It is narrated from Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) mounted a donkey of his called Ya'fur, whose halter was of palm fibre, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Mount, O Mu'adh." I said: Go ahead, O Messenger of Allah. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Mount." So he (peace and blessings be upon him) seated me behind him. Then the donkey fell with us, and the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) got up laughing. Then he mounted a second time and said: "Mount." So I mounted, and the donkey went on with us for as long as Allah willed. The narrator said: He (peace and blessings be upon him) reached his hand back and struck my back with a whip - or a stick - that he had with him, and said: "O Mu'adh, son of Umm Mu'adh, do you know what the right of Allah over people is?" I said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The right of Allah over His servants is that they worship Him and do not associate anything with Him." Then he went on for as long as Allah willed, then reached his hand back and struck my back and said: "O Mu'adh, son of Umm Mu'adh, do you know what the right of the servants over Allah is when they do that?" I said: Allah and His Messenger know best. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The right of the servants over Allah is that He admits them into Paradise when they do that."
Hadith Referenceالمعجم الكبير للطبراني / باب الميم / 17276
Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) said: I was with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) when he (peace and blessings be upon him) went on the expedition of Tabuk. One night he (peace and blessings be upon him) travelled through the night and we travelled with him (peace and blessings be upon him). Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) prayed Fajr and we prayed with him (peace and blessings be upon him). Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) set off early in the morning and we set off with him (peace and blessings be upon him). The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) kept going until the companions of the caravan scattered here and there, while the she-camels grazed along the way as they walked, and he (peace and blessings be upon him) had a Najrani cloak on him. My eye fell on the nose-ring of the she-camel of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) while he (peace and blessings be upon him) was asleep, and I thought that (revelation) was about to descend upon him (peace and blessings be upon him). While I was like that, my she-camel let out a cry, which unsettled her, and her foot twisted, and the she-camel of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was startled by its stumble. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) woke up, turned and saw me, and said: "O Mu'adh!" I said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Come close." So I came close. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said this three times, so I came so close that the two mounts touched each other. Then I said (what was in my heart): There is a matter in my heart that has been troubling me and making me ill. I have not asked you about it, nor have I heard anyone ask you about it. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Ask me, O Mu'adh." I said: O Messenger of Allah, tell me of a deed that will admit me into Paradise. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Bakh, bakh (excellent)! You have asked about a tremendous matter, yet it is easy: that you testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establish the prayer, give the zakah, and worship Allah alone." Then I turned to him (peace and blessings be upon him) again and began asking. I said: O Messenger of Allah, which deed is best? Prayer after prayer? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No, though that too is a good thing." I said: O Messenger of Allah, (voluntary) zakah after the obligatory zakah? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No, though that too is a good thing." I said: O Messenger of Allah, (voluntary) fasting after the obligatory fasting? He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No, though that too is a good thing." He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Shall I not tell you, O Mu'adh, of the head of this matter, its pillar and its peak?" I said: Yes, O Messenger of Allah. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "The head of this matter is that you testify that there is none worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger; its pillar is establishing the prayer and giving the zakah; and its peak is jihad in the path of Allah. By the One in whose Hand is my soul, the feet and face of a servant have never been covered with dust in a deed more excellent than this." Then he narrated the full hadith.
Hadith Referenceالمعجم الكبير للطبراني / باب الميم / 17277
Abdur Rahman bin Ghanm (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Sayyiduna Umar bin al-Khattab (may Allah be pleased with him) appointed Sayyiduna Mu'adh bin Jabal (may Allah be pleased with him) as governor over Sham, and wrote to him: Give the people their stipends, and go out on campaign with them. Once, while he was giving the people their stipends - and this was towards the end of the time - a man from the countryside came and said: O Mu'adh, order my stipend for me, for I am a man of the countryside from such-and-such a place; perhaps I may reach my family before nightfall. He said: No, by Allah, I will not give to you until I have given to these - meaning the people of the city. I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: "All the prophets will enter Paradise forty years before Sulayman bin Dawud. The poor among the Muslims will enter Paradise forty years before their rich. The righteous slaves will enter Paradise forty years before the others. And the people of the cities will enter Paradise forty years before the people of the countryside, because of the virtue of the cities, the congregations, the Friday prayers and the circles of remembrance. And when a trial comes, they (the city people) are singled out for it rather than them (the country people)."
Hadith Referenceالمعجم الكبير للطبراني / باب الميم / 17278