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.
Qurʾān Bukhārī Muslim Nasāʾī Abū Dāwūd Tirmidhī Ibn Mājah Mālik Aḥmad Dārimī Ḥākim Ibn Ḥibbān Ṭabarānī Nasāʾī's Kubrá Bayhaqī al-Luʾluʾ wa-al-Marjān Ibn Rajab's Fifty Riyāḍ al-Ṣāliḥīn Aḥmad's Zuhd Suyūṭī
tirmidhi:1667 – al-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:١٦٦٧ – حَدَّثَنَا 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

See similar narrations below:

Collected by Aḥmad, Dārimī, Bayhaqī
ahmad:558 – Hāshim 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:٥٥٨ – حَدَّثَنَا 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  

ahmad:470 – Hāshim > 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:٤٧٠ – حَدَّثَنَا 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  

darimi:2468 – Abū 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:٢٤٦٨ – أَخْبَرَنَا 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»  

bayhaqi:17888 – ʿAlī 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:١٧٨٨٨ – أَخْبَرَنَا 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