Chapter 1

Caliphate of Banu Umayyah ( First Phase) After the Khilafat Rashida, (the rightly guided caliphate) we now begin with the Caliphate of Banu Umayyah. In the Khilafat arRashida, the first two caliphs were neither from Banu Umayyah nor from Banu Hashim. The period of these two rightly guided Caliphs was the best. The third was related to the family of Banu Umayyah and the fourth to Banu Hashim. In the second half of the Khilafat arRashida, the caliphs of both Banu Umayyah and Banu Hashim remained on the throne. The second half compared to the first half may be called a period of failure though it was certainly better than the caliphates that followed because the Prophet's companions were the rulers and most of his companions were still alive. Islam came into the world to wipe out Shirk, (partnership with Allah) and establish Tawhid, oneness of Allah. The Prophet (jj;) showed mankind what is perfect Tawhid and the way to real success. There can be no harm or loss greater than Shirk and no felicity and success greater than Tawhid. Shirk, in fact, is the name of injustice and oppression. That is why the noble Quran calls it the greatest of The History of Islam injustices. What can be a bigger injustice than the fact that man should regard as his Maker, all the helpless beings that are themselves Allah's creations and slaves? Only that person can commit Shirk who wants to lead a life of injustice. The greatest thing that compels a man to embrace injustice is ignorance coupled with unjustified love, which in Quranic phraseology we call darkness and loss of the right path. In unjustified and uncalled for love for elders of our families and tribes we accord unjust veneration of their, pictures, statues and graves and these are the chief reasons that lead to the prevalence of Shirk in the world. It is through this that mankind has forgotten its Creator and fell into a death-pit. The Prophet(~) wiped out all the possibilities of Shirk, he also saved mankind from unjustified family prejudice and love that takes mankind away from justice and impartiality. The second thing that compels and has been compelling mankind to suffer from this greatest injustice is unjustified pride. This is the very thing that turned Iblis into Satan, the rejected one and it is through this that he has been able to seduce most people from the right path and put them on the way to destruction. When this unjustified pride joins hands with unjustified love, a very powerful formula for destruction is prepared for mankind. In order to do away with this source of Shirk the Prophet (~) on the day of the conquest of Makkah, stood at the door of the Ka'bah and addressed the inhabitants of Makkah and those who were influential among the Arabs. "O the tribe of Quraish! Allah did away with your vanity of the age of ignorance and your pride in your ancestors. All men are the offspring of Adam and Adam was made of clay. Allah says, 0 mankind! We created you from a single pair of a male and a female and made you into nations and tribes that you may know each other. Verily the most honored of you in the sight of Allah is (he who is) the most righteous of you." (Ibn Hisham 4:60) Putting an end to racial and tribal pride was in reality closing the avenues to Shirk and creating the capacity for Tawhid. Also, there is no denying the existence of tribes and nations and their distinctions but greatness is not connected with race and family. Greatness and superiority is connected with the recognition and fear of Allah. Everybody who becomes pious deserves to be blessed and every

Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) member of a tribe earns debasement for his and her misdeeds. By setting people on the right and straight path, the Prophet (~ ) delivered them to success in both the worlds and felicity for mankind. In the first half of the Khilafat ar-Rashida, the Muslims had nothing to do with the renounced sources of deviation and forgot family intolerance Quraish used to address Bilal the Habashi (Ethiopian) as 'Sayyadi' (my chief) and regarded him as more honored than themselves by virtue of his good deeds. The wisdom in sending the Muhajirfn and Ansars of noble families under the command of Osama bin Zaid (= 11 ...,:,)) was that nobody should harbor the thought in his heart that a man could be honored by virtue of nation, race or family. Had the crown and caliphate been the prerogative of a particular tribe and family, the Prophet (~ ) would not have sent