Intense battles and political struggles in Ramadan’s epic historical drama

 Episode 14 of Muawiyah delivers intense battles and political turmoil.

As the clashes between the two parties fighting for the caliphate grew more intense, the fourteenth episode of the series “Muawiyah” saw dramatic developments rife with political and religious strife, thus vividly capturing the events of a very complicated age in Islamic history.

The episode began with a scenario indicating the degree of fighting among the Muslim troops. As the argument over water grew more heated, Muawiyah intervened forcefully and ordered the dispatch of a message stating, “Leave them alone with the water.” This sequence underlined the psychological and political aspects of the war, in which the utilization of resources underlined pressure to tip the balances in favor of one side over the other.

Regarding Caliph Ali ibn Abi Talib’s position on Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan’s promise of allegiance to him, the council saw fierce arguments and conflicts between supporters and adversaries.

The Byzantine emperor also profited from the continuous strife among the Muslims; word of his intention to invade them caused Muawiyah to convey a severe warning to him: “My cousin Ali and I will make peace and expel him from all his lands.” Although Muawiyah was fighting inside with Ali, this action showed his knowledge of the need to unite the Islamic front against outside dangers.

Ali messaged Muawiyah, suggesting allegiance to him to bring about peace, thereby sparing Muslims from suffering. Muawiyah, however, established a precondition: turning over the assassins of Uthman from Ali’s army, committing loyalty, and following orders.

There were certainly scenes in the show of brutal warfare. The Battle of Siffin began with a series of individual duels between the knights of both sides, most famously the encounter between al-Ashtar from Ali’s army and Habib ibn Maslama from Muawiyah’s army. Abu al-A’war al-Sulami and Qays ibn Sa’d engaged in another duel; Ubayd Allah ibn Umar ibn al-Khattab confronted Mahraz ibn Sahsah; Ibn al-Khattab’s death resulted from this last conflict.

A confrontation between Ammar ibn Yasir and Amr ibn al-As marked the decisive moment, as their individual duels escalated into a full-scale conflict between the battalions of the two armies, a dramatic manifestation of the war that splintered the Muslims and ignited discord among them. As the fighting grew more intense.

Then Muawiyah tried to quell the conflict by messaging Ali so they might gather at the head of their army. They started a furious argument over priorities. Before honoring Ali’s promise of fealty, Muawiyah sought revenge for the murderers of Uthman. “No retribution before the pledge of allegiance,” Ali said sharply. Strongly, Muawiyah answered, “No pledge of allegiance before retribution.”

Revealing the depth of the conflict between the two sides, this sequence was among the most potent in the program. This was a conflict between two fairly distinct conceptions of legitimacy and fairness, not only a political one.

The episode’s most moving sequence—which attracted a lot of comments on social media—showcased the portrayal of the times of war, illustrating how Muslim brothers had grown foes and destroyed one another in a conflict without any clear winner.

The episode ended with a dramatic incident in Caliph Ali’s council whereby several people confronted him with charges about his devotion to Muawiyah. The event resulted in rising council tensions and a fierce argument on the validity of this judgment and its effects for the Muslim country. “You are more dangerous to Islam than the polytheists and hypocrites,” Ali said, closing the scene. Social media viewers continue to express excitement and enthusiasm for the show. One X platform follower posted today: “The best episode in the series. Excellent direction and production help us to feel as though we were there at the Battle of Siffin. The directing was so realistic that seeing the Muslims fighting each other made my world seem oppressive; I thanked God I wasn’t in their period. This episode is truly worth watching a million times. A historical episode and an amazing Saudi production.

The show keeps offering a potent dramatic picture of this historical era that altered the course of the Islamic world.

MBC makes a long-awaited comeback to historical drama with the “Muawiyah” series, one of its biggest Ramadan 2025 projects.

The show depicts Muawiyah ibn Abi Sufyan’s life from his early years until the state’s founding. Along with a number of actors, including Eyad Nassar (Ali ibn Abi Talib), Samer Al-Masry (Umar ibn Al-Khattab), Ayman Zidan (Uthman ibn Affan), and Ghanem Al-Zarli (Yazid ibn Abi Sufyan), Lujain Ismail plays the role. Asmaa Jalal in her first historical experience.

We used Tunisia to film the series, employing the newest visual effects and filmmaking technologies. Under the direction of Ahmed Medhat, it presents an unparalleled historical drama experience.

It shows on Shahid and MBC during Ramadan at 11:00 PM Saudi time.