The First Naval Jihad and the Participation of Muʿāwiyah (RA)

The First Naval Jihad and the Role of Muʿāwiyah (RA)


Source: Fatāwā ʿIlmiyyah (Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām), vol. 2, p. 257

❖ Question​

Was the first person to lead a naval jihad from the Muslim Ummah Muʿāwiyah (RA)?

❖ Answer​

Al-ḥamdu lillāh, waṣ-ṣalātu wa-s-salāmu ʿalā Rasūlillāh, ammā baʿd!


The Prophet ﷺ said:


“The first army from my Ummah to wage jihad by sea has already made Paradise obligatory for themselves.”
(Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī, ḥadīth no. 2924)

✿ Participation of Muʿāwiyah (RA)​

• Muʿāwiyah ibn Abī Sufyān (RA) was part of this first naval jihad.
• This is confirmed in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī in:
  
  • Kitāb al-Jihād, Bāb 8, ḥadīth no. 2799, 2800

✿ Occurrence During His Rule​

• This naval jihad took place during the caliphate of Muʿāwiyah (RA).
• This is explicitly stated in Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī:
  
  • Kitāb al-Istiʾdhān, Bāb Man Zāra Qawman Faqāma ʿIndahum, ḥadīth no. 6282, 6283

ھٰذا ما عندي والله أعلم بالصواب