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 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  

[Machine] "To me, the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said, 'O Abdullah ibn Amr, fast for three days every month.' He recited this verse: 'Whoever brings a good deed will have ten times the like thereof' (Quran 6:160). I said, 'Can I do more than that?' He said, 'Fast as Dawud (David) used to: he used to fast one day and break his fast on the next day.'"  

لِي رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَا عَبْدَ اللهِ بْنَ عَمْرٍو صُمِ الدَّهْرَ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ مِنْ كُلِّ شَهْرٍ قَالَ وَقَرَأَ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ {مَنْ جَاءَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُ عَشْرُ أَمْثَالِهَا} [الأنعام 160] قَالَ قُلْتُ إِنِّي أُطِيقُ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ؟ قَالَ صُمْ صِيَامَ دَاوُدَ كَانَ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا  

[Machine] The Messenger of Allahﷺ said: "O Abdullah ibn Amr, you fast the entire year. When you fast all year and stand in prayer at night, you expose yourself to the attacks of the evil eye and are susceptible to the desires of the self. No one can fast perpetually. Fast for three days every month; this is equivalent to fasting the whole year." I said: "I am capable of fasting more." He said: "Fast like the fast of Dawud, peace be upon him. He used to fast one day and break his fast the next day, and he never left off fasting when he would meet someone." And Ru'h narrated that the self becomes corrupted for him.  

أَنَّ رَسُولَ اللهِ ﷺ وحَدَّثَنَا رَوْحٌ حَدَّثَنَا شُعْبَةُ سَمِعْتُ حَبِيبَ بْنَ أَبِي ثَابِتٍ سَمِعْتُ أَبَا الْعَبَّاسِ الشَّاعِرَ وَكَانَ صَدُوقًا يُحَدِّثُ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو قَالَ قَالَ رَسُولُ اللهِ ﷺ يَا عَبْدَ اللهِابْنَ عَمْرٍو إِنَّكَ تَصُومُ الدَّهْرَ فَإِذَا صُمْتَ الدَّهْرَ وَقُمْتَ اللَّيْلَ هَجَمَتْ لَهُ الْعَيْنُ وَنَفِهَتْ لَهُ النَّفْسُ لَا صَامَ مَنْ صَامَ الْأَبَدَ صُمْ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ مِنَ الشَّهْرِ صَوْمَ الدَّهْرِ كُلِّهِ قَالَ قُلْتُ إِنِّي أُطِيقُ قَالَ صُمْ صَوْمَ دَاوُدَ فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا وَلَا يَفِرُّ إِذَا لَاقَى وَقَالَ رَوْحٌ نَهِثَتْ لَهُ النَّفْسُ  

[Machine] The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "Didn't I inform you that you should fast during the day and pray during the night? If you do that, the evil eye will not harm you and your soul will be purified. No one who fasts forever will fast like the one who fasts for three days every month. The fast of a lifetime. Indeed, Dawud used to fast one day and break his fast the next day, and he would not separate them if he met someone."  

لِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ «أَلَمْ أُخْبَرْ أَنَّكَ تَصُومُ النَّهَارَ وَتَقُومُ اللَّيْلَ؟ إِذَا فَعَلْتَ ذَلِكَ هَجَمَتْ لَكَ الْعَيْنُ وَنَقَهَتْ لَكَ النَّفْسُ لَا صَامَ مَنْ صَامَ الْأَبَدَ صَوْمُ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ مِنْ كُلِّ شَهْرٍ صَوْمُ الدَّهْرِ إِنَّ دَاوُدَ كَانَ يَصُومُ يَوْمًا وَيُفْطِرُ يَوْمًا وَلَا يَفِرُّ إِذَا لَاقَى»  

"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