Mu'awiya b. al-Hakam said: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 became angry] ,1 but I said nothing. When God’s Messenger finished his prayer (and I declare that neither before him nor after him have I seen a teacher who gave better instruction than he for whom I would give my father and mother as ransom), I swear by God that he did not scold, beat, or revile me, but said,“No talk to others is fitting during this prayer, for it consists only of glorifying God, declaring His greatness, and recitation of the Qur’an,”or words to that effect. I said,“Messenger of God, I have only recently been a pagan, but God has brought Islam to us, and among us there are men who have recourse to kahins.”2 He replied,“Do not have recourse to them.”I said,“Among us there are men who take omens.”He replied,“That is something which they find in their breasts, but let it not turn them away [from freedom of action] ”. 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.