"Once Allah's Apostle came to me," and then he narrated the whole narration, i.e. your guest has a right on you, and your wife has a right on you. I then asked about the fasting of David. The Prophet replied, "Half of the year," (i.e. he used to fast on every alternate day).

My father got me married to a lady of a noble family, and often used to ask my wife about me, and she used to reply, "What a wonderful man he is! He never comes to my bed, nor has he approached me since he married me." When this state continued for a long period, my father told the story to the Prophet who said to my father, "Let me meet him." Then I met him and he asked me, "How do you fast?" I replied, "I fast daily," He asked, "How long does it take you to finish the recitation of the whole Qur'an?" I replied, "I finish it every night." On that he said, "Fast for three days every month and recite the Qur'an (and finish it) in one month." I said, "But I have power to do more than that." He said, "Then fast for three days per week." I said, "i have the power to do more than that." He said, "Therefore, fast the most superior type of fasting, (that is, the fasting of (prophet) David who used to fast every alternate day; and finish the recitation of the whole Qur'an In seven days." I wish I had accepted the permission of Allah's Apostle as I have become a weak old man. It is said that `Abdullah used to recite one-seventh of the Qur'an during the day-time to some of his family members, for he used to check his memorization of what he would recite at night during the daytime so that it would be easier for him to read at night. And whenever he wanted to gain some strength, he used to give up fasting for some days and count those days to fast for a similar period, for he disliked to leave those things which he used to do during the lifetime of the Prophet.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Sumayy, the mawla of Abu Bakr ibn Abd ar-Rahman, from Abu Bakr ibn Abd ar-Rahman from one of the companions of the Messenger of Allah, that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, ordered everyone to break the fast on the journey he made in the year of the conquest saying, "Be strong for your enemy," while the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, kept on fasting. Abu Bakr said that the one who related this to him said, "I saw the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, pouring water over his head at al-Arj, either from thirst or from the heat. Then some one said to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, 'Messenger of Allah, a group of people kept on fasting when you did.' Then when the Messenger of Allah was at al-Kadid, he asked for a drinking-bowl and drank, and everyone broke the fast."

Yahya related to me from Malik from Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Habban from alAraj from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade fasting on two days, the day of Fitr and the day of Adha.

The Prophet (saws) said: Shall I not inform you of something more excellent in degree than fasting, prayer and almsgiving (sadaqah)? The people replied: Yes, Prophet of Allah! He said: It is putting things right between people, spoiling them is the shaver (destructive).

I asked `Aisha "Did Allah s Apostle, use to choose some special days (for fasting)?" She replied, "No, but he used to be regular (constant) (in his service of worshipping). Who amongst you can endure what Allah's Apostle used to endure?"

that he was asked about a man who had vowed that he would fast all the days of his life then the day of `Id al Adha or `Id-al-Fitr came. `Abdullah bin `Umar said: You have indeed a good example in Allah's Apostle. He did not fast on the day of `Id al Adha or the day of `Id-al-Fitr, and we do not intend fasting on these two days.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Yahya ibn Said that Atika bint Zayd ibn Amr ibn Nufayl, the wife of Umar ibn al-Khattab, used to kiss Umar ibn al-Khattab's head while he was fasting, and he did not tell her not to.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Nafi that Abdullah ibn Umar used to say, "If some one makes himself vomit while he is fasting he has to make up a day, but if he cannot help vomiting he does not have to make up anything."

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.

On the day of Al-Khandaq (the trench), `Umar bin Al-Khattab went to the Prophet and said, "O Allah's Apostle! By Allah, I could not pray (the `Asr) till the sun had set." `Umar told this to the Prophet at the time when a fasting person had done Iftar (taken his meals). The Prophet then went to Buthan and I was with him. He performed ablution and offered the `Asr prayer after the sun had set and then the Maghrib prayer.

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 "Someone who does jihad in the way of Allah is like someone who fasts and prays constantly and who does not slacken from his prayer and fasting until he returns."

A person had sexual relation with his wife in the month of Ramadan (while he was fasting), and he came to Allah's Apostle seeking his verdict concerning that action. The Prophet said (to him), "Can you afford to manumit a slave?" The man said, "No." The Prophet said, "Can you fast for two successive months?" He said, "No." The Prophet said, "Then feed sixty poor persons."

The Prophet (saws) said: The month consists of twenty-nine days, but do not fast till you sight it (the moon) and do not break your fast till you sight it. If the weather is cloudy, calculate it thirty days. When the twenty-ninth of Sha'ban came, Ibn Umar would send someone (who tried) to sight the moon for him. If it was sighted, then well and good; in case it was not sighted, and there was no cloud and dust before him (on the horizon), he would not keep fast the next day. If there appeared (on the horizon) before him cloud or dust, he would fast the following day. Ibn Umar would end his fasting alone with the people, and did not follow this calculation.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Habban from al-Araj from Abu Hurayra that the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, forbade fasting on two days - the day of the Id al-Fitr and the day of the Id al-Adha.

