We have already presented to our objective readers the wonderful deeds of Mu’awiya, what should we say of his Iman?
As a starting pointing let us consider the words of Ali (as) as recorded in Sahih Muslim 78:
“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 a grudge against me’.
Its is little wonder that we have the testimony of Abu Saeed al Khudri:
حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا جَعْفَرُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ، عَنْ أَبِي هَارُونَ الْعَبْدِيِّ، عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ الْخُدْرِيِّ، قَالَ إِنْ كُنَّا لَنَعْرِفُ الْمُنَافِقِينَ نَحْنُ مَعْشَرَ الأَنْصَارِ بِبُغْضِهِمْ عَلِيَّ بْنَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ . قَالَ هَذَا حَدِيثٌ غَرِيبٌ إِنَّمَا نَعْرِفُهُ مِنْ حَدِيثِ أَبِي هَارُونَ . وَقَدْ تَكَلَّمَ شُعْبَةُ فِي أَبِي هَارُونَ . وَقَدْ رُوِيَ هَذَا عَنِ الأَعْمَشِ عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ عَنْ أَبِي سَعِيدٍ .
“We, the people of the Ansar, used to recognize the hypocrites, by their hatred for 'Ali bin Abi Talib”
Salafi scholar Dr. Wasiullah bin Muhammad Abbas in his margin of the book ‘Fadail al-Sahaba’ published by the the second largest Salafi/Wahabi university namely Umm Al-Qura University in Mecca, decalred the tradition as ‘Sahih’:
Fada’il al-Sahaba, Vol, 2 pg. 549 (Published in Mecca Mukarramah, Saudi Arabia)
One of the pioneer Sunni scholars Imam Ali bin Muhammad al-Hemayri (d. 323 H) who has been referred to as “Imam, Faqih and Allamah'' by Imam Dhahabi (Siyar a'lam al-nubala, v. 15 p. 13) has also recorded this tradition with different chain of narration in his book ‘Juzu al-Hemayri’ pg. 97, Hadith 38:
ثنا هارون بن إسحاق ثنا سفيان بن عيينة عن الزهري عن يزيد بن خصيفة عن بسر بن سعيد عن أبي سعيد الخدري قال ما كنا نعرف المنافقين على عهد رسول الله صلى الله عليه و سلم إلا ببغض علي
Harun bin Ishaq – Sufyan bin Uyayna – al-Zuhri – Yazid bin Khusayfa – Busr bin Saeed – Abi Saeed al-Khudri said: ‘During the time of Messenger of Allah (pbuh), weused to recognize the hypocrites through their hate towards Ali’.
All the narrators in the chain are authentic. Harun bin Ishaq: Ibn Hajar said: ‘Seduq’ (Taqrib al-Tahdib, v2 p257), Dahabi said: ‘Thiqah’ (Al-Kaashef, v2 p329). Sufyan bin Uyayna: Ibn Hajar said: ‘Thiqah’ (Taqrib al-Tahdib, v1 p371), Dahabi said: ‘Thiqah Thabt’ (Al-Kaashef, v1 p449). Al-Zuhri: Ibn Hajar said: ‘There is an agreement about his magnificence & mastery’ (Taqrib al-Tahdib, v2 p133), Al-Dahabi said: ‘The Imam, the Hafiz of his time’ (Siar alam al nubala, v5 p326). Yazid bin Khusayfa: Ibn Hajar said: ‘Thiqah’ (Taqrib al-Tahdib, v2 p327), Dahabi said: ‘Thiqah’ (Al-Kaashef, v2 p386). Busr bin Saeed: Ibn Hajar said: ‘Thiqah’ (Taqrib al-Tahdib, v1 p125) while Dahabi have recorded various accolades given to him by Sunni scholars (Tarikh al-Islam, v6 p302).
One wonders how Abu Sulaiman and his Nasibi brethren can prove that Mu’awiya loved Ali (as). Let us look at some other traditions before concluding on Mu’awiya. The Messenger of Allah said:
“Whoever hurts Ali, has hurt me.”
1. Musnad Ahmad Ibn Hanbal, Vol 25, pg. 321[1]
2. Al Mustadrak Ala Al Sahihain, Vol 3, pg. 131
3. Al-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqah, by Ibn Hajar al-Haythami, pg. 366
The Messenger of Allah said:
“Whoever curses Ali, cursed me”
1. Al-Mustadrak, by al-Hakim, Vol 3, pg. 130, who mentioned this tradition is Authentic, and Dhahabi agreed
2. Musnad Ahmed, Vol. 44 pg. 329 Hadith 26748
3. Mishkat al-Masabih, English version, Tradition 6101
4. Tarikh al-Khulafa, by Jalaluddin al-Suyuti, pg. 138 - 139
Al Hakim records in al Mustadrak ala al Sahihain, Vol. 3, pg. 133[2], and Al Muttaqi Al Hindi records in Kanz ul Ummal, Vol 11, pg. 614, hadith numbers 32974 - 32976, narrated by Abdullah Ibn`Umar {through two chains} and Abu Dharr Ghaffari (ra).
Rasulullah (s) said:
“Whoever leaves Ali, leaves me, and whoever leaves me, leaves Allah.”
