what is beyond doubt is that he was born on a Monday. Likewise, it was on a Monday that the first revelation descended upon the Messenger ﷺ—meaning that the very first verses of the Qur’an were revealed to him on that day.

The narrator was uncertain whether the Prophet ﷺ said, “It was on a Monday that revelation came down to me (unzila),” or “that I was commissioned (buʿithtu),” and there is a difference between the two wordings. Revelation reached him before he was formally commissioned: Surah “Recite in the name of your Lord who created…” (al-ʿAlaq 96:1) was revealed to him, and by that he became a Prophet. As for his being “sent” (i.e., appointed to deliver the message), that occurred with Allah’s words: “O you who are wrapped up, arise and warn…” (al-Muddaththir 74:1-2), which came after the first event. In any case, this day brings together several noble occasions: the Prophet’s birth, the descent of revelation upon him, and his commissioning to humankind.

As for fasting three days of every month, there are numerous hadiths about it, including the reports of Abu Hurayrah, Abu al-Dardaʾ, and Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with them). The Prophet ﷺ gave these three Companions the same counsel—each on a different occasion—advising them to fast three days of every month. He also said to ʿAbd Allah ibn ʿAmr ibn al-ʿAs, “Fasting three days of every month equals fasting for the entire year,” for three days, when each good deed is multiplied tenfold, amount to thirty days, making it as though one had fasted the whole year.

He thus instructed them to fast three days of every month without specifying which days—he did not stipulate the thirteenth, fourteenth, and fifteenth—and he also urged them to perform two rakʿahs of the Duha prayer. The time for Duha begins when the sun has risen a spear’s length above the horizon—about twenty minutes after sunrise—and lasts until shortly before the zenith, roughly ten minutes before midday.