الرحلةThe Journey

معاوية بن أبي سفيان

Mu'awiyah (RA)

Mu'awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan

Also known as: Muawiya, Muawiyah

c. 20 BH – 60 AH · c. 602–680 CE

Companions

Companion and scribe of the revelation, governor of Syria, and founder of the Umayyad caliphate.

Mu'awiyah was the son of Abu Sufyan, the leader of Quraysh at the time of the Opening of Makkah. After accepting Islam he served as one of the scribes who wrote for the Prophet ﷺ. 'Umar appointed him governor of Syria, a post he held for about twenty years; during this time he built the first Muslim fleet.

After the killing of 'Uthman he demanded justice for his kinsman before giving allegiance to 'Ali, which led to the Battle of Siffin. In 41 AH al-Hasan handed rule to him, and he governed as caliph from Damascus for nearly twenty years. Sunni scholars count him among the Companions. His conflict with 'Ali, and his appointment of his son Yazid as successor, which turned the caliphate into a hereditary office, have been widely discussed and criticised.

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Life journey

  1. c. 602 CE Makkah مكة
  2. 630 CE Madinah المدينة
    Became Muslim around the Opening of Makkah; some reports say earlier, in secret.
  3. 639 CE Damascus دمشق
    Died 680 CE · 60 AH
    Governor of Syria from about 18 AH, then caliph from 41 AH with Damascus as his capital.

Places in their life

The Ka'bah in al-Masjid al-Haram, Makkah
The Ka'bah in al-Masjid al-Haram, Makkah
Photo: Adli Wahid (minor modifications by Basile Morin), CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
al-Masjid al-Nabawi, the Prophet's Mosque, Madinah
al-Masjid al-Nabawi, the Prophet's Mosque, Madinah
Photo: TheHadiRahim, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
The courtyard of the Umayyad Mosque, Damascus
The courtyard of the Umayyad Mosque, Damascus
Photo: Vyacheslav Argenberg, CC BY 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources

  • Sahih Muslim (Book of the Virtues of the Companions, on his writing for the Prophet ﷺ)
  • al-Tabari, Tarikh al-Rusul wa al-Muluk
  • Ibn Kathir, al-Bidaya wa al-Nihaya
  • Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani, al-Isaba fi Tamyiz al-Sahaba
Draft, awaiting scholarly review.
A sensitive figure; the bio aims to state the Sunni position and the points of debate neutrally. Please check carefully. Birth year approximate (reports range from about 597 to 605).