My father married me to a woman of noble lineage. He would regularly check on his daughter-in-law and ask her about her husband. She would say: “An excellent man he is—he has not come to our bed, nor has he looked into our private quarters since we came to him.” 

When that went on too long for him, he mentioned it to the Prophet ﷺ. He said: “Have me meet with him.” So I met him afterward, and he said: “How do you fast?” He replied: “Every day.” He said: “And how often do you complete ˹the Quran˺?” He replied: “Every night.” He said: “Fast three days each month, and recite the Qur’an once each month.” He said: I said, “I can do more than that.” He said: “Then fast three days each week.” I said, “I can do more than that.” He said: “Then break your fast for two days and fast one day.” He said: I said, “I can do more than that.” He said: “Then fast the best of fasting: the fast of Dawud: fast one day and break the fast one day, and recite it once every seven nights.”

If only I had accepted the concession of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ for I grew old and became weak. He would recite to some of his family during the day the portion of the Quran for seven days, and what he recited during the day he would review during the day so that it would be lighter for him at night. And when he wanted to regain strength, he would break his fast for some days, count them, and then fast the same number, disliking to leave anything he had adhered to when he parted from the Prophet ﷺ upon it.

أَنْكَحَنِي أَبِي امْرَأَةً ذَاتَ حَسَبٍ، فَكَانَ يَتَعَاهَدُ كَنَّتَهُ فَيَسْأَلُهَا عَنْ بَعْلِهَا، فَتَقُولُ: نِعْمَ الرَّجُلُ مِنْ رَجُلٍ، لَمْ يَطَأْ لَنَا فِرَاشًا، وَلَمْ يُفَتِّشْ لَنَا كَنَفًا مُذْ أَتَيْنَاهُ، 

فَلَمَّا طَالَ ذَلِكَ عَلَيْهِ، ذَكَرَ لِلنَّبِيِّ ﷺ، فَقَالَ: «الْقَنِي بِهِ»، فَلَقِيتُهُ بَعْدُ، فَقَالَ: «كَيْفَ تَصُومُ؟» قَالَ: كُلَّ يَوْمٍ، قَالَ: «وَكَيْفَ تَخْتِمُ؟» قَالَ: كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ، قَالَ: «صُمْ فِي كُلِّ شَهْرٍ ثَلَاثَةً، وَاقْرَأِ الْقُرْآنَ فِي كُلِّ شَهْرٍ»، قَالَ: قُلْتُ: أُطِيقُ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، قَالَ: «صُمْ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ فِي الْجُمُعَةِ»، قُلْتُ: أُطِيقُ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، قَالَ: «أَفْطِرْ يَوْمَيْنِ وَصُمْ يَوْمًا»، قَالَ: قُلْتُ: أُطِيقُ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، قَالَ: «صُمْ أَفْضَلَ الصَّوْمِ، صَوْمَ دَاوُدَ، صِيَامَ يَوْمٍ وَإِفْطَارَ يَوْمٍ، وَاقْرَأْ فِي كُلِّ سَبْعِ لَيَالٍ مَرَّةً»، 

فَلَيْتَنِي قَبِلْتُ رُخْصَةَ رَسُولِ اللهِ ﷺ، وَذَاكَ أَنِّي كَبِرْتُ وَضَعُفْتُ، فَكَانَ يَقْرَأُ عَلَى بَعْضِ أَهْلِهِ السُّبْعَ مِنَ الْقُرْآنِ بِالنَّهَارِ، وَالَّذِي يَقْرَؤُهُ يَعْرِضُهُ مِنَ النَّهَارِ، لِيَكُونَ أَخَفَّ عَلَيْهِ بِاللَّيْلِ، وَإِذَا أَرَادَ أَنْ يَتَقَوَّى أَفْطَرَ أَيَّامًا، وَأَحْصَى وَصَامَ مِثْلَهُنَّ، كَرَاهِيَةَ أَنْ يَتْرُكَ شَيْئًا فَارَقَ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ عَلَيْهِ.