Question:

Respected Mufti Saheb, please can you advise if it is suitable to keep the name Muawiyah for a boy?

Please also can you provide some background on Muawiyah Radi allahu anhu.

Answer:

When it comes to picking a name for a child, the Asmā Ḥusnā' of Allāh, the names of Rasūl Allāh Ṣallallāh 'Alayh Wa Sallam, the names of the illustrious Ṣaḥābah Raḍi Allāh 'Unhum should be aspired towards.

The status, rank and honor which the Ṣaḥābah Raḍi Allāh 'Unhum had within Islām can never be denied. They were beacons for mankind, of such caliber, that there lies a consensus upon their excellence and nobility. Ḥaḍrat Mu'āwiyah Raḍi Allāh 'Unh was from amongst the great companions of Rasūl Allāh Ṣallallāh 'Alayh Wa Sallam whose favors upon this Ummah cannot be ignored. He was of those Ṣaḥābah Raḍi Allāh 'Unhum who were in the constant companionship of Nabī Ṣallallāh 'Alayh Wa Sallam and he was honored to be counted from amongst those illustrious companions whose responsibility was to write down divine revelations. The supplications on his behalf by Rasūl Allāh Ṣallallāh 'Alayh Wa Sallam are an open declaration of his piety and reliability. Accordingly, it is narrated in Tirmithī, that Rasūl Allāh Ṣallallāh 'Alayh Wa Sallam said:
“O Allāh, make him (Mu'āwiyah) a guide towards righteousness, a person who is guided and make him a means of guidance for others.”

Imām al-Bukhārī R.A has narrated that Rasūl Allāh Ṣallallāh 'Alayh Wa Sallam is reported to have said that Jannah is compulsory upon the first army who will fight a naval battle from amongst my Ummah and Ḥaḍrat Mu'āwiyah Raḍi Allāh 'Unh was the Amīr of the first naval fleet to engage in nautical warfare during the Caliphate of Ḥaḍrat Uthmān Raḍi Allāh 'Unh.

Once our beloved Nabī Ṣallallāh 'Alayh Wa Sallam made the following Du'ā':
“O Allāh! Endow Mu'āwiyah with special knowledge of the Qur'ān and save him from any afflictions.”

Once Abdul Malik Ibn Marwān R.A passed by the grave of Ḥaḍrat Mu'āwiyah Raḍi Allāh 'Unh. He stopped and for a long while he beseeched Allāh Ta'ālā on behalf of its dweller. A person asked, “Whose grave is this?” Abdul Malik Ibn Marwān replied: “It is the grave of such a person whose speech was filled with knowledge and wisdom. If he chose to remain silent, it was due to his tolerance and patience. When he donated, he conferred with his donation independence, and when he engaged in battle, he threw his enemies into annihilation.”

During the caliphate of Ḥaḍrat Mu'āwiyah Raḍi Allāh 'Unh the Islamic empire had expanded upon a total area of 64,065,000 square miles. An imminent western historian by the name of Napoleon once commentated that the Muslims had conquered half of the world in less than fifty years. During, the caliphate of Ḥaḍrat Mu'āwiyah Raḍi Allāh 'Unh the Islamic banner was hoisted at 57,000 new territories. Great cities and nations like, Kabul, Afghanistan, Russia, Cyprus, Rhodes (Greece), Sicily and Sudan etc. were conquered and introduced to Islamic civilization.

The virtues of Ḥaḍrat Mu'āwiyah Raḍi Allāh 'Unh are plenty. Being a Ṣaḥābī is enough. To be able to live in the blessed time of Rasūl Allāh Ṣallallāh 'Alayh Wa Sallam is enough to show someone’s virtue. therefore, it will be suitable to keep the name Muawiyah.

AND ALLAH TAÁALA ALONE IN HIS INFINITE KNOWLEDGE KNOWS BEST

ANSWERED BY: Sohel Randera
CHECKED AND APPROVED BY: Mufti Muhammed Saeed Motara Saheb D.B.
Islamic Date:19 Muharram 1440
English Date: 29 September 2018