This excerpt is taken from A Research Review of Mirza Muhammad Ali Engineer's Objections and Issues, authored by Haroon bin Shabbir Ahmad, may Allah preserve him, and revised by Fazilat al-Sheikh Maulana Muhammad Rafiq Tahir, may Allah preserve him.
Was the allusion towards Hazrat Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with both of them?
Mirza Sahib has cited Sahih Bukhari, narration number 4108, as a reference for whatever discourse he has presented and says that if it is not in Bukhari, then the punishment for theft is mine, and the punishment for apostasy is mine! He also says that he did not write Bukhari. It is stated that the things you are attributing to Bukhari are indeed written by you because the Bukhari that Imam Bukhari (may Allah have mercy on him) wrote does not mention anywhere that Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) was referring to Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with both) or Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), nor does Bukhari say that Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) committed any disrespect. The full text of Engineer Sahib’s research paper without brackets is as follows; see where the name of Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) appears:
“In Sahih Bukhari, it is narrated that Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with both) said that I went to Umm al-Mu'minin Sayyida Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) while water was dripping from her hair. I said to her: You are well aware of the state of the people; I have no role in this matter now. Umm al-Mu'minin said: You should leave now because people are waiting for you, and I fear that your absence will cause discord and division. Umm al-Mu'minin Sayyida Hafsa (may Allah be pleased with her) insisted on sending him off. Then all the people sat scattered in groups, and Hazrat Muawiyah bin Abi Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him) gave a sermon there and said: Whoever wants to speak on this matter, let him raise his head a little to show himself; surely we are more deserving of him and his father. The narrator of the hadith, Habib bin Muslimah, a Tabi'i, later asked Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with both): O Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar, why did you not respond to him? Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar replied: I intended to open my mouth immediately and respond to Hazrat Muawiyah that the one more deserving than you is the one who fought for Islam against you and your father, but then I feared that I might say something that would spread discord and bloodshed and that my words might be misunderstood. So I recalled in my mind the heavenly blessings prepared by Allah. The narrator Habib bin Muslimah said: ‘Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar saved both his life and his honor.’”
Therefore, it does not appear in Sahih Bukhari’s narration that Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) disrespected Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him); rather, this is found only in your brackets. Then watch Engineer Sahib’s videos where he himself is inconsistent on this matter, sometimes saying the reference was to Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), and sometimes saying it was to Hazrat Umar or Ali (may Allah be pleased with both)! So if there were a clear narration stating what Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) meant, would there be room for such doubt?
The correct view is that he (may Allah be pleased with him) did not refer to either of them. In the commentary of this Sahih Bukhari narration, Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) writes:
قِيلَ أَرَادَ عَلِيًّا وَعَرَّضَ بِالْحَسَنِ وَالْحُسَيْنِ وَقِيلَ أَرَادَ عُمَرَ وَعَرَّضَ بِابْنِهِ عبد الله وَفِيه بعد لِأَنَّ مُعَاوِيَةَ كَانَ يُبَالِغُ فِي تَعْظِيمِ عُمَرَ ۔
“It has been said that Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) meant Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) and was alluding to Hazrat Hasan and Husain (may Allah be pleased with both), and it has also been said that he meant Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) and was alluding to Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with both), but this is very unlikely because Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) was very respectful towards Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).”
Reference: (Fath al-Bari:404/7)
If the evidence is examined, Hafiz Ibn Hajar’s statement is correct and absolutely right.
Regarding Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), Imam Abdul Malik bin Abdullah, known as Imam al-Haramayn (d. 478 AH), states in his book on beliefs:
وَمُعَاوِيَة وَإِن قَاتل عليا فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ لَا يُنكر إِمَامَته وَلَا يدعيها لنَفسِهِ وَإِنَّمَا كَانَ يطْلب قتلة عُثْمَان رَضِيَ اللهُ عَنْهُ ۔
“Although Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) fought against Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), he never denied his Imamate nor sought the caliphate for himself; rather, he demanded the killers of Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him).”
Reference: (Luma’ al-Adillah fi Qawa’id Aqidat Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama’ah:129)
Imam Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
ولم ينكر معاوية قط فضل علي واستحقاقه الخلافة ۔
“And Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) never denied the virtue of Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) nor his right to the caliphate.”
