslim".

Mu'awiya 'the Hadi' contradicted the Shar'ia on Blood money

Ibn Kathir also narrates that in relation to blood money, Mu'awiya changed the Sunnah, namely that a non-Muslim's blood money would be equal to that of a Muslim, but Mu'awiya halved it and kept the other half for himself (Al Bidayah Volume 8 page 139).

Mu'awiya 'the Hadi' contradicted the Shar'ia on the distribution of war booty We also read in Tabaqat ibn Sad Volume 7 pages 28-29 that:

"In the distribution of war booty Mu'awiya 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 Mu'awiya issued an order that from the war booty gold and silver would be removed, and the remainder would be distributed".

Mu'awiya 'the Hadi' drank a prohibited substance Imam of Ahl'ul Sunnah Ibn Hanbal records in his Musnad Volume 5 page 347:

"Mu'awiya consumed a liquid that had been declared haraam by the Prophet (s)".