Response to: Ibn Muljim (la) was Muawiya’s Follower

The following is a response to the article on ShiaPen entitled: Ibn Muljim (la) was Muawiya’s Follower, which can be found here.

Due to the short length of the article, we will share the whole thing for the benefit of the readers:

The name of Khawaja Nizamuddin Auliya (1238 – 1325 AD) needs no introduction. He wass a famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order in India. A book called ‘Fawaid al-Fawad’ contains statements of Khawaja Nizamuddin Auliya. While he was discussing the death of Ali bin Abi Talib (as), one of his adherents asked him about Ali (as)’s killer Abdul Rehman Ibn Muljim:

“A person asked him whether Abdur Rehman was a Muslim. He replied: ‘Yes he was a Muslim and had went on Muawiya’s side’
Fawaid al-Fawad, page 362

The twelvershia.net team does not place reports of thirteenth century Sufi saints above the views of the classical historians like Ibn Sa’ad, Al-Tabari, and those like them.

Furthermore, there is a clear narration in both Sunni and Shia books that contradicts this view:

وفي سنة أربعين اجتمع بمكة جماعة من الخوارج، فتذاكروا الناس وما هم فيه من الحرب والفتنة. وتعاهد ثلاثة منهم على قتل علي ومعاوية وعمرو بن العاص، واتفقوا أن لا يتراجع رجل منهم عن صاحبه الذي يتوجه إليه حتى يقتله، أو يقتل دونه. ومن هؤلاء عبد الرحمن بن ملجم المرادي.

“In the year 40, a group of Khawarij gathered in Makkah, who spoke about the people and the wars and the Fitna. Three of them agreed on killing `Ali, Mu`awiyah, and `Amr bin Al-`Aas, they agreed to not come back until they have killed them or are killed in the process. Among those were `Abdul-Rahman bin Muljim.”

This opinion is shared by the Shi`ee historian Nasr bin Muzahim in his book Waq`at Siffeen (p. 261). Al-Mufeed in Al-Irshaad also mentions the same details and attributes it to other earlier historians like Abu Mikhnaf, Abu `Amr Al-Thaqafi,  Isma`eel bin Rashid, and Abu Hisham Al-Rifa`ee.

In other words, this is a clear narration that is reported by Shia historians, who do not share the opinion the Ibn Muljim was on the side of Mu`awiyah, but rather state that Ibn Muljim accompanied a group of people who wanted to kill Mu`awiyah and they almost succeeded.