Was the Prophet's—may God's prayers and peace be upon him—fasting of the first ten days of Dhul-Hijjah unknown to some Companions, such as Aisha, or did he sometimes fast them and sometimes not, in order to reconcile the hadiths that encourage fasting them with the hadith negated by Aisha, may God be pleased with her: "that the Prophet—may God's prayers and peace be upon him—did not fast the ten days"?

It is recommended to fast the first nine days of Dhul-Hijjah, based on the saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him: "There are no days in which righteous deeds are more beloved to Allah than these days – meaning the ten days." And fasting is among the best of righteous deeds. The apparent contradiction between this virtue and the hadith of Aisha, which states that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, did not fast the ten days, can be resolved by giving precedence to the affirmative over the negative, or by giving precedence to a saying over an action. Alternatively, it is possible that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, refrained from fasting due to a temporary impediment such as illness or travel, or out of fear that it might be made obligatory upon the Ummah.