ذِكْرُ نَفْيِ الْفِرَارِ عِنْدَ الْمُلَاقَاةِ عَنْ نَبِيِّ اللَّهِ دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ

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 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 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 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»