Musannaf Ibn Abi Shaybah 32583 — Reports on talk about rulers

Huzayl bin Shurahbil (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) addressed us and said: O people! You came and willingly pledged allegiance at my hand. Had you pledged allegiance at the hand of an Abyssinian slave with cut ears and nose, I would have gone with you to pledge allegiance at his hand as well. The narrator said: When he came down from the pulpit, Sayyiduna Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: Do you know what you have done today? You claim that the people willingly pledged allegiance at your hand, and that had they pledged allegiance at the hand of an Abyssinian slave with cut ears and nose, you too would have gone to pledge allegiance with them. The narrator said: Hearing this, Sayyiduna Mu'awiyah (may Allah be pleased with him) climbed the pulpit and said: O people! Is there anyone else more deserving of this matter than I?