´Narrated Ibn 'Umar:` that a freed a slave girl of his came to him, and said: "Times have become hard on me and I want to go to Al-'Iraq." He said: "Why not to Ash-Sham the land of the resurrection? Have patience you foolish lady; I heard the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) say: 'Whoever endures its hardships and difficulties (Al-Madinah) then I will be a witness, or an intercessor for him on the Day of Judgement." [He said:] There are narrations on this topic from Abu Sa'eed, Sufyan bin Abi Zuhair, and Subai'ah Al-Aslamiyyah.
Hadith Referenceسنن ترمذي / كتاب المناقب عن رسول الله صلى الله عليه وسلم / 3918
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Zubair’s (may Allah be pleased with him) slave, Yahnas (may Allah have mercy on him), that he was sitting with Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) during the time of tribulation (civil strife among Muslims), when one of his slave girls came to greet him and said: O Abu Abdur Rahman! I want to leave (Medina), the times have become very hard for us. So Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Umar (may Allah be pleased with them both) said to her: O foolish one, sit down! I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: Whoever is patient with the hardships and difficulties of Medina, I will be a witness or an intercessor for him on the Day of Resurrection.
Hafiz Zubair Ali Zai
Hadith Authentication (Takhrij al-Hadith): [وأخرجه مسلم 1377/482، من حديث مالك به . من كتب الرجال وجاء فى الأصل : ”قطن بن واحد“ وهو خطأ . من رواية يحي بن يحي، وجاء فى الأصل : ”عن“ وهو خطأ]
Jurisprudential Explanation (Tafaqquh): ➊ Residing in Madinah Tayyibah and patiently enduring the difficulties encountered while living here is an extremely virtuous deed. ➋ Intercession is true, with the permission of Allah the Exalted. ➌ After Makkah Mukarramah, Madinah Tayyibah is superior to all other cities and all other regions. ➍ Also see [الموطأ ح 85، 479، 511، البخاري 7211، 1871، 1875، ومسلم 1382، 1383، 1388]
Source: Muwatta Imam Malik (Narration of Ibn al-Qasim): Commentary by Zubair Ali Zai, Page: 406