While we were praying with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, a man among the people sneezed, so 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 that you look at me?"They began striking their hands on their thighs, and when I saw them silencing me, I fell silent.When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ finished his prayer, by my father and mother, I have never seen a teacher before him or after him better in instruction than he. By Allah, he did not scold me, insult me, or strike me. He said, "This prayer is not the place for any human speech. It is only for glorifying Allah, magnifying Him, and reciting the Quran," or as the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said.I said, "Messenger of Allah, we are a people who recently emerged from the days of ignorance, and Allah has brought us Islam. Yet some among us still go to soothsayers."He replied, "Then do not go to them."I said, "Some among us draw omens from birds."He said, "That is something they find in their hearts. Do not let it deter them."I said, "Some among us draw lines on the ground for divination."He said, "There was a prophet who used to draw lines. Whoever's line matches his, that is valid."I had a slave girl who tended sheep for me in the area facing Uhud and Jawaniyya. One day I went to check on her and found that a wolf had taken one of her sheep. I am a man from the descendants of Adam, and I become upset as they do, but I struck her a blow.Then I came to the Prophet ﷺ, and he considered that a serious matter on my part. I said, "Messenger of Allah, should I not free her?"He said, "Bring her to me."So I brought her to him, and he asked her, "Where is Allah?"She said, "In the heavens."He asked, "Who am I?"She said, "You are the Messenger of Allah."He said, "Free her, for she is a believer." And once he said, "She is a believer, so free her."
حدثنا إسماعيل بن إبراهيم حدثني الحجاج بن أبي عثمان حدثني يحيى بن أبي كثير عن هلال بن أبي ميمونة عن عطاء بن يسار
بينا نحن نصلي مع رسول الله ﷺ إذ عطس رجل من القوم فقلت يرحمك الله فرماني القوم بأبصارهم فقلت وا ثكل أمياه ما شأنكم تنظرون إلي قال فجعلوا يضربون بأيديهم على أفخاذهم فلما رأيتهم يصمتوني لكني سكت فلما صلى رسول الله ﷺ فبأبي هو وأمي ما رأيت معلما قبله ولا بعده أحسن تعليما منه والله ما كهرني ولا شتمني ولا ضربني قال إن هذه الصلاة لا يصلح فيها شيء من كلام الناس هذا إنما هي التسبيح والتكبير وقراءة القرآن أو كما قال رسول الله ﷺ فقلت يا رسول الله إنا قوم حديث عهد بالجاهلية وقد جاء الله بالإسلام وإن منا قوما يأتون الكهان قال فلا تأتوهم قلت إن منا قوما يتطيرون قال ذاك شيء يجدونه في صدورهم فلا يصدنهم قلت إن منا قوما يخطون قال كان نبي يخط فمن وافق خطه فذلك قال وكانت لي جارية ترعى غنما لي في قبل أحد والجوانية فاطلعتها ذات يوم فإذا الذئب قد ذهب بشاة من غنمها وأنا رجل من بني آدم آسف كما يأسفون لكني صككتها صكة فأتيت النبي ﷺ فعظم ذلك علي قلت يا رسول الله أفلا أعتقها قال ائتني بها فأتيته بها فقال لها أين الله فقالت في السماء قال من أنا قالت أنت رسول الله قال أعتقها فإنها مؤمنة وقال مرة هي مؤمنة فأعتقها
Its isnad is sahih, its narrators are trustworthy and well known, and the hadith was narrated by Muslim in "The Mosques" 1/381 no. 572, Abu Dawud 1/244 no. 930 in "The Prayer," Nasai 3/14 no. 1218, and Darimi 1/422 no. 1502.