[Machine] My father married me to a woman from the Quraysh tribe. When she entered upon me, I made sure not to deny her any of my resources, such as strength or the ability to perform acts of worship, such as fasting and praying. Then 'Amr ibn al-'As came to her, and when he entered upon her he asked her, "How do you find your husband?" She replied, "He is the best of men, and the best of husbands, for he does not question us about our linen and does not inspect our bedding." He then approached me and scolded and bit me with his tongue, saying, "You married a woman from the Quraysh tribe with good lineage and you mistreated her and did what you did." Then he went to the Prophet ﷺ and complained about me, so the Prophet ﷺ sent for me and I came to him. He asked me, "Do you fast during the day?" I replied, "Yes." He asked, "Do you stand for prayer at night?" I replied, "Yes." He said, "But I fast and break my fast, I pray and sleep, and I also have relations with women. Whoever turns away from my Sunnah (tradition), is not one of the Muslims." He told me to recite the Qur'an every month, but I told him that I find myself to be stronger than that. He then told me to recite it every ten days, but I told him that I find myself to be stronger than that. He then said, "Either every fifteen days, or every twenty." I told him that I find myself to be stronger than that. He said, "Fast three days every month." I told him I find myself to be stronger than that. He continued to increase the number until he said, "Fast one day and break your fast one day, for it is the best fasting and it is the fasting of my brother Dawud (David) ﷺ ." He said, "Fast two days and break your fast one day." I said, "I find myself to be stronger than that." He said, "For every worshipper, there is a period, and for every period, there is a limit. Either it leads to following the Sunnah, or it leads to innovation. Whoever's period leads to following the Sunnah, has guided himself, and whoever's period leads to something else, has gone astray." Mujahid said that Abdullah ibn 'Amr used to weaken and get older, and he used to fast days like that, and even extend one day to connect it with another to strengthen himself, then he would break his fast after that. He would also recite a portion of the Quran in each part like that, sometimes increasing and sometimes decreasing the amount, but he always completed the number, either in seven days or three. He said, "After all that, I used to say that accepting the concession of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ is dearer to me than anything else, even if others may dislike it."  

زَوَّجَنِي أَبِي امْرَأَةً مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ فَلَمَّا دَخَلَتْ عَلَيَّ جَعَلْتُ لَا أَنْحَاشُ لَهَا مِمَّا بِي مِنَ الْقُوَّةِ عَلَى الْعِبَادَةِ مِنَ الصَّوْمِ وَالصَّلَاةِ فَجَاءَ عَمْرُو بْنُ الْعَاصِ إِلَى كَنَّتِهِ حَتَّى دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا فَقَالَ لَهَا كَيْفَ وَجَدْتِ بَعْلَكِ؟ قَالَتْ خَيْرَ الرِّجَالِ أَوْ كَخَيْرِ الْبُعُولَةِ مِنْ رَجُلٍ لَمْ يُفَتِّشْ لَنَا كَنَفًا وَلَمْ يَعْرِفْ لَنَا فِرَاشًا فَأَقْبَلَ عَلَيَّ فَعَذَمَنِي وَعَضَّنِي بِلِسَانِهِ فَقَالَ أَنْكَحْتُكَ امْرَأَةً مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ ذَاتَ حَسَبٍ فَعَضَلْتَهَا وَفَعَلْتَوَفَعَلْتَ ثُمَّ انْطَلَقَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَشَكَانِي فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَيَّ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَقَالَ لِي أَتَصُومُ النَّهَارَ؟ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ وَتَقُومُ اللَّيْلَ؟ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ لَكِنِّي أَصُومُ وَأُفْطِرُ وَأُصَلِّي وَأَنَامُ وَأَمَسُّ النِّسَاءَ فَمَنْ رَغِبَ عَنْ سُنَّتِي فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي قالَ اقْرَأِ الْقُرْآنَ فِي كُلِّ شَهْرٍ قُلْتُ إِنِّي أَجِدُنِي أَقْوَى مِنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ فَاقْرَأْهُ فِي كُلِّ عَشَرَةِ أَيَّامٍ قُلْتُ إِنِّي أَجِدُنِي أَقْوَى مِنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا إِمَّا حُصَيْنٌ وَإِمَّا مُغِيرَةُ قَالَ فَاقْرَأْهُ فِي كُلِّ ثَلَاثٍ قَالَ ثُمَّ قَالَ صُمْ فِي كُلِّ شَهْرٍ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ قُلْتُ إِنِّي أَقْوَى مِنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ فَلَمْ يَزَلْ يَرْفَعُنِي حَتَّى قَالَ صُمْ يَوْمًا وَأَفْطِرْ يَوْمًا فَإِنَّهُ أَفْضَلُ الصِّيَامِ وَهُوَ صِيَامُ أَخِي دَاوُدَ ﷺ قَالَ حُصَيْنٌ فِي حَدِيثِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ ﷺ فَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ عَابِدٍ شِرَّةً وَلِكُلِّ شِرَّةٍ فَتْرَةً فَإِمَّا إِلَى سُنَّةٍ وَإِمَّا إِلَى بِدْعَةٍ فَمَنْ كَانَتْ فَتْرَتُهُ إِلَى سُنَّةٍ فَقَدِ اهْتَدَى وَمَنْ كَانَتْ فَتْرَتُهُ إِلَى غَيْرِ ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ هَلَكَ قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ فَكَانَ عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ عَمْرٍو حَيْثُ ضَعُفَ وَكَبِرَ يَصُومُ الْأَيَّامَ كَذَلِكَ يَصِلُ بَعْضَهَا إِلَى بَعْضٍ لِيَتَقَوَّى بِذَلِكَ ثُمَّ يُفْطِرُ بِعَدِّ تِلْكَ الْأَيَّامِ قَالَ وَكَانَ يَقْرَأُ فِي كُلِّ حِزْبِهِ كَذَلِكَ يَزِيدُأَحْيَانًا وَيَنْقُصُ أَحْيَانًا غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ يُوفِي الْعَدَدَ إِمَّا فِي سَبْعٍ وَإِمَّا فِي ثَلَاثٍ قَالَ ثُمَّ كَانَ يَقُولُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ لَأَنْ أَكُونَ قَبِلْتُ رُخْصَةَ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا عُدِلَ بِهِ أَوْ عَدَلَ لَكِنِّي فَارَقْتُهُ عَلَى أَمْرٍ أَكْرَهُ أَنْ أُخَالِفَهُ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