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

English translation · Muwatta Malik