Hadithcore
Sahih al-Bukhari, 1969
sahih

Narrated `Aisha:

Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to fast till one would say that he would never stop fasting, and he would abandon fasting till one would say that he would never fast. I never saw Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) fasting for a whole month except the month of Ramadan, and did not see him fasting in any month more than in the month of Sha'ban.

حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ يُوسُفَ، أَخْبَرَنَا مَالِكٌ، عَنْ أَبِي النَّضْرِ، عَنْ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ، عَنْ عَائِشَةَ ـ رضى الله عنها ـ قَالَتْ كَانَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم يَصُومُ حَتَّى نَقُولَ لاَ يُفْطِرُ، وَيُفْطِرُ حَتَّى نَقُولَ لاَ يَصُومُ‏.‏ فَمَا رَأَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم اسْتَكْمَلَ صِيَامَ شَهْرٍ إِلاَّ رَمَضَانَ، وَمَا رَأَيْتُهُ أَكْثَرَ صِيَامًا مِنْهُ فِي شَعْبَانَ‏.‏

References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 30, Hadith 76
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Vol. 3, Book 31, Hadith 190 (deprecated numbering scheme)
Sharh · explanationclick to expand
Perseverance in performing righteous deeds regularly leads a servant of Allah to attain divine mercy and deliverance from the Hellfire. The Prophet ﷺ was the optimal role model in this regard. He ﷺ persevered in performing acts of worship and acts of obedience regularly; one of such acts was voluntary fasting, which is not bound to a specific time. In this hadeeth, ‘Aa’ishah (may Allah be pleased with her) informed us that the Prophet ﷺ sometimes observed fasting most of a month, so much that they thought that he ﷺ was going to fast the whole month, and sometimes refrained from fasting on a month so much that they thought that he ﷺ was not going to observe fasting on that month at all. He ﷺ did not fast an entire month except Ramadan, because it is obligatory, and it was mentioned in the hadeeth to emphasize this fact. The only month he ﷺ fasted in full was Ramadan, so that voluntary fasting in any other month would not be mistakenly believed to be obligatory. He ﷺ observed fasting most of Sha‘baan, but did not fast it in full lest people should mistakenly assume that it was obligatory, and to distinguish it from the obligatory fasting ofRamadan. He ﷺ often fastedin Sha‘baan in particular because deeds are presented to Allah, Exalted is He, in the month of Sha‘baan, and he ﷺ loved to have his deeds presented to Him while he ﷺ was fasting. Furthermore, people often neglect that month, being in between two significant months, i.e., Rajab and Ramadan, as stated in a hadeeth cited by Al-Nasaa’i and Ahmad. It is deduced from the hadeeth that the voluntary acts of worship are not bound to specific times, but may be performed at any time based on the willingness and ability of the doers. The hadeeth also highlights the virtues of Sha’baan, and encourages Muslims to fast during it more often. It is also deduced from the hadeeth that it is allowable to observe voluntary fasting on only one or a few days each month. .
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