Ṣaḥīḥ al-Bukhārī & Ṣaḥīḥ Muslim

Jābir ibn Samurah (may Allah be pleased with him) reported: The people of Kufa complained to ‘Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) about their governor Sa‘d (ibn Abi Waqqās) (may Allah be pleased with him). He dismissed him and appointed ‘Ammār as their governor. They lodged many complaints against Sa‘d and even alleged that Sa‘d does not know how to perform the prayers properly.

‘Umar sent for him and said: "O Abu Is'hāq, those people claim that you do not pray properly." He replied: "By Allah, I used to lead them in prayer exactly as I learnt from the Messenger of Allah (may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him). I prolong the first two Rak‘ahs of the ‘Ishā' prayer and shorten the last two." ‘Umar then said: "That is what I thought of you, O Abu Is'hāq." Then he sent a man (or more) with him to Kufa to ask the people about him.

This man went there and did not leave any mosque without asking about Sa‘d.

All the people praised him till he came to the mosque of the tribe of Banu ‘Abs; where a man called Usāmah ibn Qatādah, with a surname of Abu Sa‘d, stood up and said: "Since you asked, I am bound to tell you that Sa‘d never marched with the armies, nor did he ever divide the spoils of war fairly, nor was he ever fair in delivering justice regarding legal verdicts." This complaint reached Sa‘d and he said: "By Allah, I shall make three supplications: O Allah, if this slave of Yours is a liar and got up for showing off and speaking boastfully, then prolong his life, make him poor for the rest of his life, and afflict him with trials." This person suffered, following the invocation of Sa‘d and would tell people he was an old man subjected to trials because of Sa‘d’s invocation.

‘Abd al-Malik ibn ‘Umayr, who narrated from Jābir ibn Samurah, said: "I saw this man afterwards in such a state that his eyebrows were shaggy and had fallen over his eyelids, because of old age; and he used to wink at young girls as they pass by in the roads.”