Sayyiduna Abu Asib (may Allah be pleased with him), the freed slave of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him), narrates that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Jibril came to me with fever and plague. I kept the fever for Madinah and sent the plague to Syria. The plague will be martyrdom for my Ummah and a mercy for them, and a punishment for the disbelievers."
Ahmad and al-Tabarani in al-Kabir recorded it. The narrators of Ahmad are thiqat (trustworthy).
Hadith Referenceمجمع الزوائد ومنبع الفوائد / كتاب الجنائز / 3853