with good, for I heard the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—say: “Allahumma ihdi bihi (O Allah, guide through him).” Al-Tirmidhi alone recorded the report (1) and judged it gharīb, while ʿAmr ibn Wāqid is weak.

That is how the authors of the Aṭrāf works listed it in the Musnad of ʿUmayr ibn Saʿd al-Anṣārī. In my view, however, it should be traced back to ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb, and the correct wording is that ʿUmar said, “Do not mention Muʿāwiyah except with good,” which would serve as his justification for appointing him.

What supports this is the report in which Hishām ibn ʿAmmār said, “Ibn Abī al-Sāʾib—namely ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn al-Walīd ibn Sulaymān—narrated to us; he said: I heard my father relate that ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb placed Muʿāwiyah ibn Abī Sufyān in office. People objected, saying, ‘He has appointed a mere youth!’ ʿUmar replied, ‘You fault me for giving him authority, yet I heard the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—say: Allahumma ijʿalhu hādiyan mahdiyyan, wa ihdi bihi (O Allah, make him a guide, rightly guided; guide through him).’” This report is mursal (2), but it is strengthened by the preceding narration.

Al-Ṭabarānī said: “Yaḥyā ibn ʿUthmān ibn Ṣāliḥ narrated to us; Nuʿaym ibn Ḥammād narrated to us; Muḥammad ibn Shuʿayb ibn Shābūr narrated to us; Marwān ibn Janāḥ narrated to us, from Yūnus ibn Maysarah ibn Ḥalbas, from ʿAbd Allāh ibn Busr that the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—consulted Abū Bakr and ʿUmar about a matter and said, ‘Ashīrū ʿalayya (Give me your advice).’ They replied, ‘Allah and His Messenger know best.’ He said, ‘Udʿū Muʿāwiyah (Call Muʿāwiyah).’ Abū Bakr and ʿUmar said, ‘With the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—present, and two men of Quraysh here, [will they not manage their affair properly until the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—sends for a lad from among the youths of Quraysh] (3)?’ He repeated, ‘Call Muʿāwiyah for me.’ When Muʿāwiyah stood before him, the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—said: ‘Aḥḍirūhu amrakum wa ashhidūhu amrakum (Involve him in your business, and have him witness your affairs), for he is strong and trustworthy’ (4). Some transmitters related it from Nuʿaym with the addition: ‘wa ḥammilūhu amrakum (and entrust him with your affairs).’

Ibn ʿAsākir then reproduced many unmistakably fabricated ḥadiths lauding Muʿāwiyah. We have set those aside and contented ourselves with the sound, fair, and select reports already cited, leaving the fabrications and rejected narrations.

Ibn ʿAsākir said: “The most authentic tradition concerning Muʿāwiyah’s merit is the ḥadith of Abū Ḥamzah from Ibn ʿAbbās: ‘He was the Prophet’s scribe—peace and blessings be upon him—from the day he accepted Islam.’ Muslim recorded it in his Ṣaḥīḥ (5).

After that comes the ḥadith of al-ʿIrbaḍ: ‘Allahumma ʿallim Muʿāwiyah al-kitāb (O Allah, teach Muʿāwiyah the Book)’ (6).