Discovering the betrayal of his black slave girl and the death of Utbah Muawiyah, Episode 20

The events of episode 20 of the series Muawiyah begin when the Caliph discovers that his black slave girl has poisoned his food after being forced to do so under threat from the Kharijites who have detained her son.

This is followed by a scene of the arrest of the foreign instigator who prompted the slave girl to do this, and his imprisonment. In a sharp confrontation between him and the Caliph, Muawiyah exposes the lies of the Kharijites and their extremist ideas, vowing to crush their followers throughout the Islamic state.

Despite his slave girl's betrayal, Muawiyah decides to rescue her son and return him to her, but at the same time, he expels her from the palace as punishment for her actions. This decision reflects Muawiyah's strong personality, as he combines justice and mercy in dealing with those who betrayed him.

On the other hand, with the escalation of sedition and increasing chaos in Basra, Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan consults Al-Ahnaf ibn Qays, the leader of the Tamim tribe, to choose a new governor who would restore stability to the city. Al-Ahnaf advises him to appoint Ziyad ibn Abi Sufyan, which Muawiyah actually decides to do.

In this context, Ziyad succeeded in tightening his grip on Basra, and began his rule by delivering his famous “Petra” sermon in which he threatened anyone who would tamper with the security of the state. He did not stop at threatening, but rather carried out his threat quickly, as his forces were able to impose order in the city.

On the other hand, Muawiyah received the news of the death of his brother, Utbah, the governor of Egypt. Utbah had been his companion since he assumed the rule of Damascus until he became Commander of the Faithful. The news shocked and deeply saddened Muawiyah, as Utbah had been one of the closest people to him throughout his political career.

On the way to Ajar, the situation in Kufa deteriorated after the death of Al-Mughira ibn Shuba, its governor. The Kharijites took advantage of the opportunity to rebel and seize control of the city, spreading chaos and terror among its people. Muawiya did not delay in responding, sending his brother Ziyad ibn Abi Sufyan at the head of an army to retake Kufa.

Thanks to his military strategy, Ziyad succeeds in eliminating the Kharijite rebellion and regaining control of the city.