8. It was narrated that az-Zuhri said, "Mu'awiyah followed in

the footsteps of 'Umar ibn al-Khattab for years and did not divert from that at all." We have mentioned just a few of the many reports from the Companions, the tabi'oon and their followers. Mu'awiyah was also praised by the scholars of biography and history. lbn Taymiyah said: The scholars are unanimously agreed that Mu'awiyah is the best of the kings of this Ummah. The four before him were caliphs in the footsteps of prophethood, and he was the first of the kings. His reign was one of mercy. 145 [He also said:] There was no one among the Muslim kings who was better than Mu'awiyah, and the people were never better off at the time of any king than they were at the time of Mu'awiyah. 146 lbn Katheer says in his biography of Mu' awiyah: All the Muslims agreed to swear allegiance to him in 41 AH, and he remained the undisputed caliph during this period until the year in which he died. Jihad in enemy territory was ongoing, the word of Allah was supreme, booty was coming in from all ends of the earth, and the Muslims during his reign had a life of ease, enjoying justice and tolerance. 147 lbn Abil-'Izz al-ijanafi said, "The first king of the Muslims was Mu'awiyah, and he was the best of the Muslim kings."148 Adh-Dhahabi said in his biography, "Commander of the Faithful [Mu'awiyah] was the king of Islam."149 He also said, "Mu'awiyah was one of the best of the kings who were fair and just."150 Once this is established in the case of Mu'awiyah, it seems most unlikely that he would make people curse 'Ali on the pulpits.

That would imply that the early generation and the scholars Al-lfasan s caliphate and his reconciliation efforts after them who praised him so greatly must have supported his wrongdoing and transgression and must have agreed on this misguidance. 151 This is a great lie and fabrication against the scholars among the Companions, tabi'oon and those who sincerely followed them. The one who studies Mu'awiyah's conduct as a ruler-the tolerance and patience for which he was well known, as well as his good conduct in running the people's affairs-will clearly see that this is one of the greatest lies against him. Mu' awiyah attained a high level of forbearance and set a sublime example for subsequent generations. 152 As the caliph, Mu'awiyah had a warm and friendly relationship with 'Ali's sons; this is well known from the books of biography and history. 153 For example, al-I:Iasan and al-I:Iusayn went to Mu'awiyah, and he gave them two hundred thousand dirhams, saying, "My predecessor never gave anyone such an amount." Al-I:Iusayn said to him, "And you never gave to anyone better than us."154 On another occasion, al-I:Iasan visited Mu'awiyah (~),who said to him, "Welcome to the son of the Messenger of Allah's daughter." He ordered that a sum of three hundred thousand dirhams be given to him. 155 This clearly demonstrates that what is claimed about Mu'awiyah making the people revile 'Ali is false. How could this happen when there was friendship, love, warmth and respect between him and the sons of 'Ali? Thus, the truth concerning this matter becomes quite obvious. 156 That society was generally restricted by the rulings of Shariah and was keen to implement them.

They were most unlikely to slander, curse or utter obscene offensive words. From his peace deal with Mu 'awiyah until his death It was narrated from Ibn Mas'ood (~) in a hadith that is traced directly back to the Prophet (~): «The believer is not the one who slanders or curses or speaks obscenity or is foul-mouthed.» 157 It was narrated from 'A'ishah (*) in another hadith traced directly back to the Prophet (~): «Do not revile the dead, because they have gone to what they sent on ahead.» (al-Bukhari) After the peace deal was concluded, al-I:Iasan gave up the caliphate, as we have discussed when we examined the stages of the peace deal. The period of division came to an end, unity was restored, and Mu'awiyah became a unanimously-approved caliph. It was said that this happened in 40 AH. 158 Ibn Is-1).aq, 159 al-Waqidi 160 and Khaleefah ibn Khayyat161 said that it happened in 41 AH, but they differed on the monthwas it Rabee' I, Rabee' II, Jumada I or Jumada 11? 162 In any case, Mu'awiyah became the leader of the Ummah without letting any earlier turmoil influence his conduct. 163 10.3.6 Mu' awiyah' s attitude towards 'Uthman' s killers One may wonder what Mu'awiyah did with regard to 'Uthman's killers after he became caliph. lbn Qutaybah answered this question in 'Uyoon al-Akhbdr, where he said: When Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan became the caliph in the year of unity, he entered the house that had belonged to 'Uthman ibn 'Affan. 'A'ishah hint 'Affan ibn 'Uthman [who was 'Uthman's granddaughter] wept and called out to her father.

Mu'awiyah said: Al-lfasan s caliphate and his reconciliation efforts Daughter of my brother, people have given their allegiance to us, and we have granted them security. We have shown them patience behind which is anger, and they have shown us humility behind which is resentment. Each person has his sword with him, and he knows where his companions are. If we break our deal with them, they will break their deal with us; we do not know whether they will prevail or we will. You are better off being the cousin of the Commander of the Faithful than being just one woman among many. 164 The words of Ibn Qutaybah confirm the nature of the deal that was drawn up between Mu 'awiyah and al-IJ.asan.

It clearly dictated that there should be reconciliation among the people and that there should be an end to war, bloodshed and stirring up trouble. Moreover, during the five years in which the battles of the Camel, Siffeen, Nahrawan, Egypt and others had taken place, those who were accused of murdering 'Othman had been killed. Nevertheless, the issue of 'Othman 's murder probably remained at the forefront of the minds of the Umayyad caliphs and their governors. 10.4 Outcomes of the peace deal 10.4.1 Uniting the Ummah behind one leader The Ummah came together under the leadership of Mu'awiyah and approved of him as its leader. After such division, the elite of the Muslims rejoiced at this unity, which came about by the will of Allah and through al-I:Iasan ibn 'Ali ibn Abi Talib (~), the architect of this great reconciliation project. This year of unity is regarded as one of the signs ofprophethood and as one of the most sublime virtues of al-I:Iasan.

