Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.
ahmad:6921Muḥammad b. Bakr And ʿAbd al-Razzāq > Ibn Jurayj Warawḥ > Ibn Jurayj > ʿAmr b. Dīnār > ʿAmr b. Aws > ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAmr b. al-ʿĀṣ

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, "The most beloved fasting to Allah is the fasting of David, as he used to fast half of the year. And the most beloved prayer to Allah is the prayer of David, as he used to sleep half of the night, then he would wake up and pray, and then he would sleep again, and then he would wake up and pray one-third of the night after the half."  

أحمد:٦٩٢١حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ بَكْرٍ وَعَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ قَالَا حَدَّثَنَا ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ وَرَوْحٌ قَالَ أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ أَخْبَرَنِي عَمْرُو بْنُ دِينَارٍ أَنَّ عَمْرَو بْنَ أَوْسٍ أَخْبَرَهُ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ قَالَ أَحَبُّ الصِّيَامِ إِلَى اللهِ صِيَامُ دَاوُدَ كَانَ يَصُومُ نِصْفَ الدَّهْرِ وَأَحَبُّ الصَّلَاةِ إِلَى اللهِ صَلَاةُ دَاوُدَ كَانَ يَرْقُدُ شَطْرَ اللَّيْلِ ثُمَّ يَقُومُ ثُمَّ يَرْقُدُ آخِرَهُ ثُمَّ يَقُومُ ثُلُثَ اللَّيْلِ بَعْدَ شَطْرِهِ  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Bukhārī, Muslim, Ibn Mājah, Ibn Ḥibbān, Nasāʾī's Kubrá, Suyūṭī
bukhari:3420Qutaybah b. Saʿīd > Sufyān > ʿAmr b. Dīnār

Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me, "The most beloved fasting to Allah was the fasting of (the Prophet) David who used to fast on alternate days. And the most beloved prayer to Allah was the prayer of David who used to sleep for (the first) half of the night and pray for 1/3 of it and (again) sleep for a sixth of it."  

البخاري:٣٤٢٠حَدَّثَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ دِينَارٍ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ أَوْسٍ الثَّقَفِيِّ سَمِعَ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَمْرٍو قَالَ قَالَ

لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَحَبُّ الصِّيَامِ إِلَى اللَّهِ صِيَامُ دَاوُدَ كَانَ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا وَأَحَبُّ الصَّلاَةِ إِلَى اللَّهِ صَلاَةُ دَاوُدَ كَانَ يَنَامُ نِصْفَ اللَّيْلِ وَيَقُومُ ثُلُثَهُ وَيَنَامُ سُدُسَهُ  

muslim:1159lMuḥammad b. Rāfiʿ > ʿAbd al-Razzāq > Ibn Jurayj > ʿAmr b. Dīnār > ʿAmr b. Aws > ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAmr b. al-ʿĀṣ

The best fasting in the eye of Allah is that of David, for he fasted for half of the age (he fasted on alternate days), and the best prayer in the eye of Allah, the Exalted and Majestic, is that of David (peace be upon him), for he slept for half of the night and then stood for prayer and then again slept. He prayed for one-third of the night after midnight. He (the narrator) said: I asked 'Amr b. Dinar whether 'Amr b. Aus said that he stood for prayer one-third of the night after midnight. He said: Yes.  

مسلم:١١٥٩lوَحَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ رَافِعٍ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الرَّزَّاقِ أَخْبَرَنَا ابْنُ جُرَيْجٍ أَخْبَرَنِي عَمْرُو بْنُ دِينَارٍ أَنَّ عَمْرَو بْنَ أَوْسٍ أَخْبَرَهُ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ ؓ

أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَالَ أَحَبُّ الصِّيَامِ إِلَى اللَّهِ صِيَامُ دَاوُدَ كَانَ يَصُومُ نِصْفَ الدَّهْرِ وَأَحَبُّ الصَّلاَةِ إِلَى اللَّهِ ﷻ صَلاَةُ دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ كَانَ يَرْقُدُ شَطْرَ اللَّيْلِ ثُمَّ يَقُومُ ثُمَّ يَرْقُدُ آخِرَهُ يَقُومُ ثُلُثَ اللَّيْلِ بَعْدَ شَطْرِهِ قَالَ قُلْتُ لِعَمْرِو بْنِ دِينَارٍ أَعَمْرُو بْنُ أَوْسٍ كَانَ يَقُولُ يَقُومُ ثُلُثَ اللَّيْلِ بَعْدَ شَطْرِهِ قَالَ نَعَمْ  

ibnmajah:1712Abū Isḥāq al-Shāfiʿī Ibrāhīm b. Muḥammad b. al-ʿAbbās > Sufyān b. ʿUyaynah > ʿAmr b. Dīnār > ʿAmr b. Aws > ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAmr

“The most beloved fast to Allah is the fast of Dawud, for he used to fast one day and not the next. And the most beloved of prayer to Allah is the prayer of Dawud; he used to sleep half of the night, pray one-third of the night and sleep one-sixth of the night.”  

