A man from the companions of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ passed by a mountain pass that contained a small spring of sweet water. He was impressed by how pleasant it was and said, "I wish I could withdraw from people and settle in this pass. But I will not do so until I seek permission from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ."He mentioned this to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, who said, "Do not do it. For one of you standing in the path of Allah is better than his prayers in his home for seventy years. Do you not love that Allah should forgive you and admit you into Paradise? Fight in the path of Allah. Whoever fights in the path of Allah for the time it takes to milk a she-camel between two milkings, Paradise is guaranteed for him."
حدثنا عبيد بن أسباط بن محمد القرشي الكوفي حدثنا أبي عن هشام بن سعد عن سعيد بن أبي هلال عن ابن أبي ذباب
مر رجل من أصحاب رسول الله ﷺ بشعب فيه عيينة من ماء عذبة فأعجبته لطيبها فقال لو اعتزلت الناس فأقمت في هذا الشعب ولن أفعل حتى أستأذن رسول الله ﷺ فذكر ذلك لرسول الله ﷺ فقال لا تفعل فإن مقام أحدكم في سبيل الله أفضل من صلاته في بيته سبعين عاما ألا تحبون أن يغفر الله لكم ويدخلكم الجنة اغزو في سبيل الله من قاتل في سبيل الله فواق ناقة وجبت له الجنة
[Its chain of transmission is hasan.] Ahmad reported it in 2/446, 524 from the hadith of Hisham bin Saad, through this same route. Abdul-Ghani Maqdisi graded it sahih, and Hakim graded it sahih according to the standard of Muslim in 2/68, and Dhahabi agreed with him. The hadith has corroborating narrations.