They narrated the story of the battle of Uhud when Abu Sufyan...

They narrated the story of the battle of Uhud when Abu Sufyan, father of Mu'awiyah, directed the combat, and his liver eater mother, Hind, ripped open the body of Hamzah, the Prophet's noble and valiant uncle, and bit his liver with her teeth. They narrated how on that day Abu Sufyan cried out: 'Long live Hubal!' (the idol), and then how the men recited a poem of al-Hasan composed in reproach of Hind in which reference was made to the illegitimate birth of Mu'awiyah!

One day they talked of the capture of Mecca and the apparent conversion of Abu Sufyan and his off springs to Islam, and explained why Abu Sufyan had no sincerity towards Islam and took nothing into consideration but the expediency of the time. Then they narrated how the holy Prophet sent Mu'awiyah and his Sons much of the spoils of war as a consolation and softening of their hearts towards Islam, but the efforts of the Prophet to win them over truly to Islam proved to be of no avail.

After embracing Islam Abu Sufyan had declared: "I wish I could mobilize warlike groups against this man!" On the day of battle when in the first hours of combat the Muslims retreated, Abu Sufyan said to his friends: "The rout and flight of these men will continue as far as the shores of the Red Sea!" On the day of the battle of al-Yarmuk after the Prophet's decease, when he observed the retreat of the Muslims, he cried out: "Long live the Romans!" and when the Romans retreated, he cried out: "Woe upon you!" and at the same time here regretfully recited these lines: "Of the noble Romans and emperors of Rome No single member seems to have remained." All these talks went on during the tyrannical rule of Mu'awiyah, whereas for the Arabs of the Arabian peninsula nothing was so worthy and noble as the memory of their fathers and ancestors and the story of their glory, greatness and courageous deeds.

Arabs loved this, and did their utmost for its sake. Despite all the combats of true Islam against this attitude, it had not lost its force and had not been vanquished. The number of those, who truly followed Islamic verdicts and injunctions and had forgotten those pagan and superstitious ideas and customs, was very small. It is quite clear that Mu'awiyah belonged to this group of notorious Muslims.

During the short period of his association with the Prophet and his stay among the Muslims in Medina, no change of attitude had taken place in him.