English translation
4354. It was narrated from Ḥumaid bin Hilāl: “Abū Burdah narrated to us, he said: ‘Abū Mūsā said: “I came to the Prophet ﷺ, and there were two Ash‘arī men with me, one on my right and the other on my left. They both asked for employment, and the Prophet ﷺ remained silent. Then he said: ‘What do you say, O Abū Mūsā?’ or ‘O ‘Abdullāh bin Qais?’ I said: ‘By the One Who sent you with the truth! They did not tell me what was on their minds, and I did not realize that they would ask for employment.' It is as if I can see his Siwāk beneath his lip which had receded. He said: 'We will never appoint anyone over our work who seeks it. Rather you should go, O Abū Mūsā (or O 'Abdullāh bin Qais).'" So he sent him as governor to Yemen, then he sent Mu'ādh bin Jabal after him. He said: "When Mu'ādh came to him, he dismounted and he threw a pillow to him. There was a man there in chains, and he said: 'What is this?' He said: 'This man was a Jew who accepted Islam, then he reverted to his religion, his bad religion.' He said: 'I will not sit down until he has been executed in accordance with the ruling of Allāh and His Messenger.' He said: 'Sit down.' He said: 'I will not sit down until he has been executed in accordance with the ruling of Allāh and His Messenger' – three times. So he issued orders that he be executed. Then they spoke about Qiyām Al-Lail (voluntary night prayer), and one of them – Mu'ādh bin Jabal – said: 'I sleep, and I get up (and pray), or I stay up (and pray) and I sleep, and I hope (for the same reward) when I sleep as I hope for when I pray.'" (Sahih)