Anas said,
“Three people went around the houses of the wives of the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, to ask about how the Prophet of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, worshipped. When they were told, it was as if they thought their worship was little [in comparison] and said: ‘Where are we in relation to the Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, who has been forgiven his past and future wrong actions?’ One of them said: ‘I will pray all night every night.’
Another said: ‘I will fast all the time and not break the fast.’ The other said: ‘I will withdraw from women and never marry.’ The Messenger of Allah, sallallaahu ‘alayhi wa sallam, came to them and said:
“Are you the ones who said such-and-such? By Allah, I am the one among you with the most fear and awareness of Allah, but I fast and break the fast, I pray and I sleep, and I marry women. Whoever disdains my way is not from me [i.e., I am free from him].
Ibn Hajar (a scholar) said,
“The way of the Prophet was the simple way. He would eat in order to gain strength for fasting. He would sleep in order to gain strength to pray at night. And he would marry to break his lust, gain chastity, and increase his offspring. This Prophetic narration directs us toward following the example of people of high status.