Reference: (Al-Fasl fi al-Milal wal-Nihal:124/4)
It is authentically narrated that the venerable Tabi’i Abu Muslim al-Khawlani (may Allah have mercy on him) asked Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him):
أنت تنازع عليا! أم أنت مثله؟ فقال: لا والله إني لأعلم أن عليا أفضل مني وأحق بالأمر مني، ولكن ألستم تعلمون أن عثمان قتل مظلوما، وأنا ابن عمه، وإنما أطلب بدمه، فأتوا عليا فقولوا له، فليدفع إلى قتلة عثمان وأسلم له۔ فأتوا عليا فكلموه بذلك، فلم يدفعهم إليه۔
“Regarding your dispute with Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), do you consider yourself equal to him?” Hazrat Muawiyah replied: “By Allah, no! Indeed, I know that Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is superior to me and has more right to the caliphate than I do, but the matter is that do you not know that Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) was unjustly martyred, and I am his cousin and demand his retribution? Go to Ali and tell him to hand over Uthman’s killers to me, and I will pledge allegiance to Ali. So people went to Hazrat Ali regarding this, but he did not hand over the killers to Hazrat Muawiyah.”
Reference: (Tarikh Ibn Asakir:132/59, Siyar A’lam al-Nubala’:523/2)
Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) has declared its chain authentic.
Reference: (Fath al-Bari:86/13)
So, dear sir! You take a vague narration and give a negative impression, calling it a bitter pill, so accept from us a sweet pill: here Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) clearly declared Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) superior to himself and also acknowledged that he deserved the caliphate more than himself. What a humble and clear statement that refutes all the suspicions of the Rafidah (regarding Ali and Muawiyah). They say Muawiyah hated Ali, was an enemy of Ahl al-Bayt, was greedy for the caliphate, and was disrespectful to the caliphs, etc., etc. But what do you learn from his own explanatory statement? These people abandon such clear narrations and cling to vague and ambiguous narrations, which they interpret to prove discord, fights, hatred, and sectarianism among the Companions, using the excuse of truthfulness! However, when clear evidence comes, it is completely wrong to say that Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) insulted Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) by claiming more right to the caliphate than him.
As for Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), it is not correct to assume he was meant either, because there is no explicit evidence for that. Look! Despite differences, Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) considered Hazrat Ali (may Allah be pleased with him), the fourth rightly guided caliph, more deserving of the caliphate than himself, so how could he think that he was better than or more deserving of the caliphate than Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), the second caliph and Amir al-Mu'minin? That was one argument. Now see further evidence that Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) greatly respected Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), followed him, and always considered him superior to himself, as Hafiz Ibn Hajar (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ عَامِرٍ الْيَحْصَبِيِّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ مُعَاوِيَةَ، يَقُولُ: إِيَّاكُمْ، وَأَحَادِيثَ إِلَّا حَدِيثًا كَانَ فِي عَهْدِ عُمَرَ، فَإِنَّ عُمَرَ كَانَ يُخِيفُ النَّاسَ فِي اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ ۔
“It is narrated from Abdullah bin Amir that he said: I heard Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) say: ‘Avoid narrations except those heard during the reign of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), because Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) was a person who greatly instilled fear of Allah in people.’”
Reference: (Sahih Muslim:2389)
Attributing lies to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) is a grave sin, and narrations require great caution. Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) encourages this caution: do not believe every heard narration and pass it on, but the most cautious approach is to accept narrations from the time of Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), because he was very strict and God-fearing in this matter. This proves that Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) was not disrespectful to Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) but honored and respected him, and considered his caliphate and management superior to himself.
عَنْ جَرِيرٍ، أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ مُعَاوِيَةَ يَخْطُبُ، فَقَالَ: مَاتَ رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَهُوَ ابْنُ ثَلَاثٍ وَسِتِّينَ، وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ، وَعُمَرُ، وَأَنَا ابْنُ ثَلَاثٍ وَسِتِّينَ ۔
“It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jarir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that he heard Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) say in a sermon: ‘The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) died at the age of sixty-three, and so did Sayyiduna Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them), and now I have also reached the age of sixty-three.’”
