so I offered my greetings and sat down. While I was seated, ʿAlī and Muʿāwiyah were brought in; they were taken into a room and the door was bolted (1) as I looked on. No sooner had they entered than ʿAlī came out, saying, “The judgment has been decided in my favor, by the Lord of the Kaʿbah.” Shortly afterwards Muʿāwiyah emerged, saying, “I have been forgiven, by the Lord of the Kaʿbah.”

Ibn ʿAsākir relates that a man once said to Abū Zurʿah al-Rāzī, “I loathe Muʿāwiyah.” He asked, “Why?” The man replied, “Because he fought against ʿAlī.” Abū Zurʿah retorted, “Woe to you! The Lord of Muʿāwiyah is a Merciful Lord, and Muʿāwiyah’s adversary is a Noble Adversary. What business is it of yours to intrude between them? (may Allah be pleased with them) (2)

Imām Aḥmad was questioned about what transpired between ʿAlī and Muʿāwiyah. He recited: “That was a community that has passed away; theirs is what they earned and yours is what you earn, and you will not be asked about what they used to do” (Qur’an 2:134). Several other early scholars responded in the same way.

Al-Awzāʿī reported that al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī was asked about the dispute between ʿAlī and ʿUthmān. He said, “Each possessed early merits, and each had kin-relation to the Prophet; one of them was tried while the other was spared.” He was then asked about the dispute between ʿAlī and Muʿāwiyah and replied, “Each had kin-relation to the Prophet; one had early merits and the other did not, and both were tested.”

Kulthūm ibn Jawshan narrated that al-Naḍr Abū ʿUmar asked al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī, “Who is superior, Abū Bakr or ʿAlī?” He answered, “Glory be to Allah—there is no comparison. ʿAlī had early merits in which Abū Bakr shared, and ʿAlī initiated later matters in which Abū Bakr did not share; nevertheless, Abū Bakr is the superior.” He then asked, “Is ʿUmar superior, or ʿAlī?” He gave the same preliminary answer and concluded, “ʿUmar is superior.” Next he asked, “Is ʿUthmān superior, or ʿAlī?” He replied in the same fashion and said, “ʿUthmān is superior.” Finally he asked, “Is ʿAlī superior, or Muʿāwiyah?” He responded, “Glory be to Allah—there is no comparison. ʿAlī had early merits in which Muʿāwiyah did not share, and ʿAlī introduced later matters in which Muʿāwiyah did share; ʿAlī is superior to Muʿāwiyah.”

Al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī is also reported to have censured Muʿāwiyah for four things: his fighting against ʿAlī, the killing of Ḥujr ibn ʿAdī, his acknowledgment of Ziyād ibn Abīhi as his own, and his securing the pledge of allegiance for his son Yazīd.

Jarīr ibn ʿAbd al-Ḥamīd narrated from Mughīrah that when news of ʿAlī’s killing reached Muʿāwiyah he began to weep. His wife said, “Do you weep for him when you fought against him?” He replied, “Woe to you! You have no idea what people have lost of virtue, jurisprudence, and knowledge.” [In another narration she said, “Yesterday you fought him, and today you weep for him!”] (3)

I say: ʿAlī was killed in Ramadan of the year 40 AH. Hence al-Layth ibn Saʿd maintained that Muʿāwiyah received the pledge of allegiance at Jerusalem in the Year of Unity and entered Kūfah in the same year. The correct view, however, affirmed by Ibn Isḥāq and the majority, is that he was given the pledge