Sunan Abu Dawud, hadith 2536

حَدَّثَنَا مُوسَى بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ، حَدَّثَنَا حَمَّادٌ، أَخْبَرَنَا عَطَاءُ بْنُ السَّائِبِ، عَنْ مُرَّةَ الْهَمْدَانِيِّ، عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مَسْعُودٍ، قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم ‏:‏ ‏"‏ عَجِبَ رَبُّنَا مِنْ رَجُلٍ غَزَا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ فَانْهَزَمَ ‏"‏ ‏.‏ يَعْنِي أَصْحَابَهُ ‏:‏ ‏"‏ فَعَلِمَ مَا عَلَيْهِ فَرَجَعَ حَتَّى أُهْرِيقَ دَمُهُ، فَيَقُولُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى لِمَلاَئِكَتِهِ ‏:‏ انْظُرُوا إِلَى عَبْدِي رَجَعَ رَغْبَةً فِيمَا عِنْدِي وَشَفَقَةً مِمَّا عِنْدِي حَتَّى أُهَرِيقَ دَمُهُ ‏"‏ ‏.‏

Narrated Abdullah ibn Mas'ud: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Our Lord Most High is pleased with a man who fights in the path of Allah, the Exalted; then his companions fled away (i.e. retreated). But he knew that it was a sin (to flee away from the battlefield), so he returned, and his blood was shed. Thereupon Allah, the Exalted, says to His angels: Look at My servant; he returned seeking what I have for him (i.e. the reward), and fearing (the punishment) I have, until his blood was shed