Musnad Ahmad

Harith bin Muawiyah Kindi says that once I set out on a journey riding an animal to ask three questions from Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him). When I reached Madinah Munawwarah, Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) asked the reason for my coming. I said that I have come to ask about three matters. He said: What are those three matters? I said that sometimes my wife and I are in a small room, the time for prayer comes, if we both pray there, she is right next to me, and if she stands behind me, she goes out of the room. What should be done in this case? Sayyiduna Umar (may Allah be pleased with him) said: Hang a cloth between yourself and your wife, then if you wish, she can stand with you and pray. Then I asked about offering two voluntary prayers after Asr: he said that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) forbade this. Then I asked him about preaching, that people demand me to deliver sermons? He said: It is up to you. From Sayyiduna Umar’s (may Allah be pleased with him) answer, it seemed that he did not consider it good to directly forbid it. I said: Should I consider your statement as final? He said: I fear that if you start storytelling or preaching, you will begin to consider yourself above them, until a time will come when, while preaching, you will consider yourself to have reached the Pleiades, as a result of which, on the Day of Resurrection, Allah will put you just as much beneath their feet.