Biography of muawiyah

Mu'awiyah I (602 – May 6, 680) was founder of the Umayyad dynasty of Islamiccaliphs. He fought against the fourth caliph, Ali ibn Abi Talib (Muhammad's son-in-law), seized Egypt, and assumed the caliphate after 'Ali's assassination in 661.

He reigned from 661 to 680. His full name was Mu`āwīyah ibn Abu Sufyan.

Because he opposed Ali, whom the Shi'a Muslims believe was Muhammad's true successor, he has been hated and reviled by generations of Shi'a.

Biography of muawiyah

As the first caliph not considered “rightly guided” by Sunnis, and founder of a dynasty that most Sunnis believe represents a movement away from the original ideal in Islam, he is not an especially popular figure among Sunni Muslims either.

Pragmatically, he was a competent administrator, however, and his strong leadership at a time of dissension did preserve the unity of the emerging empire. Non-Muslims were treated fairly. Later, though, Muslims felt that Islam as a faith had been neglected and sidelined