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Closing remarks

Respected readers! By the grace of Allah! It has become apparent that the objections and criticisms levelled against Sayyidina Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu are weak and feeble.

In conclusion, I would like to present to all the cynics, the advice of Sayyidina Rabi’ ibn ‘Amir radiya Llahu ‘anhu:

 

معاوية بن ابى سفيان ستر اصحاب رسول الله فاذا كشف الرجل السترا اجترأ على ما وراءه

Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu is the veil of the Sahabah of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. If any person opens this veil he becomes audacious upon others behind the veil.^[1]

 

To what extent does this audaciousness extend? The words of Mufti Ahmed Yar Khan Gujarati Barelwi (d. 1391 A.H) is presented here:

 

Come! Allow me to narrate to you the discussions of those people whose hearts are sick. Listen and take lesson. A few people were having the following discussion regarding Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu:

First person: Friends! Amir Muawiyah was a great oppressor and sinner. He was a great enemy to the Ahlul Bayt. He rejected the caliphate of ‘Ali al Murtada radiya Llahu ‘anhu and because of him thousands of Muslims lost their lives. The Muslim women became widows and their children became orphans. He had caused ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu much harm and those who cause harm to ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu cause harm to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. He who has caused harm to the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam has caused harm to Allah. How can such a person be a true Muslim? It is a tragedy that there are people who consider him to be pious man.

Second person: Friends! Do not even talk about it, sometimes from an insignificant person significant words are spoken. They had become so accustomed to harming the Ahlul Bayt for many years that they even forgot to ask for forgiveness. Aisha, Talhah, Zubair (people from the ‘Asharah Mubasharah and the blessed wife of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam) and those who assisted Aisha and Muawiyah in the Battle of Jamal and Siffin, all these people hated the Ahlul Bayt. They all went to war against ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

Third person: Friends! My heart yearns for me to say that Imam Hassan radiya Llahu ‘anhu should not have taken the pledge at the hands of the sinner Muawiyah. Imam Hassan radiya Llahu ‘anhu displayed great cowardice when he not only made peace with Muawiyah but even relinquished the caliphate to him. He should have been like his brother Imam Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu who wanted to oppose them. May my life be sacrificed for Imam Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu! He gave his life but he was not prepared to take the pledge at the hands of the accursed Yazid. Imam Hassan radiya Llahu ‘anhu should have at least taken a lesson from his Honourable Father, ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, who fought against Aisha and Muawiyah and he did not concern himself with any loss when it comes to protecting the caliphate. Why did Imam Hassan radiya Llahu ‘anhu not do this?

Fourth person: Friends! What happened to Imam Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu when Imam Hassan radiya Llahu ‘anhu made peace? He too remained silent and did not even make his brother see reason. He did not even cut off ties with his brother. Had he put an end to the rule of Muawiyah then Karbala’ would never have happened. Why did Imam Hussain radiya Llahu ‘anhu remain silent and not display the bravery he had displayed at the time of Karbala’? Friends! This is a perplexing issue indeed, what can be said and what cannot?

Fifth person: Friends! The issue is far greater than that. I do wish to speak about it but if you were to examine the issue more deeply then you will find that the major mistakes were committed by ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. He made peace with Muawiyah after fighting with him and was pleased to split the caliphate in two. The root of all the problems was this peace treaty of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. A major mistake occurred because of this peace treaty. The blame lies with ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, he was the lion of Allah, and if he were to have ended the authority of Muawiyah from the very beginning then these incidents would not have occurred.

Sixth person: Friends! If you want to know the truth, then the person who initiated the entire problem was ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu. He made Muawiyah the governor of Syria during his caliphate. Had he not made him the governor then the desire to become the khalifah would not have been planted. The root of all these trials was ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

Seventh person: Friends! Our belief is that Allah bestowed the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam with knowledge of the unseen. Why did the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam allow Muawiyah, who was an enemy of the Ahlul Bayt, to join his company and then even appoint him as the scribe of wahi? By marrying his sister, Ummi Habibah radiya Llahu ‘anha, the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam made him his brother-in-law and by mentioning his virtue instilled courage in Muawiyah. Most definitely the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam slipped up in this matter. The eating from the forbidden tree by Prophet Adam ‘alayh al Salam and the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam allowing Muawiyah to remain in his company was the reason for all this tribulation.

