How do you fast? The Messenger of Allah ﷺ felt annoyed. When 'Umar (Allah be pleased with him) noticed his annoyance, he said: We are well pleased with Allah as our Lord, with Islam as our code of life, and with Muhammad as our Prophet. We seek refuge with Allah from the anger of Allah and that of His Messenger. 'Umar kept on repeating these words till his (the Prophet's) anger calmed down. Then Umar said: Messenger of Allah, what is the position of one who fasts perpetually? He ﷺ said: He neither fasted nor broke it, or he said: He did not fast and he did not break it. 'Umar said: What about him who fasts for two days and does not fast one day? He ﷺ said: Is anyone capable of doing that? He ('Umar) said: What is the position of him who fasts for a day and doesn't fast on the other day? Thereupon he (the Holy Prophet) said: That is the fast of David (peace be upon him). He ('Umar) said: What about him who fasts one day and doesn't fast for two days. Thereupon he (the Messenger of Allah) said: I wish I were given the strength to do that. Thereafter he ﷺ said: Fasting three days every month and that of Ramadan every year is a perpetual fasting. I seek from Allah that fasting on the day of 'Arafa may atone for the sins of the preceding and the coming years, and I seek from Allah that fasting on the day of Ashura may atone for the sins of the preceding year.  

رَجُلٌ أَتَى النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَ كَيْفَ تَصُومُ فَغَضِبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَلَمَّا رَأَى عُمَرُ ؓ غَضَبَهُ قَالَ رَضِينَا بِاللَّهِ رَبًّا وَبِالإِسْلاَمِ دِينًا وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ نَبِيًّا نَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ غَضَبِ اللَّهِ وَغَضَبِ رَسُولِهِ فَجَعَلَ عُمَرُ ؓ يُرَدِّدُ هَذَا الْكَلاَمَ حَتَّى سَكَنَ غَضَبُهُ فَقَالَ عُمَرُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ كَيْفَ بِمَنْ يَصُومُ الدَّهْرَ كُلَّهُ قَالَ لاَ صَامَ وَلاَ أَفْطَرَ أَوْ قَالَ لَمْ يَصُمْ وَلَمْ يُفْطِرْ قَالَ كَيْفَ مَنْ يَصُومُ يَوْمَيْنِ وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا قَالَ وَيُطِيقُ ذَلِكَ أَحَدٌ قَالَ كَيْفَ مَنْ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا قَالَ ذَاكَ صَوْمُ دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ قَالَ كَيْفَ مَنْ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمَيْنِ قَالَ وَدِدْتُ أَنِّي طُوِّقْتُ ذَلِكَ ثُمَّ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ثَلاَثٌ مِنْ كُلِّ شَهْرٍ وَرَمَضَانُ إِلَى رَمَضَانَ فَهَذَا صِيَامُ الدَّهْرِ كُلِّهِ صِيَامُ يَوْمِ عَرَفَةَ أَحْتَسِبُ عَلَى اللَّهِ أَنْ يُكَفِّرَ السَّنَةَ الَّتِي قَبْلَهُ وَالسَّنَةَ الَّتِي بَعْدَهُ وَصِيَامُ يَوْمِ عَاشُورَاءَ أَحْتَسِبُ عَلَى اللَّهِ أَنْ يُكَفِّرَ السَّنَةَ الَّتِي قَبْلَهُ  

A man came to the Prophet ﷺ and said: How do you fast, Messenger of Allah? The Messenger of Allah ﷺ became angry at what he said. When Umar observed this (his anger), he said: We are satisfied with Allah as Lord, with Islam as religion, and with Muhammad as Prophet. We seek refuge in Allah from the anger of Allah, and from the anger of His Apostle. Umar continued to repeat these words till his anger cooled down. He then asked: Messenger of Allah, what is the position of one who observes a perpetual fast? He replied: May he not fast or break his fast. Musaddad said in his version: He has neither fasted nor broken his fast. The narrator, Ghaylan, doubted the actual wordings. He asked: What is the position of one who fasts two days and does not fast one day? He said: Is anyone able to do that? He asked: What is the position of one who fasts every second day (i.e. fasts one day and does not fasts the next day)? He (the Prophet) said: This is the fast that David observed. He asked: Messenger of Allah, what is the position of one who fasts one day and breaks it for two days? He replied: I wish I were given the power to observe that. Then the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: The observance of three days' fast every month and of one Ramadan to the other (i.e. the fast of Ramadan every year) is (equivalent to) a perpetual fast. I seek from Allah that fasting on the day of Arafah may atone for the sins of the preceding and the coming year, and I seek from Allah that fasting on the day of Ashura' may atone for the sins of the preceding year.  

أَنَّ رَجُلاً أَتَى النَّبِيَّ ﷺ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ كَيْفَ تَصُومُ فَغَضِبَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ فَلَمَّا رَأَى ذَلِكَ عُمَرُ قَالَ رَضِينَا بِاللَّهِ رَبًّا وَبِالإِسْلاَمِ دِينًا وَبِمُحَمَّدٍ نَبِيًّا نَعُوذُ بِاللَّهِ مِنْ غَضَبِ اللَّهِ وَمِنْ غَضَبِ رَسُولِهِ فَلَمْ يَزَلْ عُمَرُ يُرَدِّدُهَا حَتَّى سَكَنَ غَضَبُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ كَيْفَ بِمَنْ يَصُومُ الدَّهْرَ كُلَّهُ قَالَ لاَ صَامَ وَلاَ أَفْطَرَ قَالَ مُسَدَّدٌ لَمْ يَصُمْ وَلَمْ يُفْطِرْ أَوْ مَا صَامَ وَلاَ أَفْطَرَ شَكَّ غَيْلاَنُ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ كَيْفَ بِمَنْ يَصُومُ يَوْمَيْنِ وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا قَالَ أَوَيُطِيقُ ذَلِكَ أَحَدٌ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فَكَيْفَ بِمَنْ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا قَالَ ذَلِكَ صَوْمُ دَاوُدَ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فَكَيْفَ بِمَنْ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمَيْنِ قَالَ وَدِدْتُ أَنِّي طُوِّقْتُ ذَلِكَ ثُمَّ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ ثَلاَثٌ مِنْ كُلِّ شَهْرٍ وَرَمَضَانُ إِلَى رَمَضَانَ فَهَذَا صِيَامُ الدَّهْرِ كُلِّهِ وَصِيَامُ عَرَفَةَ إِنِّي أَحْتَسِبُ عَلَى اللَّهِ أَنْ يُكَفِّرَ السَّنَةَ الَّتِي قَبْلَهُ وَالسَّنَةَ الَّتِي بَعْدَهُ وَصَوْمُ يَوْمِ عَاشُورَاءَ إِنِّي أَحْتَسِبُ عَلَى اللَّهِ أَنْ يُكَفِّرَ السَّنَةَ الَّتِي قَبْلَهُ  

[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