As for “Mu‘āwiyah ibn Abī Sufyān and others like him” among those granted amnesty who embraced Islam after the conquest of Mecca—such as ‘Ikrimah ibn Abī Jahl, al-Hārith ibn Hishām, Suhayl ibn ‘Amr, Safwān ibn Umayyah, and Abū Sufyān ibn al-Hārith ibn ‘Abd al-Muttalib—these and others became sincere and upright Muslims, by the agreement of the Muslims. None of them was subsequently accused of hypocrisy.

“The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—employed Mu‘āwiyah as a scribe and said: ‘O Allah, teach him writing and arithmetic, and protect him from punishment.’”

His brother Yazīd ibn Abī Sufyān was better and more virtuous than he was. He was one of the commanders whom Abū Bakr al-Siddīq—may Allah be pleased with him—sent to conquer Syria. Abū Bakr gave him well-known instructions while walking alongside him as Yazīd rode. Yazīd said to him, “O successor to the Messenger of Allah, either mount or let me dismount.” He replied, “I shall not mount, nor shall you dismount. I seek Allah’s reward for the steps I take in His cause.”

Another commander was ‘Amr ibn al-‘Ās; the third was Shurahbīl ibn Hasanah, and the fourth was Khālid ibn al-Walīd, who was their commander-in-chief. Then ‘Umar dismissed him and appointed Abū ‘Ubaydah ‘Āmir ibn al-Jarrāh, whom the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—attested to be the trustworthy man of this community, as established in an authentic hadith. Thus, Syria was conquered under Abū ‘Ubaydah, and Iraq under Sa‘d ibn Abī Waqqās.

Then, when Yazīd ibn Abī Sufyān died during ‘Umar’s caliphate, ‘Umar appointed his brother Mu‘āwiyah in his place. ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb was among the most discerning of men, the most knowledgeable about people’s character, and the most steadfast