al-Aghani 6/355-356, and al-Isti'ab 690.

al-Aghani 6/355-356, and al-Isti'ab 690. And an-Niza' wa at-takhasum 20. the caliphate like a ball to each other. I swear in the name of him to whom Abu Sufyan takes an oath that I have been hoping for a long time to see the caliphate in your hands.

Now you should let your children inherit it." 'Uthman rebuked him for this remark and was very displeased.70 Another narration says: In his old age and when he had lost his eyesight, Abu Sufyan went to 'Uthman's presence and after settling down, he said: "Is there no stranger present who might report our words to others?" 'Uthman said: "No, no one." Abu Sufyan said: "This matter of caliphate is a worldly one, and this government is of the same kind as that of pagan times.

Therefore, it is up to you to make our tribe of Banu Umayyah the administrators of the wide realm of Islam." 71 72 It was in the same period that Abu Sufyan one day passing by the tomb of Hamzah, the martyr of Islam, started kicking the tomb, and said: "Abu 'Amarah, the thing for which we drew our swords yesterday, has fallen into the hands of our children today, and they are playing with it now." 73 Thus we see that Abu Sufyan secured his evil wishes with the caliphate of 'Uthman, such wishes for the fulfillment of which he had made so much effort, and for which many leaders of the Quraysh had been killed, without producing any success, owing to the valor of the Muslims.

But now in 'Uthman's time and after his death, the rule of the Umayyads fulfilled all those wishes. Abu Sufyan died in 'Uthman's time in one of the years between 31 and 34 of the Hijrah, and according to various reports he was between 80 and 90 years of age. But his wife, Hind, had died before him during 'Umar's caliphate.74 Muruj adh-dhahab on Ibn al-Athir 5/465-166. al-Aghani 6/355, and Tahdhib of Ibn 'Asakir 6/407.

In our perusal of the caliphate of 'Uthman and the Umayyads we see that the evil suggestions and Islam-destroying ideas of Abu Sufyan have been carried out word for word by the Umayyads, and governing was made hereditary for the first time by Mu'awiyah, and in Uthman's time the whole realm of Islam was given to the Umayyad house to govern. Description of Nahj al-balaghah 4/51 printed first Egypt. Refer to his account in Usd al-ghabah 5/563. Previous…