| Mu'awiya II مُعَاوِيَة بْنِ يَزِيد | |
|---|---|
 | |
| 3rdCaliph of theUmayyad Caliphate | |
| Reign | 683 – 684 |
| Predecessor | Yazid I |
| Successor | Marwan I |
| Born | c. 664 CE Bilad al-Sham, Umayyad Caliphate |
| Died | c. 684 CE(aged 19–20) Damascus, Umayyad Caliphate (present-daySyria) |
| House | Last Sufyanid Caliph |
| Dynasty | Umayyad |
| Father | Yazid |
| Religion | Islam |
| Arabic name | |
| Personal (Ism) | Muʿāwiya معاوية |
| Patronymic (Nasab) | ibn Yazīd بن يزيد |
| Teknonymic (Kunya) | Abū Laylā ابو ليلى |
Mu'awiya ibn Yazid ibn Mu'awiya (Arabic:مُعَاوِيَة بْنِ يَزِيد بْنِ مُعَاوِيَة,romanized: Muʿāwiya ibn Yazīd ibn Muʿāwiya;c. 664–684), commonly known asMu'awiya II, was the third Umayyadcaliph, ruling for less than a year in 683–684.
He succeeded his fatherYazid I as the third caliph and last caliph of theSufyanid line in theUmayyad dynasty. He ruled briefly in 683–684 (64 AH) before he died.[1]
Mu'awiya was born inSyria as the son ofYazid I and an unknown mother from theKalb tribe. She is often confused with Umm HashimFakhitah bint Abi Hisham, mother of Mu'awiya's half-brotherKhalid ibn Yazid.[1]
His father, Yazid died on 11 November 683 in the central Syrian desert town of Huwwarin, his favourite residence, aged between 35 and 43, and was buried there.[2]
Before Yazid I died, he had thebay'ah made to his son Mu'awiya. Mu'awiya succeeded his father inDamascus in 64 AH (November 683 CE), at an age of somewhere between 17 and 23. He was supported by the Kalb tribe, but his authority was likely only recognised inDamascus and southern Syria, withAbd Allah ibn al-Zubayr claiming the caliphate from his base in theHejaz.[1]
Mu'awiya's reign would have lasted for about 20 days to 4 months, but likely no more than 2 months. Given the short span of time, few events were possible, and some of those transmitted may be unreliable political and sectarian fabrications. These include:[1]
What does seem certain, is that Mu'awiya continued his father's policy and remitted a third of the taxes.[5] During his reign, Mu'awiya suffered from ill health and so had to stay in the Umayyad palace (al-Khaḍrā’) in Damascus. His adviserAl-Dahhak ibn Qays al-Fihri took care of practical affairs. After 40 days however, Mu'awiya abdicated from the throne. He said to his family members:'My father was cruel. He massacred the family of the Prophet for the throne. Therefore I curse this throne... give it to whoever you want.'[1]
It is unclear how Mu'awiya died, althoughjaundice and a plague have been named as causes. Since he had no children and either refused[4]: 577 or was not given the opportunity to appoint a successor, the campaigns againstIbn al-Zubayr's revolt came to a complete stop. Umayyad power temporarily collapsed untilMarwan I took back control.[1]
In hisal-Futūḥāt al-Makkiyya,Ibn Arabi claimed that Muawiyya II was a spiritual Pole (Ghawth) of his time and one of the few in history having such a spiritual degree combined with a temporal power, like Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman, Ali. his grandfather Mu'awiya ibn Abi Sufyan and Umar ibn Abdul-Aziz.[6]
{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)Mu'awiya II Born:c. 664 CE Died:c. 684 | ||
| Preceded by | Caliph of Islam Umayyad Caliph 683 – 684 | Succeeded by |
| Caliphs of Damascus (661–750) |  | |
|---|---|---|
| Emirs of Córdoba (756–929) | ||
| Caliphs of Córdoba (929–1031) | ||
[H] indicatesHammudid usurpers | ||
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
