Sunan an-Nasa'i
Sunan an-Nasa'i 3170
أَخْبَرَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ عَلِيٍّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ مَهْدِيٍّ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو مَعْنٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا زَهْرَةُ بْنُ مَعْبَدِ، عَنْ أَبِي صَالِحٍ، مَوْلَى عُثْمَانَ قَالَ قَالَ عُثْمَانُ بْنُ عَفَّانَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " يَوْمٌ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ يَوْمٍ فِيمَا سِوَاهُ " .
Amr ibn Ali informed us; he said: Abd al-Rahman ibn Mahdi narrated to us; he said: Ibn al-Mubarak narrated to us; he said: Abu Man narrated to us; he said: Zahrah ibn Mabid narrated to us, from Abu Salih, the client of Uthman, who said: Uthman ibn Affan, may Allah be pleased with him, said: I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) say: A day in the cause of Allah is better than a thousand days spent elsewhere.
Translation notes
This version omits the word ribat and states the comparison as one day in Allah’s cause versus a thousand elsewhere.