Sunan an-Nasa'i 3169
سنن النسائي#3169Hasanأَخْبَرَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ مَنْصُورٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا اللَّيْثُ، عَنْ زَهْرَةَ بْنِ مَعْبَدٍ، قَالَ حَدَّثَنِي أَبُو صَالِحٍ، مَوْلَى عُثْمَانَ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عُثْمَانَ بْنَ عَفَّانَ، رضى الله عنه يَقُولُ سَمِعْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَقُولُ " رِبَاطُ يَوْمٍ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ يَوْمٍ فِيمَا سِوَاهُ مِنَ الْمَنَازِلِ " .
It was narrated from Zurah bin Ma'bad:"Abu Salih, the freed slave of 'Uthman, said: 'I heard 'Uthman bin 'Affan say: I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: Ribat (guarding the frontier) for one day in the cause of Allah is better in rank than a thousand days spent within the residence
Scholarly Authentication
The label above is the grade most of these scholars gave — one dissenting opinion no longer speaks for all of them. If any scholar calls a narration fabricated, that verdict is shown instead, whatever the others say. Each scholar's own wording:
In-book reference: 25:85