Muawiyah’s honor must be protected

Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan was a legitimate Companion of the Prophet whose status all major Sunni hadith scholars affirmed, so criticizing him as corrupt or hypocritical violates the creed of Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah.

The khutbah in 7 steps

1. Muslims belong to Ahl al-Sunnah wal-Jama'ah, a name given by Umar ibn Abd al-Aziz to distinguish those who honor the Prophet and the Sahaba
2. The Sahaba have ranks, from Ashraf al-Mubashshara and the Badri Sahaba down to those who accepted Islam after the conquest of Makkah
3. Muawiyah is wrongly criticized today; he was a Sahabi, and Hasan ibn Ali pledged allegiance to him, uniting the Ummah for twenty years
4. Major hadith authorities, Bukhari, Muslim, Tirmidhi, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Nasa'i, Ibn Hajar, Dhahabi, and Ibn Kathir, affirmed Muawiyah's companionship
5. Umar appointed Muawiyah governor of Syria, and evidence from the known hypocrites list shows he was not a hypocrite
6. Muawiyah's rule was just: he submitted to a qadi's ruling against him and honored the children of the Sahaba
7. Correct aqeedah is decisive for salvation; listeners should avoid stray social-media speakers and follow recognized Ahl al-Sunnah scholars