concession granted by the Messenger of Allah ﷺ.

Another narration adds: “Your child also has a right over you.”

Another narration states: “Whoever fasts endlessly has not truly fasted,” and he repeated this three times.

In yet another wording: “The fasting most beloved to Allah, Exalted is He, is the fast of David, and the prayer most beloved to Allah, Exalted is He, is the prayer of David: he would sleep half the night, stand for a third of it, and sleep for a sixth; he would fast one day and break the fast the next, and he never fled when he met the enemy.” (1)

Another version reports: “My father married me to a woman of noble lineage. He used to look after his daughter-in-law—that is, his son’s wife—and ask her about her husband. (2) She would answer, ‘What a fine man! Since we came to him he has not set foot in our bed (3) nor concerned himself with our private affairs (4).’ When this went on for some time, he mentioned it to the Prophet ﷺ, who said, ‘Bring him to me.’ I later met him and he asked, ‘How do you fast?’ I said, ‘Every day.’ He asked, ‘And how often do you complete the Quran?’ I replied, ‘Every night,’ and he repeated something like what has already been related.

He used to recite to some of his family the one-seventh portion he was due to read, reviewing it during the day so that it would be lighter for him at night. Whenever he wished to regain strength he would break the fast for a number of days, count them, and then fast an equal number, (5) disliking to neglect anything upon which the Prophet ﷺ had parted company with him.

All these narrations are authentic; most are found in the two Ṣaḥīḥs, while a few appear in only one of them.

155 – Abu Rubʿī Ḥanẓala ibn al-Rabīʿ al-Asidī, the scribe—one of the scribes of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ—related: Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, met me and said, “How are you, Ḥanẓala?” I replied, “Ḥanẓala has become a hypocrite!” (6) He said, “Glory be to Allah! What are you saying?” I said, “We are with…"