Mu'awiya I - Simple English Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan (Arabic: معاوية بن أبي سفيان, romanized: Muʿāwiya ibn Abī Sufyān; c. 597, 603 or 605–April 680), commonly known as Mu'awiya I, was the founder and first caliph of the Umayyad Caliphate. A companion of Muhammad, Mu'awiya participated in the Muslim conquests under caliphs Abu Bakr (r. 632–634 ) and Umar (r. 634–644 ) and served as the governor of Syria under his kinsman, Caliph Uthman (r. 644–656 ). After Uthman was murdered, Mu'awiya, as a notable member of the Uthmaniyya,^[1] demanded Uthman's killers to be punished. Mu'awiya subsequently went to war with Ali for a few years and he never accepted Ali as a caliph. Ali was eventually killed by the Kharijites in January 661 and Hasan was elected caliph. Hasan gave the caliphate to Mu'awiya and both made peace. During Mu'awiya's reign, the Arab empire conquered much of North Africa, as well as Khurasan and Sijistan. Constantinople, the capital of the Roman Byzantine empire, was also besieged. During the last years of his caliphate, Mu'awiya declared his son Yazid to be his successor; a move which was opposed by several Muslim leaders, including Husayn ibn Ali.

Sunni Muslims do not consider Mu'awiya a rightly-guided, though nevertheless honor him as a noble companion of Muhammad peace be upon him and a scribe of divine revelation. The Shia believe Mu'awiya to be a tyrant and an enemy of Ali.^[2] Ibadis also disapprove of Mu'awiya, and modern Ibadi theologians defend the early Kharijite opposition to him.^[3] Mu'awiya has nevertheless been the subject of lavish praise in Arabic literature as the ideal ruler.^[4]

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• Shahin, Aram A. (2012). "In Defense of Muʿāwiya ibn Abī Sufyān: Treatises and Monographs on Muʿāwiya from the Eighth to the Nineteenth Centuries". In Cobb, Paul M. (ed.). The Lineaments of Islam: Studies in Honor of Fred McGraw Donner. Leiden and Boston: Brill. pp. 177–208. doi:10.1163/9789004231948_010. ISBN 978-90-04-21885-7.