حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ حَدَّثَنَا كَهْمَسٌ حَدَّثَنَا مُصْعَبُ بْنُ ثَابِتٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ قَالَ قَالَ عُثْمَانُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَهُوَ يَخْطُبُ عَلَى مِنْبَرِهِ إِنِّي مُحَدِّثُكُمْ حَدِيثًا سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَمْ يَكُنْ يَمْنَعُنِي أَنْ أُحَدِّثَكُمْ بِهِ إِلَّا الضِّنُّ بِكُمْ إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ حَرَسُ لَيْلَةٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ أَلْفِ لَيْلَةٍ يُقَامُ لَيْلُهَا وَيُصَامُ نَهَارُهَا
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 463
It was narrated that "Abdullah bin az-Zubair said: 'Uthman bin 'Affan (RA) said, speaking from his minbar: I am going to tell you a hadeeth that I heard from the Messenger of Allah (PBUH); nothing kept me from telling it to you except the fact that I care for you. I heard the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) say: "Standing guard for one night for the sake of Allah, may He be exalted, is better than a thousand nights spent in prayer and [a thousand] days spent fasting."
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020