Eighth person: Friends! I cannot understand why the Qurʼan describes the Sahabah of the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam as:

اَشِدَّآءُ  عَلَی الْكُفَّارِ  رُحَمَآءُ  بَیْنَهُمْ

Severe against the disbelievers and compassionate amongst themselves.

because when we look into the history of the warfare amongst the Sahabah, we will find that they were thirsty for each other’s blood, they drove their swords through each other by the thousands. Either this verse of the Qurʼan is incorrect and someone tampered with it or those people who participated in the Battles of Jamal and Siffin were not Sahabah. Their warfare is a terrible stigma to our Islam.

These are the discussions of those people who consider themselves to have the correct beliefs and consider themselves to be true Muslims and at the same time despise Sayyidina Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Reflect as to how the hatred of Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu leads to the termination of a person’s iman.

If this discussion has to continue then neither the Sahabah will be safe from being condemned, nor the Ahlul Bayt. As a matter of fact, honour and respect for the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and the Noble Qurʼan will no longer remain in the heart.^[2]

 

Describing those who transgress the limits of exaggeration, the author of Nam wa Nasab says:

It is a shame that when the eyes are thickly covered with prejudice, it will reject even the Qurʼan and Sunnah. Their condition is such that they will not respect Allah or the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and from this you can determine the respect they show to others.^[3]

 

Amongst the duties of nubuwwah, entrusted to the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, was the duty of purification. Sayyidina Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu spent time in the company of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam yet the critics state that he had obtained no virtue, hated ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu, was prone to commit contemptuous deeds, was the originator of many innovative acts in the din of Islam, allowed the prevalence of pagan tribal customs and poisoned the grandson of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. Thus, he possesses no qualities that will make it necessary for this ummah to follow him in his Sunnah. On the contrary, he possessed such depraved mannerisms which are ‘authentically’ proven by historical fact (as is claimed).

We wish to ask that if this was the character of Sayyidina Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu then what purification of his inner-self took place when he was in the company of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam? Is this not a corroboration of the Iranian leader, Khomeini, who said:

Every Prophet who came, did so to spread justice. Their purpose was to spread justice throughout this world but they were unsuccessful. Even the final Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam came to spread justice and educate the people he was sent to, but he too was unsuccessful.^[4]

 

Is there any person of knowledge and research, who is not aware of the discourse of Mujaddid Alf-e Thani rahimahu Llah on iman and love for the Sahabah, wherein he discussed the incident of Qirtas. While doing so, he explained the core principles which lay rest to all the insults levelled against the Sahabah. His lecture crushed all these whimsical arguments directed towards the Sahabah and obliterated the research done by those who oppose the Sahabah. He said:

 

May Allah grant us guidance and steadfastness on the straight path. You should know that those doubts some people have regarding the Sahabah and those objections with which they intend to discredit the Sahabah; if they were to study them justly, after accepting the virtue and importance of the best of mankind, the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, and acknowledge that their inner and outer selves have been purified by him, then they would understand that these were the pious and great personalities of Islam, whose day and night, whose objective, secret or otherwise, whose every moment was spent in strengthening the din and uplifting the kalimah of Islam. Due to the love they had for the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, they bid farewell to their families and tribes, to their children and their beloved wives, their much-loved homelands and properties, their springs and farmlands, their plantations and rivers. They gave preference to the pure desires of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam over their own. They gave preference to the love of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam over their wealth and their children. They saw wahi being revealed and the angels making their appearance. They witnessed the miracles and the manifest signs of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, so much so that the ghaʼib (unseen) became the shahadah (seen) for them and their ‘Ilm al Yaqin (to know that something is true) became ‘Ayn al Yaqin (total and complete conviction). These are those blessed people whose praise Allah mentions in the Qurʼan, “I am pleased with them and they are pleased with me”. In another verse Allah says: “This is their description in the Torah and the Injil”. Now if this is the virtue and speciality of all the Sahabah in general then what can be said about the status of the great Sahabah; namely the al Khulafaʼ al Rashidin.

