Muawiyah (RA)’s leadership was prophesied by none other than Nabi ﷺ. On one occasion, Nabi ﷺ needed to perform Whudu. Muawiyah (RA) brought the whudu water and he began pouring it for Nabi ﷺ. Nabi ﷺ watched closely, deep in thought and reflection. He then said that O Muawiyah (RA), if you are ever given leadership, go easy on the people. Of course by stating ‘when’, Nabi ﷺ was actually prophesying his ascension to leadership during a time of great turmoil.
Muawiyah (RA) stated that from that day onwards, I was worried that I will be tested with leadership. It is important to note his choice of words when describing leadership. He considered it a worry, a test and a concern. In their era, leadership was feared and shunned due to the responsibility that it carried. The Sahaaba (RA) never desired fame or status. Unfortunately, in our era the greed for power has become common and the fear of Allah has become uncommon, due to which power is desired and then wrongfully abused.
After the demise of Nabi ﷺ, Abu Bakr (RA) was appointed as Ameerul Mumineen (leader of the believers). After his demise, Umar (RA) was appointed. In the 19th Hijri he appointed Yazid ibn Abi Sufyaan (RA), the older brother of Muawiyah (RA), as a governor of Shaam – an area that is now known as Syria.
Yazid decided to spread Islam to the territories that are close to Palestine. With this intention, he travelled to those lands to do dawah to their forces. He had a lengthy standoff with them, in which he was interrogated and questioned by the Roman forces. The trip became more tedious than he had initially anticipated. Yazid did not have the time to stay any further, for he was a governor over a large area and his people needed him. With this concern in mind, the mission was aborted, and he returned home. He then left these lands for his brother, Muawiyah (RA), to conquer. Shortly after, Muawiyah (RA) entered those lands, conquered them, and then returned to Shaam victorious.
— 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.
