One of the common objections regarding the personality of Sayyiduna Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan, may Allah be pleased with him, is that he is not counted among the scribes of revelation (those who wrote the Quran and Hadith).
Regarding Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, being a scribe of revelation, we find three types of narrations in the collections of Hadith:
First Type
These are the narrations in which it is mentioned that Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, was a scribe of the Prophet ﷺ (whether he wrote revelation or letters is not mentioned).
❀ First Evidence: It is narrated from Abdullah ibn Abbas, may Allah be pleased with both of them, that Abu Sufyan, may Allah be pleased with him, presented some requests before the Noble Prophet ﷺ, one of which was:
…ومعاوية تجعلُه كاتبًا بين يديك، قال: نعم
Translation: "Appoint Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, as your scribe." The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Alright."
Reference: (Sahih Muslim: 2501)
❀ Second Evidence: Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As, may Allah be pleased with both of them, says about Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him:
وَكَانَ كَاتِبَهُ
Reference: (Musnad Ahmad: 2651)
Translation: Sayyiduna Muawiyah was a scribe of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.
Second Type
These are the narrations in which the writing of letters and correspondences is explicitly mentioned. In the hadith of Sunan Abu Dawood, it is mentioned that when two companions came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ with a request, the Prophet ﷺ not only ordered to write to Muawiyah but also, when Muawiyah رضي الله عنه wrote it, the Prophet ﷺ affixed his seal and ordered that this document be referred to both parties. See:
Reference: ( Sunan Abu Dawood: 1629 )
Third Type
These are the hadiths in which the writing of revelation is mentioned. Abdullah bin Abbas رضي الله عنهما says:
وَكَانَ يَكْتُبُ الوَحْيَ
Reference: ( Dala'il al-Nubuwwah by Al-Bayhaqi: 6/243 )
Translation: Sayyiduna Muawiyah رضي الله عنه was the scribe of the revelation.
The narrations mentioning these three types are authentic.
As far as the meaning and understanding of these narrations are concerned, there is no question of contradiction or inconsistency. Contradiction would arise only if one narration affirmed something and another narration denied the same. For example, if one hadith stated that Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) was a scribe of the correspondence, and another hadith stated that Sayyiduna Muawiyah was not a scribe of the revelation, then there would be grounds for objection. Here, however, Abdullah bin Abbas clearly states that Sayyiduna Muawiyah was a scribe of the revelation.
Therefore, the correct understanding of the above texts and narrations is that Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) should be accepted as a scribe of both the Prophet’s (ﷺ) correspondence and revelation; otherwise, one would have to reject one type of narration. For this reason, in the light of these texts, the consensus of the pious predecessors is that Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) is counted among the scribes of the revelation.
Even if it is accepted that Sayyiduna Muawiyah رضي الله عنه was only the scribe of the letters, this is sufficient proof of his excellence, because being a scribe of letters requires being trustworthy and reliable, as many important matters depend on these letters. If the responsibility of correspondence is entrusted to a person who is not trustworthy, there is a risk of significant disruption.
As for the letters of the Prophet ﷺ, there were different types; some letters were sent to non-Muslim kings and rulers with the purpose of inviting them to Islam, and since religion is the name of Allah’s revelation, the writing of such letters would be considered the writing of revelation.
The second type consists of letters sent from a worldly and political perspective, such as appointing someone as the governor of a region or sending a letter to the commander of an army during a jihad campaign.
It was such a unanimously accepted matter that Sayyiduna Amir Muawiyah رضي الله عنه was a scribe of revelation that the pious predecessors not only mentioned this issue in the books of creed but also transmitted consensus (complete agreement) on it.
Statements of the Imams of the Salaf
❀ Imam Ahmad was asked about his opinion regarding the person who says that he does not accept Muawiyah رضي الله عنه as a scribe of revelation. He said:
هَذا قَوْلٌ سُوْءٌ رَدِيءٌ، يُجانَبُونَ هَؤُلاءِ القَوْمِ، ولا يُجالَسُونَ، ونُبَيِّنُ أمْرَهُمْ لِلنّاس
Reference: ( السنہ للخلال:2/434 )
Translation: This is an extremely bad and rejected statement. People should avoid those who hold such a belief. One should not even sit with them. The general public should be warned against such people.
