It was narrated that Ubayy bin Ka'b said:"There was a man among the Ansar whose house was the furthest house in Al-Madinah, yet he never missed prayer with the Messenger of Allah. I felt sorry for him and said: 'O so-and-so, why do you not buy a donkey to spare yourself the heat of the scorching sand, to carry over the stony ground, and to keep you away from the vermin on the ground?' He said: 'By Allah! I do not want to live so close to Muhammed.' This troubled me until I came to the house of the Prophet and mentioned that to him. He called (the man) and asked him, and he said something similar, and said that he was hoping for the reward for his steps. The Messenger of Allah said, 'You will have that (reward) that you sought.'"
حَدَّثَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدَةَ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبَّادُ بْنُ عَبَّادٍ الْمُهَلَّبِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَاصِمٌ الأَحْوَلُ، عَنْ أَبِي عُثْمَانَ النَّهْدِيِّ، عَنْ أُبَىِّ بْنِ كَعْبٍ، قَالَ كَانَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الأَنْصَارِ بَيْتُهُ أَقْصَى بَيْتٍ بِالْمَدِينَةِ وَكَانَ لاَ تُخْطِئُهُ الصَّلاَةُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ . قَالَ فَتَوَجَّعْتُ لَهُ فَقُلْتُ يَا فُلاَنُ لَوْ أَنَّكَ اشْتَرَيْتَ حِمَارًا يَقِيكَ الرَّمَضَ وَيَرْفَعُكَ مِنَ الْوَقَعِ وَيَقِيكَ هَوَامَّ الأَرْضِ . فَقَالَ وَاللَّهِ مَا أُحِبُّ أَنَّ بَيْتِي بِطُنُبِ بَيْتِ مُحَمَّدٍ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ . قَالَ فَحَمَلْتُ بِهِ حِمْلاً حَتَّى أَتَيْتُ بَيْتَ النَّبِيِّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ فَذَكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ لَهُ فَدَعَاهُ فَسَأَلَهُ فَذَكَرَ لَهُ مِثْلَ ذَلِكَ وَذَكَرَ أَنَّهُ يَرْجُو فِي أَثَرِهِ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ " إِنَّ لَكَ مَا احْتَسَبْتَ " .
IbnMaja
The Book On The Mosques And The Congregations • Hadith 783