I was with Ibn `Umar when a man asked him, "I have vowed to fast every Tuesday or Wednesday throughout my life and if the day of my fasting coincided with the day of Nahr (the first day of `Id-al- Adha), (What shall I do?)" Ibn `Umar said, "Allah has ordered the vows to be fulfilled, and we are forbidden to fast on the day of Nahr." The man repeated his question and Ibn `Umar repeated his former answer, adding nothing more.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Hisham ibn Urwa from his father that A'isha, umm al-muminin, may Allah be pleased with her, said, "The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, used to kiss certain of his wives when fasting," and then she laughed.

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).

While I was walking with `Abdullah he said, "We were in the company of the Prophet and he said, 'He who can afford to marry should marry, because it will help him refrain from looking at other women, and save his private parts from committing illegal sexual relation; and he who cannot afford to marry is advised to fast, as fasting will diminish his sexual power."

The Messenger of Allah (saws) said: Gabriel (saws) led me in prayer at the House (i.e. the Ka'bah). He prayed the noon prayer with me when the sun had passed the meridian to the extent of the thong of a sandal; he prayed the afternoon prayer with me when the shadow of everything was as long as itself; he prayed the sunset prayer with me when one who is fasting breaks the fast; he prayed the night prayer with me when the twilight had ended; and he prayed the dawn prayer with me when food and drink become forbidden to one who is keeping the fast.

On the following day he prayed the noon prayer with me when his shadow was as long as himself; he prayed the afternoon prayer with me when his shadow was twice as long as himself; he prayed the sunset prayer at the time when one who is fasting breaks the fast; he prayed the night prayer with me when about the third of the night had passed; and he prayed the dawn prayer with me when there was a fair amount of light.

Then turning to me he said: Muhammad, this is the time observed by the prophets before you, and the time is anywhere between two times.

The Prophet said (to his companions), "Do not fast Al-Wisal." They said, "But you fast Al-Wisail." He said, "I am not like you, for at night my Lord feeds me and makes me drink." But the people did not give up Al-Wisal, so the Prophet fasted Al-Wisal with them for two days or two nights, and then they saw the crescent whereupon the Prophet said, "If the crescent had delayed, I would have continued fasting (because of you)," as if he wanted to vanquish them completely (because they had refused to give up Al Wisal).

A man asked the Prophet (saws) whether one who was fasting could embrace (his wife) and he gave him permission; but when another man came to him, and asked him, he forbade him. The one to whom he gave permission was an old man and the one whom he forbade was a youth.

Yahya related to me from Malik from Abdullah ibn Abi Bakr that Asma bint Umays washed Abu Bakr as-Siddiq when he died. Then she went out and asked some of the muhajirun who were there, "I am fasting and this is an extremely cold day. Do I have to do ghusl?" They said, "No."

When the order of compulsory fasting of Ramadan was revealed, the people did not have sexual relations with their wives for the whole month of Ramadan, but some men cheated themselves (by violating that restriction). So Allah revealed: "Allah is aware that you were deceiving yourselves but He accepted your repentance and forgave you.." (3.187)

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.

Two fasts and two kinds of sale are forbidden: fasting on the day of `Id ul Fitr and `Id-ul-Adha and the kinds of sale called Mulamasa and Munabadha. (These two kinds of sale used to be practiced in the days of Pre-Islamic period of ignorance; Mulamasa means when you touch something displayed for sale you have to buy it; Munabadha means when the seller throws something to you, you have to buy it.)

ahya related to me from Malik that he asked Ibn Shihab about the dhihar of a slave. He said, "It is like the dhihar of a free man."

Malik said, "He meant that the same conditions were applied in both cases."

Malik said, "The dhihar of the slave is incumbent on him, and the fasting of the slave in the dhihar is two months. "

Malik said that there was no ila for a slave who pronounced a dhihar from his wife. That was because if he were to fast the kaffara for pronouncing a dhihar, the divorce of the ila would come to him before he had finished the fast.

Ibn `Abbas said, "Allah's Apostle set out from Medina to Mecca and he fasted till he reached 'Usfan, where he asked for water and raised his hand to let the people see him, and then broke the fast, and did not fast after that till he reached Mecca, and that happened in Ramadan." Ibn `Abbas used to say, "Allah's Apostle (sometimes) fasted and (sometimes) did not fast during the journeys so whoever wished to fast could fast, and whoever wished not to fast, could do so."