لإرساله وَعَنْ يَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَانَ جَالِسًا وَقَبْرٌ يُحْفَرُ بِالْمَدِينَةِ فَاطَّلَعَ رَجُلٌ فِي الْقَبْرِ فَقَالَ: بِئْسَ مَضْجَعِ الْمُؤْمِنِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «بئس مَا قُلْتَ» قَالَ الرَّجُلُ إِنِّي لَمْ أُرِدْ هَذَا إِنَّمَا أَرَدْتُ الْقَتْلَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «لَا مِثْلَ الْقَتْلِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ مَا عَلَى الْأَرْضِ بُقْعَةٌ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ قَبْرِي بِهَا مِنْهَا» ثَلَاثَ مَرَّاتٍ. رَوَاهُ مَالِكٌ مُرْسَلًا
Yahya b. Sa'id said that God’s messenger was sitting when a grave was being dug in Medina. A man looked down into the grave and said, "What a bad-resting-place for a believer!" God’s messenger thereupon retorted, "What a bad thing you have said!" and the man replied, "I did not mean that; I meant that being killed in God’s path [is more excellent]." God’s messenger said, "Nothing compares with being killed in God’s path. There is no other region in the earth in which I would prefer my grave to be," saying it three times. Malik transmitted it in mursal form.
Reported by Malik (No. 994). Cited in Mishkat al-Masabih (No. 2757).