We used to greet the Prophet while he was engaged in prayer and he would respond to our greeting, but when we returned from the Negus* we greeted him and he did not respond to us, so we said, “Messenger of God, we used to greet you when you were engaged in prayer and you would respond to us.” He replied, “Prayer demands one’s whole attention.”
* The reference is to the return of those who had gone from Mecca to Abyssinia when Muslims were being persecuted.
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.
