Hazrat Muavia Aur Tareekhi Haqaiq

In the introduction to the book, author Taqi Usmani outlines the context for writing the book. After describing the importance of the Companions of the Prophet in Islam and the contribution of Mu'awiya I, he writes,

The desire to present the real truth through impartial criticism and review of the allegations and slanders leveled against this oppressed companion had been resonating in my mind for quite some time. In the meantime, the book (Khilafat o Malukiyat) written by the renowned researcher and thinker Maulana Syed Abul Ala Maududi came into the market. In it, he has taken the allegations leveled against Hazrat Muawiyah (RA) from the pages of history and presented them in a new guise. A general fondness and respect for Maulana Maududi's writings and personality already existed among the dedicated workers of the Islamic movement. As a result, serious confusion was created among them and the idea became firmly rooted that Muawiyah (RA) was the main accused in the heinous crime of killing the Islamic Caliphate by the guillotine of monarchy. Such a storm of criticism arose against this oppressed companion everywhere that it seemed; Even Satan himself seemed to be dancing wildly in the joy of unexpected success. In this situation, there was a strong demand for our opinions and statements from different parts of the country. Then, with a painful heart, I decided to take up the pen with the aim of revealing the real truth and very carefully wrote a comprehensive criticism on the "Hazrat Muawiyah" section of the book in question and published it in several installments in the "Al-Balag" magazine edited by me. By the grace of Allah, the criticism article was well received in the right circles and the cloud of doubt was removed from the minds of many. In the face of the continuous requests of my good friends, I am now presenting it to the readers in the form of a book. Therefore, in this book, you will find objective and evidence-based answers to the allegations leveled against Hazrat Muawiyah (RA), as well as a vivid picture of his life and character, qualities and abilities, and a record of the balanced policies and positions of Ahl al-Sunnah wal Jama'at regarding the dispute between the Companions.

At the beginning of the book, the author answers various accusations leveled against Muawiyah. Then, he presents some basic discussions related to the companions and Muawiyah's personal contributions. The answers to various accusations leveled against Muawiyah include: Muawiyah's introduction of innovations, embezzlement of blood money, embezzlement of booty, Umayyad tradition of cursing Ali, granting brotherhood to Ziyad ibn Abihi, arbitrariness of administrators, execution of Hujr ibn Adi, Muawiyah and freedom of speech, nomination of Yazid I, nomination of the next caliph in Islamic law, Yazid in Muawiyah's eyes, the role of Al-Mughira, resorting to falsehood in taking the oath of allegiance, the role of Husayn ibn Ali. Some of the basic discussions include: the court and justice of the companions, the nature of historical narration, the correct assessment of Muawiyah's caliphate. The section on Muawiyah's personal character and contributions includes: Muawiyah's conversion to Islam, close relationship with the Prophet, Muawiyah in the eyes of the Companions of the Prophet, Muawiyah in the eyes of the Tabi'un, brief biography, Muawiyah the ruler, daily activities, tolerance and gentleness, love for the Prophet, unwavering loyalty to the Prophet, simple and unpretentious life, knowledge and wisdom, innocent humor, death of Muawiyah.

The author discusses the opinions of Islamic scholars such as Shah Waliullah Dehlawi, Al-Mawardi, Abu Ya'la ibn al-Farra', Ibn Khaldun, Al-Tabari, Ibn Qutaybah, Ibn Kathir, Al-Dhahabi, Al-Suyuti, Al-Baladhuri, Ibn al-A'rabi, Al-Kamal ibn al-Humam, Ibn Taymiyya, etc. on the nomination of Yazid I by Muawiyah and comes to the conclusion that the nomination of Yazid by the ruling Caliph Muawiyah was quite consistent with Islamic law as well as political wisdom; it was indeed done in the best interest of the Islamic Ummah and no ulterior motive can be attributed to Muawiyah. The best evidence for the legitimacy of Yazid's nomination is found in the Ijma of the Companions and other notable figures of the Ummah.^[6]