anybody other than Banu Hashim as administrators to the provinces and territories and as commanders of the armed forces but he rarely did so. He always took care to bestow leadership and governorship strictly on the basis of merit. He did not consider anyone worthy of such a position based on one's relation to a particular family, or tribe. That was why even slaves could become leaders over the elders in Quraish and be given command the aremed forces nothing there than his would have been expected of the perfect teacher who preached pure Tawhid. There had been a historical rivalry between Banu Umayyah and Banu Hashim as both tried to excel each other. That was probably why Banu Urnayyah first opposed the Prophet (~ ), who belonged to the tribe of Banu Hashim, vehemently and Banu Hashim supported him more. When the Polythiests, those who make partners with Allah, were totally wiped out from the Arab and the opposing atheists of both tribes were slain or the fortunate ones embraced Islam, there were a good number of courageous and meritorious people in the newly converted Banu Urnayyah. The Prophet (~ ) honored their capabilities. At the time of the conquest of Makkah by equating Abu Sufyan's house with the Ka'bah in connection to protection, he pleased them. Uthrnan bin Affan ("--"' .'iii ,.;-PJ) who came from Banu Urnayyah and who was the Prophet's son-in-law, Ba'it ar-Ridwan was taken for him. Urn ul-Muminin Um Habiba (-= .'iii ,.;-PJ) also belonged to the Banu Umayyah tribe, she was Abu Sufyan's daughter and Muawiya's sister. The Prophet (~ ) appointed Abu Sufyan (= .'iii ,.;-PJ) the ruler of Najran. The History of Islam He made Uthman bin Abul-Aas ("--"-11 _,-----"J) who was Uthman bin Affan's uncle, the governor of Taif and the adjoining areas. Umar Farooq ( '-----"' .;;,, -F" J) made him governor of Oman and Bahrain. At tab bin Usaid (= .'iii ,.,-"J), the grandson of Abu Sufyan's uncle Abul-Aas, who became a Muslim on the day of the victory of Makkah was appointed the ruler of Makkah. Khalid bin Sayeed, the grandson of Abu Sufyan's uncle, was made the administrator of Yemen. He became a martyr in the battle of Yarmuk. Similarly, the Prophet(*') appointed Uthman bin Sayeed the governor of Khaibar and and his brother Aban the ruler of Bahrain. Had the Prophet (~) an iota of the old rivalry between Banu Umayyah and Banu Hashim and preferred the racial and family relations to personal qualification, he would not have made these people of Banu Umayyah the administrators of these provinces. He never chose racial discrimination to individual excellence. Yes, he admitted to tribal preferences but it was confined only to those families, which were known for their managing and leading capabilities due to the experience and training that the members of those specific tribes were exposed to. For management and commander ship, he selected the capable and qualified persons from among these families. Islam had put an end to the traditional rivalry that existed between Banu Umayyah and Banu Hashim. Therefore, it was appropriate that they should not have been put in the position to partake in the Caliphate for some time so that they would not be able to revive their old competitive rivalry. The Prophet ~ realized this danger fully, which was indicated by his making Abu Bakr=- 11 -?J the Imam of the Sa/at so that he would be made the caliph after the Prophet's death. The group of Sahabas (Companions of the Prophet ~) who had discernment and understanding, acted upon it whole heartedly. Similarly, Abu Bakr ~ .;;,, ,? J appointed as his successor after him the man who was superior to all others in merit and belonged to neither bothe tribes. In the same way if after Umar bin Khattab ~ .'iii ~J Abu Obeida bin Al-Jarrah-..,. 11 <.r'J or Salim Maula Hudhaifa = 11 <.r'J had been made the caliph as Umar bin Khattab <.r'J ~ 11 himself wanted, then this dormant rivalry would not have come to life again. But these two noblemen had died much earlier than Umar bin Khattab "--"- .;;,, ~J - Again, if any of the six members of the

Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) Shura (council) chosen by Umar bin Khattab ~ 11 ~ ; to pick his successor had maintained this principle by selecting one from among themselves that did not belong to either both tribes to be made caliph, it would have been possible that the future dangers might have been averted and at least both these tribes would not have recalled their forgotten rivalry. If Ali bin Abi Talib '---"" 11 ._?; had been made the caliph after Umar bin Khattab = 11 ._?; there was every possibility that this extinguished fire would not have reignited. This is because Ali bin Abi Talib ~ 11 ~; was not expected to have made so much extraordinary and sensitive allowances for Banu Hashim as Uthman bin Affan <......c.<-11 ~ ; made in favor of Banu Umayyah. However, we should have faith that whatever happened was strictly in accordance with the dictates of Allah and was the destiny that He decreed. We have nothing at our disposal to prefer our presumed resolution that did not actually occur to the results of events that really took place. The most that we can say is that the rebirth and prolongation of the systematic rivalry between Banu Hashim and Banu Umayyah during the Islamic era was extremely harmful for Islam. Those today who want to see this rivalry maintained and consider the connection with a particular family or tribe as a necessary qualification for the post of caliph are increasingly proving themselves as enemies of and harmful to Islam. Banu Umayyah by virtue of their personal merit, were regarded as an integral part of the Islamic caliphate. After the appointment of Uthman bin Affan <......c.<- 11 ~; as the caliph, Banu Umayyah took advantage of his mild nature and Marwan bin Al-Hakam's remaining in authority, increased their power and influence so much that they overwhelmed the entire Islamic World and were occupied with maneuvering to establish their leadership over the Arab world which they previously could not have done in view of the stiff opposition they faced during the days of Ignorance. The martyrdom of Uthman bin Affan = 11 ._?; and the conspiracy hatched by the Munafiqin and the Jews posing as Muslims helped them establish their control even more. Ali bin Abi Talib = 11 -?; had to face greater difficulties during his rule for the simple reason that he was from Banu Hashim. The rivalry between Banu Hashim and Banu Umayyah was constantly before the eyes of the whole Arab world. They attributed all attempts made by Ali The History of Islam bin Abi Talib = 11 ..,f-J against Muawiya= 11 ..,f-J and Banu Umayyah to these rivalries and did not cooperate with him because they did not like to participate in reviving the old rivalries between these two tribes. Had there been a non-Hashmite as caliph instead of Ali bin Abi Talib <.......:,,. 11 ~ J , he would have gotten more help from the Arab tribes. Had Ali bin Abi Talib -= 11 ..,f-J himself not been the caliph he would have done better in opposing Muawiya = 11 ..,f-J and crushing Banu Umayyah and would have found himself more powerful and effective in establishing the caliphate of one who was not a Hashimite. At this moment, we recollect involuntarily the last words of Imam Hasan -.__.c.,, 11 .,?J, which he uttered as a last testament to Imam Husain = 11 .,?J at the time of his death. "When Ali bin Abi Talib= 11 ..,f-J became caliph after the Prophet's * death, swords came out of their sheaths and this issue remained unsettled and now I know it full well that Prophethood and the caliphate cannot co-exist in our family." The future, which has now passed into the past, has put its seal of truth on these true words of Imam Hasan= 11 ..?)· After the rightly guided Caliphs, Banu Umayyah made Damascus its capital and ruled over the whole Islamic world for about ninety years. For several hundred years, their caliphate and rule continued in Spain. The rule by Banu Abbas family in Baghdad lasted for more than five hundred years. Banu Abbas are Banu Hashim, no doubt, but they are the descendants of the prophet's uncle and not the descendants of the Prophet's daughter. In other words, Sadat (Arabic plural of the word Sayed which is a title of respect and is also used to refer to the Prophet's descendants) can by taken as belonging to the Prophet's family because the Prophet's blood through Fatima bint Muhammad ~ is present. As there is no mixing of the Prophet's blood in the Abbasids, they cannot be taken as belonging to his descendants. A ruling family in Egypt c,laimed to be called Fatimid, but research scholars found its claim to be false. In India, there was a family that called themselves Sadat. But it is an open secret that Khidr Khan, the ruler of Multan, who was its first ancestor, was by no means a Sayed. The cause of his being known as a Sayed was simply because a mystic saint addressed him as Sayed, which is also a title of respect. Even

Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) today, people address the Mughal and Pathan (tribe in Mangols) chiefs as "Sayed." In short, no one has been able to found a free government and kingship of Sadat of significance in any country so far. This is the one reality before us. When we recall the last words of Imam Hasan ~ .iii c?j our hearts are unconsciously overawed by the grand truth and magnificent utterance of the speaker. Whatever Imam Hasan= .iii c?j told his brother Imam Husain = .;;;1 c?J at the time of his death, was not only his Ijtihad (the pronouncement of the learned when Quran, Hadith, and Sunnah have not clarified an issue) or ilham (inspiration) but also that of the entire group of the Prophet's Companions. This was the idea that led the Prophet ~ to make a Hashmi neither a permanent ruler of a province nor a free and responsible commander of a large army. Though in the expedition of Mauta the Proper deputed Jafar bin Abi Talib= 11 c?J as a commander, he made his freed slave Zaid bin Harith his senior. Although, he assigned Ali bin Abi Talib = .;;;, c? j the work of collecting the Islamic tax in Yemen and that was only for a short time and he gave the post of administrator to Muadh bin Jab! = 11 c? J and Abu Musa Al-Ashari '-'->- 11 ~)· Similarly Abu Bakr-= 11 c?J and Umar bin Khattab ""'11 c?J never deputed Banu Hashim on important and responsible posts nor made them rulers of states though these two first caliphs paid great respect to Banu Hashim took care for their likes and dislikes, took Masfzwara (consul) from them and acted upon it. Umar bin Khattab once said that if they had the power of a ruler along with the honor of Prophethood, they would cause the people to be very submissive and this would make them suffer from tribal pride and thereby kill the real spirit of Islam and they would destroy themselves. Once he said that whoever led people towards the veneration of the age of Ignorance, he must be slain. Once again he said "If anybody made a man Amir or ruler on the basis of his relation or friendship with him though better persons among the Muslims were available he committed a breach of trust with Allah, the Prophet~ and the Muslim community. In brief, this was not only the faith of Imam Hasan =.;;;, ~J that the honor of Prophethood is sufficient for the family of the Prophet ~ and the honor of the rule should not be linked to it, but this belief was also shared by most of the Sahabas. The truth is.that the holy Sadat who The History of Islam were related to the Prophet's family and who were supposed to end shirk and all its facets from the world, should not hanker after worldly dominion and material prosperity so that they might prove worthy of being the Prophet's progeny. If the Prophet ~ had not declared taking Sadaga (charity) unlawful for the Sadat, we could have expected that they, the family of the Prophet ~ deserved to be caliphs and emperors. But this provision for his family is the biggest proof that he had already decided that his family would remain non-attached to worldly riches or perhaps he might have known it from the divine revelation. The forbidding of charity to the family of the Prophet~ is in fact a matter of great pride for the Sadat and it exalts their status to such heights that the other groups of the world, which are related to Islam, can be envious of. Worldly riches and sovereignty are such things which distance man from Allah. The Holy Quran and Traditions, therefore look down upon them. History tells us that the people despite being in possession of right knowledge could not be persuaded to do good deeds. Only those lucky people who had not much to do with material riches have been honored to protect Islam and such people alone continue to safeguard Islam. The Prophet ~ said, that Islam began with the poor and would last with them. Also, think over this Tradition in which he(~) has said: "I leave the Qur' an and my children, Sadat among you." This Tradition also bears an ample proof of the fact that Imam Hasan ~.'iii~) had declared strictly in accordance with the intention of the tradition, "I know it full well that Prophethood and the caliphate cannot co-exist in our family." Amir Muawiya 4-&, .:»1 ~) Amir Muawiya= .'iii ._?J was born seventeen years before the Hijra, he was junior to Ali bin Abi Talib= .'iii ,.?J by six years. Amir Muawiya's mother Hind bint Utba was first married to Faka bin Mughira Quraishi. Faka once doubted his wife's chastity. He kicked her and ultimately turned her out of his house. That became a topic of discussion among the people. Hind's father Utba asked his daughter. "What is the matter? Tell me clearly. If Faka is justified in accusing you, I shall tell somebody and he will kill him and we shall be saved from dishonor. However, if he is a liar and slandered you unnecessarily,

Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) we shall refer this affair to a soothsayer." Hind swore many times to prove her innocence and refused the allegation absolutely. When Utba was convinced of his daughter's innocence, he compelled Faka bin Mughira to take his tribe Banu Makhzoom with him and go to a soothsayer in Yemen. Similarly Utba bin Rabia too, along with a few persons of Abd al-Manaf, Hind and a friend of hers, set out. They reached the soothsayer and requested him to attend to the affair of those two women. The soothsayer first went to Hind's friend and striking at her both shoulders said: "Stand up". Then he came to Hind and struck her also, and said "Stand up. You have neither done a bad deed nor committed adultery and you will give birth to a king whose name will be Muawiya." Hearing this Faka caught hold of his wife's hand but the latter pulled away her hand away with a jerk and told him that if she was to give birth to a king, he would not be from his seed. So, after the proof of her impeccability she severed her relation with him. Abu Sufyan bin Harb then married Hind and Muawiya was born. Abu Sufyan was not more than forty when Muawiya was born. Abu Sufyan was ten years older than the Prophet ~- Right from his childhood Amir Muawiya-= 1, ~J had some indications of the future by virtue of which he was called the 'Charo (Kisra) of the Arabs'. He was chiefly known for his wisdom, good management, love of peace and moderation. He was tall, fair complexioned, handsome and strongly built. When the Prophet :;t saw him, he said, "This is the Charo (Kisra) of Arabia. The day Muawiya-= 11 ~J leaves the world, you will see that lots of heads will be severed from their bodies." In the last days of his life, Amir Muawiya's belly bulged a little. He used to read the Khutba while sitting on the pulpit. This mode of address of sitting was started by him. He was a well-read man. On the day of the Conquest of Makkah he came with his father, Abu Sufyan, and embraced Islam at the age of twenty five and remained with the Prophet ~ until the latter's death. He accompanied him on the expedition of Hunain and the siege of Taif also. After that when the Prophet ~ came to Makkah, performed Umara and proceeded to Madinah, Amir Muawiya= ..'l,1 ._?J Came Madinah and was appointed as one of the recorders of the revelation. Apart from recording the The History of Islam revelation, he on behalf of the Prophet j/j; used to entertain and make arrangements for the board and lodging of foreign delegates. After the Prophet's death when Abu Bakr=- 11 ,._,.;,1 sent Amir Muawiya's brother Yazid bin Abu Sufyan -= 11 ,?1 to Syria with an army, he gave Amir Muawiya '-'-" 11 ,._,.;,1 a division and put him in charge of supplying aid to him. In the Syrian expedition, his performance was extremely marvelous and a good indication of his abilities and he impressed all by his acts of valor. Umar bin Khattab '-----'-'- 11 ~; made him the permanent administrator of Jordan. When Sahabas like Abu Obeida and Yazid bin Abu Sufyan died of the plague of Amwas, Umar bin Khattab -= 11 ,._,.;,; appointed him the ruler of Damascus, the jurisdiction of his brother. Jordan and other districts were included under his government. When Umar bin Khattab-= 11 ,._,.;,; went to Bait al-Maqdis (Jerusalem), Amir Muawiya-= 11 ,?1 accorded a reception for him and acompanied him. Umar bin Khattab '-----'-'- 11 ~ 1 objected to Amir Muawiya =- 11 ,._,.;,; saying, "You have adopted the royal way of living and I have heard, you have assigned door keepers." Amir Muawiya ~ 11 ~ 1 said, "The Syrian borders always remain in danger of incursion by the Roman soldiers and attack. Their spies keep roaming throughout Syria. I think the external pomp and grandeur is necessary to keep the Roman emperor and the Christians in awe and the door keepers keep the Roman spies at bay. 11 Satisfied with this answer Umar bin Khattab '-----'-'- 11 ~) no longer questioned him. Amir Muawiya "--"' 11 ,._,.;,; sought his permission for launching a naval attack on Constantinople and the capture of the islands in the Mediterranean Sea. But Umar bin Khattab = 11 ,._,.;,; did not