❀ Imam Abu Bakr al-Ajuri says:
مُعاوِيَةُ كاتبُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ عَلى وحْيِ اللَّهِ وهُوَ القُرْآنُ بِأمْرِ اللَّهِ عز وجل
Reference: ( الشريعة:2428/5 )
Translation: (Muawiyah رضي الله عنه is a scribe of the revelation sent down to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, and (what he wrote) is the Qur'an by the command of Allah عزوجل).
❀ Imam Ibn Battha al-‘Ukbari writes in his book
Reference: (الإبانة الصغرى)
:وتترحم على أبي عبد الرحمن معاوية بن أبي سفيان،أخي أم حبيبة زوجة رسول الله، خال المؤمنين أجمعين وكاتب الوحي
Reference: ( الإبانة الصغرى:177 )
Translation: And pray for mercy for Abu Abdur-Rahman Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan رضي الله عنه who is the brother of the honored wife of the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم, the Mother of the Believers Umm Habibah, the maternal uncle of the believers, and the scribe of the revelation.
❀ Abu al-Qasim al-Asbahani says:
وأن مُعاوِيَة بن أبي سُفْيان كاتب وحي اللَّه وأمينه، ورديف رَسُول الله ﷺ وخال المُؤمنين
Reference: ( Al-Hujjah fi Bayan al-Mihjah:1/248 )
Translation: And there is no doubt that Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan رضي الله عنه is the scribe of Allah’s revelation and the trustee of the revelation. He rode behind the Noble Prophet صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم on his mount and is the maternal uncle of the believers.
❀ Allama Ibn Qudamah says:
ومعاوية خال المؤمنين، وكاتب وحي الله، أحد خلفاء المسلمين
Reference: ( Luma'at al-I'tiqad:39 )
Translation: Muawiyah رضي الله عنه is the maternal uncle of the believers, the scribe of Allah’s revelation, and one of the caliphs among the Muslims.
Statements of the Historians
Historians have also specifically mentioned that Sayyiduna Muawiyah رضي الله عنه was a scribe of the revelation in their accounts.
❀ Allama Ibn Asakir
Reference: (Tarikh Dimashq)
says:معاوية بن صخر أبي سفيان بن حرب ……خال المؤمنين، وكاتب وحي رب العالمين، أسلم يوم الفتح
Reference: ( Tarikh Dimashq: 59/55 )
Translation: Muawiyah bin Sakhur Abi Sufyan bin Harb….. maternal uncle of the believers, scribe of Allah’s revelation, brought Islam on the day of the conquest of Mecca.
❀ Hafiz Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, introduced him in his book
Reference: (Al-Bidaya wa'n-Nihaya)
as follows:هُوَ مُعَاوِيَةُ بْنُ أَبِي سُفْيَانَ صَخْرِ بْنِ حَرْبِ …..خَالُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، وَكَاتِبُ وَحْيِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِين
Reference: (Al-Bidaya wa'n-Nihaya:146/11)
Translation: Muawiyah bin Sakhur Abi Sufyan bin Harb…… maternal uncle of the believers, scribe of Allah’s revelation.
❀ Allama Ibn Al-Imad
Reference: (Shadharat adh-Dhahab)
writes:وكان من دهاة العرب وحلمائها، يضرب به المثل، وهو أحد كتبة الوحي
Reference: (Shadharat adh-Dhahab:270/1)
Translation: You were among the most intelligent and patient people of the Arabs, your examples were cited. You were among the scribes of revelation.
In the light of these solid evidences, it is clear that Sayyiduna Muawiyah, may Allah be pleased with him, being a scribe of revelation is an established fact, and the stance of those who deny this is not based on any authentic evidence. The weakness and deficiency of the statements used in this regard have been clarified by the scholars.
