I saw Ata bin Yazid Laythi standing in prayer, wearing a black turban with its end let down behind him, and his beard was dyed yellow. I started to pass in front of him, but he turned me back. Then he said, Abu Saeed Khudri narrated to me that the Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood and led the dawn prayer while he was praying behind him. He recited, but the recitation became confused for him. When he finished his prayer, he said, "If only you had seen me with Iblis. I reached out with my hand and kept choking him until I felt the coolness of his saliva between these two fingers of mine, the thumb and the one next to it. Had it not been for the supplication of my brother Sulayman, he would have been tied to one of the pillars of the mosque for the children of Madinah to play with. So whoever among you is able to prevent anyone from coming between him and the qiblah, let him do so."
حدثنا أبو أحمد حدثنا مسرة بن معبد
رأيت عطاء بن يزيد الليثي قائما يصلي معتما بعمامة سوداء مرخ طرفها من خلف مصفر اللحية فذهبت أمر بين يديه فردني ثم قال حدثني أبو سعيد الخدري أن رسول الله ﷺ قام فصلى صلاة الصبح وهو خلفه فقرأ فالتبست عليه القراءة فلما فرغ من صلاته قال لو رأيتموني وإبليس فأهويت بيدي فما زلت أخنقه حتى وجدت برد لعابه بين إصبعي هاتين الإبهام والتي تليها ولولا دعوة أخي سليمان لأصبح مربوطا بسارية من سواري المسجد يتلاعب به صبيان المدينة فمن استطاع منكم أن لا يحول بينه وبين القبلة أحد فليفعل