ابن ماجة:١٧١٢حَدَّثَنَا أَبُو إِسْحَاقَ الشَّافِعِيُّ إِبْرَاهِيمُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْعَبَّاسِ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ بْنُ عُيَيْنَةَ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ دِينَارٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَمْرَو بْنَ أَوْسٍ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَمْرٍو يَقُولُ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَحَبُّ الصِّيَامِ إِلَى اللَّهِ صِيَامُ دَاوُدَ كَانَ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا وَأَحَبُّ الصَّلاَةِ إِلَى اللَّهِ صَلاَةُ دَاوُدَ كَانَ يَنَامُ نِصْفَ اللَّيْلِ وَيُصَلِّي ثُلُثَهُ وَيَنَامُ سُدُسَهُ  

ذِكْرُ وَصْفِ قِيَامِ نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ دَاوُدَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى نَبِيِّنَا وَعَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَصِيَامِهِ

ibnhibban:2590ʿUmar b. Muḥammad al-Hamdānī > ʿAbd al-Jabbār b. al-ʿAlāʾ > Sufyān > Samiʿtuh from ʿAmr b. Dīnār Mundh Sabʿīn Sanah > ʿAmr b. Aws > ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAmr b. al-ʿĀṣ

Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me, "The most beloved fasting to Allah was the fasting of (the Prophet) David who used to fast on alternate days. And the most beloved prayer to Allah was the prayer of David who used to sleep for (the first) half of the night and pray for 1/3 of it and (again) sleep for a sixth of it." (Using translation from Bukhārī 3420)  

ابن حبّان:٢٥٩٠أَخْبَرَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْهَمْدَانِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْجَبَّارِ بْنُ الْعَلَاءِ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ قَالَ سَمِعْتُهُ مِنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ دِينَارٍ مُنْذُ سَبْعِينَ سَنَةً يَقُولُ أَخْبَرَنِي عَمْرُو بْنُ أَوْسٍ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ يُخْبِرُ

عَنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ قَالَ «أَحَبُّ الصَّلَاةِ إِلَى اللَّهِ صَلَاةُ دَاوُدَ كَانَ يَنَامُ نِصْفَ اللَّيْلِ وَيَقُومُ ثُلُثَ اللَّيْلِ وَيَنَامُ سُدُسَهُ وَأَحَبُّ الصِّيَامِ إِلَى اللَّهِ صِيَامُ دَاوُدَ كَانَ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا»  

nasai-kubra:1329Qutaybah b. Saʿīd > Sufyān > ʿAmr b. Dīnār > ʿAmr b. Aws > ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAmr b. al-ʿĀṣ

Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me, "The most beloved fasting to Allah was the fasting of (the Prophet) David who used to fast on alternate days. And the most beloved prayer to Allah was the prayer of David who used to sleep for (the first) half of the night and pray for 1/3 of it and (again) sleep for a sixth of it." (Using translation from Bukhārī 3420)  

الكبرى للنسائي:١٣٢٩أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ دِينَارٍ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ أَوْسٍ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عَبْدَ اللهِ بْنَ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ يَقُولُ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «أَحَبُّ الصِّيَامِ إِلَى اللهِ صِيَامُ دَاوُدَ كَانَ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا وَأَحَبُّ الصَّلَاةِ إِلَى اللهِ صَلَاةُ دَاوُدَ كَانَ يَنَامُ نِصْفَ اللَّيْلِ وَيَقُومُ ثُلُثَهُ وَيَنَامُ سُدُسَهُ»  

nasai-kubra:2665Qutaybah b. Saʿīd > Sufyān > ʿAmr b. Dīnār > ʿAmr b. Aws > ʿAbdullāh b. ʿAmr b. al-ʿĀṣ

Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me, "The most beloved fasting to Allah was the fasting of (the Prophet) David who used to fast on alternate days. And the most beloved prayer to Allah was the prayer of David who used to sleep for (the first) half of the night and pray for 1/3 of it and (again) sleep for a sixth of it." (Using translation from Bukhārī 3420)  

الكبرى للنسائي:٢٦٦٥أَخْبَرَنَا قُتَيْبَةُ بْنُ سَعِيدٍ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا سُفْيَانُ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ دِينَارٍ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ أَوْسٍ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عَبْدَ اللهِ بْنَ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ يَقُولُ

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «أَحَبُّ الصِّيَامِ إِلَى اللهِ صِيَامُ دَاوُدَ كَانَ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا وَأَحَبُّ الصَّلَاةِ إِلَى اللهِ صَلَاةُ دَاوُدَ كَانَ يَنَامُ نِصْفَ اللَّيْلِ وَيَقُومُ ثُلُثَهُ وَيَنَامُ سُدُسَهُ»  

suyuti:606a

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me: The fast most liked by Allah is the one observed by Dawud (David), and the prayer dearer to Allah is the one offered by Dawud (David): he would sleep half the night, and stand (in prayer) one-third of it, and sleep one-sixth of it. He would go without fasting one day, and fast the other day. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 2448)   

السيوطي:٦٠٦a

"أحبُّ الصيام إلى اللهِ: صيامُ داودَ، كان يصومُ يومًا ويُفْطِرُ يومًا، وأحبُّ الصلاةِ إلى اللهِ: صلاةُ داودَ، كان ينام نصف اللَّيْل وبقوم ثلثه وينام سُدُسَه" .  

[حم] أحمد [خ] البخاري [م] مسلم [ن] النسائي [هـ] ابن ماجة عن ابن عَمْرو