Why did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) not choose the fasting of Dawud for himself, when he is the one who said, “The best of fasting is the fasting of Dawud”?
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The questioner : May Allah reward you, O Shaykh. The hadith: Sunan an-Nasa'i 2389Sahih (Darussalam) So why did the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) not choose this for himself?
The Shaykh : May Allah reward you. He says that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: You know that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) had great, numerous, and varied responsibilities. So he prioritized what the people most needed. For this reason, he encouraged following funeral processions, yet processions would pass by him and he would not follow them. The Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) always looked at what was most beneficial for the servants of Allah. He would fast until it was said, “He does not break his fast,” and he would break his fast until it was said, “He does not fast.” He would stand in prayer until it was said, “He does not sleep,” and he would sleep until it was said, “He does not stand.” So he followed what was in the public interest. For this reason, a person should, in his journey to Allah (Mighty and Majestic), follow what is in the public interest, except for obligatory matters. Obligatory matters are necessary. As for the rest of voluntary acts, such as prayer, charity, Hajj, or 'Umrah, one should look at what is most beneficial. It may be most beneficial for a person to stand and pray, or it may be better for him to take a book and read it. This is good.
It was narrated that Muhajid said: "Abdullah bin 'Amr said to me: My father got me married to a woman from a noble family, and he used to come to her and ask her about her husband. She said: What a wonderful man he is! He never comes to my bed. And he has never approached me since he married me. He mentioned that to the Prophet and he said: Bring him to me. So he brought him with him and (the Prophet) said: How do you fast? I said: "Every day." He said: "Fast three days of every month." I said: "I am able to do better than that." He said: "Fast for two days, and break your fast for one day." He said; "I am able to do better than that". He said: "Observe the best of fasts, the fast of Dawud, peace be upon him: Fasting for one day and breaking the fast for one day." 'Ata said: "someone who heard him told me that Ibn 'Umar (said) that the Prophet said: 'Whoever fasts every day of his life, then he has not fasted."
أفضل الصيام صيام داودThe Shaykh : May Allah reward you. He says that the Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him) said: