Masruq narrates from Sayyiduna Mu'adh (may Allah be pleased with him), from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), the like of it.
Abu Dawud said in some copies: This hadith is munkar (rejected); it reached me that Ahmad used to reject this hadith strongly.
Al-Shaykh (al-Bayhaqi) said: What is munkar is only the narration of Abu Mu'awiyah from al-A'mash, from Ibrahim, from Masruq, from Mu'adh. As for the narration of al-A'mash from Abu Wa'il, from Masruq, it is mahfuz (preserved); a group narrated it from al-A'mash, among them Sufyan al-Thawri, Shu'bah, Ma'mar, Jarir, Abu Awanah, Yahya bin Sa'id and Hafs bin Ghiyath. Some of them said "from Mu'adh", and some of them said: "When the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) sent Mu'adh to Yemen", or words to that effect. As for the hadith of al-A'mash from Ibrahim, the correct form of it is as (mentioned).
Hadith Referenceالسنن الكبرى للبيهقي / كتاب الجزية / 18666