The Prophet (saws) commanded to apply collyrium mixed with musk at the time of sleep. He said: A man who is fasting should abstain from it.

Abu Dawud said: Yahya b. Ma'in said to me: This tradition about the use of collyrium is munkar (i.e. contradicts the sound traditions on the subject).

'Urwa b. Zubair narrated that 'A'isha the Mother of the Believers (Allah be pleased with her) informed him that the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) kissed her while fasting.

The Prophet said, "(Allah said), 'Every good deed of Adam's son is for him except fasting; it is for Me. and I shall reward (the fasting person) for it.' Verily, the smell of the mouth of a fasting person is better to Allah than the smell of musk."

The Prophet used to kiss and embrace (his wives) while he was fasting, and he had more power to control his desires than any of you. Said Jabir, "The person who gets discharge after casting a look (on his wife) should complete his fast."

The Messenger of Allah (saws) had himself cupped when he was fasting.

Abu Dawud said: Wuhaib b. Khalid narrated a similar tradition from Ayyub through a different chain of narrators. Ja'far b. Rabi'ah and Hisham, that is, Ibn Hassan, narrated a similar tradition from 'Ikrimah on the authority of Ibn 'Abbas.

Umm al-Fadl bint- al-Harith reported that some people argued about the fasting of the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) on the day of 'Arafa. Some of them said that he had been fasting, whereas the others said that he had not been fasting. I sent a cup of milk to him while he was riding his camel at 'Arafa, and he drank it.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'n Nadr, the mawla of Umar ibn Ubaydullah, from Umayr, the mawla of Abdullah ibn Abbas, from Umm al-Fadl bint al-Harith, that she was present when some people were arguing on the day of Arafa about whether the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, was fasting or not. Some of them said he was fasting, and some of them said he was not. So she sent a bowl of milk to him while his camel was standing still and he drank.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Ibn Shihab that Humayd ibn Abd ar-Rahman ibn Awf heard Muawiya ibn Abi Sufyan say from the mimbar on the day of Ashura in the year in which he made the hajj, "People of Madina, where are your learned men? I heard the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, say about this day, 'This is the day of Ashura, and fasting it has not been prescribed for you. I am fasting it, and whoever of you wants to fast it can do so, and whoever does not want to, does not have to.' "

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abu'z Zinad from al-Araj from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said, "By the One in Whose hand my self is, the smell of the breath of a man fasting is better with Allah than the scent of musk.' He leaves his desires and his food and drink for My sake. Fasting is for Me and I reward it. Every good action is rewarded by ten times its kind, up to seven hundred times, except fasting, which is for Me, and I reward it.' "

I was with the Prophet on a journey, and he observed the fast till evening. The Prophet said to a man, "Get down and mix Sawiq with water for me." He replied, "Will you wait till it is evening?" The Prophet said, "Get down and mix Sawiq with water for me; when you see night falling from this side, the fasting person should break his fast."

I heard Allah's Apostle saying, "The example of a Mujahid in Allah's Cause-- and Allah knows better who really strives in His Cause----is like a person who fasts and prays continuously. Allah guarantees that He will admit the Mujahid in His Cause into Paradise if he is killed, otherwise He will return him to his home safely with rewards and war booty."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yazid ibn Abdullah ibn al- Hadi from Abu Murra, the mawla of Umm Hani, the sister of Aqil ibn Abi Talib, that Abdullah ibn Amr ibn al-As told him that he had visited his father Amr ibn al-As and found him eating. His father had invited him to eat, and when he replied that he was fasting, his father said, "These are the days on which the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade us to fast, and told us to break the fast on them."

Malik said, "These days are the days of tashriq."

That he heard Muawiya bin Abi Sufyan on the day of 'Ashura' during the year he performed the Hajj, saying on the pulpit, "O the people of Medina! Where are your Religious Scholars? I heard Allah's Apostle saying, 'This is the day of 'Ashura'. Allah has not enjoined its fasting on you but I am fasting it. You have the choice either to fast or not to fast (on this day).' "

Yahya related to me from Malik that he heard that a beggar asked A'isha, the wife of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, for something while she was fasting and there was only a loaf of bread in her house. She said to her female mawla, "Give it to him." The mawla protested, "You will not have anything to break your fast with." A'isha repeated, "Give it to him," so she did so. When evening came, the people of a house or a man who did not usually give to them, gave them a sheep and some food to go with it. A'isha, umm al-muminin, called her mawla and said, "Eat from this. This is better than your loaf of bread."

