Sunan Ibn Majah
The Book of the Adhan and the Sunnah Regarding It — Hadith #450
حَدَّثَنَا عَمْرُو بْنُ رَافِعٍ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُبَارَكِ، عَنْ مَعْمَرٍ، عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، عَنْ سَعِيدِ بْنِ الْمُسَيَّبِ، عَنْ بِلاَلٍ، أَنَّهُ أَتَى النَّبِيَّ ـ صلى الله عليه وسلم ـ يُؤْذِنُهُ بِصَلاَةِ الْفَجْرِ فَقِيلَ هُوَ نَائِمٌ . فَقَالَ الصَّلاَةُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ النَّوْمِ الصَّلاَةُ خَيْرٌ مِنَ النَّوْمِ فَأُقِرَّتْ فِي تَأْذِينِ الْفَجْرِ فَثَبَتَ الأَمْرُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ .
“He is sleeping.” He said: “As-salatu khairum minan-nawm, As-salatu khairum minan-nawm (The prayer is better than sleep, the prayer is better than sleep). These words were approved of in the Adhan for the Fajr, and that is how it remained.
Chain of Narration (Isnad)