Abu Hurairah was on a journey, and when the group stopped to rest, they sent for him to come eat while he was praying. He told the messengers, "I am fasting." When the food was set out and they were about to finish, he came and began to eat. The people looked at their messenger, who said, "Why are you looking at me? He told me he was fasting."Abu Hurairah said, "He spoke the truth. I heard the Messenger of Allah ﷺ say, 'Fasting the month of patience and three days of every month is equivalent to fasting all time.' I have already fasted three days of this month, so I am breaking my fast under Allah's relief while still being a faster under Allah's multiplied reward."
حدثنا عفان حدثنا حماد حدثنا ثابت
أن أبا هريرة كان في سفر فلما نزلوا أرسلوا إليه وهو يصلي ليطعم فقال للرسل إني صائم فلما وضع الطعام وكادوا يفرغون جاء فجعل يأكل فنظر القوم إلى رسولهم فقال ما تنظرون قد أخبرني أنه صائم فقال أبو هريرة صدق إني سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول صوم شهر الصبر وثلاثة أيام من كل شهر صوم الدهر فقد صمت ثلاثة أيام من كل شهر وأنا مفطر في تخفيف الله وصائم في تضعيف الله عز وجل
Its isnad is sahih. It appeared previously at 2/262 of the printed edition, and Bukhari related it at 3/53 in the Book of Fasting, the chapter on the fasting of Dawud, and Muslim related it in the Book of Fasting, the chapter on the desirability of fasting three days from every month, number 197, and Ibn Hibban related it at 949 of al-Mawarid with the wording of Ahmad.