The Prophet ﷺ said to me, "You fast daily all the year and pray every night all the night?" I replied in the affirmative. The Prophet ﷺ said, "If you keep on doing this, your eyes will become weak and your body will get tired. He who fasts all the year is as he who did not fast at all. The fasting of three days (a month) will be equal to the fasting of the whole year." I replied, "I have the power for more than this." The Prophet ﷺ said, "Then fast like the fasting of David who used to fast on alternate days and would never flee from the battle field, on meeting the enemy." (Using translation from Bukhārī 1979)   

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْعَبَّاسِ الْمَكِّيَّ وَكَانَ شَاعِرًا وَكَانَ لَا يُتَّهَمُ فِي الْحَدِيثِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ اللهِ بْنَ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ يَقُولُ قَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ إِنَّكَ تَصُومُ الدَّهْرَ وَتَقُومُ اللَّيْلَ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ إِنَّكَ إِذَا فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ هَجَمَتْ لَهُ الْعَيْنُ وَنَفِهَتْ لَهُ النَّفْسُ لَا صَامَ مَنْ صَامَ الدَّهْرَ صُمْ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ مِنَ الشَّهْرِ صَوْمُ الدَّهْرِ كُلِّهِ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ فَإِنِّي أُطِيقُ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ فَصُمْ صَوْمَ دَاوُدَ كَانَ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا وَلَا يَفِرُّ إِذَا لَاقَى  

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me, "Did I not inform you that you fast during the day and pray at night?" I replied, "Yes, Messenger of Allah, I do." He then said, "Do not do that, instead sleep, stand, fast, and break your fast. For your body has rights over you, your eyes have rights over you, your spouse has rights over you, and your guests have rights over you. It is sufficient for you to fast three days in every month, for every good deed is rewarded ten times its like. And that is fasting for the entire year." I insisted, but he repeated his statement. I then said, "O Messenger of Allah, I find myself capable." He said, "Then fast three days each week." I insisted again, and he repeated his statement. I questioned, "And what was the fasting of Prophet Dawud?" He replied, "Fasting half of the year." And Abu 'Amr al-'Adibi informed us, and Abu Bakr al-Isma'ili narrated to us, and al-Hasan ibn Sufyan informed me, on the authority of Hibban, from Ibn al-Mubarak, from al-Awza'i, who mentioned it in the same manner, except that he said, "Do not exceed that." And he added at the end, "Abdullah ibn 'Amr used to say after experiencing old age, 'I wish I had accepted the permission granted by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ '"  

قَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ أَلَمْ أُخْبَرْ أَنَّكَّ تَصُومُ النَّهَارَ وَتَقُومُ اللَّيْلَ؟ قَالَ بَلَى يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ قَالَ فَلَا تَفْعَلْ نَمْ وَقُمْ وَصُمْ وَأَفْطِرْ فَإِنَّ لِجَسَدِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا وَإِنَّ لِعَيْنَيْكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا وَإِنَّ لِزَوْجِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا وَإِنَّ لِزَوْرِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا وَإِنَّ بِحَسْبِكَ أَنْ تَصُومَ مِنْ كُلِّ شَهْرٍ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ فَإِنَّ كُلَّ حَسَنَةٍ بِعَشْرِ أَمْثَالِهَا وَإِذَا ذَاكَ صِيَامُ الدَّهْرِ كُلِّهِ قَالَ فَشَدَّدْتُ فَشُدِّدَ عَلَيَّ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ إِنِّي أَجِدُ قُوَّةً قَالَ فَصُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ جُمُعَةٍ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ قَالَ فَشَدَّدْتُ فَشُدِّدَ عَلَيَّ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ إِنِّي أَجِدُ قُوَّةً قَالَ فَصُمْ صِيَامَ نَبِيِّ اللهِ دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ وَلَا تَزِدْ عَلَى ذَلِكَ قَالَ فَقُلْتُ وَمَا كَانَ صِيَامُ نَبِيِّ اللهِ دَاوُدَ؟ قَالَ نِصْفُ الدَّهْرِ 8475 وَأَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو عَمْرٍو الْأَدِيبُ ثنا أَبُو بَكْرٍ الْإِسْمَاعِيلِيُّ أَخْبَرَنِي الْحَسَنُ بْنُ سُفْيَانَ ثنا حِبَّانُ عَنِ ابْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ أنبأ الْأَوْزَاعِيُّ فَذَكَرَهُ بِمِثْلِهِ إِلَّا أَنَّهُ قَالَ وَلَا تَزِيدَنَّ عَلَيْهِ وَزَادَ فِي آخِرِهِ قَالَ وَكَانَ عَبْدُ اللهِ بْنُ عَمْرٍو يَقُولُ بَعْدَ مَا أَدْرَكَهُ الْكِبَرُ يَا لَيْتَنِي قَبِلْتُ رُخْصَةَ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ  

