Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا يَحْيَى عَنْ مُجَالِدٍ أَخْبَرَنِي عَامِرٌ حَدَّثَنِي عَدِيُّ بْنُ حَاتِمٍ قَالَ عَلَّمَنِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الصَّلَاةَ وَالصِّيَامَ قَالَ صَلِّ كَذَا وَكَذَا وَصُمْ فَإِذَا غَابَتْ الشَّمْسُ فَكُلْ وَاشْرَبْ حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكَ الْخَيْطُ الْأَبْيَضُ مِنْ الْخَيْطِ الْأَسْوَدِ وَصُمْ ثَلَاثِينَ يَوْمًا إِلَّا أَنْ تَرَى الْهِلَالَ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ فَأَخَذْتُ خَيْطَيْنِ مِنْ شَعْرٍ أَسْوَدَ وَأَبْيَضَ فَكُنْتُ أَنْظُرُ فِيهِمَا فَلَا يَتَبَيَّنُ لِي فَذَكَرْتُ ذَلِكَ لِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَضَحِكَ وَقَالَ يَا ابْنَ حَاتِمٍ إِنَّمَا ذَاكَ بَيَاضُ النَّهَارِ مِنْ سَوَادِ اللَّيْلِ.
English Translation
Yahya narrated to us, from Mujalid: Amir informed me: Adi ibn Hatim narrated to me, who said: The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, taught me the prayer and the fasting. He said, "Pray thus and thus, and fast; and when the sun sets, eat and drink until the white thread becomes distinct to you from the black thread; and fast thirty days unless you see the crescent before that." So I took two cords of black and white hair, and I would look at them, but they were not distinct to me. So I mentioned that to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and he laughed and said, "O son of Hatim, that refers only to the whiteness of day from the blackness of night."