The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "Shall I guide you to that by which Allah erases sins and raises ranks?"They said, "Yes, Messenger of Allah."He said, "Performing wudu thoroughly despite hardship, taking many steps to the mosques, and waiting for prayer after prayer. That is the true ribat."In another narration, "That is the true ribat, that is the true ribat."
أن رسول الله ﷺ قال: ألا أدلكم على ما يمحو الله به الخطايا، ويرفع به الدرجات؟ قالوا: بلى يا رسول الله قال: إسباغ الوضوء على المكاره، وكثرة الخطا إلى المساجد، وانتظار الصلاة، فذلكم الرباط. وفي رواية: فذلكم الرباط، فذلكم الرباط.
Malik narrated it in the chapter on travel (55) from Ala bin Abdul-Rahman, from his father, from Abu Hurairah. Muslim narrated it in the chapter on purification (251) through other routes from Ala bin Abdul-Rahman, and the wording given here is his. In Malik's wording, "that is the ribat" is repeated three times.His saying "hardships" is the plural of hardship, meaning what a person dislikes and finds difficult. The word "kurh," with either a u or a fatha vowel, means difficulty. The meaning is that one performs wudu despite severe cold, or despite ailments that cause pain from contact with water.His saying "that is the ribat" means the ribat that is encouraged and desirable. The root meaning of ribat is confining oneself to something, as if one confines oneself to this act of obedience.