allow him to do so. When Uthman bin Affan = 11 ,?; became caliph after Umar bin Khattab = 11 ,._,.;,1 , he made Amir Muawiya 11 ,._,.;,; -= the governor of Syria and all the adjoining areas. He permitted him to prepare a navy and extended his powers. Amir Muawiya .w11 ,._,.;,1 captured Syria and considerably strengthened the Islamic rule there, kept the Roman emperor in terror and awe of him and did not give the Christians a chance to attack the Islamic territories. What transpired between him and Ali bin Abi Talib '-----'-'- 11 ...,---:,,1 after the martyrdom of Uthman bin Affan '-----'-'- 11 ~ ;, has been discussed in Volume 1 of this book, there was a truce between Amir Muawiya ,._,.;,1

Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) ~ .'ii, and Imam Hasan= .'ii, ;.r"J· Till the month of Rabia al-Awwal 41 Hijra, the entire Islamic world took ba'it (Arabic for the swearing of allegiance) at the hands of Amir Muawiya= .ii, <,P"J and Imam Hasan accepted him as the caliph. Up to that time, Amir Muawiya= .'ii, ..r"J had been the governor of Syria for twenty years. After becoming caliph and emperor of the whole Islamic world, he remained alive for twenty years more. The total period of his rule was forty years. In the first half of the forty years, he was a ruler of a province or Governor and in the second half, he ruled as caliph or emperor. I have recorded in detail his conditions, circumstances and important events in the first volume. From this point, we have to consider him as Caliph for the events in the second half of his rule and hence he has been named caliph in the following text. Virtues and Habits Amir Muawiya ~ .'ii, <,P"J has narrated 163 Ahadith (Traditions which afterwards were in turn narrated by Sahabas like Ibn Abbas, Ibn Umar, Ibn Zubair, Abu Darda r+<- .'iii ..r"J and Tabeyeens (those who saw the companions of the Prophet but not the Prophet himself) like Ibn ul-Musayyib and Humaid bin Abdur Rahman ..'ii1 L ... ,--.... > Many traditions are popular about his greatness. Tirmidhi, under the caption 'Traditions of Hasan' has written that the Prophet ?i said "O Allah! Make Muawiya (-= .'ii, <,P"J ) the guide and the guided." It is recorded in Musnad Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal that the Prophet ~ said, "O Allah! Teach Muawiya ("------"' .'iii ~ J ) calculation and save him from punishment." Amir Muawiya .__;.,. .'iii ..r"J himself says. "I hoped to be caliph the moment when the Prophet ~ told me that when you become a king, treat people with kindness." Amir Muawiya's-= ..'ii1..r"J patience and common sense was proverbial. Once after performing Hajj during his caliphate he came to Madinah and stayed there for a few days. One day when Abdullah bin Mohammad bin Aqil bin Abi Talib ,__;.;. .i,1 ..r"J was sitting with Amir Muawiya= .iii ,,?J, Abu Qatada Ansari = .'ii, <,P"J also arrived. Seeing him Amir Muawiya= .'ii, <.i"_J said, "All came to meet me except Ansari." Abu Qatada = .'ii, cr'J said, "We have no means of communications and so we could not come." Amir Muawiya = .i,, <,P"J said, "What about your camels?" He said," All our The History of Islam camels have got tired by following you and your father." Then he began to say, "I have heard the Prophet ~ say that a time would come when people would prefer the undeserving to the deserving." Amir Muawiya '---'-" .11 ~_) said, "Then, has the Prophet ~ said something about how to act in such a situation?" Abu Qatada = .11 ,._,.;,,_) said, "The Prophet ~ has said about such a situation that the people should be patient." Amir Muawiya= .11 ,._,.;,,_) said, "Then have patience." A young man from the Quraish went to Amir Muawiya= .11 ,._,.;,,_) and started abusing him. Hearing his unbecoming language Amir Muawiya ~ .11 ,._,.;,,_) said, "O my nephew! Desist from this misbehavior because a king's anger is like a child's but his accountability in like a tiger's." Sha.bi has said, that there are four wise men among the Arab: Amir Muawiya Amr bin Al-Aas, Mughira bin Shoba and Zeyad r+-" .11 c.?J· Muawiya for his patience and common sense, Amr bin Al-Aas for the capacity to solve knotty problems if suddenly encountered, Mughira for maintaining his cool and Zeyad in all small and big matters. Similarly there are also four Qadis (Judges) Umar bin Khattab, Ali bin Abi Talib, lbn Masood and Zaid bin Thabit r+-" .11

Caliphate of Banu Umayyah (First Phase) l. I used to guard my secrets while Ali bin Abi Talib ~ 11 ~; disclosed every thing to the people.