وَحَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى بْنُ يَحْيَى، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي مَالِكٌ، عَنْ إِسْحَاقَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي طَلْحَةَ الأَنْصَارِيِّ، عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم قَالَ ‏"‏ اللَّهُمَّ بَارِكْ لَهُمْ فِي مِكْيَالِهِمْ وَبَارِكْ لَهُمْ فِي صَاعِهِمْ وَمُدِّهِمْ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ يَعْنِي أَهْلَ الْمَدِينَةِ ‏.‏

Yahya related to me that Malik said, "I heard that Umar ibn al-Khattab said, 'A night in Rukba (a valley near Taif,) is morepreferable to me than ten nights in ash-Sham.' "

Malik said,"He meant to lengthen and preserve their lives because of the severityof the plague in ash-Sham ."