 

After a few lines, he wrote:

 

If these critics have any desire for justice, they would acknowledge the greatness of the company of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam through which they will realise the noble status of the Sahabah, then they would see their doubts as gold plated deceptions and they would lower their levels of credence and reliance upon such whimsical notions. If they cannot cease from fixating on the principle of their misunderstanding and pointing fingers of deception then at least they should acknowledge that their doubts are unfounded. The fact is that their objections are rejected by the glaringly truthful realities, which is the Qurʼan and Sunnah.^[5]

 

Mujaddid Alf-e Thani rahimahu Llah in this introduction, whilst mentioning some preludes of the incident of Qirtas, has answered the famous objections of the Shia and in a few words highlighted the extent to which this incorrect chain of thought will lead.

He then states:

 

According to this lowly person, the example of these doubts is exactly like an intelligent person who comes to a company of fools. They see a stone but due to his deceptive proofs and pretentious arguments, he establishes that the stone is gold. These poor people who are helpless in answering him, in the face of these ‘proofs’, due to their in ability to assess, now begin to doubt whether that is a stone or in fact a piece of gold. They go against that which they can see before them with their very own eyes and are prepared to accept it as gold. They consider their own estimation to be unreliable. However, the intellectual is required to apply his mind and reject these deceptive proofs and arguments.

This is the exact same scenario; the piety and great status of the three al Khulafaʼ al Rashidin is established by the Qurʼan. It is as if we are witnessing this reality with our own eyes but then a foolish group come along, who use pretentious arguments and proofs to revile the Sahabah. Their proof is the same as that shrewd fellow who tries to convince people through reasoning that the stone in his hand is gold and through logic, he makes fools of honest people.^[6]

 

A good dream about the people of Siffin

As we conclude, I wish to include a few dreams that the great scholars and elders of the ummah had seen and mentioned in their books, as a form of glad tiding. This was not necessary to do but these types of dreams bring some type of solace to our hearts. The reason for this is because the doors of nubuwwah have been sealed and there is only this window that now remains open. Sayyidina Anas ibn Malik radiya Llahu ‘anhu has narrated that the Prophet salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam has said:

الرويا الحسنة من الرجل الصالح جزء من ستة و اربعين جزأ من النبوة

A good dream seen by one who is pious is one out of forty-six parts of nubuwwah.^[7]

 

‘Abdullah ibn ‘Abbas radiya Llahu ‘anhu has narrated from the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam:

 

يا ايها الناس لم يبق من المبشرات النبوة الا رويا الصالحة يراها المسلم او ترى له

O people! The only thing left of the glad tidings of nubuwwah is good dreams, which a Muslim will see or someone will see on behalf of him.^[8]

 

This blessing was granted especially to Prophet Yusuf ‘alayh al Salam from amongst the Prophets. Amongst the Sahabah, it was ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu who was gifted with this and from amongst the Tabi’in, it was Ibn Sirin rahimahu Llah.

 

The dream of Abu Maysarah radiya Llahu ‘anhu

‘Amr ibn Sharjil radiya Llahu ‘anhu, who was better known as Abu Maysarah and was a famous student of ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu, ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and ‘Abdullah ibn Mas’ud radiya Llahu ‘anhu, and had participated in the Battle of Siffin on the side of ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu. He relates that he was extremely perturbed and worried about the battle:

 

قال راى فى المنام ابو ميسرة عمرو بن شرجيل و كان من افضل اصحاب عبد الله  قال رايت كانى ادخلت الجنة فرايت قبابا مضروبة فقلت لمن هذه؟ فقيل هذه لذى الكلاع و حوشب و كانا ممن قتل مع معاوية يوم صفين قال قلت فاين عمار و اصحابه؟ قالوا امامك قلت و كيف و قد قتل بعضهم بعضا قال قيل انهم لقوا الله فوجدوه واسع المغفرة قال فقلت فما فعل اهل النهر قال لقوا برحا

