Arabic (Original)
Ḥadīth | Ṭabarānī (الطبراني) tabarani:907 حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو الزِّنْبَاعِ رَوْحُ بْنُ الْفَرَجِ حَدَّثَنَا سَعِيدُ بْنُ عُفَيْرٍ ثنا عَطَّافُ بْنُ خَالِدٍ عَنْ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ الْأَرْقَمِ عَنْ جَدِّهِ الْأَرْقَمِ وَكَانَ بَدْرِيًّا وَكَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ آوَى فِي دَارِهِ عِنْدَ الصَّفَا حَتَّى تَكَامَلُوا أَرْبَعِينَ رَجُلًا مُسْلِمِينَ وَكَانَ آخِرُهُمِ إِسْلَامًا عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ ؓ فَلَمَّا كَانُوا أَرْبَعِينَ خَرَجُوا إِلَى الْمُشْرِكِينَ قَالَ جِئْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ لِأُوَدِّعَهُ وَأَرَدْتُ الْخُرُوجَ إِلَى بَيْتِ الْمَقْدِسِ فَقَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «أَيْنَ تُرِيدُ؟» قُلْتُ أُرِيدُ بَيْتَ الْمَقْدِسِ قَالَ «وَمَا يُخْرِجُكُ إِلَيْهِ أَفِي تِجَارَةٍ؟» قُلْتُ لَا وَلَكِنِّي أُصَلِّي فِيهِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «صَلَاةٌ هَهُنَا خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَلْفِ صَلَاةٍ ثَمَّ»
English Translation
Al-Arqam narrated — he was present at Badr and the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) had taken shelter in his house near al-Safa until the Muslims were forty men, the last of them to accept Islam being 'Umar ibn al-Khattab. When they were forty, they went out to the polytheists. He said: I came to the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) to bid him farewell as I intended to go to Bayt al-Maqdis. The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "Where do you intend to go?" I said: "I intend Bayt al-Maqdis." He said: "What is making you go there — is it for trade?" I said: "No, but I wish to pray in it." The Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) said: "A prayer here is better than a thousand prayers there."