The Prophet ﷺ said to me, "I have been informed that you pray all the nights and observe fast all the days; is this true?" I replied, "Yes." He said, "If you do so, your eyes will become weak and you will get bored. So fast three days a month, for this will be the fasting of a whole year, or equal to the fasting of a whole year." I said, "I find myself able to fast more." He said, "Then fast like the fasting of (the Prophet) David who used to fast on alternate days and would not flee on facing the enemy."

لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَلَمْ أُنَبَّأْ أَنَّكَ تَقُومُ اللَّيْلَ وَتَصُومُ فَقُلْتُ نَعَمْ فَقَالَ فَإِنَّكَ إِذَا فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ هَجَمَتِ الْعَيْنُ وَنَفِهَتِ النَّفْسُ صُمْ مِنْ كُلِّ شَهْرٍ ثَلاَثَةَ أَيَّامٍ فَذَلِكَ صَوْمُ الدَّهْرِ أَوْ كَصَوْمِ الدَّهْرِ قُلْتُ إِنِّي أَجِدُ بِي قَالَ مِسْعَرٌ يَعْنِي قُوَّةً قَالَ فَصُمْ صَوْمَ دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ وَكَانَ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا وَلاَ يَفِرُّ إِذَا لاَقَى

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."

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْعَبَّاسِ الْمَكِّيَّ وَكَانَ شَاعِرًا وَكَانَ لاَ يُتَّهَمُ فِي حَدِيثِهِ قَالَ سَمِعْتُ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ ؓ قَالَ قَالَ لِي النَّبِيُّ ﷺ إِنَّكَ لَتَصُومُ الدَّهْرَ وَتَقُومُ اللَّيْلَ فَقُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ إِنَّكَ إِذَا فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ هَجَمَتْ لَهُ الْعَيْنُ وَنَفِهَتْ لَهُ النَّفْسُ لاَ صَامَ مَنْ صَامَ الدَّهْرَ صَوْمُ ثَلاَثَةِ أَيَّامٍ صَوْمُ الدَّهْرِ كُلِّهِ قُلْتُ فَإِنِّي أُطِيقُ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ فَصُمْ صَوْمَ دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ كَانَ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا وَلاَ يَفِرُّ إِذَا لاَقَى

The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to me: 'Abdullah b. Amr, you fast continuously and stand in prayer for the whole of night. If you do like that, your eyes would be highly strained and would sink and lose sight. There is no (reward for) fasting (for him) who fasts perpetually. Fasting for three days during the month is like fasting, the whole of the month. I said: I am capable of doing more than this, whereupon he said: Observe the fast of David. He used to fast one day and break (the other) day. And he did not turn back in the encounter.

لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَمْرٍو إِنَّكَ لَتَصُومُ الدَّهْرَ وَتَقُومُ اللَّيْلَ وَإِنَّكَ إِذَا فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ هَجَمَتْ لَهُ الْعَيْنُ وَنَهِكَتْ لاَ صَامَ مَنْ صَامَ الأَبَدَ صَوْمُ ثَلاَثَةِ أَيَّامٍ مِنَ الشَّهْرِ صَوْمُ الشَّهْرِ كُلِّهِ قُلْتُ فَإِنِّي أُطِيقُ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ فَصُمْ صَوْمَ دَاوُدَ كَانَ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا وَلاَ يَفِرُّ إِذَا لاَقَى

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'I have heard that you stand (in prayer) all night and fast all day.' I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, I only meant good by that.' He said: 'One who fasts every day of his life has not truly fasted. But I will tell you what fasting for a lifetime means: Three days of every month.' I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, I said: 'I am able to do more than that.' He said 'Observe the fast of Dawud, peace be upon him; he used to fast one day and not the next."' 'Ata said: "someone who heard him told me that Ibn 'Umar (said) that the Prophet said: 'Whoever fasts every day of his life, then he has not fasted."

قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِنَّهُ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّكَ تَقُومُ اللَّيْلَ وَتَصُومُ النَّهَارَ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا أَرَدْتُ بِذَلِكَ إِلاَّ الْخَيْرَ قَالَ لاَ صَامَ مَنْ صَامَ الأَبَدَ وَلَكِنْ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَى صَوْمِ الدَّهْرِ ثَلاَثَةُ أَيَّامٍ مِنَ الشَّهْرِ قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي أُطِيقُ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ صُمْ خَمْسَةَ أَيَّامٍ قُلْتُ إِنِّي أُطِيقُ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ فَصُمْ عَشْرًا فَقُلْتُ إِنِّي أُطِيقُ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ صُمْ صَوْمَ دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ كَانَ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا

"The Messenger of Allah said to me: 'O 'Abdullah bin 'Amr, you fast all the time and you do stand (in prayer) at night, but if you do that your eyes will become sunken and you will become exhausted. There is no fast for one who fasts every day of his life. Fasting a lifetime means fasting three days each month,

لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ عَمْرٍو إِنَّكَ تَصُومُ الدَّهْرَ وَتَقُومُ اللَّيْلَ وَإِنَّكَ إِذَا فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ هَجَمَتِ الْعَيْنُ وَنَفِهَتْ لَهُ النَّفْسُ لاَ صَامَ مَنْ صَامَ الأَبَدَ صَوْمُ الدَّهْرِ ثَلاَثَةُ أَيَّامٍ مِنَ الشَّهْرِ صَوْمُ الدَّهْرِ كُلِّهِ قُلْتُ إِنِّي أُطِيقُ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ صُمْ صَوْمَ دَاوُدَ كَانَ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا وَلاَ يَفِرُّ إِذَا لاَقَى

"The Messenger of Allah said: 'I have heard that you stand (in prayer) all night and fast all day.' I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, I only meant good by that.' He said: 'One who fasts every day of his life has not truly fasted. But I will tell you what fasting for a lifetime means: Three days of every month.' I said: 'O Messenger of Allah, I said: 'I am able to do more than that.' He said 'Observe the fast of Dawud, peace be upon him; he used to fast one day and not the next."' 'Ata said: "someone who heard him told me that Ibn 'Umar (said) that the Prophet said: 'Whoever fasts every day of his life, then he has not fasted." (Using translation from Nasāʾī 2397)

قَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «إِنَّهُ بَلَغَنِي أَنَّكَ تَقُومُ اللَّيْلَ وَتَصُومُ النَّهَارَ؟» قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ مَا أَرَدْتُ بِذَلِكَ إِلَّا الْخَيْرَ قَالَ «لَا صَامَ مَنْ صَامَ الْأَبَدَ وَلَكِنْ أَدُلُّكَ عَلَى صَوْمِ الدَّهْرِ ثَلَاثَةُ أَيَّامٍ مِنَ كُلِّ شَهْرٍ» قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللهِ إِنِّي أُطِيقُ أَفْضَلَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ «فَصُمْ خَمْسَةَ أَيَّامٍ» قُلْتُ إِنِّي أُطِيقُ أَفْضَلَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ «فَصُمْ عَشْرًا» قُلْتُ إِنِّي أُطِيقُ أَفْضَلَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ «فَصُمْ صَوْمَ دَاوُدَ وَكَانَ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا»

"The Messenger of Allah said to me: 'O 'Abdullah bin 'Amr, you fast all the time and you do stand (in prayer) at night, but if you do that your eyes will become sunken and you will become exhausted. There is no fast for one who fasts every day of his life. Fasting a lifetime means fasting three days each month, (Using translation from Nasāʾī 2399)

قَالَ لِي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ «يَا عَبْدَ اللهِ بْنَ عَمْرٍو إِنَّكَ تَصُومُ الدَّهْرَ وَتَقُومُ اللَّيْلَ وَإِنَّكَ إِذَا فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ هَجَمَتِ الْعَيْنُ وَنفهت لَهُ النَّفْسُ لَا صَامَ مَنْ صَامَ الْأَبَدَ صَوْمُ الدَّهْرِ ثَلَاثَةُ أَيَّامٍ مِنَ الشَّهْرِ صَوْمُ الدَّهْرِ كُلِّهِ» قُلْتُ إِنِّي أُطِيقُ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ «صَوْمُ دَاوُدَ كَانَ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا وَلَا يَفِرُّ إِذَا لَاقَى»

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