When Hafiz Zahbi mentioned in his books
Reference: (Siyar A'lam al-Nubala)
and
Reference: (Tarikh al-Islam)
with reference to Mufazzal Ghulabi that Sayyiduna Zaid bin Thabit رضي الله عنه was the scribe of the revelation and Sayyiduna Muawiyah رضي الله عنه was the scribe of letters, he refuted this in a critical style by saying:كذا قَالَ؛ وَقَدْ صَحَّ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ قَالَ: كُنْتُ أَلْعَبُ، فَدَعَانِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى الله عليه وآله وَسَلَّمَ وَقَالَ: «ادْعُ لِي مُعَاوِيَةَ» وَكَانَ يَكْتُبُ الْوَحْي
Reference: (Siyar A'lam al-Nubala (3/123), Tarikh al-Islam (4/309))
Translation: He said such a thing, whereas it is established from Ibn Abbas رضي الله عنهما that he said: I was playing when the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم called me and said: (Call Muawiyah to me) and Sayyiduna Muawiyah used to write the revelation.
Similarly, the author of the famous hadith book
Reference: (Mishkat al-Masabih)
, Khateeb Tabrizi, while introducing Sayyiduna Muawiyah says:وهو أحد الذين كتبوا لرسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم، وقيل لم يكتب له من الوحي شيئا إنما يكتب له كتبة
Reference: (Al-Ikmal fi Asma' al-Rijal: 99)
Translation: Sayyiduna Muawiyah رضي الله عنه is among those who used to write for the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم. And it has been said that Sayyiduna Muawiyah did not write any part of the revelation but used to write (letters and messages) for the Messenger of Allah صلی اللہ علیہ وسلم.
Some people who have doubts regarding Hazrat Muawiyah رضي الله عنه's writing of revelation present a logical argument that since Sayyiduna Muawiyah was among those who accepted Islam late, when most of the revelation had already been revealed, therefore his writing was related to letters and correspondence, not revelation. The answer to this can be given as follows:
Points of the Answer
➊ First point:
The term revelation applies to both the Quran and Hadith, so when it is said that such-and-such is a writer of revelation, it means that he is a writer of both the Quran and Hadith. The Prophet ﷺ himself ordered the Companions on more than one occasion to write down Hadith. As in the famous Hadith of Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-As:
اكْتُبْ فَوَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ مَا خَرَجَ مِنِّي إِلَّا حَقٌّ
Reference: (Musnad Ahmad:6510, Sunan Abu Dawood:3646)
Translation: The Messenger of Allah ﷺ commanded Abdullah bin Amr bin Al-As رضي الله عنهما to write! By the One in Whose hand is my soul, nothing but the truth comes out of my mouth.
Similarly, the Prophet ﷺ ordered the Companions to write for Abu Shah:
اكتبُوا لأبِي شاهٍ
Reference: ( Sahih Bukhari: 2434 )
Translation: Write to Abu Shah.
➋ Second point:
Although most of the revelation had been revealed by the time Sayyiduna Muawiyah (RA) embraced Islam, the question arises: Was the guidance of the Shariah not ongoing until the last breath of the Holy Prophet ﷺ?
➌ Third point:
Is it necessary for a person to have written a large portion of the revelation in order to be considered a scribe of the revelation, otherwise, would it not be proven that he was a scribe of the revelation? A person whom Allah, the Lord of the Worlds, has granted understanding of Islam knows very well that Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah is also counted among those who accepted Islam late; was he not the memorizer of most of the Hadiths of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ?
➍ Fourth point:
At the time of Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) embracing Islam, most of the revelation had already been revealed, so the same objection applies to letters and correspondences that most of the letters and correspondences had already been written, so what is the meaning of appointing someone for the writing of letters and correspondences?
Summary of the Matter
The summary of the matter is that Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) being the scribe of revelation is an established fact upon which the Ummah agrees, and those who deny that Sayyiduna Muawiyah was the scribe of revelation do so without any solid evidence.
