كتاب الْمَدِينَةِ
45  
Madina

Yahya related to me that Malik said, "I heard that Umar ibn al- Khattab said, 'A night in Rukba (a valley near Taif,) is more preferable to me than ten nights in ash-Sham.' "

Malik said, "He meant to lengthen and preserve their lives because of the severity of the plague in ash-Sham ."

وَحَدَّثَنِي عَنْ مَالِكٍ، أَنَّهُ قَالَ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّ عُمَرَ بْنَ الْخَطَّابِ، قَالَ لَبَيْتٌ بِرُكْبَةَ أَحَبُّ إِلَىَّ مِنْ عَشَرَةِ أَبْيَاتٍ بِالشَّامِ ‏.‏ قَالَ مَالِكٌ يُرِيدُ لِطُولِ الأَعْمَارِ وَالْبَقَاءِ وَلِشِدَّةِ الْوَبَإِ بِالشَّامِ ‏.‏
Sunnah.com reference : Book 45, Hadith 25
USC-MSA web (English) reference : Book 45, Hadith 26
Arabic reference : Book 45, Hadith 1625