Chapter 11: Mu’awiyah Becomes the Caliph
Mu’awiyah Becomes the Caliph:
After Uthman ibn Affan was martyred, Ali ibn Abi Talib became the Khalifah and his caliphate is reported to have lasted five years, nine months and three days.
Ali ibn Abi Talib was martyred in Ramadan, in the 40th year AH.
After his death, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ, Al-Hasan ibn Ali relinquished the caliphate in favour of Mu’awiyah and this happened in the year 41 AH, which is known as the ‘Year of the Reunion’.
Mu’awiyah ibn Abi Sufyan entered Kufa and received the oath of allegiance in the presence of Al-Hasan and Al-Husayn.
From that point onwards, as mentioned in previous episodes, Mu’awiyah led the Muslims for a period of around twenty years.