عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ السُّلَمِيِّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ قَالَ: بَيْنَا نَحْنُ نُصَلِّي مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِذْ عَطَسَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ، فَقُلْتُ: يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ، فَرَمَانِي الْقَوْمُ بِأَبْصَارِهِمْ فَقُلْتُ: وَاثُكَلَ أُمِّيَاهْ! مَا شَأْنُكُمْ تَنْظُرُونَ إِلَيَّ؟ قَالَ: فَجَعَلُوا يَضْرِبُونَ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ عَلَى أَفْخَاذِهِمْ فَلَمَّا رَأَيْتُهُمْ يُصَمِّتُونَنِي، لَكِنِّي سَكَتُّ، فَلَمَّا صَلَّى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ فَبِأَبِي هُوَ وَأُمِّي مَا رَأَيْتُ مُعَلِّمًا قَبْلَهُ وَلَا بَعْدَهُ أَحْسَنَ تَعْلِيمًا مِنْهُ، وَاللَّهِ! مَا كَهَرَنِي وَلَا شَتَمَنِي وَلَا ضَرَبَنِي، قَالَ: ((إِنَّ هَٰذِهِ الصَّلَاةَ لَا يَصْلُحُ فِيهَا شَيْءٌ مِنْ كَلَامِ النَّاسِ هَٰذَا، إِنَّمَا هِيَ التَّسْبِيحُ وَالتَّكْبِيرُ وَقِرَاءَةُ الْقُرْآنِ)) أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَقُلْتُ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ! إِنَّا قَوْمٌ حَدِيثُ عَهْدٍ بِالْجَاهِلِيَّةِ وَقَدْ جَاءَ اللَّهُ بِالْإِسْلَامِ، وَإِنَّ مِنَّا قَوْمًا يَأْتُونَ الْكُهَّانَ، قَالَ: ((فَلَا تَأْتُوهُمْ))، قُلْتُ: إِنَّ مِنَّا قَوْمًا يَتَطَيَّرُونَ، قَالَ: ((ذَلِكَ شَيْءٌ يَجِدُونَهُ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ فَلَا يَصُدَّنَّهُمْ))، قُلْتُ: إِنَّ مِنَّا قَوْمًا يَخُطُّونَ، قَالَ: ((كَانَ نَبِيٌّ يَخُطُّ فَمَنْ وَافَقَ خَطَّهُ فَذَلِكَ))، قَالَ وَكَانَتْ لِي جَارِيَةٌ تَرْعَى غَنَمًا (فَذَكَرَ قِصَّتَهَا)
Sayyiduna Muawiyah bin Hakam Sulami (may Allah be pleased with him) says: Once we were performing prayer with the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him), when suddenly a man sneezed, and I said to him, "Yarhamukallah (may Allah have mercy on you)." Because of this, the people started staring at me. I said to them, "Woe to my mother, what has happened to you that you are looking at me?" The people began striking their hands on their thighs. When I saw that they were making me silent (I wanted to say something), but I remained silent. When the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) finished the prayer, may my parents be sacrificed for you, I have never seen a better teacher before or after you in teaching than you, O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him). By Allah! You neither scolded me, nor spoke harshly to me, nor beat me. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Verily, this prayer is such that nothing from the speech of people is correct in it. It is only glorification (tasbih), magnification (takbir), and recitation of the Qur'an. Or as the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said. I said: O Messenger of Allah! We are people who are close to the time of ignorance, now Allah Almighty has granted us Islam, but some of us go to soothsayers and fortune-tellers (what do you say about this)? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Do not go to them. I said: And some of us take evil omens? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: People feel such things in their hearts, but it should not prevent them from doing anything. I said: Some of us draw lines? The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) said: There was a prophet who used to draw lines, so whoever's line coincided with his, it was correct. I said: And I have a slave-girl who used to graze sheep, ... ... . Then he mentioned her incident.