حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَلِيِّ بْنِ سُوَيْدِ بْنِ مَنْجُوفٍ السَّدُوسِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَوْنُ بْنُ كَهْمَسٍ، عَنْ أَبِيهِ، كَهْمَسٍ قَالَ قُمْنَا إِلَى الصَّلاَةِ بِمِنًى وَالإِمَامُ لَمْ يَخْرُجْ فَقَعَدَ بَعْضُنَا فَقَالَ لِي شَيْخٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكُوفَةِ مَا يُقْعِدُكَ قُلْتُ ابْنُ بُرَيْدَةَ ‏.‏ قَالَ هَذَا السُّمُودُ ‏.‏ فَقَالَ لِي الشَّيْخُ حَدَّثَنِي عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ عَوْسَجَةَ عَنِ الْبَرَاءِ بْنِ عَازِبٍ قَالَ كُنَّا نَقُومُ فِي الصُّفُوفِ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم طَوِيلاً قَبْلَ أَنْ يُكَبِّرَ قَالَ وَقَالَ ‏"‏إِنَّ اللَّهَ وَمَلاَئِكَتَهُ يُصَلُّونَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ يَلُونَ الصُّفُوفَ الأُوَلَ وَمَا مِنْ خَطْوَةٍ أَحَبَّ إِلَى اللَّهِ مِنْ خَطْوَةٍ يَمْشِيهَا يَصِلُ بِهَا صَفًّا ‏"

‘Awn b. Kahmas reported on the authority of his father Kahmas

We stood for the prayer at Mina while the Imam had not yet come out, so some of us sat down. An old man from the people of Kufa said to me, 'What makes you sit?' I said, 'Ibn Buraydah.' He said, 'This is As-Sumud.' Then the old man said to me, 'Abd al-Rahman ibn Awjah narrated to me from Al-Bara' ibn Azib, who said: We used to stand in the rows for a long time during the time of the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) before he pronounced the Takbir. He said: And he said,

"Indeed, Allah and His angels send blessings upon those who are near the front rows, and there is no step more beloved to Allah than a step taken by a person to join a row."