As we have already cited earlier in Kanz ul Ummal, Vol 11, pg 614, hadith #32973 Rasulullah (s) also said:
"Whoever obeys Ali, obeys me, whoever obeys me, obeys Allah, whoever disobeys Ali disobeys me, whoever disobeys me, disobeys Allah" So these hadith tell us:
1. The sign of a Munafiq is hatred of Ali (as)
2. Whoever leaves, disobeys and curses Ali – in fact leaves, disobeys and curses Allah (swt)
Having proven that Mu’awiya cursed Imam Ali (as), perhaps it is time that Abu Sulaiman breaks free from his Nasibi ideology and answers this:
1. Did Mu’awiya leave, disobey and curse Ali?
2. Is an individual who leaves, disobeys and curses Allah (swt) a Muslim?
This being the case, could Abu Sulaiman kindly explain why it is that he has throughout the article insisted on giving Mu’awiya the title (ra)? Is Allah (swt) pleased with someone that disobeys and curses him?
Committing this sin of cursing Imam Ali (as) as an individual is bad enough, one wonders how Allah (swt) will deal with the fact that Mu’awiya introduced this practice through his empire thus leading thousands of Muslims (three generations) to commit this ijtimali (combined sin). Will Allah (swt) appreciate this innovation?
Imam Muhammad bin Isma’il Bukhari records In ‘Sahih al Adhab al Mufrad’ pg. 384:
“Rasulullah (s) said ‘Don’t say Sayyidina to a munafiq, because that would make that munafiq your Chief (superior), and in the process you will be upsetting your Creator”.
This hadith can also be found in Sunan Abi Dawud 4977
One hopes that our readers are able to appreciate the consequences of using this title when describing Mu’awiya. We would urge our Sunni brethren to refrain from such actions.
Despite the efforts of the Nasibis to limit the differences between Mu’awiya and Ali as nothing more than differences in thinking, Ali (as)’s views on Mu’awiya's iman gives us an insight into his thoughts. If enmity of Ali is a sign of a munafiq then consider these words of Ali (as), taken from Sunan Sa’id Ibn Mansur Vol 3, pg. 63, hadith 125 -126 and Suyuti’s Tarikh Al Khulafa pg. 142 (English):
“Praise belongs to Allah Who made our enemy ask about something that had occurred to him in the matter of his deen. Mu’awiya wrote to me asking about the ambiguous hermaphrodite…”
We read in Muhibiddin Tabari’s Al Riyadh al Nadira, Vol 3, pg. 124 that Rasulullah (s) declared:
“O Allah, Ali is my beloved friend, and my beloved friend is a beloved friend of Allah. [Ali] Your enemy is my enemy, and my enemy is Allah’s enemy. O Ali destroyed are those that incur your wrath”.
Imam of Ahl ul Sunnah Ibn Hajr al-Makki al-Haythami records in Sawaiq al Muhriqa pg. 498, and Muhibiddin Tabari records in Al Riyadh al Nadira, Vol. 3, pg. 128 this event that took place during Umar’s caliphate:
“Once two land owners approached Umar with a dispute. Umar called Ali and asked that he resolve the matter. Imam Ali resolved the dispute, and one of the individuals said, ‘This man [Ali] is going to decide between us?’ Upon hearing this Umar grabbed the individual by the collar and said ‘Don’t you know who this individual is? He is the Maula of me, you and all mu'mins, and whoever does NOT take him to be his Maula is not a mu'min (believer)”
The key difference between Sunni and Shi’a on the topic of Imamate is in relation to the meaning of Maula used by Rasulullah (s) about Imam Ali (as). We do not intend to delve into the matter here, suffice it to say Ahl’ul Sunnah deem Maula to mean friend Shia define it as Master. The question that we pose for Abu Sulaiman and his fellow advocates is, did Mu’awiya EVER deem Imam Ali (as) as his Maula? If it means Master did he ever recognise Imam Ali (as) as his Master, rather he rejected his Leadership and openly rebelled against him, refusing to give bayya to him and as has already been mentioned, al Muhaddith Shah Abdul Aziz had stated that in the eyes of Ahlul Sunnah from the caliphate of Imam Ali to peace with Imam Hasan, Mu’awiya was a baghi – i.e. he rebelled against the rightful Imam (did not accept Ali (as) as his Maula). If we are to accept the definition as one of friends, then perhaps Abu Sulaiman could inform his flock as to what type of friendship he showed to Imam Ali (as). Was opposing Imam Ali (as), inciting sedition against him and then going to war against him proof that he deemed Ali (as) his friend? Did he further endorse this friendship after Imam Ali (as)’s death by instituting his cursing throughout his empire? Do these actions prove that Mu’awiya deemed Ali (as) as his Maula as in friend? Clearly not! Rather than defend Mu’awiya, we would urge Abu Sulaiman to at least embrace the fatwa of their authority figure Umar, who stated, “One who does NOT deem Ali his Maula, is not a believer.
[1] Arna’uts weakening of this hadith is absurd; he himself admits that Hakim and Dhahabi said its sahih (see the next hadith) as well as Bayhaqi. The narrator he tried to weaken is Fadhl Ibn Abdullah Ibn Ma'qil Ibn Sinan, who is in Ibn Hibban’s Thuqat and wasn’t weakened by anyone.
[2] Dhahabi said it is munkar, but this hadith has an authentic chain as recorded in Majma Al Zawaed Vol 18, pg. 318 from Al Bazzar, as well as Ibn Asakir and many others.
