It is narrated from the Mother of the Believers, Sayyidah Aishah al-Siddiqah (may Allah be pleased with her): The plague was mentioned, and I mentioned that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "It is a pricking that afflicts my Ummah from their enemies among the jinn. It is a swelling (boil) like the swelling of the belly. Whoever remains (with patience and steadfastness) where it (the epidemic) is present is like a mujahid guarding the frontier in the path of Allah; whoever is afflicted by this disease is a martyr; and whoever runs away from it (out of fear) is like one who turns his back and flees from the battlefield."
The chain of this report is extremely weak because of Layth bin Abi Sulaym and his (unnamed) teacher.
Hadith Referenceالمطالب العالية بزوائد المسانيد الثمانية / كتاب الجهاد / 1922
Hadith Gradingمحدثین:إسناده ضعيف
Hadith Takhrij«حکم الحدیث المطالب العالیہ محققاً تنسیق د. سعد بن ناصر بن عبد العزيز الشَّثري- مکتبہ شاملہ :حديث أبي يعلى إسناده ضعيف، لضعف ليث وإبهام شيخه. » «أخرجه مسند أحمد برقم: 25165، وأخرجه مسند أبي يعلى برقم: 4408، وأخرجه المعجم الأوسط للطبراني برقم: 5531»