Mu’awiyah b. al-Hakam al-Sulami said ; when I came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ I learnt many things about islam. One of the things that I was taught was that it was that it was pointed out me. When you sneeze, praise Allah (I,e, say “praise be to Allah”); and when someone sneezes and praises Allah, say “ May Allah have mercy on you. Meanwhile I was standing along with the Messenger of Allah (may peace be upon him) during prayer, all of a sudden a man sneezed, and he praised Allah. So I said, “may Allah have mercy on you”, in a loud voice. The people gave me disapproving looks so much so that I took ill of it. So I said:

what do you mean by looking at me with furtive glances. Then they glorified Allah. When the prophet ﷺ finished his prayer, he asked; who was the speaker? The Prophet told him; this Bedouin. The Messenger of Allah ﷺ called me and said to me: Prayer is meant for the recitation of the Quran, and making mention of Allah. When you are in it (prayer), this should be your work therein. I never saw an instructor more lenient than the Messenger of Allah ﷺ

حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يُونُسَ النَّسَائِيُّ، حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ بْنُ عَمْرٍو، حَدَّثَنَا فُلَيْحٌ، عَنْ هِلاَلِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ، عَنْ عَطَاءِ بْنِ يَسَارٍ، عَنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ السُّلَمِيِّ، قَالَ لَمَّا قَدِمْتُ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ عُلِّمْتُ أُمُورًا مِنْ أُمُورِ الإِسْلاَمِ فَكَانَ فِيمَا عُلِّمْتُ أَنْ قَالَ لِي " إِذَا عَطَسْتَ فَاحْمَدِ اللَّهَ وَإِذَا عَطَسَ الْعَاطِسُ فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ فَقُلْ يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ " . قَالَ فَبَيْنَمَا أَنَا قَائِمٌ مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي الصَّلاَةِ إِذْ عَطَسَ رَجُلٌ فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ فَقُلْتُ يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ رَافِعًا بِهَا صَوْتِي فَرَمَانِي النَّاسُ بِأَبْصَارِهِمْ حَتَّى احْتَمَلَنِي ذَلِكَ فَقُلْتُ مَا لَكُمْ تَنْظُرُونَ إِلَىَّ بِأَعْيُنٍ شُزْرٍ قَالَ فَسَبَّحُوا فَلَمَّا قَضَى رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ الصَّلاَةَ قَالَ " مَنِ الْمُتَكَلِّمُ " . قِيلَ هَذَا الأَعْرَابِيُّ فَدَعَانِي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَقَالَ لِي " إِنَّمَا الصَّلاَةُ لِقِرَاءَةِ الْقُرْآنِ وَذِكْرِ اللَّهِ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ فَإِذَا كُنْتَ فِيهَا فَلْيَكُنْ ذَلِكَ شَأْنَكَ " . فَمَا رَأَيْتُ مُعَلِّمًا قَطُّ أَرْفَقَ مِنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ .