Sunan Ibn Majah
Sunan Ibn Majah 1567
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ بْنِ سَمُرَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا الْمُحَارِبِيُّ، عَنِ اللَّيْثِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ، عَنْ يَزِيدَ بْنِ أَبِي حَبِيبٍ، عَنْ أَبِي الْخَيْرِ، مَرْثَدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْيَزَنِيِّ عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ عَامِرٍ، قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " لأَنْ أَمْشِيَ عَلَى جَمْرَةٍ أَوْ سَيْفٍ أَوْ أَخْصِفَ نَعْلِي بِرِجْلِي أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ مِنْ أَنْ أَمْشِيَ عَلَى قَبْرِ مُسْلِمٍ وَمَا أُبَالِي أَوَسَطَ الْقُبُورِ قَضَيْتُ حَاجَتِي أَوْ وَسَطَ السُّوقِ " .
Unreviewed translation. All hadiths in this collection are available in five languages. Titles and introductions may remain in Arabic.
Muhammad ibn Isma‘il ibn Samurah narrated to us; al-Muharibi narrated to us, from al-Layth ibn Sa‘d, from Yazid ibn Abi Habib, from Abu al-Khayr Marthad ibn Abdullah al-Yazani, from Uqbah ibn Amir, who said: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: ‘For me to walk on a live coal or a sword, or to mend my sandal while it is on my foot, would be dearer to me than walking on the grave of a Muslim. I would not care whether I relieved myself among the graves or in the middle of the marketplace.’
Notes and open questions — unreviewed
The sandal phrase describes mending it while wearing it. The closing comparison concerns relieving oneself and is translated directly.