It is reported form Wâthila ibn `Asqar that he said:  I heard the Messenger of Allah (s) saying to Hudhayfa and  Mu`adh [ibn Jabal] , while they were seeking his (s) councel:

«عليكم بالشام،
 فإنها صفوة بلاد الله، يُسكنها خيرَته من خلقه، وإن الله تكفل لي بالشام وأهله»ـ

"Take care of Sham, for she is certainly the purest of Allah's lands. He settles there the best of his creation. And He has made me a care-taker of her and her people"