The Prophet visited her (Juwairiya) on a Friday and she was fasting. He asked her, "Did you fast yesterday?" She said, "No." He said, "Do you intend to fast tomorrow?" She said, "No." He said, "Then break your fast." Through another series of narrators, Abu Aiyub is reported to have said, "He ordered her and she broke her fast."

Allah's Apostle said, "Fasting is a shield (or a screen or a shelter). So, the person observing fasting should avoid sexual relation with his wife and should not behave foolishly and impudently, and if somebody fights with him or abuses him, he should tell him twice, 'I am fasting." The Prophet added, "By Him in Whose Hands my soul is, the smell coming out from the mouth of a fasting person is better in the sight of Allah than the smell of musk. (Allah says about the fasting person), 'He has left his food, drink and desires for My sake. The fast is for Me. So I will reward (the fasting person) for it and the reward of good deeds is multiplied ten times."

We set out with Allah's Apostle on one of his journeys on a very hot day, and it was so hot that one had to put his hand over his head because of the severity of heat. None of us was fasting except the Prophet and Ibn Rawaha.

The Messenger of Allah (saws) prescribed the sadaqah (alms) relating to the breaking of the fast as a purification of the fasting from empty and obscene talk and as food for the poor. If anyone pays it before the prayer (of 'Id), it will be accepted as zakat. If anyone pays it after the prayer, that will be a sadaqah like other sadaqahs (alms).

On the days of the conquest of Mecca, when Mecca was captured, Fatimah came and sat on the left side of the Messenger of Allah (saws), and Umm Hani was on his right side. A slave-girl brought a vessel which contained some drink; she gave it to him and he drank of it. He then gave it to Umm Hani who drank of it. She said: Messenger of Allah, I have broken my fast; I was fasting. He said to her: Were you making atonement for something? She replied: No. He said: Then it does not harm you if it was voluntary (fast).

Um-Salama said, "I got my menses while I was lying with the Prophet under a woolen sheet. So I slipped away, took the clothes for menses and put them on. Allah's Apostle said, 'Have you got your menses?' I replied, 'Yes.' Then he called me and took me with him under the woolen sheet." Um Salama further said, "The Prophet used to kiss me while he was fasting. The Prophet and I used to take the bath of Janaba from a single pot."

AbuBakr ibn AbdurRahman reported on the authority of a Companion of the Prophet (saws): I saw the Prophet (saws) commanding the people while he was travelling on the occasion of the conquest of Mecca not to observe fast. He said: Be strong for your enemy. The Messenger of Allah (saws) fasted himself.

Narrated AbuBakr:

A man who narrated his tradition to me said: I have seen the Messenger of Allah (saws) in al-Arj pouring water over his head while he was fasting, either because of thirst or because of heat.

We were with Allah's Apostle on a journey, and when the sun set, he said to a man, "Get down and prepare a drink of Sawiq for me." The man said, "O Allah's Apostle! Will you wait till it is evening?" Allah's Apostle again said, "Get down and prepare a drink of Sawiq." The man said, "O Allah's Apostle! Will you wait till it is evening, for it is still daytime. " The Prophet again said, "Get down and prepare a drink of Sawiq." So the third time the man got down and prepared a drink of sawiq for him. Allah's Apostle drank thereof and pointed with his hand towards the East, saying, "When you see the night falling from this side, then a fasting person should break his fast."

A man from Banu Abdullah ibn Ka'b brethren of Banu Qushayr (not Anas ibn Malik, the well-known Companion), said: A contingent from the cavalry of the Messenger of Allah (saws) raided us. I reached (for he said went) to the Messenger of Allah (saws) who was taking his meals. He said: Sit down, and take some from this meal of ours. I said: I am fasting, he said: Sit down, I shall tell you about prayer and fasting. Allah has remitted half the prayer to a traveller, and fasting to the traveller, the woman who is suckling an infant and the woman who is pregnant, I swear by Allah, he mentioned both (i.e. suckling and pregnant women) or one of them. I was grieved for not taking the food of the Messenger of Allah (saws).