Appointing a successor and the counsel of the one in authority

Abdullah bin Sabu' said: It was said to Sayyiduna Ali (may Allah be pleased with him): "Will you not appoint someone as caliph?" He said: "No! I leave you in the same situation in which the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) left you."
Abu Ya'la recorded it, and its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Al-Agharr Abu Malik said: When Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) intended to appoint Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) as caliph, he sent for him and called him. When he came to him, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "I am going to call you to a matter that will weary whoever takes charge of it. O Umar! Fear Allah Almighty through obedience to Him, and obey Him through being mindful of Him, for God-consciousness is a protected thing. Then, after that, there is the matter (of authority): only the one who acts upon it makes it his due. Whoever commands according to the truth but acts according to falsehood, or commands good but does evil, his hopes will soon be cut off and his deeds will be wasted. When you become the custodian of their affairs, then, if you are able, keep your hands free of their blood, keep your stomach clear of their wealth, and keep your tongue away from their honour; do so. And nothing happens without the help of Allah Almighty."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. The narrator al-Agharr did not live in the time of Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him); the rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).

Muhammad bin Sirin said: When Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) took the pledge of allegiance for Yazid, he then came to perform Hajj and passed through Madinah. He addressed the people and said: "We have taken the pledge of allegiance for Yazid, so you too pledge allegiance to him." Then Sayyiduna Imam Husayn bin Ali (may Allah be pleased with him) stood up and said: "By Allah! I have more right to it (the government) than he (that is, Yazid) does, for my father is better than his father, my grandfather is better than his grandfather, my mother is better than his mother, and I am better than him." Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "As for what you mentioned, that your grandfather is better than his grandfather, you have spoken rightly: the Messenger of Allah is better than Sayyiduna Abu Sufyan (may Allah be pleased with him). As for what you mentioned, that your mother is better than his mother, you have spoken the truth in this too: Sayyidah Fatimah (may Allah be pleased with her), the daughter of the Messenger of Allah, is better than the daughter of Majdal (that is, Yazid's mother). As for what you mentioned, that your father is better than his father, your father contended with his father, and Allah Almighty decided in favour of his father against your father. As for what you mentioned, that you are better than him, he is more sensible and more intelligent than you. It would not please me to receive a thousand people like you in exchange for him."
Al-Tabarani recorded it. Its chain contains al-Haytham bin al-Rabi'. Abu Hatim said: He is a shaykh who is not well known. The rest of its narrators are thiqat (trustworthy).