The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Do not observe perpetual fasting. If any of you wants to observe perpetual fast, he should observe it until the dawn. They (the people) asked: You observe perpetual fast ? He replied: My position is not like that of yours. There is One Who gives me to eat, and there is One who gives me to drink.
Hadith Text - Sunan Abi Dawud 2361
The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) as saying: Do not observe perpetual fasting. If any of you wants to observe perpetual fast, he should observe it until the dawn. They (the people) asked: You observe perpetual fast? He replied: My position is not like that of yours. There is One Who gives me to eat, and there is One who gives me to drink.
Prohibition of Continuous Fasting
This hadith from the Book of Fasting (Kitab Al-Siyam) clearly prohibits sawm al-wisal - fasting continuously without breaking the fast at night. The Prophet (ﷺ) forbade this practice for his ummah due to the physical hardship it imposes on the human body.
The scholars explain that perpetual fasting weakens the body, diminishes one's ability to worship properly, and may lead to harm - which is contrary to the spirit of Islamic law that seeks to preserve human well-being.
The Exception for the Prophet
When the companions noticed the Prophet (ﷺ) sometimes fasting continuously, they asked about this apparent contradiction. The Prophet clarified that his condition was unique - he received spiritual nourishment directly from Allah that sustained him beyond ordinary human needs.
This demonstrates that what is permissible for the Prophet (ﷺ) through divine support is not permissible for ordinary believers who are bound by their physical limitations.
Practical Application
The ruling derived from this hadith is that continuous fasting without breaking the fast at sunset is prohibited (haram) for Muslims. One must break their fast each day at maghrib time.
The permission to fast until dawn refers to delaying the suhur (pre-dawn meal) until the latest possible time, not skipping iftar altogether. This maintains the distinction between days of fasting.
Scholarly Consensus
All four schools of Islamic jurisprudence agree on the prohibition of perpetual fasting based on this and similar narrations. The Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali madhahib all consider sawm al-wisal to be makruh tahrimi (prohibitively disliked) or outright haram.
This consensus reflects the wisdom of Islamic law in balancing spiritual aspirations with physical realities, ensuring that worship strengthens rather than harms the believer.