Accounting Rulers- An forgotten incident

An incident:

One day, Jariya bin Qudama Al-Saadi (ra) entered to Mu’awiya bin Abi Sufyan (ra) who, at the time, was the head of the Islamic state. Three of the Roman emperor’s ministers happened to be also present. 

Mu’awiya (ra) said to Jariya (ra), "Were you not one of Ali’s (ra) allies in all of his opinions?

Jariya (ra) said, "Leave Ali (ra) aside, for we have not despised him since we loved him, nor have we cheated him since we advised him".

Upon this Mu’awiya (ra) said to him, "Woe to you O Jariya! You must have been lowly in your parents’ eyes, for they called you Jariya [meaning slave girl or maid].

Jariya (ra) replied, "You must have been lowly in your parents’ eyes, for they called you Mu’awiya, the bitch on heat who barked and lured the dogs".

Mu’awiya (ra) shouted, "Shut up you motherless one!"

Jariya (ra) replied, "You shut up O Mu’awiya [he did not say Amir ul Mu'mineen], for I have a mother who bore me for the swords with which we faced you one day. Then we have given you our pledge of allegiance, to hear and to obey, so long as you rule us by what Allah has revealed. So if you fulfil your promise, we fulfil our loyalty to you, and if you fail to keep up your promise, remember that we have left behind us some ferocious men and plenty of armour, they shall not let you abuse or harm them".

Mu’awiya (ra) yelled, "May Allah (SWT) rid us of the likes of you!"

Jariya (ra) replied, "You! [again he did not say Amir of the believers], say something good and be courteous, for the worst rulers are in hell fire".

Jariya (ra) then left, fuming with anger without even asking Mu’awiya (ra) permission to leave.

The three ministers turned to Mu’awiya (ra) and one of them said, "Our emperor would not be addressed by any of his subjects unless the subject were prostrating with his forehead at the base of his throne. If the voice of one of the closest people to him or any of his immediate family were to be raised, they could be cut to pieces, or burnt, so how could this rough desert Arab, with his ill-mannered behaviour, come and threaten you like this? As if he was your equal?

Mu’awiya (ra) smiled then said, "I rule over men, who are fearless of any censurer when it comes to the truth, and all my folk are like this desert Arab, none of them prostrate save to Allah (SWT), none of them keep silent over an injustice and I am no superior, nor better than any of them except in piety. I have said some harsh words to the man and he rightly responded, I was the one who started, thus I am more to blame than he".

Upon hearing this, the senior Roman minister burst out crying, so Mu’awiya (ra) asked the reason why, so he said, "We had thought before today that we were your equals in terms of protection and force, but after witnessing this, I fear that one day you would spread your authority over our empire."

[Tarikh al-Khulafa, as-Suyuti (rh)]