ʿUthman bin ʿAffan ؓ said, speaking from his minbar I am going to tell you a hadeeth that I heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ , nothing kept me from telling it to you except the fact that I care for you, I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: ʿStanding 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.”
قَالَقَالَ عُثْمَانُ بْنُ عَفَّانَ وَهُوَ يَخْطُبُ عَلَى مِنْبَرِهِ إِنِّي مُحَدِّثُكُمْ حَدِيثًا سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ مَا كَانَ يَمْنَعُنِي أَنْ أُحَدِّثَكُمْ إِلَّا الضِّنُّ عَلَيْكُمْ وَإِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ حَرَسُ لَيْلَةٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ تَعَالَى أَفْضَلُ مِنْ أَلْفِ لَيْلَةٍ يُقَامُ لَيْلُهَا وَيُصَامُ نَهَارُهَا