Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan

These pages are not merely a biography of Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan, nor a narration of his history, nor a record of his deeds. Rather — as Al-Aqqad himself says — they are an appreciation of him and a fair judgment of both historical and human truth. The rise of the Umayyad state and the end of the era of the Caliphate were not passing events, but ones that had lasting echoes and consequences. The study of Muawiya's character — as the founder of this state upon the ruins of the Caliphate — as...