وَعَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو بْنِ الْعَاصِ
قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: «يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ أَلَمْ أُخْبَرْ أَنَّكَ تَصُومُ النَّهَارَ وَتَقُومُ اللَّيْلَ؟»
فَقُلْتُ: بَلَى يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ. قَالَ: «فَلَا تَفْعَلْ صُمْ وَأَفْطِرْ وَقُمْ وَنَمْ فَإِنَّ لِجَسَدِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا وَإِنَّ لِعَيْنِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا وَإِنَّ لِزَوْجِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا وَإِنَّ لِزَوْرِكَ عَلَيْكَ حَقًّا. لَا صَامَ مَنْ صَامَ الدَّهْرَ. صَوْمُ ثَلَاثَةِ أَيَّامٍ مِنْ كُلِّ شَهْرٍ صَوْمُ الدَّهْرِ كُلِّهِ.
صُمْ كُلَّ شَهْرٍ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ وَاقْرَأِ الْقُرْآنَ فِي كُلِّ شَهْرٍ». قُلْتُ: إِنِّي أُطِيقُ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ. قَالَ: «صُمْ أَفْضَلَ الصَّوْمِ صَوْمَ دَاوُدَ: صِيَامُ يَوْمٍ وَإِفْطَارُ يَوْمٍ. وَاقْرَأْ فِي كُلِّ سَبْعِ لَيَالٍ مَرَّةً وَلَا تَزِدْ عَلَى ذَلِكَ»
Abdallah ibn Amr b. al-‘As told of God’s messenger saying to him, ‘Have I not been informed, Abdallah, that you fast during the day and get up at night for prayer?’ When he replied that that was so, he said, ‘Do not do it. Fast and break your fast, get up for prayer and sleep, for you have a duty to your body, your eye, your wife, and your visitors.
May he who observe a perpetual fast never fast!* Fasting three days every month is equivalent to a perpetual fast. Fast three days every month and recite the Qur’an every month.’
When he replied that he was able to do more than that, he said, ‘Observe the most excellent fast, that of David, fasting every second day, and recite the Qur’an once every seven nights, but do no more than that.’ * Cf. the similar phrase in the tradition of Abu Qatadah (p.434). Some hold that the meaning here is, ‘He who observes a perpetual fast has not fasted.’’