Virtues and Excellence of Sayyiduna Ameer Mu'awiyah (Radi Allahu Anhu)

1. Sayyiduna Arbadh bin Saariyah (Radi Allahu Anhu) reported that he heard the beloved Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi wa Sallam) supplicating:

اللهم علم معاوية الكتاب والحساب وقه العذاب
O Allah! Teach Mu'awiyah the Book and Math, and protect him from the Punishment.

Musnad Ahmad, Vol. 27, Page 383, Hadith 17152
Sahih Ibn Khuzaymah, Vol. 3, Page 214
Siyar A'laam al-Nubala, Vol. 8, Page 38
Sahih Ibn Hibban, Vol. 16, Page 191

2. In another narration:

اللهم علمه الكتاب والحساب ومكن له في البلاد وقه سوء العذاب
O Allah! Teach him (Mu'awiyah) the Book and Math, and grant him the rule over cities and protect him from the Punishment. [Tabarani, Mu'jam Kabeer, Vol. 18, Page 252, Hadith 628]

3. Hadrat Abd ar-Rahman ibn 'Umayrah (Radi Allahu Anhu) narrates that the Beloved Messenger of Allah (SallaAllahu Alayhi wa Sallam) made a supplication for Hadrat Mu'awiyah (Radi Allahu Anhu):

اللهم اجعله هاديا مهديا واهد به
O Allah! Make him a guide, guided (to the right path), and guide (others) through him.

Jaami' Tirmidhi, Vol. 4, Page 526, Hadith 3842
Musnad Imam Ahmad, Hadith 17926
Tarikh al-Kabeer, Vol. 5, Page 240
Ibn Asakir, Tarikh Damishq, Vol. 59, Page 106

4. Hadrat Abu Idris Khawlani (Radi Allahu Anhu) states that when Hadrat 'Umar (Radi Allahu Anhu) took the leadership away from 'Umayr bin Sa'ad (Radi Allahu Anhu) in the region of Hamas, and gave it to Hadrat Mu'awiyah (Radi Allahu Anhu). The people sarted questioning. To this, Hadrat 'Umar (Radi Allahu Anhu) stated,

"Think good of Mu'awiyah (Radi Allahu Anhu), because I have heard the beloved Messenger of Allah (SallAllahu Alayhi wa Sallam) say in supplication that 'Oh Allah! Let the people be guided through the means of Mu'awiyah'."

Jaami' Tirmidhi, Vol. 3, Page 324
Al-Bidaya wa an-Nihaya, Vol. 8, Page 129

5. Umm Haram al-Ansariyah (Radi Allahu Anha) reported that she heard the Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi wa Sallam) say:

أول جيش من أمتي يغزون البحر مغفور لهم
The first army of my ummah (nation) that invades tha sea, all there sins are forgiven. [Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 2, Page 253, Hadith 2924]

6. Hafidh Ibn Hajar (Alayhir Rahmah) said:

"Muhallab said: In this hadith there is a virtue of Mu'awiyah, because he was the first to invade the sea". [Fath al-Baari, Vol. 6, Page 127]

7. Sayyidah Ayesha Siddiqah (Radi Allahu Anha) narrated that the beloved Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi wa Sallam) supplicated for Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah:

اللهم اهده بالهدى واجنبه الردى، واغفر له في الآخرة والأولى
O Allah lead him (Mu'awiyah) towards the guidance, protect him from the destruction, and forgive him in this wolrd and the hereafter. [Tabarani, Mu'jam al-Awsat, Vol. 1, Page 498, Hadith 1838]

8. The beloved Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said to Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Sayyiduna Umar (Radi Allahu Anhuma) about Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (Radi Allahu Anhu):

أحضروه أمركم وأشهدوه أمركم فإنه قوي أمين
Make him (Mu'awiyah) present in your matters and take him as a witness in your matters for verily, he is prevailing and trustful.

Musnad al-Shamiyyeen, Vol. 2, Page 161, Hadith 1110
Al-Bahr al-Zakkhaar, Vol. 8, Page 433, Hadith 3507

9. Sayyiduna Jibreel (Alayhis Salam) came to the beloved Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi wa Sallam) and said,

يا محمد ، استوص معاوية ، فإنه أمين على كتاب الله ، ونعم الأمين هو
Ya Rasool Allah (SallAllahu Alayka wa Sallam)! make a testament in regards to Mu'awiyah (Radi Allahu Anhu), for verily he is a trustee of Allah's book and a magnificent trustee he is. [Tabarani, Mu'jam Kabeer, Vol. 3, Page 73, Hadith 3902]

10. The beloved and the blessed Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi wa Sallam) said to Sayyidah Umm-e-Habibah (Radi Allahu Anha),

إن الله ورسوله يحبان معاوية
Verily, Allah (Almighty) and His Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi wa Sallam) love Mu'awiyah (Radi Allahu Anhu). [Majma' az-Zawaid, Vol. 9, Page 441, Hadith 15923]

11. Ibn Abi Mulayka narrated that Sayyiduna Abdullah Ibn Abbas (Radi Allahu Anhuma) said,

He (Mu'awiyah) is a faqih (i.e. a learned man who can give religious verdicts).

