Moawiyah

The Moaviya series claims to be a historical drama, but in reality, it feels more like a political narrative designed to favor one sect while ignoring key historical facts. Unlike series like Omar, Mukhtar Nama, Prophet yusuf (A. S) or Imam Ali, which were based on strong historical research, Moaviya distorts events and characters to push a specific agenda.

One of the biggest issues is its selective storytelling. It glorifies Muawiya while downplaying or misrepresenting other key historical figures. Events like the Battle of Siffin, his conflict with Imam Ali (A. S/R. A), and his role in shaping early Islamic politics are either softened or twisted to create a one-sided portrayal. Instead of presenting history as it was, the series seems to be shaping a new version of the past to fit modern ideological narratives.

The production quality, costumes, and cinematography are impressive, but they cannot hide the fact that the show lacks historical credibility. It prioritizes dramatization over truth, which makes it misleading for viewers who do not know the real history. Unlike Mukhtar Nama, which provided a balanced and well-researched perspective, Moaviya feels like propaganda wrapped in high production value.

If you are looking for an accurate historical series, this is not it. The Moaviya series is more about political messaging than real history, and it does not deserve to be compared to truly great Islamic historical dramas.

4/10 Good visuals, but misleading content.

If I could rate a 0 I would. Muawiyah (May God Curse him) who is also son of Abu Sufian (the cannibal). Abu Sufian and Muawiyah the biggest enemy's of The Prophet and his family (Peace be upon them). This show portrays him as if he never hurt the family of the Prophet (peace be upon them) in the slightest. He is an ENEMY of Imam Ali Ibn Abi Talib (Peace be upon him) fighting him in the Battle of Siffin. He POISONED the grandson of The Prophet (Peace be upon him). Yet he is being portrayed as "uncle of the believers". Please do your research about who somebody really is before the media gives you their representation of who they are.

I was honestly looking forward to this series, but it didn't quite hit the mark for me. The story felt weak overall, and there were a lot of empty spaces in the script-scenes that didn't really add much or just dragged on. It made it hard to stay engaged. The cinematography was decent and there were a few shots that looked pretty cool, but I've definitely seen better in other productions. I feel like they had a big opportunity with this topic, but it wasn't used to its full potential. Not the worst series, but kind of disappointing considering the expectations

Not the worst series, but kind of disappointing considering the expectations.

In short, it just didn't do it for me.

Before watching this series I suggest you read 'Defence Against Disaster' by Qadi Abu Bakr ibn al-'Arabi for a classical Sunni understanding of this period in history - to be able to separate fact from fiction. Here is a summary of Aisha Bewley's translation available from Diwan Press:

Defence Against Disaster - in accurately determining the positions of the Companions after the death of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, by Qadi Abu Bakr ibn al-'Arabi is an unparalleled study of the controversies and trials that arose among the first generations of Islam, starting with the sedition at the time of 'Uthman, may Allah be pleased with him, that led to his murder. It continues right through to the terrible events that brought about the death of al-Husayn ibn 'Ali, may Allah be pleased with him. In the process the author responds with expert critical analysis of the chains of narration of the hadith and traditions pertaining to these events, and defends all of the Companions from the multiple defamations against many of them.

Fatefully, the tradition of Muslim writing and compilation of books began after the time of the Abbasid coup (dawla) and overthrow of the Umayyads, a coup which necessarily entailed the Umayyads being cast as THE villains of Muslim history. Some Abbasid-era historians and later incautious scholars were to set this in concrete as if it were almost a consensus, which has lasted right until our day.

In this work, Qadi Abu Bakr and his commentator Muhibb ad-Din al-Khatib do not recast the Abbasids as the villains, nor are they anti-Alid or pro-Umayyad, as some of the Qadi's less discerning critics have alleged, but rather they restore to us the continuity of those early years from the time of the Rightly Guided Caliphs through the epoch of the early Umayyads, in the process doing full justice to the Companions, particularly the Four Caliphs, and al-Hasan, Mu'awiya, al-Husayn, Ibn 'Umar, and Ibn 'Abbas, may Allah be pleased with them, and refuting slanderous allegations against them individually and as a body.

In our need during this Great Interregnum, after the collapse of the Ottoman polity, to go right back to the roots, the very beginnings in Madina al-Munawwara, and to retrace our story from there to today, this book stands uniquely well placed for that purpose.

Given that the author assumes a command of the source texts and knowledge of the events and personalities involved that is now much rarer than it was, the commentary by Muhibb ad-Din al-Khatib is extremely valuable for the modern reader. He also gives a biography of Qadi Abu Bakr that helps the reader realise the vastness of his scholarship.

15.6 x 23.4 cm. 324 pages

Qadi Abu Bakr (468 - 543 AH/1076 - 1148 CE) was born and grew up in Seville and as a young man travelled with his father in search of knowledge to Egypt, Sham and Iraq, meeting and studying with the greatest scholars alive among whom was Imam al-Ghazali. When he returned to Andalusia, the people of knowledge immediately recognised the immensity of his learning and gathered around him, among them such luminaries as Qadi 'Iyad, author of the Shifa, and Qadi Abu-l-Walid ibn Rushd the great Maliki and grandfather of the philosopher and author of the Bidayat al-Mujtahid.

Muhibb ad-Din al-Khatib (1303 - 1389 AH/1886 - 1969 CE) was born in Syria. He lived through some of the key events of the late 19th and 20th century including the collapse of the Caliphate, and was active both politically and in terms of knowledge and authorship of books.

The show explores a monumental moment in Islamic civilization. However, much of the story is subject to debate rather than established fact, so there is little that can be stated with certainty. The show inevitably takes certain sides.

It was filmed in a beautiful country, Tunisia, offering stunning landscapes and set designs, as well as attractive costumes-perhaps not always historically accurate, but still visually appealing. From an aesthetic standpoint, the show is entertaining.

The acting is good, though not exceptional, with a few standout performances in my opinion-Othman's role, for example, was excellent. Most of the other actors were decent, though Ali's and Moawiya portrayal could have been much better.

Deeper conversations and analysis of the personalities were lacking. Some events were lacking. Some parts were rushed while others were unnecessarily long. Well it's a choice.