11. Fasting
١١۔ كِتَابُ الصِّيَامِ
[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ used to fast until we said, "He will not break his fast," and he would break his fast until we said, "He will not fast." And I never saw the Messenger of Allah ﷺ complete the fast of a month, except for Ramadan, and I never saw him fast in a month more than he did in Sha'ban.
كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَصُومُ حَتَّى نَقُولَ لَا يُفْطِرُ وَيُفْطِرُ حَتَّى نَقُولَ لَا يَصُومُ وَمَا رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ اسْتَكْمَلَ صِيَامَ شَهْرٍ قَطُّ إِلَّا رَمَضَانَ وَمَا رَأَيْتُهُ فِي شَهْرٍ أَكْثَرَ صِيَامًا مِنْهُ فِي شَعْبَانَ
“I asked ‘Aishah about the fasting of the Prophet ﷺ. She said: ‘He used to fast until we thought he would always fast. And he used to not fast until we thought he would always not fast. I never saw him fast more in any month than in Sha’ban. He used to fast all of Sha’ban; he used to fast all of Sha’ban except a little.’” (Using translation from Ibn Mājah 1710)
عَنْ صِيَامِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَقَالَتْ كَانَ يَصُومُ حَتَّى نَقُولَ قَدْ صَامَ وَيُفْطِرُ حَتَّى نَقُولَ قَدْ أَفْطَرَ وَلَمْ أَرَهُ صَائِمًا مِنْ شَهْرٍ قَطُّ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ صِيَامِهِ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ كَانَ يَصُومُ شَعْبَانَ كُلَّهُ كَانَ يَصُومُ شَعْبَانَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا
"One of us (women) would miss some fasts in Ramadan and she would not be able to make it up until Shaban began, and the Messenger of Allah did not fast in any month as he fasted in Shaban; he used to fast all of it, except a little, he used to fast all of it." ' (Using translation from Nasāʾī 2178)
إِنْ كَانَتْ إِحْدَانَا لَتُفْطِرُ فِي زَمَانِ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ فَمَا تَقْدِرُ عَلَى أَنْ تَقْضِيَهُ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَ شَعْبَانُ مَا كَانَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَصُومُ مِنْ شَهْرٍ مَا كَانَ يَصُومُ مِنْ شَعْبَانَ كَانَ يَصُومُهُ كُلَّهُ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا بَلْ كَانَ يَصُومُهُ كُلَّهُ
The month most liked by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for fasting was Sha'ban. He then joined it with Ramadan. (Using translation from Abū Dāʾūd 2431)
ؓ تَقُولُ كَانَ أَحَبُّ الشُّهُورِ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ أَنْ يَصُومَهُ شَعْبَانَ ثُمَّ يَصِلُهُ بِرَمَضَانَ