Nāfiʿ reported: ʿUmar wrote to Abū ʿUbaydah and Muʿādh, saying, “Seek out upright men, appoint them to the judiciary, and grant them a stipend.”

Ayyūb transmitted—on the authority of Abū Qilābah and others—that a man once passed by a group of the Prophet’s Companions ﷺ and said, “Counsel me.” They began to advise him, and Muʿādh ibn Jabal was the last of the group. He said, “Offer me some advice—may Allah have mercy on you.” The man replied, “They have already advised you without holding back, but I shall summarize the matter for you: Know that you cannot do without your allotted share of this world, yet you are far poorer for your portion of the Hereafter. Therefore, begin with your share of the Hereafter, for as you go about securing your share of this world, it will fall into place—and then it will depart with you wherever you may go.” (1)

Humayd ibn Hilāl (2) narrated—from ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Ṣāmit, from Muʿādh—who said, “I have not spat to my right side since the day I entered Islam.” (3)

Ayyūb ibn Sayyār related—from Yaʿqūb ibn Zayd, from Abū Baḥriyyah: “I entered the mosque of Ḥimṣ and saw a young man around whom people were gathered—his hair was curly and wavy; when he spoke, it was as though light and pearls issued from his mouth. I asked, ‘Who is this?’ They said, ‘Muʿādh ibn Jabal.’” (4)

Ḥarīz ibn ʿUthmān reported, on the authority of a group of elders, from Abū Baḥriyyah, from Muʿādh, who said, “No child of Adam performs a deed that rescues him more effectively from Allah’s punishment than the remembrance of Allah.”

They asked, “Abū ʿAbd al-Raḥmān, not even fighting in the cause of Allah?”

He replied, “Not even that—unless he goes forth with his sword and keeps striking until it breaks—because Allah—