Chapters
A word from the Persian translator
Preface: aim of the survey and discussion
The lineage of Mu'awiyah: Abu Sufyan and Hind
The Umayyads in pagan times
    Abu Sufyan in the battle of Badr
Abu Sufyan in the battle of Uhud
Hind in the battle of Uhud
Abu Sufyan as leader in the battle of al-Khandaq
Feeling of weakness and proposal of peace
Mecca is captured
    Abu Sufyan and his position in the Islamic community
    Abu Sufyan in the time of the first two caliphs
    Abu Sufyan in the time of 'Uthman
    Mu'awiyah in the time of the Prophet
    Mu'awiyah in the time of the caliphs
    Mu'awiyah and 'Uthman
    Abu Dharr facing Mu'awiyah
    A fable in the history of Islam
    Quranic Memorizers and Interpreters of Kufah in ash-Sham
    Mu'awiyah after 'Uthman
    Siffin, the battlefield scene of right over wrong
    The trickery of Mu'awiyah
    Abu Musa and 'Amr ibn al-'As
    ash-Shami plunderes
    Jariyah ibn Qudamah, a man of the Alawite front
    Two opposing politics
    Mu'awiyah in the time of Imam al-Hasan al-Mujtaba
    Motives for peace
    Cautious treatment of enemies
    Crafty Arabs in the trap laid by Mu'awiyah
    Heavy taxes
    The Shi'ah in torture and molestation
    Governing becomes hereditary and imperial
    Allegiance to Yazid in Basra
    Allegiance to Yazid in ash-Sham
    Allegiance to Yazid in Medina
    Allegiance to Yazid demands victims
    Ceremonies of allegiance to Yazid
    What caused the friendship between 'A'ishah and the Umayyads
41 Gifts of Mu'awiyah
    the influence of 'A'ishah in the rule of the Umayyads
    'A'ishah and Mu'awiyah in reciprocal contention
    Death of Muhammad ibn Abi Bakr
    'Abd ar-Rahman ibn Abi Bakr is poisoned
    'A'ishah is penitent about the battle of al-Jamal
    'A'ishah generosity
    Her family bigotry
    'A'ishah as an eminent orator
    'A'ishah as a well -dressed woman
    'A'ishah's monopoly of verdicts
    Anecdotes in the life of 'A'ishah
    TA brief glance at the life of Mu'awiyah
    Traditional making
    Freed persons and the caliphate
    A cover for inferiority complexes
    The fate of the noble persons who did not co-operate with Mu'awiyah
    Imam 'Ali is cursed on Islamic pulpits
    A group of people refuses to curse
    The ultimate goal of Mu'awiyah
    A tradition from 'A'ishah
    Conclusion and purpose
    Addendum
     

 

 

THE ROLE OF AISHAH IN THE HISTORY OF ISLAM
In the name of God, the almighty

Cautious treatment of enemies

the face of this danger, in view of the difficulties with which he was involved and the dangers, which threatened him from within? He chose the simplest way Out of this difficulty by sending an envoy as representative of the caliph of the Muslims to the emperor of Rome offering one hundred thousand dinars of gold as a tribute to persuade him to recall his army from the frontiers of Islamic lands.(196) What a shame and disgrace!
A similar policy of caution and mildness formed the basis of Mu'awiyah's method of dealing with internal affairs, by which means he intended to reinforce the pillars of his newly-established government.(197)
As for the story of 'Uthman's innocence, which had shaped the cover of his early activities, it was sent down to oblivion after his assumption of power, as if no such matter had ever existed in his life. Ibn 'Abd Rabbih, the great Andalusian scholar, writes: After his assumption of rule, Mu'awiyah came to Medina, and visited 'Uthman's house. 'Uthman's daughter, named 'A'ishah, on seeing Mu'awiyah and remembering her father's assassination began to weep and cried out: Alas for 'Uthman!', hoping that in this way she might remind Mu'awiyah of his claim of avenging her father's blood.
,But against all the emotion and fervor, Mu'awiyah remained cool and said: "O daughter of my brother! The people have entrusted us with the rein of affairs, and we have given them asylum. On the one hand we have concealed our rage under a cover of fortitude, and on the other hand they have hidden their rancor under a veil of abjectness. Each person has a sword with him and knows many friends and supporters. If we break our promise and change our conduct, they, too, will face us in a different manner. In such a case we would not know what our fate would be, and whether the riot and disobedience of the people would end in our favour, or in our loss. I think if our rule remains established and you are treated as the caliph's cousin, it would he better than our losing the government, in which case you would be regarded as an ordinary woman."(198)


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