“Abū Sufyān [is a man](1) who loves distinction.”(2) All of this stemmed from al-Abbās’s affection for Abū Sufyān and the Banū Umayya, since they all belonged to the Banū Abd Manāf.
Indeed, there was even a boundary dispute between Alī and another man(3) from among the Muslims. Uthmān therefore went out with a retinue that included Muāwiya to inspect the boundary. Muāwiya took the initiative and asked about one of its markers:
“Was this here during Umar’s rule?”
They replied, “Yes.”(4)
He said, “Had this been unjust, Umar would have changed it.” Muāwiya thus came to Alī’s defense in that proceeding. Alī was not present; rather, he had appointed Ibn Jafar to represent him. [Alī](5) used to say, “Legal disputes entail grave perils(6), and Satan attends them.” He had appointed Abd Allah ibn Jafar to represent him in the litigation.
Al-Shāfiī and several other jurists cited this as evidence that a representative may be appointed in a legal dispute without the opposing party’s consent. This is the position of al-Shāfiī and [the followers of] Ahmad(7), as well as one of the two opinions in Abū Hanīfa’s school.
When they returned, they told Alī what had happened. He asked:
“Do you know why Muāwiya did that?”