ভূমিকা

Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books The Role of Aisha in the History of Islam (volume 3) Part One : a Glance At the Life of Mu'awiyah Mu'awiyah was the son of Abu Sufyan and fiend and was nicknamed 'Abd ar- Rahman.

According to the most common historical narrations, he seemed to apparently embrace Islam after the capture of Mecca, and in the 12th year of the Hijrah when Abu Bakr dispatched an army to ash-Sham under the command of Yazid, the other son of Abu Sufyan, to fight the Romans, Mu'awiyah accompanied his brother as a banner-bearer of the army.

Yazid, Abu Sufyan's son, died of plague in the year 18 of the Hijrah; in 'Amwas6, and appointed his brother, Mu'awiyah, as commander of the army, a nomination that was accepted and signed by the caliph. During the caliphate of 'Uthman who was of the Umayyads and a cousin of Mu'awiyah, many lands were annexed to the dominion governed by him, and 'Uthman placed ash-Sham under his rule which to-day comprises Lebanon, Syria, Palestine and Jordan.

Thus for nineteen years Mu'awiyah governed ash-Sham in peace and tranquility. But after this period when Imam 'Ali assumed the position of caliph, Mu'awiyah rebelled against and disobeyed him. He rose with the deceptive claim of avenging 'Uthman's blood, and entered the region of Siffin with a huge army. The Imam collected an army of the Emigrants, Ansar (helpers) and other Muslims to suppress him and proceeded to Siffin to confront him.

The two armies faced each other in the month of Dhu al-Hijjah of the year 36 of the Hijrah, and during one hundred and ten days ninety skirmishes took placed between them, and finally when the victory of the Imam's army seemed certain, 'Amr ibn al-'As suggested to resort to trickery, which was carried out by the order of Mu'awiyah. Soldiers were ordered to stick a copy of the Qur'an on their spearheads, inviting the Imam and his army to the arbitration of the Qur'an.

This trick carried a considerable emotive effect on the army of ash- Sham and the simple-minded people of Kufah who faced the Imam to accept peace with their brothers-in-faith! The war thus ended, and then the arm of Kufah, contrary to the view of the Imam, chose Abu Musa al-Ash'ari as their arbitrator, while Mu'awiyah nominated 'Amr ibn al-'As to act as arbitrator on behalf of himself and his army.

These two arbitrators came together to the land of Dumat al-Jandal in the month of Ramadan of the year 38 of the Hijrah to negotiate.