Episode 18: Mu’awiya bin Abi Sufyan

It is one of the sharper ironies of Islamic history that the clan which had led the resistance to the young religion went on to found its first dynasty. Umayyad influence swelled under the third caliph, but Mu’awiya was the one to formalize it as the foundation of a dynasty. The first few years of his reign were dedicated to securing his grip on the umma, and he embedded his clan and loyalists in a way that transformed the caliphate. 

Glossary:

• Al Hasan ibn Ali: after his abdication, al Hasan retreated to Medina and held himself to the pledge of allegiance he’d given by staying out of the way politically. Loyalists and sympathizers contacted him more and more as time went on and they chafed under Mu’awiya’s tightening grip on power. He never engaged however, even when the Umayyad governor Marwan tried to goad him publicly.
• Qays ibn ‘Ubada: the prominent son of Medina was an ardent supporter of the Hashemites, but he eventually followed al Hasan’s lead and submitted to Mu’awiya to bring an end to the umma’s disunity.
• Abdallah ibn ‘Amer: Othman’s governor of Basra had distinguished himself during military exploits for the caliphate. He was put in charge of the city once more, but his encore was far less effective, and Mu’awiya eventually had him replaced.
• Marwan ibn il Hakam: Othman’s cousin and confidant was picked to govern the ex-capital Medina. There are many reports of him trying to publicly shame al Hasan, and during this time Marwan’s influence within his powerful clan ballooned considerably.
• Khalid ibn il ‘As: a prominent Umayyad from a different part of the clan. He had taken on official responsibilities during Othman’s time, and his brother Sa’id had governed Kufa until it rebelled against his authority.
• Mughyara bin Shu’ba: the clever dahiya had been a governor in Iraq under both Omar and Othman, and his clever management of those under his charge was exactly what Mu’awiya looked for in a governor. He was key to bringing the consequential Ziyad into the fold, and he ruled Kufa until his death in a plague midway through Mu’awiya’s reign.
• Ziyad ibn Abihi / Abu Sufyan: I really wonder why Mu’awiya went through so much to get Ziyad on board. I’m not sure why he’d be worried about him holding on to some revenue in a fortress far away in Pars, and how would he have known have how competent Ziyad’s administration would be? Whatever the motive was, Ziyad proved himself to be just the right man to transform the unruly canton of Basra into a model city, and he did the same to Kufa when he was charged with it following Mughyara’s death. Then came Bahrayn, and all the lands east of Iraq. Famed for his eloquence, he efficiently administered over half the caliphate until the day he died with a brutality that would sadly be eclipsed by those who came after him.
• Abdulrahman ibn Khalid ibn il Walid: the son of the famous general who first conquered Syria, Abdulrahman was an important general of Mu’awiya’s, both for his skill in war, and his storied father. He was a standard bearer for the Umayyads during the battle of Siffin, and he returned to lead the armies of Homs after the first fitna concluded in their favor.
• Busr bin abi Arta’ah: the earliest savage in Arab memory, Busr was known for his wanton brutality and the pleasure he took in it. He went insane in old age and died during Mu’awiya’s reign.
• Yazid ibn Mu’awiya: son of Mu’awiya and the daughter of the leader of a powerful Syrian tribe, Yazid was the chosen successor. There’ll be a lot more to say about him later, for now he was being assigned prominent roles of leadership to build his reputation.