If Abu Sufyan had been the father of everyone...

If Abu Sufyan had been the father of everyone, all of them would have been great, docile and forbearing men. Sa'sa'ah ibn Sawhan retorted at once: "You are lying Mu'awiyah! Human beings are produced by someone (meaning Adam) who had definitely been better than Abu Sufyan, by a man whom God created with His own hand and by His own power, and into whom He breathed His own spirit, and ordered the angels to prostrate themselves before him.

Nevertheless among his offsprings there appeared good and wicked ones, intelligent and stupid ones, and they were not all the same in character."(128) As we saw, Mu'awiyah was displeased with the stay in ash-Sham of the Prophet's true friends and companions and of such individuals as Abu Dharr and 'Ubadah. Similarly he had no desire that the interpreters and followers of the Qur'an and honest and devout persons should reside in that city.

This matter vexed him so much that these individuals would divulge to the people certain truths, which had been hidden from them, and inform them of divine injunctions, in which case Mu'awiyah could no longer carry on his selfish life in the manner of the tyrants of the time, like Caesars and Kasras. Mu'awiyah after 'Uthman God forbid that I should lake the perverse as my aids.

'Ali ibn Abi_Talib As we have already seen (129) owing to the greed and crimes of the relatives of 'Uthman who had the ruling power behind them, riots and rebellions spread over big Islamic cities, and dissatisfied Muslims placed 'Uthman in straitened circumstances in Medina. This third caliph wrote to Mu'awiyah in the same way that he had written to other governors, asking for help.

He said in his letter: "The people of Medina have resorted to infidelity and disobedience and have violated their allegiance. Let the warriors of ash-Sham mount any kind of animal, and dispatch them to my aid." Mu'awiyah received the letter. He was well aware of the chaotic conditions, and was probably waiting for the death of 'Uthman and his removal as a powerful rival, in order to get one step nearer to the seat of caliphate.

Therefore, despite all his debt to 'Uthman he showed no haste in sending help, and accounted for his negligence by declaring: "I have no wish to oppose all the friends and companions of the Prophet." What a deception and cunningness he displayed!