حَدَّثَنَا عَبْد اللَّهِ حَدَّثَنَاه سُوَيْدُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ سَنَةَ سِتٍّ وَعِشْرِينَ حَدَّثَنَا رِشْدِينُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ عَنْ زُهْرَةَ بْنِ مَعْبَدٍ عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ مَوْلَى عُثْمَانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّ عُثْمَانَ قَالَ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ هَجِّرُوا فَإِنِّي مُهَجِّرٌ فَهَجَّرَ النَّاسُ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنِّي مُحَدِّثُكُمْ بِحَدِيثٍ مَا تَكَلَّمْتُ بِهِ مُنْذُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِلَى يَوْمِي هَذَا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّ رِبَاطَ يَوْمٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ أَلْفِ يَوْمٍ مِمَّا سِوَاهُ فَلْيُرَابِطْ امْرُؤٌ حَيْثُ شَاءَ هَلْ بَلَّغْتُكُمْ قَالُوا نَعَمْ قَالَ اللَّهُمَّ اشْهَدْ
مسند امام احمد بن حنبل · Hadith 477
It was narrated from Abu Salih, the freed slave of 'Uthman (RA), that 'Uthman (RA) said: O people, move on in the middle of the day, for I am moving on in the middle of the day. So the people moved on in the middle of the day. Then he said: O people, I shall tell you a hadeeth of which I have not spoken since I heard it from the Messenger of Allah (PBUH) until this day. The Messenger of Allah (PBUH) said: "Guarding the border for one day for the sake of Allah is better than a thousand other days, so let a man guard the border as much as he wants.” Have I conveyed the message to you? They said: Yes. He said: O Allah, bear witness.
Translated by Dr. Muhammad Muhsin Khan · Reviewed by Islamic University of Madinah · Published March 2020