English translation
2404. It was narrated that Ibn Al-Maliḥ said: “I entered with Zaid upon ‘Abdullāh bin ‘Amr and he narrated: ‘The Messenger of Allāh ﷺ was told about my fasting, so he entered upon me and I gave him an average-sized leather pillow that was stuffed with palm fibers. He sat in the ground with the pillow between myself and him, and said: ‘Will it not be sufficient for you to fast three days each month?’ I said: ‘O Messenger of Allāh!’ He said: ‘Five.’ I said: ‘O Messenger of Allāh!’ He said: ‘Seven.’ I said: ‘O Messenger of Allāh!’ He said: ‘Nine.’ I said: ‘O Messenger of Allāh!’ He said: ‘Eleven.’ I said: ‘O Messenger of Allāh!’ Then the Prophet ﷺ said: ‘There is no fast better than the fast of Dâwûd, half of a lifetime, fasting one day and not the next.” (Sahîh)
