Majma al-Zawaid — Hadith 3855

Abu Qilabah narrates: The plague broke out in Syria, and Sayyiduna Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) said: "This is a disease that has befallen, so leave it and scatter into the various ravines and valleys." News of this reached Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him), and he did not affirm the statement of Sayyiduna Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him), and he said: "No; rather, it is martyrdom, and mercy, and the supplication of your Prophet. O Allah, grant Mu'adh and his family their share of Your mercy." Abu Qilabah says: I knew about the martyrdom, and I knew about it being a mercy, but I did not know what was meant by "the supplication of your Prophet," until I was told that one night the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) was praying, and during his supplication he said: "Then let it be fever or plague." He said this three times. When morning came, someone from his household said to him: "O Messenger of Allah, I heard you making a supplication last night." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked: "Did you hear it?" He replied: "Yes." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "I asked my Lord not to destroy my Ummah through famine, and the Lord granted me that. I asked Allah Almighty not to set over them an enemy from other than themselves, and I asked Him not to split them into factions so that they would go about harming one another, but the Lord did not accept it" (the narrator is unsure; perhaps the words are:) "I was refused. So I said: 'Then let it be fever or plague; then let it be fever or plague,'" that is, he said it three times.
Ahmad recorded it. The narrator Abu Qilabah did not meet Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him).