Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: In the blessed time of the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him), previously a person would converse with his companion during prayer regarding some of his work, until this verse was revealed: "Guard strictly the prayers."

Sayyiduna Muawiyah bin Hakam Sulami (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I said, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! We are not far removed from the time of ignorance. Allah Almighty has brought Islam. Some of us used to take omens." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "This is just a thought of theirs; it cannot harm them in any way." I said, "Some of us used to go to soothsayers." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Do not go to them." I said, "Some of us used to practice sand divination." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "One of the Prophets knew this knowledge, so (in our time) if a person's line matches his, then (the matter is proven true)." The narrator says: I was performing prayer with the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). During this, someone among the attendees sneezed, so I said: "May Allah have mercy on you." The people stared at me. I said: "May you be ruined! Why are you staring at me?" Then some people began striking their hands on their thighs. The narrator says: When I saw that they were trying to make me silent, I became silent. When the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) completed the prayer, he called me. May my parents be sacrificed for you! I have not seen a better teacher than you before or after you. By Allah! You neither scolded me, nor rebuked me, nor spoke harshly. Rather, you said: "Nothing from the speech of people is appropriate during our prayer. This (prayer) consists of glorification, magnification, and recitation of the Qur'an." The narrator says: I had left some of my goats grazing, which a slave girl was tending towards the mountain and Jawaniyah. I found that a wolf had taken one of the goats. After all, I am also a human being. I feel sorrow just as others do. I also get angry just as others do. I slapped that slave girl, then I informed the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) about this. The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) expressed displeasure at this. I said: "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! If I find out that this slave girl is a believer, I will set her free." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "Bring her to me." I brought her to the Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him). He asked: "Where is Allah?" She replied: "In the sky." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) asked: "Who am I?" She said: "You are the Messenger of Allah." The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) said: "She is a believer; set her free."

Sayyiduna Muawiyah bin Hakam Sulami (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I said, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him)! We are not far removed from the time of ignorance, then Allah brought Islam. Some of us practice divination." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "This is a thing which they find in their hearts. It does not harm them." The narrator says: I said, "O Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him)! Some of us go to soothsayers." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "Do not go to them." The narrator says: I said, "Some of us draw lines (i.e., practice geomancy)." The Prophet (peace be upon him) said: "A prophet used to draw lines, so (in our time) whoever's line coincides with his, (his statement is correct)." The narrator says: I was performing prayer behind the Prophet (peace be upon him). Someone among those present sneezed, so I said to him: 'May Allah have mercy on you.' The people stared at me, so I said: 'May you be ruined! Why are you looking at me like this?' Then the people began striking their hands on their thighs. When I saw them, I realized they were trying to make me silent, so I became silent. When the Prophet (peace be upon him) finished the prayer, he called me. May my parents be sacrificed for you! I have never seen a better teacher before or after you. By Allah! He neither hit me, nor rebuked me, nor spoke harshly. Rather, he said: "In this prayer, it is not appropriate to speak as people do. It consists of glorification, magnification, and recitation of the Qur'an."

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) offered two rak‘ahs in the evening prayer and then said the salam. Sayyiduna Dhul-Yadayn (may Allah be pleased with him) stood before him and said: Has the prayer been shortened or did you forget? The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: Neither of these has happened. Then he turned to the people and asked: Is it as Dhul-Yadayn is saying? The people replied: Yes. So the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) completed the remaining prayer, then said the salam and performed two prostrations of forgetfulness (sajdah sahw).

(Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) This narration led a scholar to the misunderstanding that this was the prayer in which speaking during prayer was permissible. Then this narration was abrogated by the narration which made speaking during prayer forbidden. However, this is not the case, because speaking during prayer was abrogated in Makkah, at the time when Sayyiduna Abdullah bin Mas‘ud (may Allah be pleased with him) had returned from the land of Abyssinia. And this was three years before the migration (Hijrah). Whereas the narrator of this narration is Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him), and Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) accepted Islam in the year of the Battle of Khaybar, in the seventh year after Hijrah, as I have mentioned earlier. The incident of Sayyiduna Dhul-Yadayn (may Allah be pleased with him) occurred ten years after the abrogation of speaking during prayer. So how can the later narration be abrogated by the earlier narration?

Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam narrates: Previously, due to necessity, we used to speak during prayer, until this verse was revealed:“Guard strictly the prayers, especially the middle prayer, and stand before Allah with devotion.”So we were commanded to remain silent (during prayer). (Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) This narration has caused confusion for the one who did not acquire the knowledge of hadith from its original sources, and he believes that the abrogation of speaking during prayer was decreed in Madinah Munawwarah. And Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) did not participate in the incident of Dhu’l-Yadayn (may Allah be pleased with him). The reason is that Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) belonged to the Ansar. He states that previously, we used to converse during prayer out of necessity. However, this is not as the confused person thinks. The reason is that Sayyiduna Zayd bin Arqam (may Allah be pleased with him) was among those Ansar who accepted Islam in Madinah Munawwarah. And they used to perform prayers in Madinah Munawwarah before the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) migrated there. These people used to pray in Madinah Munawwarah in the same manner as the Muslims prayed in Makkah. At that time, it was permissible for them to speak during prayer. When this ruling was abrogated in Makkah, it was likewise abrogated in Madinah. So Sayyiduna Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated what they used to practice previously. It is not that Sayyiduna Zayd (may Allah be pleased with him) narrated something in which he himself was not involved.

Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) led us in prayer. (After that, the hadith is as previously mentioned.)

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) led us in prayer. (After that, the hadith is as previously mentioned.)

Our master Abu al-Qasim (peace and blessings be upon him) led us in prayer. (After that, the narration is as previously mentioned.)

Sayyiduna Abu Huraira (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) led us in prayer. (After that, the hadith is as previously mentioned.)

Sayyiduna Abu Hurairah (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: The Prophet (peace and blessings of Allah be upon him) led us in prayer. (After that, the hadith is as previously mentioned.)