Gardens of the Righteous — Page 38
38. GARDENS OF THE RIGHTEOUS. Another version is: The Holy Prophet said: Have I not been told that you observe the fast every day and stand for voluntary Prayer throughout the night?. I said: That is so, Messenger of Allah. He said: Do not do so. Observe the fast and leave off, sleep and stand in Prayer. Your body has a right, your eyes have a right, your wife has a right, your guest has a right. It would be enough if you were to fast on three days in a month; for as every good deed has a tenfold value this would be equal to a whole month of fasting. But I was hard on myself and thus was hardship imposed upon me. I said: Messenger of Allah, I feel strong. . He said: Then observe the fast of David, the Prophet of Allah, and do not add to it. I asked: What was the fast of David? He said: Half the time. Alas, how I wish. I had accepted the first suggestion of the Holy Prophet!. Another version is: Have I not been told that you observe the fast every day and recite the entire Quran during one night? I said: That is so, Messenger of. Allah, and I intend only good in doing so. He said: Observe the fast of David, the Prophet of Allah, for he performed more worship than any other man, and completed the recitation of the Quran in one month. I said: Prophet of Allah, I am strong enough to do better than this. He said: Then complete it in twenty days. I said: Prophet of Allah, I feel strong enough to do better than that. He said: Then recite it in ten days. I said: Prophet of Allah, I have strength for better than that. He said: Well, then, recite it in seven days and do not add to this recitation. Thus I was hard on myself and hardship was imposed upon me. . The Holy Prophet said to me: You do not know, you may live quite long. Then I arrived at that which the Holy Prophet had said. When I became old I wished I had accepted the original suggestion of the Holy Prophet. . One version adds: Your son has a right. . One version is: The Holy Prophet said: He who fasts everyday, does not fast at all, and repeated it three times. . One version adds: The fast most acceptable to Allah is the fast of David, and the salat most acceptable to Allah is the salat of David. He slept through half the night, then stood in Prayer one third of it and then slept through one sixth; and he used to fast one day and leave off one. He did not retreat in the face of the enemy. . Another version is: My father had married me to a woman of good family and he used to inquire from his daughter-in-law about her husband. She would say:. A fine man indeed. Since I have come to him he has not lain down with me nor has he looked at my face. When this continued for some time my father mentioned the matter to the Holy Prophet. He said to my father: Send him to me. So I went to him. He asked me: How often do you fast? I said: Every day. He asked me: How long do you take in reciting the entire Quran? I said: Once every night. Then followed that which has been related already. When Abdullah became old he would recite one seventh of his nightly recitation to some member of his family during the day to lighten his task at night. When he desired relief from his fasting on alternate days he would leave off fasting for a few days and make up later the number of fasts he had missed. He would not give up the