Then, after the Prophet accepted his pledge of allegiance, he became a good Muslim, and nothing but good was known of him thereafter. He was held in high esteem by his subjects during his military campaigns. Indeed, the hostility of others among the pardoned Meccans had been even fiercer than his, including Safwān ibn Umayyah, Ikrimah ibn Abī Jahl, Suhayl ibn Amr, Abū Sufyān ibn Harb, and others; yet all of that passed away.

As Allah Most High says:

“It may be that Allah will bring about affection between you and those of them whom you have regarded as enemies. Allah is All-Powerful, and Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

[Surah al-Mumtahanah: 7]

Thus, He brought about an affection between those people and the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—that effaced (1) that enmity. Allah has power to turn hearts, and He is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful. Allah forgave their former misdeeds because of the good deeds with which they replaced them (2). He is the One who accepts repentance from His servants, pardons evil deeds, and knows what you do.

[Response to the Rāfidī’s Remarks About Uthmān’s Governors—may Allah be pleased with him]

As for his statement (3):

“The official commanding his troops (4) was Mu‘āwiyah ibn Abī Sufyān, the governor of Syria; the governor of Kufa was Sa‘īd ibn al-Ās (5), followed by Abd Allah ibn Āmir; and al-Walīd ibn Uqbah was the governor of Basra.”

The response is as follows:

As for Mu‘āwiyah, Umar ibn al-Khattāb appointed him in place of his brother Yazīd ibn Abī Sufyān when the latter died. Uthmān—may Allah be pleased with him—then appointed him over all of Syria, and his manner of governance was