Praise be to Allah,
Sufyaan narrated to us from ‘Arm [ibn Deenaar] who said he heard Jaabir ibn ‘Abdullaah say,
Mua’dh [ibn Jabal] used to pray with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be on him) and then he would come to lead us in prayer. (On another occasion Jaabir said that Mua’dh would go to lead his people in prayer.) One night, the Prophet (peace and blessings be on him) delayed the prayer (on another occasion he said that he delayed the (Ishaa’ prayer). So Mua’dh prayed with them and then he went to lead his people in prayer and started to recite Soorat al-Baqarah. A man then withdrew from the people and offered the prayer separately. Someone said to the man, ‘Have you become a hypocrite?’ He replied, ‘No, I haven’t’. Then he went to the prophet (peace and blessings be on him) and said, ‘Mu’aadh prays with you, then he comes back to us to lead us in prayer. Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be on him), we irrigate [our farms] with our camels and we work with our hands. Yet Mu’aadh came to lead us in prayer and recited Soorat al-Baqarah.’ The prophet (peace and blessings be on him) then said to Mu’adh, ‘You are putting the people to trial, Mu’aadh.’ He said this twice. ‘It would have been better if you had recited such-and-such [soorahs]. [Muhammad ibn Muslim] Abu-Zubayr said, “[He told him to recite] Sabbih-isma rabbik-al-a and Wallayli idhaa yaghshaa. We mentioned that to Amr ibn Deenaar and he said that Jaabir did say it.”
(Musnad Ahmad, Vol. 3, p. 308. The isnaad of this Hadeeth is Saheeh according to the conditions set by al-Bukhaaree and Muslim.)
Source:
Thulaathiyyaat Musnad Ahmad ibn Hanbal (may Allah have mercy on him)
Reports of Imaam Ahmad that have only three narrators between him and the Prophet, peace, and blessings be upon him.
Shaykh Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Saalim as–Saffaareenee al–Hanbalee ~(1114 –1188 AH)