Sunan an-Nasa'i
Sunan an-Nasa'i 3152
أَخْبَرَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي، عَنْ شُعَيْبٍ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي سَعِيدُ بْنُ الْمُسَيَّبِ، عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ، قَالَ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَوْلاَ أَنَّ رِجَالاً مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ لاَ تَطِيبُ أَنْفُسُهُمْ بِأَنْ يَتَخَلَّفُوا عَنِّي وَلاَ أَجِدُ مَا أَحْمِلُهُمْ عَلَيْهِ مَا تَخَلَّفْتُ عَنْ سَرِيَّةٍ تَغْزُو فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَوَدِدْتُ أَنِّي أُقْتَلُ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ أُحْيَا ثُمَّ أُقْتَلُ ثُمَّ أُحْيَا ثُمَّ أُقْتَلُ " .
Amr ibn Uthman ibn Said informed us; he said: My father narrated to us, from Shuayb, from al-Zuhri, who said: Said ibn al-Musayyab narrated to me, from Abu Hurayrah, who said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: By the One in whose hand is my soul, were it not that some men among the believers would be distressed at staying behind me, and that I have no mounts on which to carry them, I would never stay behind an expedition that goes out to fight in the cause of Allah. By the One in whose hand is my soul, I would love to be killed in the cause of Allah, then brought back to life, then killed, then brought back to life, then killed.
Translation notes
This variant phrases the believers’ reluctance as their hearts not being comfortable with staying behind, and does not include the previous report’s explicit three-times note.