Sunan Abi Dawud: Book 2, Hadith 542
Mu’awiyah b. al-Hakam al-Sulami said ; when I came to the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) I learnt many things about islam. One of the things that I was taught was that it was that it was pointed out me. When you sneeze, praise Allah (I,e, say “praise be to Allah”); and when someone sneezes and praises Allah, say “ May Allah have mercy on you. Meanwhile I was standing along with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) during prayer, all of a sudden a man sneezed, and he praised Allah. So I said, “may Allah have mercy on you”, in a loud voice. The people gave me disapproving looks so much so that I took ill of it. So I said : what do you mean by looking at me with furtive glances. Then they glorified Allah. When the prophet (ﷺ) finished his prayer, he asked; who was the speaker? The Prophet told him; this Bedouin. The Messenger of Allah (ﷺ) called me and said to me: Prayer is meant for the recitation of the Quran, and making mention of Allah. When you are in it (prayer), this should be your work therein. I never saw an instructor more lenient than the Messenger of Allah (ﷺ)
حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يُونُسَ النَّسَائِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ بْنُ عَمْرٍو، حَدَّثَنَا فُلَيْحٌ، عَنْ هِلاَلِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ، عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ، عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ السُّلَمِيِّ، قَالَ لَمَّا قَدِمْتُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم عُلِّمْتُ أُمُورًا مِنْ أُمُورِ الإِسْلاَمِ فَكَانَ فِيمَا عُلِّمْتُ أَنْ قَالَ لِي ” إِذَا عَطَسْتَ فَاحْمَدِ اللَّهَ وَإِذَا عَطَسَ الْعَاطِسُ فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ فَقُلْ يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ ” . قَالَ فَبَيْنَمَا أَنَا قَائِمٌ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فِي الصَّلاَةِ إِذْ عَطَسَ رَجُلٌ فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ فَقُلْتُ يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ رَافِعًا بِهَا صَوْتِي فَرَمَانِي النَّاسُ بِأَبْصَارِهِمْ حَتَّى احْتَمَلَنِي ذَلِكَ فَقُلْتُ مَا لَكُمْ تَنْظُرُونَ إِلَىَّ بِأَعْيُنٍ شُزْرٍ قَالَ فَسَبَّحُوا فَلَمَّا قَضَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم الصَّلاَةَ قَالَ ” مَنِ الْمُتَكَلِّمُ ” . قِيلَ هَذَا الأَعْرَابِيُّ فَدَعَانِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم فَقَالَ لِي ” إِنَّمَا الصَّلاَةُ لِقِرَاءَةِ الْقُرْآنِ وَذِكْرِ اللَّهِ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ فَإِذَا كُنْتَ فِيهَا فَلْيَكُنْ ذَلِكَ شَأْنَكَ ” . فَمَا رَأَيْتُ مُعَلِّمًا قَطُّ أَرْفَقَ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صلى الله عليه وسلم .
Sunan Abi Dawud: Book 2, Hadith 542
This hadith is from the Sunan Abi Dawud collection of hadiths. What truly distinguishes Sunan Abi Dawud among its peers is its compiler’s advanced critical scholarship. Abu Dawud was not merely a collector but a rigorous evaluator. He applied a discerning methodology to vet the authenticity of each narration, frequently providing his own notes on the strength or weakness of the hadiths included. While he prioritized sound (sahih) and reliable reports for legal derivation, he sometimes included less robust narrations to illustrate scholarly points. This transparent and critical approach is a primary reason for the collection’s esteemed and highly authoritative status within the Islamic sciences.
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For more Hadith in Book 2: Prayer (Kitab Al-Salat)