Whilst in this condition, I saw in a dream that I entered Jannat and in it there were tents. I asked for who these tents were and I was told that these are for Dhu al Kila’ and Hawshab, who were fighting on the side of Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu during the Battle of Siffin and were martyred. I then asked where is ‘Ammar and his friends radiya Llahu ‘anhum? I was told that they were ahead. I asked: “How is this possible, when they had killed each other.” I was told that they had met Allah and found him to be extremely merciful. I then asked what happened to the people of Nahrawan (the Khawarij) and I was told that they were dealt with harshly.^[9]

 

The dream of ‘Umar Ibn ‘Abdul ‘Aziz rahimahu Llah

The following dream has been recorded in the famous book of Hafiz Ibn al Kathir rahimahu Llah, Al Bidayah wa al Nihayah. Imam al Ghazali rahimahu Llah (d. 505 A.H) has also recorded it in his famous book, Kimyaʼi Sa’adat and Hafiz Ibn Qayyim rahimahu Llah (d. 751 A.H) in his book, Kitab al Ruh. The following is taken from Al Bidayah wa al Nihayah:

 

عن عمر بن عبد العزيز قال رايت رسول الله صلى الله علىه و سلم فى المنام و ابو بكر و عمر جالسان عنده فسلمت عليه فبينما انا جالس اذ اتي بعليّ و معاوية فادخلا بيتا و اجيف الباب و انا انظر فما كان باسرع من ان خرج عليّ و هو يقول قضى لى و رب الكعبة ثم كان باسرع منه ان خرج معاوية و هو يقول غفر لى و رب الكعبة

‘Umar ibn ‘Abdul ‘Aziz rahimahu Llah said: “In my dream I visited the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and Abu Bakr radiya Llahu ‘anhu and ‘Umar radiya Llahu ‘anhu were sitting in his company and I greeted them. While I was sitting, ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu were brought and entered the room. The door to that room was then closed. It was not long before ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu exited and said: “By the Rabb of the Ka’bah! Judgement has been passed in my favour.” Shortly thereafter Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu exited and said: “By the Rabb of the Ka’bah! I have been forgiven.”^[10]

 

These were dreams about the people who participated in the Battle of Siffin. Now I would like to present before you a dream of Pir Baqir ‘Ali about Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu, who was amongst those who always held Sayyidina Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu in contempt but after seeing this dream, he sought forgiveness for his previous beliefs. His name was Muhammad Baqir ‘Ali Shah and he says:

 

You people deliver your lectures about Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu from books and you present your proofs against him but I would like to present to you my personal experience. One day at ten in the morning whilst speaking to a person I said: “The battle that Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu waged against ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu was one filled with much excessiveness, this was all I said and suddenly in my heart this thought occurred that I have uttered something terrible with regards to Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu. At the same time, I felt that my spiritual goodness came to an end. I spent the entire day in worry and when night came and I fell asleep. I dreamt and, in my dream, I saw an old patio, my spiritual Sheikh Khawajah Nur al Hassan Shah the deputy of Sheikh Sher Muhammad Sharaqpuri spent his entire life spiritually benefiting on this patio and it was here that he passed away as well. Suddenly there was a knock on the door of the room and the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam entered. Behind the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam was ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and behind him was Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu. ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu both stood on the right of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam. The Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu stood in silence whereas ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu addressed me angrily saying: “The fight was between Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu and myself, what right do you have to interfere with it?” He repeated this sentence thrice. I asked for forgiveness but received no reply. These three great personalities then left. For six months thereafter I was not visited by my Sheikh. My spiritual growth was halted until I was blessed with a vision of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam in a dream and then my spiritual growth continued.^[11]

 

Now listen to another dream wherein Sayyidina ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu admonished those who disrespect Sayyidina Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu.

