Was Muāwiyah a Scribe of Revelation?

The narrations relied upon by the Sunni sect cannot serve as valid proof that Muʿāwiyah was a scribe of revelation. This is because Muʿāwiyah did not embrace Islam until after most of the Qur’an had already been revealed — that is, after the Year of the Conquest (the 8th year after the Hijra), along with the ṭulaqāʾ (those freed by the Prophet ﷺ).

After examining the available evidence, it becomes clear that Muʿāwiyah’s writing was limited to letters and correspondence sent to various lands. The Prophet ﷺ may have assigned him this role as a form of taʾalluf — to win his heart and incline him toward Islam.

Some of our scholars have indeed discussed this question — whether Muʿāwiyah ever wrote revelation — engaging critically with those who consider it a virtue or honor for him. However, these scholars only do so ad argumentum (for the sake of argument), not because they actually affirm the claim themselves.

Even if we were to grant, purely for argument’s sake, that Muʿāwiyah did write revelation, writing revelation in itself is not a distinction unless it is accompanied by steadfastness upon the true Muhammadan path. It has even been reported (though this requires further verification) that ʿAbd Allāh ibn Ubayy ibn Salūl — the leader of the hypocrites — also wrote revelation. Clearly, writing alone is not an honor unless it is coupled with uprightness. And where are these two men in relation to uprightness? Their actions and words bear witness against them.

Furthermore, to say that someone who once wrote the Qur’an in that era is thereby responsible for the Qur’anic copies we have today is incorrect. The preservation of the Qur’an does not depend on any one individual’s handwriting — rather, it is by Allah’s grace, facilitation, and divine protection.

Indeed, if a person in the past wrote a copy of the Qur’an with his own hand, and that manuscript still exists, it would be accurate to say, for example, “This is the copy of the Commander of the Faithful (ʿAlī, peace be upon him).” Likewise today, we might say, “This is in the handwriting of such-and-such Imam” or “such-and-such scholar.” There is no dispute about that.

But to claim, as some in the Sunni sect do, that since Muʿāwiyah was allegedly a scribe of revelation, he must therefore be the one who wrote the Qur’ans we possess today — this claim cannot stand.