[Machine] An Arab man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said to him, "O Prophet of Allah, how do you fast or how do you observe fasting?" The Prophet ﷺ remained silent and did not respond to him. When his anger subsided, Umar ibn Al-Khattab asked him and said, "O Prophet of Allah, how do you fast or how do you observe fasting? Have you seen anyone who fasts the entire year?" He replied, "No, he neither fasts nor breaks his fast." Umar said, "O Messenger of Allah, what if someone fasts two days and breaks his fast for one day?" The Prophet ﷺ said, "If someone is able to do that, O Umar, I would have wished to do it." Umar said, "O Messenger of Allah, what if someone fasts one day and breaks his fast for one day?" The Prophet ﷺ said, "That is the fasting of Prophet David (upon him be peace)." Umar then asked, "O Prophet of Allah, what if someone fasts on the day of Arafah?" The Prophet ﷺ said, "It makes up for the previous year and the year after it." Umar asked, "What if someone fasts three days from each month?" The Prophet ﷺ said, "That is the fasting of the entire year." Umar asked, "What if someone fasts on the day of Ashura?" The Prophet ﷺ said, "It makes up for the previous year." Umar said, "O Messenger of Allah, what if someone fasts on Mondays?" The Prophet ﷺ said, "That is the day I was born and the day I received Prophethood."  

أَنَّ أَعْرَابِيًّا أَتَى النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَ لَهُ يَا نَبِيَّ اللهِ كَيْفَ صَوْمُكَ أَوْ كَيْفَ تَصُومُ قَالَ فَسَكَتَ عَنْهُ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ فَلَمْ يَرُدَّ عَلَيْهِ شَيْئًا فَلَمَّا أَنْ سَكَنَ عَنْهُ الْغَضَبُ سَأَلَهُ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ فَقَالَ لَهُ يَا نَبِيَّ اللهِ كَيْفَ صَوْمُكَ أَوْ كَيْفَ تَصُومُ أَرَأَيْتَ مَنْ صَامَ الدَّهْرَ كُلَّهُ؟ قَالَ لَا صَامَ وَلَا أَفْطَرَ أَوْ قَالَ مَا صَامَ وَمَا أَفْطَرَ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ أَرَأَيْتَ مَنْ صَامَ يَوْمَيْنِ وَأَفْطَرَ يَوْمًا؟ قَالَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ وَمَنْ يطِيقُ ذَلِكَ يَا عُمَرُ لَوَدِدْتُ أَنِّي فَعَلْتُ ذَلِكَ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ أَرَأَيْتَ مَنْ صَامَ يَوْمًا وَأَفْطَرَ يَوْمًا؟ قَالَ ذَاكَ صَوْمُ دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ فَقَالَ يَا نَبِيَّ اللهِ أَرَأَيْتَ مَنْ صَامَ يَوْمَ عَرَفَةَ؟ قَالَ يُكَفِّرُ السَّنَةَ وَالسَّنَةَ الَّتِي قَبْلَهَا قَالَ أَرَأَيْتَ مَنْ صَامَ ثَلَاثًا مِنَ الشَّهْرِ؟ قَالَ ذَاكَ صَوْمُ الدَّهْرِ قَالَ أَرَأَيْتَ مَنْ صَامَ يَوْمَ عَاشُورَاءَ؟ قَالَ يُكَفِّرُ السَّنَةَ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ أَرَأَيْتَ مَنْ صَامَ يَوْمَ الِاثْنَيْنِ؟ قَالَ ذَاكَ يَوْمٌ وُلِدْتُ فِيهِ وَيَوْمٌ أُنْزِلَتْ عَلَيَّ فِيهِ النُّبُوَّةُ