✦ Was Sayyidunā Muʿāwiyah رضي الله عنه a Scribe of Revelation? ✦
Source: Fatāwā Amonpuri by Shaykh Ghulām Muṣṭafā Ẓahīr Amonpuri
❖ The Question
Was Sayyidunā Muʿāwiyah رضي الله عنه among the scribes of revelation (kātib al-waḥy)?
❖ The Answer
Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd:
Yes, Sayyidunā Muʿāwiyah رضي الله عنه was indeed among the scribes of revelation. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ appointed him as a scribe at the request of his father, Sayyidunā Abū Sufyān رضي الله عنه. The scholars are unanimous upon this.
❀ Sayyidunā Abū Sufyān رضي الله عنه requested the Prophet ﷺ:
معاوية، تجعله كاتبا بين يديك، قال : نعم
“Appoint Muʿāwiyah as a scribe before you.” The Prophet ﷺ replied: “Yes, of course.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim, 2501)
❀ Ḥāfiẓ Ibn Kathīr رحمه الله (d. 774H) said:
هذا قدر متفق عليه بين الناس قاطبة
“This matter is unanimously agreed upon among all the people of knowledge.”
(al-Bidāyah wa-al-Nihāyah, 8/355)
❖ Conclusion
It is an established fact that Sayyidunā Muʿāwiyah رضي الله عنه was a scribe of revelation. This is proven from authentic ḥadīth and affirmed unanimously by the scholars.
✿ ھذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب ✿