It is narrated from Abu Uthman Nahdi, he says: I stayed as a guest at the house of Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) for seven days. His routine was that he, his wife, and his servant would take turns staying awake in three parts of the night; one would keep praying, then he would wake the next, who would keep praying, then he would sleep and wake the third. I asked: Abu Hurairah! How do you keep your fasts? He said: I fast three days at the beginning of the month; if there is any reason, then these fasts are kept till the end of the month. Abu Uthman says: I heard Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) say that one day the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) distributed dates among his companions, and seven dates came to my share. One of them was a worthless date, yet it was the most beloved to me; it strengthened my teeth, (then I was able to chew it).