Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا هُشَيْمٌ عَنْ حُصَيْنِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ وَمُغِيرَةَ الضَّبِّيِّ عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو قَالَ زَوَّجَنِي أَبِي امْرَأَةً مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ فَلَمَّا دَخَلَتْ عَلَيَّ جَعَلْتُ لَا أَنْحَاشُ لَهَا مِمَّا بِي مِنْ الْقُوَّةِ عَلَى الْعِبَادَةِ مِنْ الصَّوْمِ وَالصَّلَاةِ فَجَاءَ عَمْرُو بْنُ الْعَاصِ إِلَى كَنَّتِهِ حَتَّى دَخَلَ عَلَيْهَا فَقَالَ لَهَا كَيْفَ وَجَدْتِ بَعْلَكِ قَالَتْ خَيْرَ الرِّجَالِ أَوْ كَخَيْرِ الْبُعُولَةِ مِنْ رَجُلٍ لَمْ يُفَتِّشْ لَنَا كَنَفًا وَلَمْ يَعْرِفْ لَنَا فِرَاشًا فَأَقْبَلَ عَلَيَّ فَعَذَمَنِي وَعَضَّنِي بِلِسَانِهِ فَقَالَ أَنْكَحْتُكَ امْرَأَةً مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ ذَاتَ حَسَبٍ فَعَضَلْتَهَا وَفَعَلْتَ وَفَعَلْتَ ثُمَّ انْطَلَقَ إِلَى النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَشَكَانِي فَأَرْسَلَ إِلَيَّ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَقَالَ لِي أَتَصُومُ النَّهَارَ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ وَتَقُومُ اللَّيْلَ قُلْتُ نَعَمْ قَالَ لَكِنِّي أَصُومُ وَأُفْطِرُ وَأُصَلِّي وَأَنَامُ وَأَمَسُّ النِّسَاءَ فَمَنْ رَغِبَ عَنْ سُنَّتِي فَلَيْسَ مِنِّي قَالَ اقْرَإِ الْقُرْآنَ فِي كُلِّ شَهْرٍ قُلْتُ إِنِّي أَجِدُنِي أَقْوَى مِنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ فَاقْرَأْهُ فِي كُلِّ عَشَرَةِ أَيَّامٍ قُلْتُ إِنِّي أَجِدُنِي أَقْوَى مِنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا إِمَّا حُصَيْنٌ وَإِمَّا مُغِيرَةُ قَالَ فَاقْرَأْهُ فِي كُلِّ ثَلَاثٍ قَالَ ثُمَّ قَالَ صُمْ فِي كُلِّ شَهْرٍ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ قُلْتُ إِنِّي أَقْوَى مِنْ ذَلِكَ قَالَ فَلَمْ يَزَلْ يَرْفَعُنِي حَتَّى قَالَ صُمْ يَوْمًا وَأَفْطِرْ يَوْمًا فَإِنَّهُ أَفْضَلُ الصِّيَامِ وَهُوَ صِيَامُ أَخِي دَاوُدَ قَالَ حُصَيْنٌ فِي حَدِيثِهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَإِنَّ لِكُلِّ عَابِدٍ شِرَّةً وَلِكُلِّ شِرَّةٍ فَتْرَةً فَإِمَّا إِلَى سُنَّةٍ وَإِمَّا إِلَى بِدْعَةٍ فَمَنْ كَانَتْ فَتْرَتُهُ إِلَى سُنَّةٍ فَقَدْ اهْتَدَى وَمَنْ كَانَتْ فَتْرَتُهُ إِلَى غَيْرِ ذَلِكَ فَقَدْ هَلَكَ قَالَ مُجَاهِدٌ فَكَانَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ عَمْرٍو حَيْثُ ضَعُفَ وَكَبِرَ يَصُومُ الْأَيَّامَ كَذَلِكَ يَصِلُ بَعْضَهَا إِلَى بَعْضٍ لِيَتَقَوَّى بِذَلِكَ ثُمَّ يُفْطِرُ بِعَدِّ تِلْكَ الْأَيَّامِ قَالَ وَكَانَ يَقْرَأُ فِي كُلِّ حِزْبِهِ كَذَلِكَ يَزِيدُ أَحْيَانًا وَيَنْقُصُ أَحْيَانًا غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ يُوفِي الْعَدَدَ إِمَّا فِي سَبْعٍ وَإِمَّا فِي ثَلَاثٍ قَالَ ثُمَّ كَانَ يَقُولُ بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ لَأَنْ أَكُونَ قَبِلْتُ رُخْصَةَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَحَبُّ إِلَيَّ مِمَّا عُدِلَ بِهِ أَوْ عَدَلَ لَكِنِّي فَارَقْتُهُ عَلَى أَمْرٍ أَكْرَهُ أَنْ أُخَالِفَهُ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ.
English Translation
Hushaym narrated from Husayn ibn Abd al-Rahman and Mughirah al-Dabbi from Mujahid from Abdullah ibn Amr who said: My father married me to a woman from Quraysh. When she came to me, I was not inclined towards her because of my devotion to worship through fasting and prayer. Amr ibn al-As came to his daughter-in-law and asked her: How do you find your husband? She said: The best of men, or like the best of husbands — a man who has not uncovered our bed nor known our mattress. He came to me and rebuked me harshly, saying: I married you to a noble woman of Quraysh, and you have prevented her from her rights! Then he went to the Prophet (peace be upon him) and complained about me. The Prophet (peace be upon him) sent for me and said: Do you fast all day? I said: Yes. He said: And stand all night in prayer? I said: Yes. He said: But I fast and break my fast, I pray and I sleep, and I am intimate with women. Whoever turns away from my way is not from me. He said: Read the Quran every month. I said: I find myself capable of more than that. He said: Read it every ten days. I said: I find myself capable of more. One of them — either Husayn or Mughirah — said: Read it every three days. Then he said: Fast three days every month. I said: I am capable of more. He kept raising it until he said: Fast a day and break a day, for that is the best of fasting, and it is the fasting of my brother Dawud. Husayn added in his narration, then he (peace be upon him) said: Every worshiper has a period of enthusiasm, and every enthusiasm has a period of slackness. Either it leads to the Sunnah or to innovation. Whoever's slackness leads to the Sunnah is guided, and whoever's leads to other than that has perished. Mujahid said: When Abdullah ibn Amr grew old and weak, he would fast several days consecutively to gain strength, then break his fast for the same number of days. He used to read his portion of Quran likewise, increasing sometimes and decreasing sometimes, but he would complete the count either in seven or three days. He would then say after that: Had I accepted the concession of the Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him), it would have been dearer to me than whatever is equal to it. But I parted from him on a matter, and I dislike going against it.