Narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with them both), he says: My father married me to a Qurayshi woman. When I entered upon her, I did not pay her any attention nor did I give her any time, because I had been given great strength for worship in the form of fasting and prayer. When Sayyiduna Amr bin al-As (may Allah be pleased with him) came to his daughter-in-law and asked her: How did you find your husband? She said: He is the best man, or he is the best husband; he neither sought my company nor recognized my bed (i.e., due to being occupied in worship, he did not come near his wife). Hearing this, my father turned to me and reproached me severely and spoke harshly to me and said: I have married you to a Qurayshi woman of noble lineage and you have become distant from her and you have done such and such. Then he went to the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) and complained about me to him. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) called me and I came to him. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Do you fast during the day? I said: Yes. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: And do you stand in prayer at night? I said: Yes. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: But I fast and I break my fast, I pray and I sleep, and I fulfill the rights of my wives. Whoever turns away from my Sunnah is not from me. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Complete the recitation of the Qur’an in a month. I said: I find myself stronger than that. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Then complete it in ten days. I said: I consider myself stronger than that. He (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Then complete it in three days. In one narration: Complete the recitation in seven days and do not do more than that. Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Fast three days in every month. I said: I am stronger than that. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) kept increasing for me until he said: Fast one day and break your fast the next day; these are the best fasts and these are the fasts of my brother Dawud (peace be upon him). Then he (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Every worshipper has zeal and eagerness, then after every eagerness comes slackness and deficiency; its end is either towards the Sunnah or towards innovation. So whoever’s end is towards the Sunnah, he will be guided, and whoever’s end is in another form, he will be destroyed. Imam Mujahid says: When Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them both) became weak and old, he would fast according to that amount; sometimes he would fast several days consecutively, then break his fast for the same number of days consecutively, and his purpose in this was to gain strength. He would do similarly with his portion (of Qur’an); some nights he would recite more, and some nights less, but the total amount would be the same, either completing the Qur’an in seven days or in three days. And Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them both) used to say later: If I had accepted the concession of the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), it would have been more beloved to me than anything in the world that could be compared to it, but I dislike to oppose the routine of action upon which I parted from the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him).

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Jabir bin Abdullah (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: Adopt moderation and keep to the right path, for surely the situation is such that none of you will be saved by his deeds. The companions asked: Not even you, O Messenger of Allah!? He (peace and blessings be upon him and his family) said: Not even me, unless Allah envelops me in His mercy.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Amr (may Allah be pleased with them both) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) was told about some of the companions who had become deeply engrossed in worship with great severity. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: This is the taste, intensity, and eagerness of Islam, and every taste has eagerness and excess in it, but after every excess there is also slackness and pause. So, whoever’s pause is towards the Book and the Sunnah, he has intended the straight path, and whoever’s slackness is towards disobedience to Allah Almighty, then he will be destroyed.

Narrated from Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Undertake only as much action as you are able to bear, for indeed the best deed is that which is done consistently, even if it is little.

Abu Salih says: Sayyida Aisha and Sayyida Umm Salama (may Allah be pleased with them) were asked which deed was most beloved to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), they said: That which is done consistently, even if it is little.

(Second chain) Aswad says: I said to Sayyidah Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her): Tell me about such a deed which was most beloved to the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). She said: The most beloved deed to him (peace and blessings be upon him) was that which a person performed consistently, even if its amount was little.

Narrated from Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her), she says: When the Noble Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) came to me, at that time such-and-such woman was sitting with me. I mentioned her prayer, but the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Leave it, you should only take upon yourself as much as you are able to do. By Allah, Allah does not tire until you tire. Indeed, the most beloved religion to Allah is that upon which a person remains constant.

It is narrated from Sayyida Aisha (may Allah be pleased with her) that when Sayyida Hawla bint Tuwait (may Allah be pleased with her) passed by the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), it was said to him, "O Messenger of Allah! This woman prays a lot at night, and when sleep overcomes her, she ties herself with a rope and hangs (to keep awake)." The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "She should pray as long as she has strength, but when she becomes drowsy, she should go to sleep."

Sayyiduna Anas bin Malik (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates that the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) entered the mosque, and there was a rope hanging between two pillars. He (peace be upon him) asked: What is the reason for this? The companions said: This belongs to Sayyida Zainab (may Allah be pleased with her); when she becomes tired, she hangs onto it. He (peace be upon him) said: Untie it; a person should pray in a state of activity and alertness. When he becomes tired, he should leave standing (in prayer). In another narration, it is stated: He should pray as long as he understands (what he is reciting), and when he becomes overpowered (by sleep), he should go to sleep.

It is narrated from Sayyiduna Abdur Rahman (may Allah be pleased with him), he says: The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) saw a rope hanging between two pillars and asked: Whose is this? The companions said: This belongs to Sayyidah Hamnah bint Jahsh (may Allah be pleased with her); when she becomes tired (while praying), she hangs onto it. The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: She should pray according to her strength, and when she becomes tired, she should sit down (and discontinue the prayer).