Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that in the hadith of Sayyiduna Talhah bin Ubaidullah (may Allah be pleased with him), in which a Bedouin asked the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) about Islam, it is mentioned that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "And the fasting of Ramadan is obligatory." He asked, "Are there any other fasts obligatory upon me besides the fasts of Ramadan?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "No, except that you observe voluntary fasts."

The horses of Banu Amir bin Sa’sa’ah, Hazrat Mutarrif narrates that Hazrat Uthman bin Abi al-As Thaqafi (may Allah be pleased with him) asked for milk to be brought for him to drink, so Hazrat Mutarrif said,“I am fasting.”He (Uthman) replied,“I heard the Prophet Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him) say: ‘Fasting is a shield from the fire of Hell just like the shield of any one of you in battle.’ And I heard the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) say: ‘The best fasts are three days in every month.’”

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Qatadah Ansari (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Fasting three days in every month is equal to fasting for a lifetime." These are the words of the narration of Shubah. And in the narration of Hammad bin Zaid, it is stated: "Three fasts of every month and the fasts of Ramadan become equal to fasting for a lifetime until the next Ramadan." Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that I have already mentioned in Kitab al-Kabir the ahadith of Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah and Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them both) with this meaning. The Imam says that in the narration of Sayyiduna Abu Salamah from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them), these words are found: "So every good deed is rewarded tenfold, thus it will be equal to fasting for a lifetime." Similarly, in the hadith of Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) from Abu Uthman, it is mentioned, and the confirmation of this is also found in the Book of Allah, the Noble Qur'an «‏‏‏‏مَن جَاءَ بِالْحَسَنَةِ فَلَهُ عَشْرُ أَمْثَالِهَا» ‏‏‏‏ [ سورة الأنعام: 160 ] "Whoever brings a good deed will have ten times the like thereof as reward."

Abu Houtkiyah narrates that Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked, "Who was present with us on the day of Qahah?" Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, "I was present with the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) when rabbit meat was brought to him." And on one occasion he said that a Bedouin brought rabbit meat. So the person who brought it said, "I have seen it as if it menstruates blood." Then the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) started eating from it and said to the companions, "You also eat." One person said, "I am fasting." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) asked, "How do you fast?" So he explained (that he fasts on such and such days). The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Why do you not fast on the bright, beautiful days?" He asked, "Which are those?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said, "Fasting three days of every month: the 13th, 14th, and 15th." Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that I have mentioned this complete chapter in Kitab al-Kabir, and I have mentioned that Musa bin Talhah heard the story of fasting from Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) but did not hear the story about the rabbit, whereas Ibn Houtkiyah narrated both stories together.

Musa bin Talhah narrates that I heard from Sayyiduna Abu Dharr (may Allah be pleased with him) at the place of Rabadhah. He said that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said to me: "When you fast three days in a month, then fast on the 13th, 14th, and 15th dates."

Sayyiduna Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates from the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that he used to fast three days at the beginning of every month, and Friday was also included among his fasts. Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says, it is possible that this narration is similar to the narration of Abu Uthman from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him): My beloved friend advised me regarding three things. He advised me to fast three days at the beginning of every month. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) advised Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) about this, and also about the white days (Ayyam al-Beed). Therefore, the three fasts of every month may be combined with the fasts of the white days. And it is also possible that the meaning of the Prophet’s (peace and blessings be upon him) own practice and his advice to Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) is that, due to fear of illness, travel, or the arrival of death, three fasts may be observed early at the beginning of the month instead of on the white days.

Sayyida Mu’adhah (may Allah be pleased with her) narrates that I asked Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her),“Did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) fast every month, or did he fast three days in every month?”She replied,“Yes.”She (Mu’adhah) asked,“On which days did he fast?”Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) said,“He did not mind on which days he fasted.”

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Who among you began this morning in a state of fasting?" Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, "I did." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Who among you fed a needy person today?" Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) said, "I did." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) then asked: "Who among you attended a funeral today?" Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) replied, "I did." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) inquired: "Who among you visited a sick person today?" Sayyiduna Abu Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him) answered, "I did." So the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Whoever combines these qualities in himself will enter Paradise." Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that this narration is of the same type as the one I have mentioned in the Book of Faith. Therefore, if in the statement of the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) that "Whoever affirms «‏‏‏‏لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا الله» ‏‏‏‏ will enter Paradise," there was evidence that affirmation of «‏‏‏‏لَا إِلٰهَ إِلَّا الله» ‏‏‏‏ alone is complete faith, then in this hadith there would be evidence that complete faith is to fast one day, feed a needy person, attend a funeral, and visit a sick person. But these are the virtues of these deeds. The intent is not what the inexperienced and less knowledgeable people have claimed.

Hazrat Abdullah bin Shaqiq (may Allah have mercy on him) reports: I asked Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), "Did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) perform the Duha (forenoon) prayer?" She replied, "No, except that when he returned from a journey, then he would perform it." I asked her, "Did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ever fast an entire month?" She replied, "No, by Allah, he (peace and blessings be upon him) did not fast an entire month except for Ramadan until his death, and he used to fast some days from every month and leave some days." And I asked her, "Did the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) ever pray Tahajjud until the time of Suhoor?" She said, "No, and nor did those who pray (pray for so long)." Imam Abu Bakr (may Allah have mercy on him) says that Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) meant that even those who pray a lot at night (did not pray the whole night)."