Sunan an-Nasa'i 4
سنن النسائي#4Sahihأَخْبَرَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى، - وَهُوَ ابْنُ سَعِيدٍ - قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا قُرَّةُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا حُمَيْدُ بْنُ هِلاَلٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو بُرْدَةَ، عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى، قَالَ أَقْبَلْتُ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم وَمَعِي رَجُلاَنِ مِنَ الأَشْعَرِيِّينَ أَحَدُهُمَا عَنْ يَمِينِي وَالآخَرُ عَنْ يَسَارِي وَرَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَسْتَاكُ فَكِلاَهُمَا سَأَلَ الْعَمَلَ قُلْتُ وَالَّذِي بَعَثَكَ بِالْحَقِّ نَبِيًّا مَا أَطْلَعَانِي عَلَى مَا فِي أَنْفُسِهِمَا وَمَا شَعَرْتُ أَنَّهُمَا يَطْلُبَانِ الْعَمَلَ فَكَأَنِّي أَنْظُرُ إِلَى سِوَاكِهِ تَحْتَ شَفَتِهِ قَلَصَتْ فَقَالَ " إِنَّا لاَ - أَوْ لَنْ - نَسْتَعِينَ عَلَى الْعَمَلِ مَنْ أَرَادَهُ وَلَكِنِ اذْهَبْ أَنْتَ " . فَبَعَثَهُ عَلَى الْيَمَنِ ثُمَّ أَرْدَفَهُ مُعَاذُ بْنُ جَبَلٍ رضى الله عنهما .
It was narrated from Abu Burdah that Abu Musa said:"I came to the Prophet (ﷺ) when he was using the Siwak and with me were two men of the Ash'aris - one on my right and the other on my left - who were seeking to be appointed as officials. I said: 'By the One Who sent you as a Prophet with the truth, they did not tell me why they wanted to come with me and I did not realize that they were seeking to be appointed as officials.' And I could see his Siwak beneath his lip, then it slipped and he said: 'We do not' - or; 'We will never appoint as an official anyone who seeks that. Rather you should go.'" So he sent his (Abu Musa) to Yemen, then he sent Mu'adh bin Jabal to go after him - may Allah be pleased with them
Scholarly Authentication
The label above is the grade most of these scholars gave — one dissenting opinion no longer speaks for all of them. If any scholar calls a narration fabricated, that verdict is shown instead, whatever the others say. Each scholar's own wording:
In-book reference: 1:4