Farwah bin Nawfal al-Ashja'i says that Sayyiduna Ibn Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Indeed, Mu'adh was an (entire) nation, devoutly obedient to Allah and upright." I said to myself: Perhaps Abu Abd al-Rahman (Ibn Mas'ud) has made a slip, for Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, has said (in the Qur'an): "Indeed, Ibrahim was a nation, devoutly obedient to Allah" [Surah al-Nahl: 120] . He (Ibn Mas'ud) asked: "Do you know what ummah and qanit mean?" I said: "Allah knows best." He said: The "ummah" is one who teaches goodness, and the "qanit" is one who is obedient to Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him); and Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) was just like that: he was a teacher of goodness, and he was obedient to Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him).

Masruq narrates from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that he said: "Indeed, Mu'adh was an (entire) nation and devoutly obedient." The narrator says: A man from the tribe of Ashja' named Farwah bin Nawfal said: "He has forgotten; that (verse) is about Ibrahim (peace be upon him)." Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Who has forgotten? We used to liken him (Mu'adh) to Ibrahim (peace be upon him)." Then Abdullah was asked about the ummah, and he said: "A teacher of goodness"; and qanit means "one who is obedient to Allah and His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas'ud (may Allah be pleased with him) that when the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away and the people chose Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) as caliph, Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) was at that time in Yemen, where the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had sent him (as governor). Then Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) appointed Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) as leader for the Hajj season, and he met Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) in Makkah, who had some slaves with him. Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "Who are these?" Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Some of these were given to me as gifts, and some are for Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him)." Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said to him: "My view is that you should take them all to Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) (and hand them over to him)." The next day Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) met him and said: "O Ibn al-Khattab, last night I saw in a dream that I was falling into the Fire and you were holding me by the waist, and I think I will indeed obey you." So he brought those slaves to Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) and said: "These were given to me as gifts, and these are for you." Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "We have left your gift for you." Then Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) went out for the prayer and saw those slaves praying behind him. Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) asked: "For whom are you praying?" They said: "For Allah, the Mighty and Majestic." Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "Then you belong to Allah (and are free)," and he set them free. This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it.

Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) addressed the people and said: "Whoever wishes to ask about the Qur'an, let him go to Ubayy bin Ka'b; whoever wishes to ask about the lawful and the unlawful, let him go to Mu'adh bin Jabal; whoever wishes to inquire about the obligatory shares of inheritance, let him go to Zayd bin Thabit; and whoever wishes to ask about wealth, let him come to me, for I am its treasurer." This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Ka'b bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) that Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) was a forbearing and generous young man, and he was among the best young men of his people. He would not keep anything back for himself, until he kept on borrowing and the burden of debt engulfed all his wealth. So he came to the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), and he (peace and blessings be upon him) spoke to his creditors. If they had been willing to give up their right for anyone's sake, they would have let Mu'adh off his debt for the sake of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). But (when they did not do so) the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sold all his property and paid off his debt, until Mu'adh was left with nothing. This hadith is sahih (authentic) on the condition of the two Shaykhs (Bukhari and Muslim), but they did not record it.