Muḥammad ibn ʿĀʾidh reported—through al-Walīd, Ibn Luhayʿah, and Yūnus—from al-Zuhrī who said:
When ʿUmar reached al-Jābiyah he removed Shurahbīl, ordered ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ to march on Egypt, and left Syria in the hands of two governors, Abū ʿUbaydah and Yazīd. Abū ʿUbaydah later died, so ʿUmar appointed ʿIyāḍ ibn Ghanm in his place; Yazīd also died, whereupon ʿUmar installed Muʿāwiyah. ʿUmar then informed Abū Sufyān of Yazīd’s death and said, “Abū Sufyān, seek your reward with Allah for Yazīd ibn Abī Sufyān.” Abū Sufyān asked, “Whom have you placed in charge after him?” ʿUmar answered, “Muʿāwiyah.” Abū Sufyān replied, “Commander of the Believers, you have maintained the bond of kinship.” Thus Muʿāwiyah [together with ʿUmayr ibn Saʿd] remained over Syria until ʿUmar was killed (1).
Muḥammad ibn Isḥāq said: Abū ʿUbaydah died in the plague of ʿAmwās (2). He was succeeded by Muʿādh, who also died; Yazīd ibn Abī Sufyān then took charge, and when he died his brother Muʿāwiyah assumed the post. ʿUmar confirmed him, appointing ʿAmr ibn al-ʿĀṣ over Palestine and the Jordan, Muʿāwiyah over Damascus, Baʿlabakk and al-Balqāʾ, and Saʿīd ibn ʿĀmir ibn Ḥudh-yam (3) over Ḥimṣ. ʿUmar later united all of Syria under Muʿāwiyah, and ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān kept him in place.
Ismāʿīl ibn Umayyah related: ʿUmar singled Muʿāwiyah out for the governorship of Syria and allotted him eighty dinars each month. The more reliable account, however, is that it was ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān who gathered the whole of Syria under Muʿāwiyah, whereas ʿUmar had only entrusted him with part of it.
Others say: When Hind was offered condolences for Yazīd ibn Abī Sufyān—though he was not her son—she was told, “Muʿāwiyah has been appointed in his place.” She exclaimed, “Could anyone stand in for Muʿāwiyah? By Allah, if all the Arabs came together in full force and he were thrown in among them, he would emerge from whatever quarter (region) (4) he desired.”
Still others report that Muʿāwiyah was once mentioned before ʿUmar, who said, “Leave alone the youth of Quraysh and the son of its chief. He is a man who smiles even when angry; he can only be approached when pleased; and he never takes what stands above his head until he has secured it beneath his feet.”
Ibn Abī al-Dunyā narrated: Muḥammad ibn Qudāmah al-Jawharī told me, ʿAbd al-ʿAzīz ibn Yaḥyā told me, from one of his shaykhs, who said:
When ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb arrived in Syria, Muʿāwiyah met him with a great cortege. As he drew near, ʿUmar asked, “Are you the one with this procession?” He replied, “Yes, Commander of the Believers.” ʿUmar said, “And this is your condition despite what I have heard—that petitioners wait a long time at your door?” He answered, “It is as you have heard.” ʿUmar went on, “Why do you act in this manner? I have almost ordered you to walk barefoot all the way to the Ḥijāz.” Muʿāwiyah replied, “Commander of the Believers, we live in a land teeming with enemy spies. We must therefore display the dignity of authority so that Islam and its people may be honored and the enemy overawed. If you command otherwise, I will obey; if you forbid me, I will desist.” ʿUmar said to him, “Muʿāwiyah, whenever I question you, you leave me gnawing at the pivots of a molar tooth. Yet if what you say is true, it is indeed sound policy…"