Muawiya Ier

Muawiya Ier or Mu `âwiya ibn Abî Sufyân (rear RTL معاويةبنأبيسفيان) was born in 603. He is the son of the one of the most savage adversaries of the prophet Mohammed: Abû Sufyân ibn Harb . He is the first ommeyyade to carry the title of caliph in 661. He takes this title with `Alî following a mediation between `Alî and him after the Bataille of Siffin. He dies in 680, his son Yazid I {{er}} succeeds to him.

History

His/her father Abû Sufyân ibn Harb converts with the Islam at the time of the catch of Mecque by Mahomet. At this point in time Driven `âwiya and his/her Ziâd brother they convert too.

Its knowledge in letters and mathematics made that it became a time one of the secretaries of the prophet. Then under the caliphate of Abû Bakr his/her Yazîd brother and were engaged to him in forwardings of conquests in Syria. He was named governor of Damas in 638.

Under the reign of the second caliph, `Umar, Mu `âwiya becomes governor of whole Syria.

Under the reign of “Uthman, it carried out forwardings in direction of the Anatolia and island of Cyprus (649). The caliph was assassinated and `Alî succeeded to him.

Aïcha was dissatisfied to see “Ali taking the title of caliph without the agreement of all Umma. With two of her cousins it took Bassora and faced the army of `Ali to the Bataille of the camel (656).

The battle of Siffin

Driven `âwîya prepared to face “Ali. The two armies that of “Ali coming from Koufa and that of Driven `âwîya coming from Damas met on banks of the Euphrate to Siffin (close to Rakka), in the East of current Syria. Face to face of the two armies one month without real combat and in the hope of a conciliation lasted. The two camps counted many casualties and killed. A general attack which lasted two days sees the army of Driven `âwîya to move back. “Amrou, the general of Driven `âwîya uses a trick then: it makes put at the end of the lances of its soldiers a page of the Coran. The soldiers of the army of Ali stop the combat not wanting to fight against the holy book. The army of Driven `âwîya account 80 000 men, that of `Ali 50 000 men, at the end of this attack there is 40 000 killed without counting those which died their wounds in the following days. The two adversaries are appropriate then of an arbitration. This fact is at the origin of the revolt of the kharijites which refuse this arbitration and reproach `Alî for having accepted it (658).

The seizure of power

After this arbitration, `Alî returned to Koufa and Mu `âwîya is made proclaim caliph with Jerusalem in 660. In 661, kharijites organized triple murder of the protagonists of this arbitration. Driven `âwîya in Damas, `Ali in Koufa and the referee of the conflict `Amr in Egypt were to be assassinated the same day. `Ali died of his wounds, Mu `âwîya was wounded and survived and `Amr escaped the attack completely.

Hassan the oldest son of “Ali renonça to any claim on the caliphate in two conditions. The first was that one does not curse any more the name of his father during the prayers with the mosque. This condition was refused by Mu `âwîya which granted only that the name of “Ali is not cursed when Hassan would attend the prayer. The second was that the family of `Alî can take the money of the Treasury of Koufa to her profit, this condition was accepted. Hassan and her family withdrew themselves then with Médine (662).

To affirm its capacity, Mu' awiya rested on Ziyâd called Ziyâd ibn Abî Soufyân following its " adoption like frère" by Mu' awiya - from where the ibn Abî Soufyân - which had given of the order to Bassora vis-a-vis the alides. Driven `âwiya still extended its capacity by giving him the Khorasan. From there, it conquered the Transoxiane. Ziyâd died of gangrene in 673.

Driven `âwiya died in Damas in 680 after having made proclaim his/her son Yazîd Ben Mu `âwîya like successor transforming by there the elective caliphate into hereditary caliphate.

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