Reference: (Sahih Muslim:6099)
Although Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) lived during the times of Hazrat Ali and his brother Uthman (may Allah be pleased with them), why does he specifically mention Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) after the Prophet (peace be upon him)? This means that in his view, after the Prophet (peace be upon him), the greatest and ideal personalities in this Ummah were Abu Bakr and Umar. In the commentary of this narration, Mulla Ali Qari (may Allah have mercy on him) writes:
أَيْ: وَأَنَا مُتَوَقِّعٌ أَنْ أَمُوتَ فِي هَذَا السِّنِّ مُوَافَقَةً لَهُمْ.........
“That is, Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) meant: ‘And I also expect to die in the same year as the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and the two Shaykhs (Abu Bakr and Umar).’”
Reference: (Mirqat al-Mafatih: 5840)
So those who intend to follow and emulate them even in death, how can they consider themselves more deserving of the caliphate?
عَنْ عَبَّادٍ قَالَ: لَمَّا قَدِمَ عَلَيْنَا مُعَاوِيَةُ حَاجًّا قَدِمْنَا مَعَهُ مَكَّةَ، قَالَ: فَصَلَّى بِنَا الظُّهْرَ رَكْعَتَيْنِ......... فَلَمَّا صَلَّى بِنَا مُعَاوِيَةُ الظُّهْرَ رَكْعَتَيْنِ نَهَضَ إِلَيْهِ مَرْوَانُ بْنُ الْحَكَمِ، وَعَمْرُو بْنُ عُثْمَانَ فَقَالَا لَهُ: مَا عَابَ أَحَدٌ ابْنَ عَمِّكَ بِأَقْبَحِ مَا عِبْتَهُ بِهِ ۔ فَقَالَ لَهُمَا: وَمَا ذَاكَ؟ قَالَ: فَقَالَا لَهُ: أَلَمْ تَعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ أَتَمَّ الصَّلَاةَ بِمَكَّةَ؟ قَالَ: فَقَالَ لَهُمَا: وَيْحَكُمَا، وَهَلْ كَانَ غَيْرُ مَا صَنَعْتُ؟ قَدْ صَلَّيْتُهُمَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَمَعَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ، وَعُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُمَا.........
“It is narrated from ‘Abbad bin Abdullah bin Zubair (may Allah have mercy on him) that when Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) came for Hajj, we accompanied him to Mecca. He (may Allah be pleased with him) led us in two rak’ahs of Zuhr prayer (because shortening the prayer at that time is Sunnah). When Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) led us in two rak’ahs of Zuhr, Marwan bin Hakam and Amr bin Uthman came to him and said: The fault you attributed to your cousin Sayyiduna Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) is the worst fault anyone has ever attributed to him. Hazrat Muawiyah asked them what the matter was. They replied: Do you not know that Hazrat Uthman (may Allah be pleased with him) performed the full prayer in Mecca? Hazrat Muawiyah said to them: I pity you both! What have I done? I only prayed two rak’ahs behind the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and also behind Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them).”
Reference: (Musnad Ahmad:16857)
Its chain is Hasan, and Sheikh Shu’ayb al-Arna’ut also graded it Hasan in Musnad Ahmad’s classification.
Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) followed their footsteps, emulated them, and acted upon their Sunnah. But you are bent on proving him disrespectful. If Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) had only mentioned the Prophet (peace be upon him), it would have been enough, but why did he specifically mention Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) along with the Prophet? Did he only see Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) acting upon this Sunnah? Absolutely not! Although others among the Companions also acted upon this Sunnah, mentioning Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) along with the Prophet (peace be upon him) is actually to proclaim their great and exalted status and the virtue Allah bestowed upon them over the entire Ummah. The Companions (may Allah be pleased with them) used to refer to Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) along with the Prophet (peace be upon him) in any matter.
Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), Abu Bakr, and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) used to start the prayer from الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ.
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari:743)
Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with both) said that the Prophet (peace be upon him) and Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) used to perform the Eid prayer before the sermon.
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari:963)
Hazrat Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) said that the Prophet (peace be upon him), Abu Bakr, and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) did not perform ablution again after eating meat before prayer.
Reference: (Musnad Ahmad:14299, Ibn Majah:489)
Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) said when enforcing the punishment for wine: The Prophet (peace be upon him) gave forty lashes, and so did Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him), and Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) gave the same lashes, and all these acts are Sunnah.
Reference: (Sahih Muslim:4457)
Among all the Companions (may Allah be pleased with them), the most excellent and best after the Prophet (peace be upon him) were Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them). Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with both) said that during the lifetime of the Prophet (peace be upon him), after him, the best in this Ummah were Hazrat Abu Bakr Siddiq (may Allah be pleased with him) and then Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him).
Reference: (Sahih Bukhari:3655, Sunan Abu Dawood:4628)
So Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) was also among the Companions who, like others, considered Abu Bakr and Umar (may Allah be pleased with them) superior to themselves and all other Companions, and this is clear.
It is narrated from Abdullah bin Zakwān (Abu al-Zinad):
أَنَّهُ أَخَذَ هَذِهِ الرِّسَالَةَ مِنْ خَارِجَةَ بْنِ زَيْدِ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ لِعَبْدِ اللهِ مُعَاوِيَةَ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ ثَابِتٍ، سَلَامٌ عَلَيْكَ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَرَحْمَةُ اللهِ فَإِنِّي أَحْمَدُ إِلَيْكَ اللهَ الَّذِي لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَإِنَّكَ كَتَبْتَ تَسْأَلُنِي عَنْ مِيرَاثِ الْجَدِّ وَالْإِخْوَةِ وَإِنَّ الْكَلَالَةَ وَكَثِيرًا مِمَّا يُقْضَى بِهِ فِي هَذِهِ الْمَوَارِيثِ لَا يَعْلَمُ مَبْلَغُهَا إِلَّا اللهُ وَقَدْ كُنَّا نَحْضُرُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ أُمُورًا عِنْدَ الْخُلَفَاءِ بَعْدَ رَسُولِ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَوَعَيْنَا مِنْهَا مَا شِئْنَا أَنْ نَعِيَ فَنَحْنُ نُفْتِي بِهِ بَعْدُ مَنِ اسْتَفْتَانَا فِي الْمَوَارِيثِ ۔
“That he obtained this letter from Zaid bin Thabit, in which it was written: بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ, this letter is from Zaid bin Thabit (may Allah be pleased with him) to the servant of Allah and Amir al-Mu'minin Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him). O Amir al-Mu'minin! Peace and Allah’s mercy be upon you. I praise Allah before you, besides whom there is no deity. As for what follows! You wrote to me asking about the inheritance of grandfather, brothers, and uncle, and many other matters about which decisions are made and whose true knowledge is only with Allah. We used to attend the councils of the rightly guided caliphs when such matters were decided after the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), so we remembered those matters we wished to remember, and if asked about them, we give fatwa accordingly.”
Reference: (Al-Mu’jam al-Kabir al-Tabarani:134/5)
In its chain, one narrator, Abdul Rahman bin Abi al-Zinad, is a narrator of Madani narrations, which are generally Hasan, and this narration is also Madani.
Reference: (Maqalat Zubair Ali Zai: 375,374/4, Al-Silsilah al-Sahihah:1015/7 and 900/1)
. There is also a narration from Sayyiduna Ali bin Abi Talib (may Allah be pleased with him) regarding raising hands when going into and coming out of Ruku’, and the same narrator is in its chain.
Reference: (Sunan Abu Dawood:744, Sunan Tirmidhi:3423)
. Engineer Mirza Sahib presents this narration as proof and calls it authentic.
Reference: Research Paper:8 “Complete Muhammadi Prayer in Light of Authentic Ahadith” p.1
This also proves that Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) used to follow and emulate the two Shaykhs (Abu Bakr and Umar), took their guidance and teachings, and considered Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, and Ali (may Allah be pleased with them) as his leaders in governmental matters.
The famous Tabi’i Imam Muhammad bin Muslim al-Zuhri (may Allah have mercy on him) said:
عَمِلَ مُعَاوِيَةُ بِسِيرَةِ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ سِنِينَ لَا يَخْرِمُ مِنْهَا شَيْئًا ۔
“Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) followed the conduct of Hazrat Umar bin Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) for many years without any negligence.”
