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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Role of Aishah in the History of Islam (volume Three) The Quranic Memorizers and Interpreters of Kufah in Ash-sham Mu'awiyah was deeply averse to the stay of the Prophet's great companions in ash-Sham. The clashes of Mu'awiyah were not confined to such men as Abu Dharr. This ungodly man Mu'awiyah, who was the heir of paganism with all its peculiarities came into conflict with anyone who had even slightly discovered the truth of Islam.

Consequently he quarreled violently with the Kufah memorizers and interpreters of the Qur'an, who had been exiled to Sham. al-BaLadhurj, the great historian, writes in his reliable book of Ansab al-ashraf: When 'Uthman dismissed al-Walid from the governorship of Kufah and replaced him by Sa'id ibn al-'As, he ordered the latter to treat the people of that city leniently and try not to confront them as al- Walid had done.

So Sa'id kept the company of the dignitaries and Quranic interpreters of the city and they got together every night, and discussed various matters.(124) One day in this gathering the talk led to the subject of Sawad and al-Jabal (125). Those present preferred the flourishing state and greenness of Sawad to Jabal, and claimed that in the fields and gardens of Sawad all kinds of crops could be found, in addition to date palms.

The city's chief of police said: "I wish these lands belonged to the Emir so that you could own better fields and gardens." Malik al-Ashtar answered: "If your wish is for the Emir, wish him to obtain better fields and gardens than ours. Do not wish him to obtain property. Let us keep ours!" That man said: "What harm does that wish do to you that has angered you?

By God, if he decided and wanted it, he could take possession of all these fields and gardens!" al-Ashtar answered: "I swear to God that even if he decides to take possession of them, he is not capable of it." Sa'id ibn al-'As became angry at these words and said to those present: "The fields and gardens of Sawad under any circumstances belong to the Quraysh." (Meaning the Umayyads and such tribes as Taym and 'Adi who were in Mecca, and not to the Ansar who were originally from Yemen, to which group Malik al-Ashtar and most inhabitants of Rufah belonged.) al-Ashtar answered sharply: "Do you wish to make for yourself and your relatives a fief of the fruits of our wars and what God has granted us?