Arabic (Original)
حَدَّثَنَا إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ حَدَّثَنِي الْحَجَّاجُ بْنُ أَبِي عُثْمَانَ حَدَّثَنِي يَحْيَى بْنُ أَبِي كَثِيرٍ عَنْ هِلَالِ بْنِ أَبِي مَيْمُونَةَ عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ السُّلَمِيِّ قَالَ بَيْنَا نَحْنُ نُصَلِّي مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذْ عَطَسَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ الْقَوْمِ فَقُلْتُ يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ فَرَمَانِي الْقَوْمُ بِأَبْصَارِهِمْ فَقُلْتُ وَا ثُكْلَ أُمِّيَاهْ مَا شَأْنُكُمْ تَنْظُرُونَ إِلَيَّ قَالَ فَجَعَلُوا يَضْرِبُونَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ عَلَى أَفْخَاذِهِمْ فَلَمَّا رَأَيْتُهُمْ يُصْمِتُونِي لَكِنِّي سَكَتُّ فَلَمَّا صَلَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَبِأَبِي هُوَ وَأُمِّي مَا رَأَيْتُ مُعَلِّمًا قَبْلَهُ وَلَا بَعْدَهُ أَحْسَنَ تَعْلِيمًا مِنْهُ وَاللَّهِ مَا كَهَرَنِي وَلَا شَتَمَنِي وَلَا ضَرَبَنِي قَالَ إِنَّ هَذِهِ الصَّلَاةَ لَا يَصْلُحُ فِيهَا شَيْءٌ مِنْ كَلَامِ النَّاسِ هَذَا إِنَّمَا هِيَ التَّسْبِيحُ وَالتَّكْبِيرُ وَقِرَاءَةُ الْقُرْآنِ أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّا قَوْمٌ حَدِيثُ عَهْدٍ بِالْجَاهِلِيَّةِ وَقَدْ جَاءَ اللَّهُ بِالْإِسْلَامِ وَإِنَّ مِنَّا قَوْمًا يَأْتُونَ الْكُهَّانَ قَالَ فَلَا تَأْتُوهُمْ قُلْتُ إِنَّ مِنَّا قَوْمًا يَتَطَيَّرُونَ قَالَ ذَاكَ شَيْءٌ يَجِدُونَهُ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ فَلَا يَصُدَّنَّهُمْ قُلْتُ إِنَّ مَنَّا قَوْمًا يَخُطُّونَ قَالَ كَانَ نَبِيٌّ يَخُطُّ فَمَنْ وَافَقَ خَطَّهُ فَذَلِكَ.
English Translation
Isma'il ibn Ibrahim told us: al-Hajjaj ibn Abi Uthman told me: Yahya ibn Abi Kathir told me, from Hilal ibn Abi Maymunah, from Ata' ibn Yasar, from Mu'awiyah ibn al-Hakam al-Sulami, who said: While we were praying with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), a man among the people sneezed, and I said: "May Allah have mercy on you." The people stared at me with their eyes, so I said: "Woe to my mother, what is the matter with you, looking at me?" He said: They began striking their hands on their thighs; when I saw them silencing me, I kept quiet. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) had finished praying -- may my father and mother be sacrificed for him -- I never saw a teacher, before him or after him, better in teaching than him. By Allah, he neither rebuked me harshly, nor cursed me, nor struck me. He said: "This prayer -- nothing of people's speech is fitting in it; it is only glorification, magnification of Allah, and recitation of the Qur'an," or as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said. I said: "O Messenger of Allah, we are a people recently emerged from the Age of Ignorance, and Allah has now brought Islam, and among us are people who go to soothsayers." He said: "Then do not go to them." I said: "Among us are people who take omens." He said: "That is something they find in their hearts; let it not deter them." I said: "Among us are people who draw lines." He said: "There was a prophet who used to draw lines; whoever's line coincides with his is right."