Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan (RA) was a Sahaabi and founder of the Umayyad Caliphate. He was a confident and competent leader, scrupulous yet fair, and wise beyond his years. This coupled with his impeccable character and devotion to Allah, earnt him the role of leadership over the Muslim world for approximately four decades. During his reign, he achieved great feats including the successful conquest of many lands and territories. Thus, it would be apt to describe him as one of the forgotten heroes of Islam. Nabi ﷺ gave him many glad tidings and duas throughout his lifetime, attesting to his integrity and piety.
Once in his childhood, he was walking with his mother Hind bint Utbah (RA). His foot slipped and Muawiyah (RA) fell. His mother said that wake up quick, otherwise, you won’t wake up – a proverb that was commonly used amongst the Arabs. A man sitting on the side of the pathway observed this. He commented that you are talking to him like this, but I see that this young man will become a ruler over the Arabs one day.
In that era, the Persians and Romans were the superpowers of the world. The Arabs were not regarded as great, nor did they possess any significant power, wealth or influence in the region. His mother responded that I want him to rule over the world. That is greatness, not ruling over the Arabs. Little did she realise at the time that the man was right; Muawiyah (RA) was destined for greatness and his ascension to leadership later proved this statement to be true.
— Shaykh Dawood Seedat حفظه اللّٰه
Above is an extract from Shaykh’s talk on 30/8/19 in Masjid-ut-Taqwa, Pietermaritzburg. To listen to the full talk, please click here.