From his peace deal with Mu 'awiyah until his death Taking measures to bring about harmony among the Muslims and to unite them is one of the greatest forms of jihad. This is because it is a very important step in helping the Muslims to prevail and to establish a state where they will be able to live in accordance with the Shariah. This reflects the deep understanding of the Rightly-Guided Caliphs, which was manifested in the most brilliant manner when al-I;Iasan ibn 'Ali(~) yielded to Mu'awiyah for the sake of uniting the Ummah and preventing carnage. His reward will be with Allah(~). 10.4.2 Resumption of conquests The martyrdom of'Uthman (~)had led to the cessation of jihad and a period during which the swords of the Muslims were turned against one another in a conflict that could have destroyed the Ummah if not for the mercy of Allah, Who saved it by means of the peace deal between al-I;Iasan ibn 'Ali(~) and Mu'awiyah. Many texts confirm that jihad had come to a halt during this period of strife.

It was narrated from al-I;Iasan ibn 'Ali (~)that he said: I have been thinking of going to Madinah to settle there and yielding [the caliphate] to Mu'awiyah. The turmoil has gone on for too long, blood has been shed, ties of kinship have been severed, the roads have become unsafe, and the borders have been neglected. 165 Abu Zar'ah ad-Dimashqi narrated that after 'Uthman (~) was killed and the disputes arose, the people had no expeditions or summer campaigns until the Ummah united behind Mu' awiyah. 166 Abu Bakr al-Maliki said: The turmoil occurred ... 'Uthman (~) was martyred, 'Ali succeeded him, and North Africa remained as it was until Mu'awiyah became caliph. 167 Al-lf asan s caliphate and his reconciliation efforts One of the outcomes of the peace deal was the resumption of conquests. At the time of Mu'awiyah, conquests were taking place on three main fronts, namely: Byzantium (the Roman Empire) This was one of the most critical fronts because of the strength of the Roman Empire and its proximity to Muslim lands. It possessed armies and navies that were highly organised and experienced, prompting the Muslims to fight the Byzantines on both land and sea.

North Africa This front was strongly connected to the Byzantine front because of the existence of Byzantine colonies in North Africa, which had a great impact on slowing down the Muslim conquests in that region. Sijistan, Khorasan and Transoxiana168 Sijistan and Khorasan are regarded as being among the first countries to rebel against the Muslims after the martyrdom of 'Uthman. 169 Mu'awiyah had a clear plan for his jihad policy, which was narrated by Khaleefah ibn Khayyat: The last thing Mu'awiyah instructed them to do was: Tighten the stranglehold on the Byzantines so that you will be able to gain control over other nations. 170 10.4.3 The state's focus on the Kharijites Another result of the peace deal was that the Islamic state was now able to focus on the Kharijites. Mu'awiyah was able to weaken them and confront the movements of Farwah ibn Nawfal alAshja'i, al-Mustawrid ibn 'Ulfat-Taymi and I:Iayyan ibn Dhabyan as-Sulami, which appeared in Kufa. 171 Other movements, such From his peace deal with Mu 'awiyah until his death as those of Yazeed al-Bahili, Sahm al-Hujaymi, Qareeb al-Azdi, Zal)l)af at-Ta'i and others appeared in Basra. 172 Without going into much detail, it should suffice to say that the Kharijite movement during the time ofMu'awiyah was characterised by chaos, spontaneity and disorganisation. It was more like a collective suicide pact, because their followers rebelled in small numbers that were soon eradicated. They lacked wise and knowledgeable leadership that could make use of their bravery to achieve their goals.

Thus, among the consequences of the peace deal were constraints on the Kharijites. 10.4.4 End of the era of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate The era of the Rightly-Guided Caliphate, the caliphate in the footsteps of prophethood, came to an end when al-I:Iasan ibn 'Ali (~)yielded the caliphate to Mu'awiyah (~). «The Messenger of Allah (~) said: There will be prophethood among you for as long as Allah wills; then Allah will take it away when He wills. Next, there will be caliphate in the footsteps of prophethood, which will last as long as Allah wills; then He will take it away when He wills. Then there will be harsh kingship for as long as Allah wills; then Allah will take it away when He wills. Next, there will be tyrant kingship for as long as Allah wills; then Allah will take it away when He wills. After that, there will be caliphate in the footsteps of prophethood.

Then he fell silent.» (Recorded by Al)mad with a sound chain) Al-lfasan s caliphate and his reconciliation efforts The Messenger of Allah stated: «The caliphate in the footsteps of prophethood will last for thirty years; then Allah will grant kingship to whomever He wills.» (Abu Dawood) «The caliphate in my Ummah will last for thirty years; after that, it will become a kingship.» (Recorded by Al-Tirmidhi with a sound chain of narrators) The thirty-year period was only completed with the caliphate ofal-I:Iasan ibn 'Ali(~). He gave up the caliphate to Mu'awiyah (~)in Rabee' I, 41 AH, and that was the completion of thirty years after the death of the Messenger of Allah in Rabee' I, 11 AH. This is one of the signs of his prophethood, may the blessings and peace of Allah be upon him. 173 The previous hadiths referred to five historical stages, namely: