Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
ahmad:470Hāshim > Layth > Zuhrah b. Maʿbad al-Qurashī > Abū Ṣāliḥ a freed slave of ʿUthmān b. ʿAffān Qālasamiʿt ʿUthmān

I heard ʿUthman ؓ say on the minbar: O people, I concealed from you a hadeeth that I heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for fear that you would scatter away from me, then I thought that I should tell it to you, and let each one choose for himself what he thinks is best. I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: ʿGuarding the border for one day for the sake of Allah is better than a thousand other days doing other deeds.ʿ  

أحمد:٤٧٠حَدَّثَنَا هَاشِمٌ حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثٌ حَدَّثَنِي زُهْرَةُ بْنُ مَعْبَدٍ الْقُرَشِيُّ عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ مَوْلَى عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ

قَالَسَمِعْتُ عُثْمَانَ يَقُولُ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنِّي كَتَمْتُكُمْ حَدِيثًا سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ كَرَاهِيَةَ تَفَرُّقِكُمْ عَنِّي ثُمَّ بَدَا لِي أَنْ أُحَدِّثَكُمُوهُ لِيَخْتَارَ امْرُؤٌ لِنَفْسِهِ مَا بَدَا لَهُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ رِبَاطُ يَوْمٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ يَوْمٍ فِيمَا سِوَاهُ مِنَ الْمَنَازِلِ  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Tirmidhī, Aḥmad, Dārimī, Ibn Ḥibbān, Bayhaqī
tirmidhi:1667al-Ḥasan b. ʿAlī al-Khalāal > Hishām b. ʿAbd al-Malik > al-Layth b. Saʿd > Abū ʿAqīl Zuhrah b. Maʿbad > Abū Ṣāliḥ a freed slave of ʿUthmān b. ʿAffān > ʿUthmān / > al-Minbar

"I heard Uthman while on the Minbar saying: 'I did not inform you about a Hadith I had heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, out of dismay that you might part from me. Then it occurred to me that I should narrate to you so that one may choose from these matters accordingly. I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying: "(Ribat) Guarding the frontier for a day in Allah's cause is beter in status than thousand days doing other than that.'"  

[Abu 'Eisa said:] This Hadith is Hasan Sahih Gharib. Muhammad bin Ism'ail said: "Abu Salih, the freed slave of 'Uthman's name is Burkan."
الترمذي:١٦٦٧حَدَّثَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ الْخَلاَّلُ حَدَّثَنَا هِشَامُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْمَلِكِ حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو عَقِيلٍ زُهْرَةُ بْنُ مَعْبَدٍ عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ مَوْلَى عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ قَالَ

سَمِعْتُ عُثْمَانَ وَهُوَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ يَقُولُ إِنِّي كَتَمْتُكُمْ حَدِيثًا سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَرَاهِيَةَ تَفَرُّقِكُمْ عَنِّي ثُمَّ بَدَا لِي أَنْ أُحَدِّثَكُمُوهُ لِيَخْتَارَ امْرُؤٌ لِنَفْسِهِ مَا بَدَا لَهُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ رِبَاطُ يَوْمٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ يَوْمٍ فِيمَا سِوَاهُ مِنَ الْمَنَازِلِ  

قَالَ أَبُو عِيسَى هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ صَحِيحٌ غَرِيبٌ وَقَالَ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ أَبُو صَالِحٍ مَوْلَى عُثْمَانَ اسْمُهُ تُرْكَانُ
ahmad:558Hāshim b. al-Qāsim > Layth > Zuhrah b. Maʿbad al-Qurashī > Abū Ṣāliḥ a freed slave of ʿUthmān Qālasamiʿt ʿUthmān

I heard ʿUthman ؓ say on the minbar: O people, I concealed from you a hadeeth that I heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for fear that you would scatter away from me, then I thought that I should tell it to you, and let each one choose for himself what he thinks is best. I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: ʿGuarding the border for one day for the sake of Allah is better than a thousand other days doing other deeds.” ʿAbdullah bin ‘Abdur-Rahman bin Abi Dhubab narrated... A similar hadeeth]  

أحمد:٥٥٨حَدَّثَنَا هَاشِمُ بْنُ الْقَاسِمِ حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثٌ حَدَّثَنَا زُهْرَةُ بْنُ مَعْبَدٍ الْقُرَشِيُّ عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ مَوْلَى عُثْمَانَ

قَالَسَمِعْتُ عُثْمَانَ يَقُولُ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنِّي كَتَمْتُكُمْ حَدِيثًا سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ كَرَاهِيَةَ تَفَرُّقِكُمْ عَنِّي ثُمَّ بَدَا لِي الْآنَ أَنْ أُحَدِّثَكُمُوهُ لِيَخْتَارَ امْرُؤٌ لِنَفْسِهِ مَا بَدَا لَهُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ رِبَاطُ يَوْمٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ يَوْمٍ فِيمَا سِوَاهُ مِنَ الْمَنَازِلِ  

darimi:2468Abū al-Walīd > Layth b. Saʿd > Abū ʿAqīl Zuhrah b. Maʿbad > Abū Ṣāliḥ a freed slave of ʿUthmān > ʿUthmān > al-Minbar /

I heard ʿUthman ؓ say on the minbar: O people, I concealed from you a hadeeth that I heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for fear that you would scatter away from me, then I thought that I should tell it to you, and let each one choose for himself what he thinks is best. I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: ʿGuarding the border for one day for the sake of Allah is better than a thousand other days doing other deeds.ʿ (Using translation from Aḥmad 470)  

الدارمي:٢٤٦٨أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو الْوَلِيدِ حَدَّثَنَا لَيْثُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو عَقِيلٍ زُهْرَةُ بْنُ مَعْبَدٍ عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ مَوْلَى عُثْمَانَ قَالَ

سَمِعْتُ عُثْمَانَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ إِنِّي كُنْتُ كَتَمْتُكُمْ حَدِيثًا سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ كَرَاهِيَةَ تَفَرُّقِكُمْ عَنِّي ثُمَّ بَدَا لِي أَنْ أُحَدِّثَكُمُوهُ لِيَخْتَارَ امْرُؤٌ لِنَفْسِهِ مَا بَدَا لَهُ إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ «رِبَاطُ يَوْمٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ يَوْمٍ فِيمَا سِوَاهُ مِنَ الْمَنَازِلِ»  

ذِكْرُ الْبَيَانِ بِأَنَّ يَوْمًا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ يَوْمٍ فِي غَيْرِهِ مِنَ الطَّاعَاتِ

ibnhibban:4609al-Ḥasan b. Sufyān > Ḥabbān b. Mūsá > ʿAbdullāh > Abū Miʿan > Abū ʿAqīl > Abū Ṣāliḥ a freed slave of ʿUthmān b. ʿAffān

[Machine] "O people, I have heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ a hadith that I used to hide from you, thinking that you may not be ready for it. But now, I feel it is my duty to share it as a piece of advice for the sake of Allah and for your benefit. I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ saying, 'A day spent in the path of Allah is better than a thousand days spent elsewhere. Therefore, let each one of you look after their own self.'"  

ابن حبّان:٤٦٠٩أَخْبَرَنَا الْحَسَنُ بْنُ سُفْيَانَ حَدَّثَنَا حَبَّانُ بْنُ مُوسَى أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو مِعَنٍ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو عَقِيلٍ عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ مَوْلَى عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ قَالَ قَالَ

عُثْمَانُ فِي مَسْجِدِ الْخَيْفِ بِمِنًى أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ حَدِيثًا كُنْتُ كَتَمْتُكُمُوهُ ضَنًّا بِكُمْ وَقَدْ بَدَا لِي أَنْ أُبْدِيَهُ نَصِيحَةً لِلَّهِ وَلَكُمْ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ «يَوْمٌ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ يَوْمٍ فِيمَا سِوَاهُ فَلْيَنْظُرْ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ مِنْكُمْ لِنَفْسِهِ»  

bayhaqi:17888ʿAlī b. Aḥmad b. ʿAbdān > Aḥmad b. ʿUbayd > ʿAbbās b. al-Faḍl > Abū al-Walīd > Layth b. Saʿd > Abū ʿAqīl Zuhrah b. Maʿbad > Abū Ṣāliḥ a freed slave of ʿUthmān > ʿUthmān b. ʿAffān > al-Minbar

I heard ʿUthman ؓ say on the minbar: O people, I concealed from you a hadeeth that I heard from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for fear that you would scatter away from me, then I thought that I should tell it to you, and let each one choose for himself what he thinks is best. I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say: ʿGuarding the border for one day for the sake of Allah is better than a thousand other days doing other deeds.ʿ (Using translation from Aḥmad 470)   

البيهقي:١٧٨٨٨أَخْبَرَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ عَبْدَانَ أنبأ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ ثنا عَبَّاسُ بْنُ الْفَضْلِ ثنا أَبُو الْوَلِيدِ ثنا لَيْثُ بْنُ سَعْدٍ ثنا أَبُو عَقِيلٍ زُهْرَةُ بْنُ مَعْبَدٍ عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ مَوْلَى عُثْمَانَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عُثْمَانَ بْنَ عَفَّانَ ؓ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ يَقُولُ إِنِّي كُنْتُ كَتَمْتُكُمْ حَدِيثًا

سَمِعْتُ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ كَرَاهِيَةَ تَفَرُّقِكُمْ عَنِّي ثُمَّ بَدَا لِي أَنْ أُحَدِّثَكُمُوهُ لِيَخْتَارَ امْرُؤٌ مِنْكُمْ لِنَفْسِهِ مَا بَدَا لَهُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ يَقُولُ رِبَاطُ يَوْمٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللهِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ يَوْمٍ فِيمَا سِوَاهُ مِنَ الْمَنَازِلِ