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 صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَرَاهِيَةَ تَفَرُّقِكُمْ عَنِّي، ثُمَّ بَدَا لِي أَنْ أُحَدِّثَكُمُوهُ لِيَخْتَارَ امْرُؤٌ لِنَفْسِهِ مَا بَدَا لَهُ، إِنِّي سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، يَقُولُ :" رِبَاطُ يَوْمٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ يَوْمٍ فِيمَا سِوَاهُ مِنَ الْمَنَازِلِ "

Abu Al-Walid told us, Laith bin Saad told us, Abu Aqeel told us: Zahra bin Ma’bad told us, on the authority of Abu Salih, the servant of Uthman, he said: I heard Uthman on the pulpit saying: I had concealed from you a conversation that I had heard from the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, out of hatred for your division. On my own behalf, then it seemed to me that I should speak to you so that a person might choose for himself what seemed to him, for I heard the Messenger of God, may God bless him and grant him peace, say: “Ribat “One day in the path of God is better than a thousand days in other dwellings.”