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»
While I was praying along with God’s Messenger a man in the campany sneezed, and I said, “God 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 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.”