Musa bin Ulayy bin Rabah al-Lakhmi narrates from his father that 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; and whoever wishes to ask about wealth, let him come to me, for Allah Almighty has made me a treasurer."

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.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that a son of his died, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) wrote him a letter of condolence: "In the name of Allah, the Most Gracious, the Most Merciful. From Muhammad, the Messenger of Allah, to Mu'adh bin Jabal. Peace be upon you. I praise before you Allah, besides whom there is no god. To proceed: May Allah make your reward great, grant you patience, and grant us and you gratitude. Indeed, our lives, our wealth and our families are among the pure gifts of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, and His trusts placed with us for a time. Allah gave you joy and delight through this son, and has now taken him back from you in return for a great reward. If you seek the reward (from Allah), then blessings, mercy and guidance from Allah are for you, so be patient. Let not your wailing and lamenting waste your reward, so that you come to regret it later. And know that weeping and wailing does not bring anything back, nor does it remove grief, and whatever decree is to descend will surely come to pass. Peace be with you." This hadith is gharib hasan, but Mujashi' bin Amr does not meet the condition of this book.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that one day the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) took hold of my hand and said: "O Mu'adh, by Allah, I love you." I said: "O Messenger of Allah, may my father and mother be sacrificed for you; by Allah, I too love you." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Mu'adh, I advise you never to leave saying after every prayer: 'Allahumma a'inni 'ala dhikrika wa shukrika wa husni 'ibadatik' (O Allah, help me to remember You, to thank You, and to worship You in the best manner)." Mu'adh gave the same advice to al-Sunabihi, al-Sunabihi to Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Hubuli, and Abu Abd al-Rahman gave the same advice to Uqbah bin Muslim. This hadith has a sahih (authentic) chain, but the two Shaykhs did not record it.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) that Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) was among the most handsome of people in face, of the best character, and extremely generous. He fell deeply into debt, until his creditors pursued him, so he hid from them in his house for several days, until his creditors demanded (their dues) from the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) sent for Mu'adh to call him, and he came with his creditors. They said: "O Messenger of Allah, get us our right from him." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "May Allah have mercy on whoever gives him charity." So some people gave him charity, while others refused and said: "O Messenger of Allah, get us our full right." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "O Mu'adh, bear patiently with them." The narrator said: Then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) divided all his property among his creditors, and they received five-sevenths of their original dues. They said: "O Messenger of Allah, sell him to us (as a slave)." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Leave him alone; you now have no way against him." So Mu'adh returned to Banu Salimah. Someone said to him: "O Abu Abd al-Rahman, if only you had asked the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) for something (it would have been better), for today you have become completely destitute." He said: "I was not one to ask him (peace and blessings be upon him)." The narrator said: He stayed for some days, then the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) called him and sent him to Yemen, saying: "Perhaps Allah will restore your condition and pay off your debt for you." So Mu'adh went to Yemen and remained there until the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) passed away. Then he arrived (at Makkah) in the year in which Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) performed Hajj at Makkah, Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) having appointed him (Umar) as leader of the Hajj. The two of them met there on the Day of Tarwiyah, embraced one another, and consoled each other over (the passing of) the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). Then they sat down on the ground talking, and Umar saw some slaves with Mu'adh and asked: "Who are these?" Then he mentioned the same words that I have mentioned earlier.

It is narrated from Khalifah bin Khayyat that the kunyah of al-Fadl bin Abbas bin Abd al-Muttalib bin Hashim was Abu Muhammad. He took part with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) in the campaigns of Makkah and Hunayn, and stood firm when the people turned their backs and fled. He was also present at the Farewell Hajj, and was among those who washed the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) and took charge of his (peace and blessings be upon him) burial. Then he set out for Syria for jihad, and died in the region of Jordan during the plague of Amwas in the year 18 AH, during the caliphate of Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him).