There was a sayed who despised Sayyidina Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu and always raised objections against Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Once whilst studying the books of Mujaddid Alf-e Thani rahimahu Llah, he came across a passage in which Mujaddid Alf-e Thani rahimahu Llah praised Sayyidina Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu. His anger overpowered him to the extent that he flung the book aside. Later that night, he saw a dream. Mujaddid Alf-e Thani rahimahu Llah came to him and took hold of both his ears and said: “You disrespectful fiend! You have objected to my writings whereas everything I have written is true. If you have no conviction in this, I will take you to ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu and you can ask him for yourself.” Pulling him by his ears he took him before ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu where he complained that this person was the enemy of Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu. His enmity for Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu drove him to throw away my literature.” ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu said: “The companions of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam hold a lofty position. You should never have enmity with any of them nor should you speak ill of them. What Sheikh Ahmed (Mujaddid Alf-e Thani) has written about Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu is correct.” The sayed was surprised to hear this and started to present the proofs against Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Listening to this ‘Ali radiya Llahu ‘anhu remarked: “It seems that reality has not settled in this fools heart. Give him a blow against his chest so that he can repent from the sin of harbouring ill feelings for Muawiyah radiya Llahu ‘anhu. Sheikh Ahmed did this and, in the morning, when that Sayed awoke, he felt the pain of a heavy blow on his chest. There was also a mark on his chest as a result of the blow.

O Allah safeguard our iman and our deeds and grant us death on guidance.

 

Respected readers! Despite my undertaking to refrain from any offensive comments, I might have done so at times, I ask the readers to forgive me if I have offended anyone but every person who has a right, has the right to defend himself as well, as the poem goes:

When the illness of a person changes, the prescription also changes

You may apply ointment but surgery is also required

 

Allah is my witness; I have written these words with a grieved heart. My intention was only to present the proof of the Ahlus Sunnah and my intention was not to belittle anyone.

My style of speech may not be perfect

But perhaps my words may penetrate the heart

 

Mufti Taqi ‘Uthmani has given such a beautiful advice:

The Sahabah are the foundations of the structure of Islam. If one brick of this structure is slightly removed from its place, the entire structure of Islam will also crumble. We should strive to remove all the misunderstandings that exist about the Sahabah radiya Llahu ‘anhum. The purpose of this discussion is also the same.^[12]

 

O Allah! Create within this unworthy one the power to make others understand and in the hereafter grant this sinful one of the favours You will bestow upon those who are the defenders of the Messenger of Allah salla Llahu ‘alayhi wa sallam and the Sahabah, so that he too can be successful.

Lastly, we quote the words of Molana ‘Ali Sher Haydari, as a caution to all:

The words of the scholars are considered as law by the masses, so be cautious of what you say. First and foremost, you should avoid giving references to weak books and if references from such books are unavoidable then please make reference to the imperfections of those books, so that when people read those books, they are not wrongly influenced by it.

 

A final word

In addition to the above, I would like to present before the readers the advice of Qadi Abu Bakr ibn al ‘Arabi rahimahu Llah (d. 543 A.H), whose advice in this age may be deemed to be angelic and eternal:

 

و قد بينت لكم انكم لا تقبلون على انفسكم فى دينار بل فى درهم الاعدلا بريئا من التهم سليما من الشهوة فكيف تقبلون فى احول السلف و ما جرى بين الاوائل ممن ليس له مرتبة فى الدين فكيف فى العدالة

I have explained to you all that you will never accept in a monetary ruling except the testimony of one who is just, free from suspicion and any personal vendetta. How then can you accept the words of a man whose sense of justice is pathetic and who does not even have any importance in Islam when it pertains to the conditions of the pious predecessors and what transpired between them?^[13]

 

May Allah guide us to those actions and words that He loves and pleases Him.

Verily all praise belongs to Allah, Rabb of the entire universe.

 

 

---

^[1]  Al Khatib: Tarikh Baghdad, vol. 1 pg. 223.

^[2]  Amir Muawiyah, pg. 8-11.

^[3]  Nam wa Nasab, pg. 489.

^[4]  Khomeini: Ittihad wa Yakjihati, pg. 15.

^[5]  Maktubat-e Imam Rabbani, letter: 96.

^[6]  Maktubat-e Imam Rabbani.

^[7]  Sahih al Bukhari, vol. 2 Pg. 1034.

^[8]  Abu Dawood, vol. 1 pg. 127.

^[9]  Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah, vol. 5 pg. 290.

^[10]  Al Bidayah wa al Nihayah, vol. 8 pg. 130.

^[11]  Tuhfah Jafariyyah, vol. 2 pg. 321.

^[12]  Hadrat Muawiyah awr Tarikhi Haqiqat, pg. 161.

^[13]  Al ‘Awasim min al Qawasim, pg. 252.