As he prohibited the recording and reporting of the Hadith...

As he prohibited the recording and reporting of the Hadith, `Umar ibn al-Khattab granted Mu`awiyah ibn Abi-Sufyan the best opportunity to establish the substitute code of law in the same way as he strengthened the role of the storytellers and the dishonest reporters and encouraged them to fabricate narrations corroborating Mu`awiyah’s personal opinions and attacking the positions of his enemies.

Hence, he ordered those dishonest reporters to fabricate narrations concentrating on the “unfounded” merits of Abu-Bakr, `Umar, and `Uthman.

For example, it has been narrated that `Amr ibn al-`Ās swore before people that he heard the Messenger of Allah saying, “You should recite (the Holy Qur'an) in the same way suggested by `Umar (ibn al-Khattab) and should carry out any command that he would issue!”[^7] Instructing his officials, Mu`awiyah wrote the following message, “Try to find the followers, fans, and adherents of `Uthman (ibn `Affan) as well as those who circulate narrations about his merits and virtues.

If you find them, you should show favor to them, approach, and honor them. Write back to me the narrations that they report in this regard as well their names and the names of their fathers and their tribes.”[^8] When fabricated narrations about the merits of `Uthman circulated among people terribly, Mu`awiyah wrote to his officials, “Narrations about `Uthman have spread out so excessively that it cover each and every province, city, and down.

Hence, after you read this message, I order you to call people to circulate narrations about the merits of the other Sahabah and the first two caliphs (namely Abu-Bakr and `Umar). About all the reports that the Muslims narrate about the merits of Abu-Turab (i.e.

Imam `Ali), you are ordered to contradict all these reports by fabricating opposing ones about the Sahabah.”[^9] This narration has demonstrated the policy of Mu`awiyah who accepted all the Sahabah except Abu-Turab—Imam `Ali ibn Abi-Talib. The matter did not stop at the fabrication of Hadith in the field of the Sahabah’s merit; rather it crept into the field of the jurisprudence.

The following narration, reported by al-Bayhaqiy and Abu-Dawud, proves this matter: Once, Mu`awiyah said to a group of the Sahabah, “Did the Messenger of Allah prohibited riding on saddles made of skins of tigers?” “Yes, he did,” answered they.