حَدَّثَنَا هُشَيْمٌ عَنْ حُصَيْنِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ وَمُغِيرَةَ الضَّبِّيِّ عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ الْعَاصِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ زَوَّجَنِي أَبِي امْرَأَةً مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ فَلَمَّا دَخَلَتْ عَلَيَّ جَعَلْتُ لَا أَنْحَاشُ لَهَا عَمَّا بِي مِنَ الْقُوَّةِ عَلَى الْعِبَادَةِ مِنَ الصَّوْمِ وَالصَّلَاةِ فَجَاءَ عَمْرُو بْنُ الْعَاصِ إِلَى كَنَّتِهِ حَتَّى دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا فَقَالَ لَهَا كَيْفَ وَجَدْتِ بَعْلَكِ قَالَتْ خَيْرُ الرِّجَالِ أَوْ كَخَيْرِ الْبُعُولَةِ مِنْ رَجُلٍ لَمْ يُفَتِّشْ لَنَا كَنَفًا وَلَمْ يَعْرِفْ لَنَا فِرَاشًا فَأَقْبَلَ عَلَيَّ فَعَذَمَنِي وَعَضَّنِي بِلِسَانِهِ فَقَالَ أَنْكَحْتُكَ امْرَأَةً مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ ذَاتَ حَسَبٍ فَعَضَلْتَهَا وَفَعَلْتَ وَفَعَلْتَ ثُمَّ انْطَلَقَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَشَكَانِي فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَيَّ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَقَالَ لِي ”أَتَصُومُ النَّهَارَ“ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ ”وَتَقُومُ اللَّيْلَ“ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ ”لَكِنِّي أَصُومُ وَأُفْطِرُ وَأُصَلِّي وَأَنَامُ وَأَمَسُّ النِّسَاءَ فَمَنْ رَغِبَ عَنْ سُنَّتِي فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي“ قَالَ ”اقْرَأِ الْقُرْآنَ فِي كُلِّ شَهْرٍ“ قُلْتُ إِنِّي أَجِدُنِي أَقْوَى مِنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ ”فَاقْرَأْهُ فِي كُلِّ عَشَرَةِ أَيَّامٍ“ قُلْتُ إِنِّي أَجِدُنِي أَقْوَى مِنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا أَمَّا حُصَيْنٌ وَأَمَّا مُغِيرَةُ قَالَ ”فَاقْرَأْهُ فِي كُلِّ ثَلَاثٍ“ وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ قَالَ ”فَاقْرَأْهُ فِي كُلِّ سَبْعٍ لَا تَزِيدَنَّ عَلَى ذَلِكَ“ قَالَ ثُمَّ قَالَ ”صُمْ فِي كُلِّ شَهْرٍ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ“ قُلْتُ إِنِّي أَقْوَى مِنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ فَلَمْ يَزَلْ يَرْفَعُنِي حَتَّى قَالَ ”صُمْ يَوْمًا وَأَفْطِرْ يَوْمًا فَإِنَّهُ أَفْضَلُ الصَّيَامِ وَهُوَ صِيَامُ أَخِي دَاوُدَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ“ قَالَ حُصَيْنٌ فِي حَدِيثِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ ”فَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ عَابِدٍ شِرَّةً وَلِكُلِّ شِرَّةٍ فَتْرَةً فَإِمَّا إِلَى سُنَّةٍ وَإِمَّا إِلَى بِدْعَةٍ فَمَنْ كَانَتْ فَتْرَتُهُ إِلَى سُنَّةٍ فَقَدِ اهْتَدَى وَمَنْ كَانَتْ فَتْرَتُهُ إِلَى غَيْرِ ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ هَلَكَ“ قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ فَكَانَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَمْرٍو حَيْثُ قَدْ ضَعُفَ وَكَبِرَ يَصُومُ الْأَيَّامَ كَذَلِكَ يَصِلُ بَعْضَهَا إِلَى بَعْضٍ لِيَتَقَوَّى بِذَلِكَ ثُمَّ يُفْطِرُ بَعْدَ تِلْكَ الْأَيَّامِ قَالَ وَكَانَ يَقْرَأُ فِي كُلِّ حِزْبٍ كَذَلِكَ يَزِيدُ أَحْيَانًا وَيَنْقُصُ أَحْيَانًا غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ يُوفِي الْعَدَدَ إِمَّا فِي سَبْعٍ وَإِمَّا فِي ثَلَاثٍ قَالَ ثُمَّ كَانَ يَقُولُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ لَأَنْ أَكُونَ قَبِلْتُ رُخْصَةَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا عُدِلَ بِهِ لَكِنِّي فَارَقْتُهُ عَلَى أَمْرٍ أَكْرَهُ أَنْ أُخَالِفَهُ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ
It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: My father married me to a Qurayshi woman. When I entered upon her, I did not pay her any attention nor gave her any time, because I had been given great strength to worship in the form of fasting and prayer. When Sayyiduna Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) came to his daughter-in-law and asked her: How did you find your husband? She said: He is the best man, or he is the best husband; he neither sought my company nor recognized my bed (meaning, due to being occupied in worship, he did not even come near his wife). Hearing this, my father turned to me, reproached me greatly, and spoke harshly, saying: I married you to a Qurayshi woman of noble lineage, and you have separated yourself from her and have done such and such. Then he went to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and complained about me to him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called me, and I came to him. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Do you fast during the day? I said: Yes. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And do you stand in prayer at night? I said: Yes. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: But I fast and I break my fast, I pray and I sleep, and I fulfill the rights of my wives. Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not from me.
Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Complete the recitation of the Qur’an in a month. I said: I find myself stronger than that. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Then complete it in ten days. I said: I consider myself stronger than that. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Then complete it in three days. In another narration: Complete the recitation in seven days and do not do more than that. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Fast three days in every month. I said: I am stronger than that. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kept increasing for me until he said: Fast one day and break your fast the next day; these are the best fasts, and these are the fasts of my brother Dawud (peace be upon him).
Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Every worshipper has zeal and eagerness, then after every eagerness comes slackness and deficiency. Its end is either towards the Sunnah or towards innovation. So, whoever’s end is towards the Sunnah, he will be guided, and whoever’s end is in another form, he will be destroyed.
Imam Mujahid says: When Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) became weak and old, he would fast according to that amount; sometimes he would fast several days consecutively, then break his fast for the same number of days consecutively, and his purpose in this was to gain strength. Similarly, he would do with his Qur’anic portion; some nights he would recite more, and some nights less, but the total amount would be the same, either completing the Qur’an in seven days or in three days.
And Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with him) used to say later: If I had accepted the concession of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), it would have been more beloved to me than anything in the world that could be compared to it. But now, I dislike to oppose the routine of action upon which I parted from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).
Brief Explanation
Benefits: … The portion of recitation which is made a regular practice to be read every night is called a hizb.
From this hadith, it is understood that the Qur’an cannot be completed in less than three days, and the most virtuous fasts are the fasts of Dawud (alayhis salam), that is, to fast one day and to break the fast the next day. The remaining issues have already been explained earlier.
The Noble Prophet (sallallahu alayhi wa sallam) has shown gentleness towards his ummah, has guided them towards what is beneficial for them, has encouraged them to perform deeds that are small in quantity but consistent, and has prohibited them from excessive acts of worship that lead to hardship and weariness.