Sunan Abu Dawud

Narrated As-Samma' sister of Abdullah ibn Busr: The Prophet (ﷺ) said: Do not fast on Saturday except what has been made obligatory on you; and if one of you can get nothing but a grape skin or a piece of wood from a tree, he should chew it

Narrated Juwairiyah, daughter of al-Harith:That the Prophet (ﷺ) entered upon her on Friday while she was fasting. He asked: Did you fast yesterday ? She said: No. He again asked: Do you intend to fast tomorrow ? She said: No. He said: So break your fast

Narrated Al-Laith:When it was mentioned to Ibn Shihab (al-Zuhri) that fasting on Saturday had been prohibited, he would say: This is a Himsi tradition

Al-Auza'i said:I always concealed it, but I found that it became known widely, that is, the tradition on Ibn Busr about fasting on Saturday. Abu Dawud said: Malik said: This is a false (tradition)

Narrated AbuQatadah: A man came to the Prophet (ﷺ) and said: How do you fast, Messenger of Allah? The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) became angry at what he said. When Umar observed this (his anger), he said: We are satisfied with Allah as Lord, with Islam as religion, and with Muhammad as Prophet. We seek refuge in Allah from the anger of Allah, and from the anger of His Apostle. Umar continued to repeat these words till his anger cooled down. He then asked: Messenger of Allah, what is the position of one who observes a perpetual fast? He replied: May he not fast or break his fast. Musaddad said in his version: He has neither fasted nor broken his fast. The narrator, Ghaylan, doubted the actual wordings. He asked: What is the position of one who fasts two days and does not fast one day? He said: Is anyone able to do that? He asked: What is the position of one who fasts every second day (i.e. fasts one day and does not fasts the next day)? He (the Prophet) said: This is the fast that David observed. He asked: Messenger of Allah, what is the position of one who fasts one day and breaks it for two days? He replied: I wish I were given the power to observe that. Then the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: The observance of three days' fast every month and of one Ramadan to the other (i.e. the fast of Ramadan every year) is (equivalent to) a perpetual fast. I seek from Allah that fasting on the day of Arafah may atone for the sins of the preceding and the coming year, and I seek from Allah that fasting on the day of Ashura' may atone for the sins of the preceding year

The tradition mentioned above has also been transmitted by Abu Qatadah through a different chain of narrators. This version add:He said: Messenger of Allah, tell me about keeping fast on Monday and Thursday. He said: On it I was born, and on it the Qur'an was first revealed to me

Narrated 'Abd Allah b. 'Amr b. al-'As:The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) met me and said: Have I not been informed that you told: I shall stand at prayer all the night, and I shall fast during the day ? He said: I think so. Yes, Messenger of Allah, I have said this. He said: Get up and pray at night and sleep ; fast and break your fast ; fast three days every month: that is equivalent to keeping perpetual fast. I said: Messenger of Allah, I have more power than that. He said: Then fast one day and break your fast one day. That is the most moderate fast ; that is the fast of Dawud (David). He said: I have more power than that. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: There is no fast more excellent that it

Narrated Abdullah ibn al-Harith ; or Uncle of Mujibah al-Bahiliyyah: The father or Uncle of Mujibah al-Bahiliyyah visited the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ). He then went away and came to him (again) after one year when his condition and appearance had changed. He said: Messenger of Allah, do you not recognize me? He asked: Who are you? He replied: I am al-Bahili who came to you last year. He said: What has changed you? You were looking well, then you were good in appearance? He said: I have only food at night since I departed from you. Thereupon the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) said: Why did you torment yourself? Fast during Ramadan (the month of patience) and fast for one day every month. He said: Increase it for me, for I have (more) strength. He said: Fast two days. He again said: Increase it for me. He said: Fast three days. He again said: Increase it for me. He said: Fast during the inviolable months and then stop; fast during the inviolable months and then stop; fast during the inviolable months and then stop. He indicated by his three fingers, and joined them and then opened them

Narrated Abu Hurairah:The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: The most excellent fast after Ramadan is Allah's month al-Muharram, and the most excellent prayer after the prescribed prayer is the prayer during night

Narrated 'Uthman b. Hakim:I asked Sa'id b. Jubair about fasting during Rajab. He said: Ibn 'Abbas told me that the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to fast to such an extent that we thought that he would never break his fast; and he would go without fasting to such an extent that we thought he would never fast

Narrated Aisha, Ummul Mu'minin: The month most liked by the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) for fasting was Sha'ban. He then joined it with Ramadan

Narrated Muslim al-Qurashi: I asked or someone asked the Prophet (ﷺ) about perpetual fasting. He replied: You have a duty to your family. Fast during Ramadan and the following month, and every Wednesday and Thursday. You will then have observed a perpetual fast

Narrated Abu Ayyub:The Prophet (ﷺ) as saying: If anyone fasts during Ramadan, then follows it with six days in Shawwal, it will be like a perpetual fast

Narrated 'Aishah, wife of Prophet (ﷺ):The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to fast to such an extent that we thought that he would never break his fast, and he would go without fasting to such an extent that we thought he would never fast. I never saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) fast a complete month except in Ramadan, and I never saw his fast more in any month than in Sha'ban

The tradition mentioned above has alos been transmitted by Abu Hurairah through a different chain of narrators to the same effect. This version adds:He would fast all but a little of Sha'ban, rather he used to fast the whole of Sha'ban

Narrated Usamah ibn Zayd: The client of Usamah ibn Zayd said that he went along with Usamah to Wadi al-Qura in pursuit of his camels. He would fast on Monday and Thursday. His client said to him: Why do you fast on Monday and Thursday, while you are an old man? He said: The Prophet of Allah (ﷺ) used to fast on Monday and Thursday. When he was asked about it, he said: The works of the servants (of Allah) are presented (to Allah) on Monday and Thursday

Narrated One of the wives of the Prophet: Hunaydah ibn Khalid narrated from his wife on the authority of one of the wives of the Prophet (ﷺ) who said: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) used to fast the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah, Ashura' and three days of every month, that is, the first Monday (of the month) and Thursday

Narrated Ibn 'Abbas:The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: There is no virtue more to the liking of Allah in any day than in these days, that is, the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah. They (the Companions) asked: Messenger of Allah, not even the struggle in the path of Allah (Jihad) ? He said: (Yes), not even the struggle in the path of Allah, except a man who goes out (in the path of Allah) with his life and property, and does not return with any of them

Aishah said:I never saw the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) fasting during the first ten days of Dhu al-Hijjah

Narrated AbuHurayrah: Ikrimah said: We were with AbuHurayrah in his house when he narrated to us: The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) prohibited fasting on the day of Arafah at Arafah