Mu'awiya I

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 of the Umayyad Caliphate, ruling as the first caliph of the Umayyad dynasty from 661 until his death in 680. During Mu'awiya's reign, the Arab empire conquered much of North Africa, as well as Khurasan and Sijistan. Constantinople, the capital of the Byzantine empire, was also besieged. During the last years of his caliphate, Mu'awiya nominated his son Yazid as his successor.

Legacy

He is mentioned in the Maronite Chronicle. Sunni Muslims consider Mu'awiya rightly-guided, and honor him as a noble companion of Muhammad and a scribe of divine revelation.

The Shia believe Mu'awiya to be a tyrant and an enemy of Ali. Ibadis also disapprove of Mu'awiya, and defend the early Kharijite opposition to him. Mu'awiya has nevertheless been the subject of lavish praise in Arabic literature as the ideal ruler.

References

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Bibliography

• 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.