Mishkat
al-Masabih

مشكاة المصابيح

04

Prayer

كتاب الصلاة

 

Chapter 20a: What may not be done during Prayer and what is permitted - Section 1

بَابُ مَا لَا يَجُوزُ مِنَ الْعَمَلِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ وَمَا يُبَاحُ مِنْهُ - الفصل الأول

Mishkat al-Masabih 978

Mu'awiya b. al-Hakam said

While I was praying along with Allah's Messenger ﷺ a man in the campany sneezed, and I said, “Allah have mercy on you!” The people gave me disapproving looks, so I said, “Woe is me! What do you mean by looking at me?” They began to strike their hands on their thighs, and when I saw them urging me to be silent [I became angry],1 but I said nothing. When Allah's Messenger ﷺ finished his prayer (and I declare that neither before him nor after him have I seen a teacher who gave better instruction than he for whom I would give my father and mother as ransom), I swear by Allah that he did not scold, beat, or revile me, but said, “No talk to others is fitting during this prayer, for it consists only of glorifying Allah, declaring His greatness, and recitation of the Qur’an,” or words to that effect. I said, “ Messenger of Allah , I have only recently been a pagan, but Allah has brought Islam to us, and among us there are men who have recourse to kahins.”2 He replied, “Do not have recourse to them.” I said, “Among us there are men who take omens.” He replied, “That is something which they find in their breasts, but let it not turn them away [from freedom of action]”. I said, “Among us there are men who draw lines.”3 He replied, “There was a prophet who drew lines, so if any do it as he did, that is allowable.” 1. Some such phrase as that in brackets is required to complete the sense. It can be seen from the remarks at the end of the tradition that the text has been considered difficult. 2. Diviners, soothsayers. 3. The reference is to geomancy. The diviner draws many lines and obliterates them in pairs. If two are left it is a good sign, but if only one remains it indicates disappointment. The reference to the prophet may be a recollection of the statement in John 8:6 that Jesus wrote on the ground with his finger when the people asked what should be done with the woman caught in adultery; but this has no connection with geomancy. Muslim transmitted it. I found the phrase “But I said nothing” given thus in Muslim’s Sahih and al-Humaidi’s book. In Jami' al-usul it is stated to be correct, the word “thus”* being written above “but I.” *This corresponds to the use of (sic) to indicate an accurate quotation.

عَن مُعَاوِيَة ابْن الْحَكَمِ قَالَ: بَيْنَا أَنَا أُصَلِّي مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذْ عَطَسَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ فَقُلْتُ: يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ. فَرَمَانِي الْقَوْم بِأَبْصَارِهِمْ. فَقلت: وَا ثكل أُمِّيَاهُ مَا شَأْنُكُمْ تَنْظُرُونَ إِلَيَّ فَجَعَلُوا يَضْرِبُونَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ عَلَى أَفْخَاذِهِمْ فَلَمَّا رَأَيْتُهُمْ يُصَمِّتُونَنِي لَكِنِّي سَكَتُّ فَلَمَّا صَلَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَبِأَبِي هُوَ وَأُمِّي مَا رَأَيْتُ مُعَلِّمًا قَبْلَهُ وَلَا بَعْدَهُ أَحْسَنَ تَعْلِيمًا مِنْهُ فَوَاللَّهِ مَا كَهَرَنِي وَلَا ضَرَبَنِي وَلَا شَتَمَنِي قَالَ: «إِنَّ هَذِهِ الصَّلَاةَ لَا يَصْلُحُ فِيهَا شَيْءٌ من كَلَام النَّاس إِنَّمَا هُوَ التَّسْبِيحُ وَالتَّكْبِيرُ وَقِرَاءَةِ الْقُرْآنِ» أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. قلت: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي حَدِيثُ عَهْدٍ بِجَاهِلِيَّةٍ وَقد جَاءَ اللَّهُ بِالْإِسْلَامِ وَإِنَّ مِنَّا رِجَالًا يَأْتُونَ الْكُهَّانَ. قَالَ: «فَلَا تَأْتِهِمْ» . قُلْتُ: وَمِنَّا رِجَالٌ يَتَطَيَّرُونَ. قَالَ: «ذَاكَ شَيْءٌ يَجِدُونَهُ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ فَلَا يَصُدَّنَّهُمْ» . قَالَ قُلْتُ وَمِنَّا رِجَالٌ يَخُطُّونَ. قَالَ: «كَانَ نَبِيٌّ مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ يَخُطُّ فَمَنْ وَافَقَ خَطَّهُ فَذَاكَ» . رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ قَوْلُهُ: لَكِنِّي سَكَتُّ هَكَذَا وُجِدَتْ فِي صَحِيحِ مُسْلِمٍ وَكِتَابِ الْحُمَيْدِيِّ وَصُحِّحَ فِي «جَامِعِ الْأُصُولِ» بِلَفْظَةِ كَذَا فَوْقَ: لكني