Sahih Bukhari, Vol. 1, Page 531, Hadith 109
Fath al-Baari, Vol. 7, Page 130

12. When Sayyiduna Ali (Radi Allahu Anhu) returned from Siffin, he said,

أيها الناس لا تكرهوا إمارة معاوية ، فإنكم لو فقدتموها ، رأيتم الرؤوس تندر عن كواهلها كأنها الحنظل
"O People! Do not loathe Mu'awiya's leadership. If you were to lose him, you would see heads parting with their necks like colocynths." [Al-Bidaya wa an-Nihaya, Vol. 8, Page 134]

13. Sayyudina Abdullah Ibn Umar (Radi Allahu Anhuma) said:

ما رأيت بعد رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم أسود - من السيادة – من معاوية ، فقيل : ولا أبوك ؟ قال : أبي عمر رحمه الله خير من معاوية ، وكان معاوية أسود منه
I have not seen a better leader after the Prophet than Muawiya. It was said: Not even your father. He said: My father is better than Muawiya , but Muawiya is a better leader than him”

Al Sunnah lil Khallal, Vol. 1, Page 443
Al-Bidaya wa an-Nihaya, Vol. 8, Page 137
Siyar Al-A'laam Al-Nubala, Vol. 3, Vol. 152

14. Sayyiduna Abdullah Ibn Abbas (Radi Allahu Anhu) said

ما رأيت رجلاً كان أخلق للملك من معاوية
I have not seen a man who is more fit to be a king than Mu'awiyah.

Musannaf Abdur Razzaq, Vol. 11, Page 453, Hadith 20985
Al-Bidaya wa an-Nihaya, Vol. 8, Page 137
Tarikh Damishq, Vol. 62, Page 161

15. Sayyiduna Abdullah Ibn Abbas (Radi Allahu Anhuma) reported that the Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi wa Sallam) told him:

"Go bring Mu'awiyah to Me", because he wrote down Allah's Revelation (Wahi) for the Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi wa Sallam).

Musnad Ahmad, Hadith 2651
Bayhaqi, Dalail al-Nabuwwah, Vol. 6, Page 243

16. Sayyiduna Abdullah Ibn Al-Mubarak was asked: Which of them is better: Mu'awiyah Ibn Abi Sufiyan or Umar Ibn Abdul Aziz? He said:

By Allah, the dust that has entered the nose of Mu'awiya with the Messenger of Allah is better than Umar one thousand times. Muawiya prayed behind the Messenger of Allah. When he said: Sami' Allahu li man hamida (Allah listens to one who praises him i.e when rising from Ruku) Muawiya said: Rabbana wa laka Al-Hamd (Our Lord to you is the praise). What do you want more than this? [Wafiyat al Ayan li Ibn Khalkan, Vol. 3, Page 33]

17. Umm Alqamah narrated that

Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah bin Abi Sufiyan (Radi Allahu Anhuma) came to Madinah and asked for the blanket and hair of the Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi wa Sallam) from Sayyidah Aisha (Radi Allahu Anha) then He (Radi Allahu Anhu) covered himself with the blanket, dipped the hair in water, drank and put on his body. [Ibn Asakir, Tarikh Damishq, Vol. 62, Page 106]

Hadrat Ameer Mu'awiya (Radi Allahu Anhu) made a will that when he dies, people should make him wear the qameez given to him by the Holy Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi wa Sallam) and he also had the trimmed nails of the Prophet (SallAllahu Alayhi wa Sallam) so these to be kept in his mouth and on the eyes.

18. Sayyidunah Qatada (Radi Allah Anhu) said:

If you woke up seeing deeds similar to those of Muawiya, most of you would have said this is the Mehdi. [Al-Sunnah lil Khallal, Vol. 1, Page 438]

19. Hafiz Abul Qasim ibn 'Asakir has documented in Tarikh Dimashq that Imam an-Nasa'i was asked about Mu'awiyah. His reply was:

Islam is like a house with a door. The door of Islam is the Sahaba. Whoever speaks ill of the Sahaba seeks but to harm Islam, just like one who knocks a door to enter a house. As for Mu'awiyah, whoever speaks ill of him seeks to find a way to speak ill of the Sahaba." [Tahdhib al-Kamal, Vol. 1, Page 339]

20. Hadrat Imam-e-Rabbani Mujaddid Alf Thani (Alayhir Rahmah) says:

امام مالک که از تابعین است و معاصر او و اعلم علماء مدینه شاتم معاویه -رضی الله عنه- و عمروبن العباس را بقتل حکم کرده است. چنانچه بالا گذشت. اگر او مستحق شتم می بود، چرا حکم بقتل شاتم او میکرد. پس معلوم شد که شتم او از کبائر دانسته حکم بقتل شاتم کرده و ایضاً شتم او را در رنگ شتم ابی بکر و عمر و عثمان ساخته است. چنانکه بالا گذشت، پس معاویه - رضی الله عنه - مستحق ذم و نکوهش نباشد
Imam Malik, who is amongst Tabiin , and a great scholar of Madinah, he gave fatwa of capital punishment for him who talks ill about Muawiya and Umru bin Aas as we have mentioned earlier. If Muawiya was indeed such a person , than why should he gave fatwa of capital punishment to him who talks ill about him (i.e Muawiyah). So from this we understand that talking ill about him was considered by him amongst the greater sins. From this , we also understand that talking ill about him is like talking ill about Abu Bakr, Umar and Uthman , hence Ameer Muawiyah must not be talked ill about. [Maktubat Imam Rabbani, Vol. 4, Page 251]

21. AlaHadrat Ash-Shah Imam Ahmad Rida Khan (Alayhir Rahmah) states:

Whoever reviles Hadrat Ameer Mu'awiyah is a dog from the dogs of hell. [Ahkam-e-Shari'at, Page 119]

22. Hakim al-Ummah, Mufti Ahmad Yaar Khan Na'eemi (Alayhir Rahmah) says:

One who calls Ameer Mu'awiyah a fasiq is completely out of deen. [Dated: 23/10/1969]