‘Imran b. Husain said that the Prophet asked him, or that he asked a man in ‘Imran’s hearing, “Father of so and so, did you not fast the last day of Sha'ban?" When, he replied that he had not, he said, “If you did not observe a fast, you must fast for two days."* *To reconcile this tradition with that of Abu Huraira at the foot of p.420 it is suggested that the man had made a vow to observe this fast, or that it was his custom.(Bukhari and Muslim.)

‘A'isha said she never saw God’s messenger fasting during the first ten days of Dhul Hijja. Muslim transmitted it.

He reported God’s messenger as saying, “No fast is to be observed on two days, al-Fitr and al-Adha.* *In this tradition I have used the Arabic words, but have translated them in the preceding tradition. In the preceding tradition an-nahr is used where al-Adha is used here. Al-Adha means literally the victims.(Bukhari and Muslim.)

He reported God’s messenger as saying, “Do not choose Thursday night as a particular night for prayer, and do not choose Friday as a particular day for fasting, unless it occurs during a fast one of you is observing.” Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, “There is zakat applicable to everything, and the zakat of the body is fasting.” Ibn Majah transmitted it.

He reported God’s messenger as saying, “If anyone out of a desire to please God fasts for a day, God will remove him from jahannam as far as a crow flies from the time it is a young bird till it dies of old age.”Ahmad transmitted it, and Baihaqi transmitted it in Shu'ab al-iman from Salama b. Qais.

Anas said that the Prophet visited Umm Sulaim, and when she brought him some dates and clarified butter he said, “Put your butter back in its container and your dates in their vessel, for I am fasting.” He then went to a separate part of the house and prayed a prayer which was not one of the prescribed prayers, and invoked a blessing on Umm Sulaim and the inhabitants of her house. Bukhari transmitted it.

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, “When one of you is invited to a meal at a time when he is fasting he should say he is fasting.” In a version he said, “When one of you receives an invitation he should accept it. If he is fasting he should pray, but if not, he should eat.” Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Bakra said he heard God’s messenger say, “Seek it (meaning lailat al-qadr), on the twenty-first, twenty-third, twenty-fifth, twentyseventh, or on the last night.” Tirmidhi transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Umar said God’s messenger was asked about lailat al-qadr and replied, “It occurs every Ramadan.” Abu Dawud transmitted it and said that Sufyan and Shu'ba transmitted it on the authority of AbuIshaq tracing it no farther back than Ibn ‘Umar.

‘Abdallah b. Unais told that he said, “Messenger of God, I have a place in the desert where I live and in which I pray praising God, but give me command about a night when I may leave it and come to this mosque.” He replied, “Come on the twenty-third night.” His son was asked how his father used to act and said he used to enter the mosque when he had prayed the afternoon prayer and not leave it for any purpose till he prayed the morning prayer. Then when he had prayed the morning prayer he found his beast at the door of the mosque, mounted it and got back to his desert region. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

‘A'isha said, “During his private devotional exercises God’s messenger would put his head near me when he was in the mosque, and I would comb it; and he entered the house only to relieve himself.” (Bukhari and Muslim.)

She said that the Prophet used to visit the sick while engaged in a period of private devotion in the mosque and he would pass on straight ahead without pausing and ask for him. Abu Dawud transmitted it.

Ibn ‘Umar said that when the Prophet observed a period of private devotion in the mosque his bedding was placed for him, or a couch was put down for him, behind the column of repentance.* *A column in the Prophet's mosque in Medina, said to have got this name because the repentance of Abu Lubaba was accepted beside it.Ibn Majah transmitted it.

Umm al-Fadl daughter of al-Harith said that on the day of 'Arafa some people near her argued about whether God’s messenger was fasting, some saying that he was and others saying that he was not. She therefore sent him a cup of milk while he was observing the halt at ‘Arafa on his camel, and he drank it. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

Mu'adha al-‘Adawiya said she asked ‘A'isha whether God’s messenger used to fast three days every month, and she replied that he did. She asked which days in the month he fasted, and she replied that he did not care which days of the month he fasted. Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Ayyub al-Ansari told that God’s messenger said, “If anyone fasts during Ramadan, then follows it with six days in Shawwal, it will be like a perpetual fast.” Muslim transmitted it.

Abu Sa‘id al-Khudri reported God’s messenger as saying, “If anyone fasts for a day while engaged in jihad, God will remove him* seventy years’ distance from hell.” *Literally, ‘his face’. (Bukhari and Muslim.)

‘Abdallah b. ‘Amr b. al-‘As told of God’s messenger saying to him, “Have I not been informed, ‘Abdallah, that you fast during the day and get up at night for prayer?” [Mirqat explains this as meaning all night.] When he replied that that was so, he said, “Do not do it. Fast and break your fast, get up for prayer and sleep, for you have a duty to your body, your eye, your wife, and your visitors. May he who observe a perpetual fast never fast!* Fasting three days every month is equivalent to a perpetual fast. Fast three days every month and recite the Qur'an every month.” When he replied that he was able to do more than that, he said, “Observe the most excellent fast, that of David, fasting every second day, and recite the Qur’an once every seven nights, but do no more than that.”* Cf. the similar phrase in the tradition of Abu Qatada (p.434). Some hold that the meaning here is, ‘He who observes a perpetual fast has not fasted.’(Bukhari and Muslim.)

Abu Huraira reported God’s messenger as saying, “Men’s deeds are presented [to God] on Mondays and Thursdays, and I like mine to be presented when I am fasting.” Tirmidhi transmitted it.