Hadithcore
Sahih al-Bukhari, 1973
sahih

Narrated Humaid:

I asked Anas about the fasting of the Prophet. He said "Whenever I liked to see the Prophet (ﷺ) fasting in any month, I could see that, and whenever I liked to see him not fasting, I could see that too, and if I liked to see him praying in any night, I could see that, and if I liked to see him sleeping, I could see that, too." Anas further said, "I never touched silk or velvet softer than the hand of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) and never smelled musk or perfumed smoke more pleasant than the smell of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) ."

حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدٌ، أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو خَالِدٍ الأَحْمَرُ، أَخْبَرَنَا حُمَيْدٌ، قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَنَسًا رضى الله عنه عَنْ صِيَامِ النَّبِيِّ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ مَا كُنْتُ أُحِبُّ أَنْ أَرَاهُ مِنَ الشَّهْرِ صَائِمًا إِلاَّ رَأَيْتُهُ وَلاَ مُفْطِرًا إِلاَّ رَأَيْتُهُ، وَلاَ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ قَائِمًا إِلاَّ رَأَيْتُهُ، وَلاَ نَائِمًا إِلاَّ رَأَيْتُهُ، وَلاَ مَسِسْتُ خَزَّةً وَلاَ حَرِيرَةً أَلْيَنَ مِنْ كَفِّ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم، وَلاَ شَمِمْتُ مِسْكَةً وَلاَ عَبِيرَةً أَطْيَبَ رَائِحَةً مِنْ رَائِحَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم‏.‏

References2 variants
In-Book Reference
Book 30, Hadith 80
USC-MSA web (English) reference
Vol. 3, Book 31, Hadith 194 (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 preserved in performing worshipful acts and acts of obedience regularly, and among such acts were voluntary fasting and night prayer. Humayd, from the Taabi‘oon (Followers), informed us in this hadeeth that he asked Anas ibn Maalik (may Allah be pleased with him) about the fasting of the Prophet ﷺ, and he replied that whenever he wished to see the Prophet ﷺ observing fasting or refraining from it on any given day of the month, he could, and whenever he wished to see him performing night prayers or sleeping at any given time of the night, he could. This means that he ﷺ used to observe fasting often on some days of the month and refrain from fasting on others, and used to divide his night between sleep to get rest (i.e., fulfill the rights of his body over him) and worship (i.e., fulfill the rights of Allah, Exalted is He, over him). Afterward, Anas (may Allah be pleased with him)described some of the distinct physical qualities of the Prophet ﷺ. He said that he never touched silk or velvet softer than the hand of Allah's Messenger ﷺ and never smelled musk or perfumed smoke (i.e., ‘Abeer, which is a blend of beautiful and sweet scents) more pleasant than his smell. He ﷺ was endowed with the most perfect moral and physical qualities, and Allah, Exalted is He, singled him out for these distinct qualities so that his perfected outward appearance would mirror and further refine his perfected inner character. It is deduced from the hadeeth that the Prophet ﷺ adhered to moderation in worship; he ﷺ did not observe fasting all year long, nor did he pray all night long, so as not to overburden himself and his nation with worship, lest they should follow his example in this regard,which would be unfair to them (i.e., since they cannot stand what he ﷺ could). The hadeeth also highlights some distinct physical qualities of the Prophet ﷺ and that he ﷺ was endowed with a pleasant outward appearance (and good looks). The hadeeth encourages Muslims to perform night prayer and observe voluntary fasting. .