All praise belongs to Allah ,the onlyeternal being worthy of worship. Peace and Saluations be open His beloved,our Intecessor and Savior Muhammad صلّى الله عليه وسلّم

The reason that makes me write about the virtues of the Sahabee Muawya (رضي الله عنه ) is because every Muslim who has enough Islamic knowledge and knows a foreign language other than Arabic should – at his capacity – introduce the virtues of this great Sahabee to Muslims who can not read Arabic . Because misguided books of Shi’ites and Habashees and other groups that stab the image of this great Sahabee may fall into their hands, and then suspicions around this Sahabee and others may begin to turn in their heads and they may not find writings in their language that answers these suspicions . And in the Islamic religion, Muawya (رضي الله عنه) is a test : – – If you love him, your faith is correct .

– and if you hate him, your faith is incorrect .

Sheikh al-Islam Abed Allah Ibn al-Mubarak (رحمه الله) said : ” Muawya among us is a test, who looks towards him in disregard we accuse him of misguided opinion in the Sahabah ” .And when a person asked Ibn al-Mubarak who is better, Muawya or Omar Bin Abed al-Aziz ? He answered : ” The dust that entered Muawya’s nose when he accompanied the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) is better than Omar Bin Abed al-Aziz ! ” (البداية والنهاية لابن كثير 11/450)

Rabeaa Bin Nafeaa (رحمه الله) said : ” Muawya is the curtain that covers the Sahabah, If a person opens that curtain he will dare on what is behind it ” . (البداية والنهاية لابن كثير 11/450)

I will now mention some of the hadiths that speak about the virtues of the Sahabee Muawya (رضي الله عنه) :

1 – Abed ar-Rahman Bin Abee Oumairah (رضي الله عنه) reported that the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) said to Muawya as a du’aa :

” O Allah ! Make him a guider, guiden to the right path, and guide through him ” .

( Recorded by Tirmithee 3842, and verified to be authentic by Albani in Silsilat as-Saheehah 1969 )

2 – Al-Aarbad bin Sariyah as-Sulamee (رضي الله عنه) reported that he heard the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) saying as a du’aa :

” O Allah ! Teach Muawya the Book and the Math, and save him from the punishment ” .

( explanation :

– Book = Quran .

– Math = because it is needed in ruling .

– Save him from the punishment = for the mistakes that is done during ruling) .

( Recorded by Imam Ahmad 17202

3 – Umm Haram al-Ansariyah (رضي الله عنها) reported that she heard the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) say :

” The first army of my ummah (nation) that invades tha sea, all there sins are forgiven ” .

( Recorded by al-Bukhari 2924 )

Hafez Ibn hajar said in Fateh al-Baree (6-127) : ” Muhallab said : In this hadith there is a virtue of Muawya, because he was the first to invade the sea ” .

Tabaree reported in his history that Muawya (رضي الله عنه) first invaded the sea in the year 28 h .

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4 – Ibn Abbas (رضي الله عنهما) reported that the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) told him :

” Go bring Muawya to Me “, because he wrote down Allah’s Revelation (Wahy) for the Prophet . ( Recorded by Imam Ahmad 2651

Ibn Taymiyyah said in Majmuaa’ al-Fatawah 4-288 : ” It is confirmed by many that Muawya was a faithful companion of the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) who wrote down Allah’s Revelation, and the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) did not accuse him in his writing of the Revelation . Also, the khalifah Omar Bin al-Khattab (رضي الله عنه) – who was the most experienced in knowing men – appointed Muawya as a ruler on the state of Sham (it includes Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Jordan) until Omar’s death . The khalifah Othman (رضي الله عنه) also kept Muawya in his position during his state, and neither of them accused Muawya in his rule ” .

The Uncle of Believers (خال المؤمنين) Muawya (رضي الله عنه) died in Rajab in the year 60 h . He lived for seventy seven years .

2 – Al-Aarbad bin Sariyah as-Sulamee (رضي الله عنه) reported that he heard the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) saying as a du’aa :

” O Allah ! Teach Muawya the Book and the Math, and save him from the punishment ” .

“اللهم علّم معاوية الكتاب والحساب ، وقِهِ العذاب

3 – Umm Haram al-Ansariyah (رضي الله عنها) reported that she heard the Prophet (صلّى الله عليه وسلّم) say :

” The first army of my ummah (nation) that invades tha sea, all there sins are forgiven ” .

“أول جيش من أمتي يغزون البحر مغفورٌ لهم

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isn’t my words, but the words of the great ( Ibn al-Mubarak ) ( died 181 H ) : He said :We consider Muawyah as a test, whoever we see ( ………… ) we accuse his faith in Sahabah .

The arabic text is : روى ابن عساكر في « تاريخ دمشق » (59/211) بإسناده عن عبدالله بن المبارك رحمه الله قال : معاوية عندنا محنة فمن رأيناه ينظر إليه شزراً اتهمناه على القوم يعني ، يعني الصحابة .

What is between brackets I didn’t interpret it because I want a brother who is a good interpretor to translate it, because I am in a hurry & so as to be accurate .

May he also translate the following – or some of it – because they are related :

وروى الخطيب البغدادي في « تاريخه » (1/209) وابن عساكر في « تاريخ دمشق » (59/210) عن الربيع بن نافع الحلبي رحمه الله قال : معاوية ستر لأصحاب محمد صلى الله عليه وسلم ، فإذا كشف الرجل الستر اجترأ على ما وراءه .

وفي « السنة » للخلال (2/448) ورقم (693) أخبرني محمد بن موسى قال سمعت أبا بكر بن سندي قال : كنت أو حضرت أو سمعت أبا عبدالله وسأله رجل : يا أبا عبدالله لي خال ذكر أنه ينتقص معاوية وربما أكلت معه فقال أبو عبدالله مبادراً : لا تأكل معه . وسنده صحيح .

وروى الخلال في « السنة » (2/447) ورقم (690) ، وابن عساكر في « تاريخ دمشق » (59/210) من طريق الفضل بن زياد قال : سمعت أبا عبدالله وسئل عن رجل انتقص معاوية وعمرو بن العاص أيقال له رافضي . قال : إنه لم يجترئ عليهما إلا وله خبيئة سوء ما انتقص أحد أحداً من أصحاب رسول الله إلا له داخلة سوء . قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم : « خير الناس قرني »

سُئل النسائي، رحمه الله تعالى، سُئِلَ عن معاويةَ بن أبي سفيان، رضي الله عنه، فقال: إنما الإسلام كدارٍ لها بابٌ، فبابُ الإسلام الصحابة، فمن آذى الصحابةَ إنما أرادَ الإسلام، كمن نَقرَ البابَ إنما يريدُ دخولَ الدار. قال: فمن أراد معاويةَ فإنما أراد الصحابة.

اعداد و تقديم محمد نور العارفين رضؤى الأزهرى

MUHAMMED NURUL AREFIN RIZVI AL-AZHARI

(Al-azhar university facuilty of theology)

(Burdwan,west Bengal)

Contact:+919732030031

( if any scholars/imams spot any mistakes/errors plz do notify us…jzk)