Reference: (Al-Sunnah lil-Khallal:683)
Finally, why does Engineer Sahib not present all these authentic narrations? Why is the public only given bitter pills? Tell us! If Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) considered himself superior to these caliphs and more deserving of the caliphate, would he follow their footsteps in governance and keep their conduct before him? He considered Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) his ideal and tried to follow his footsteps, considering him superior to himself. It is unimaginable that he would disrespect him! Therefore, Hafiz Ibn Hajar’s statement is absolutely correct in light of the evidence that the narration in Bukhari under discussion cannot mean Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him); it is very unlikely. Hence, Mirza Sahib’s claim, citing Sahih Bukhari, that Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) insulted Hazrat Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) is utterly false; there is no evidence in Sahih Bukhari for his claim, and our assertion is proven with evidence, not based on anyone’s statement. Alhamdulillah.
When it comes to Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him), Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) also respected the status and virtue of Hazrat Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with both), who was like his son:
عَنْ سَعِيدٍ قَالَ: اعْتَمَرَ مُعَاوِيَةُ، فَدَخَلَ الْبَيْتَ، فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَى ابْنِ عُمَرَ وَجَلَسَ يَنْتَظِرُهُ حَتَّى جَاءَهُ، فَقَالَ: أَيْنَ صَلَّى رَسُولُ اللهِ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَوْمَ دَخَلَ الْبَيْتَ؟ قَالَ: مَا كُنْتُ مَعَهُ، وَلَكِنِّي دَخَلْتُ بَعْدَ أَنْ أَرَادَ الْخُرُوجَ، فَلَقِيتُ بِلَالًا فَسَأَلْتُهُ: أَيْنَ صَلَّى؟ فَأَخْبَرَنِي أَنَّهُ صَلَّى بَيْنَ الْأُسْطُوَانَتَيْنِ ۔ فَقَامَ مُعَاوِيَةُ فَصَلَّى بَيْنَهُمَا ۔
“Saeed bin Amr narrates that when Sayyiduna Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) performed Umrah, he entered the House of Allah, then sent a message to Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with both) and waited sitting for him. When he came, Hazrat Muawiyah asked him: When the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) entered the House of Allah, where did he pray? Abdullah bin Umar replied: I was not with you when you prayed; when I entered, the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) was about to leave. Then I met Sayyiduna Bilal and asked him where the Prophet prayed, and he told me that he prayed between two pillars. Then Sayyiduna Muawiyah stood between those two pillars and prayed.”
Reference: (Musnad Ahmad:23909)
But narrating these narrations is truthfulness, and hiding them is concealing the truth. That is why our fair-minded Engineer Sahib does not present these narrations. These narrations clearly refute all the objections of Mirza Sahib, who tries to label Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) as a disrespectful Companion.
Engineer Sahib also tries to create the misconception regarding Sahih Bukhari’s narration number 4108 that Imam Bukhari included this narration under the chapter of the Battle of the Trench to prove that Hazrat Umar and Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with both) were Muslims in the Battle of the Trench, and their opponents Hazrat Muawiyah and his father Abu Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with both) were disbelievers, and thus tries to give the impression that Hazrat Muawiyah’s reference was to Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with both). However, this is Mirza Sahib’s distortion. How does the fact that Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with both) were Muslims in the Battle of the Trench and Hazrat Muawiyah was a disbeliever prove that Hazrat Muawiyah was referring to Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with both)? The relevance of this narration to the chapter is that Hazrat Muawiyah considered himself the most deserving among those present in the assembly (and the presence of Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) is not proven), and Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with both) wanted to disagree with him by saying that the most deserving are those who fought for Islam against you. Engineer Sahib says: that means Hazrat Ali! So the only thing relevant to the chapter is that in the Battle of the Trench, Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) fought on the Muslims’ side and Sayyiduna Muawiyah and Abu Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with both) on the disbelievers’ side. How does this prove that Hazrat Muawiyah was addressing or alluding to Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with both)?
Therefore, Hazrat Muawiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) did not allude to any particular individual but spoke generally about whoever desired this matter, and he exaggerated for such a person. There is also no evidence that Hazrat Muawiyah knew that Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with both) considered themselves deserving. Engineer Sahib lied by citing Sahih Bukhari.
