Abu Hurairah said: "The Messenger of Allah ﷺ stood up to pray and we stood up with him. A Bedouin said- while he was praying- 'O Allah, have mercy on me and Muhammad and do not have mercy on anyone else.' When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ said the Salam, he said to the Bedouin: 'You have limited something vast," meaning the mercy of Allah (SWT)."  

قَامَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِلَى الصَّلاَةِ وَقُمْنَا مَعَهُ فَقَالَ أَعْرَابِيٌّ وَهُوَ فِي الصَّلاَةِ اللَّهُمَّ ارْحَمْنِي وَمُحَمَّدًا وَلاَ تَرْحَمْ مَعَنَا أَحَدًا فَلَمَّا سَلَّمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ لِلأَعْرَابِيِّ لَقَدْ تَحَجَّرْتَ وَاسِعًا يُرِيدُ رَحْمَةَ اللَّهِ ﷻ  

A Bedouin entered the masjid and prayed two rak'ahs, then he said: "O Allah, have mercy on me and on Muhammad and do not have mercy on anyone else." The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said: "You have limited something vast."  

أَنَّ أَعْرَابِيًّا دَخَلَ الْمَسْجِدَ فَصَلَّى رَكْعَتَيْنِ ثُمَّ قَالَ اللَّهُمَّ ارْحَمْنِي وَمُحَمَّدًا وَلاَ تَرْحَمْ مَعَنَا أَحَدًا فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ لَقَدْ تَحَجَّرْتَ وَاسِعًا  

"I said: 'O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, we were recently in a state of ignorance, then Allah (SWT) brought Islam. Some men among us follow omens.' He said: 'That is something that they find in their own hearts; it should not deter them from going ahead.' I said: 'And some men among us go to fortune tellers.' He said: 'Do not go to them.' He said: 'Some men among us draw lines.' He said: 'One of the Prophets used to draw lines. So whoever is in accord with his drawing of lines, then so it is.'" He said: "While I was praying with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, a man sneezed and I said: 'Yarhamuk-Allah (May Allah have mercy on you).' The people glared at me and I said: 'May my mother be bereft of me, why are you looking at me?' The people struck their hands against their thighs, and when I saw that they were telling me to be quiet, I fell silent. When the Messenger of Allah ﷺ finished, he called me. May my father and mother be ransomed for him, he neither did hit me nor rebuke me nor revile me. I have never seen a better teacher than him, before or after. He said: 'This prayer of ours is not the place for ordinary human speech, rather it is glorification and magnification of Allah (SWT), and reciting Qur'an.' Then I went out to a flock of sheep of mine that was tended by a slave woman of mine beside Uhud and Al-Jawwaniyyah, and I found that the wolf had taken one of the sheep. I am a man from the sons of Adam and I get upset as they get upset. So I slapped her. Then I came to the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and told him what happened. He regarded that as a serious action on my part. I said: 'O Messenger of Allah ﷺ, should I set her free?' He said: 'Call her.' The Messenger of Allah ﷺ said to her: 'Where is Allah (SWT), the Mighty and Sublime?' She said: 'Above the heavens.' He said: 'And who am I?' She said: 'The Messenger of Allah ﷺ.' He said: 'She is a believer, set her free.'"  

قُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنَّا حَدِيثُ عَهْدٍ بِجَاهِلِيَّةٍ فَجَاءَ اللَّهُ بِالإِسْلاَمِ وَإِنَّ رِجَالاً مِنَّا يَتَطَيَّرُونَ قَالَ ذَاكَ شَىْءٌ يَجِدُونَهُ فِي صُدُورِهِمْ فَلاَ يَصُدَّنَّهُمْ وَرِجَالٌ مِنَّا يَأْتُونَ الْكُهَّانَ قَالَ فَلاَ تَأْتُوهُمْ قَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ وَرِجَالٌ مِنَّا يَخُطُّونَ قَالَ كَانَ نَبِيٌّ مِنَ الأَنْبِيَاءِ يَخُطُّ فَمَنْ وَافَقَ خَطُّهُ فَذَاكَ قَالَ وَبَيْنَا أَنَا مَعَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فِي الصَّلاَةِ إِذْ عَطَسَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الْقَوْمِ فَقُلْتُ يَرْحَمُكَ اللَّهُ فَحَدَّقَنِي الْقَوْمُ بِأَبْصَارِهِمْ فَقُلْتُ وَاثُكْلَ أُمِّيَاهُ مَا لَكُمْ تَنْظُرُونَ إِلَىَّ قَالَ فَضَرَبَ الْقَوْمُ بِأَيْدِيهِمْ عَلَى أَفْخَاذِهِمْ فَلَمَّا رَأَيْتُهُمْ يُسَكِّتُونِي لَكِنِّي سَكَتُّ فَلَمَّا انْصَرَفَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ دَعَانِي بِأَبِي وَأُمِّي هُوَ مَا ضَرَبَنِي وَلاَ كَهَرَنِي وَلاَ سَبَّنِي مَا رَأَيْتُ مُعَلِّمًا قَبْلَهُ وَلاَ بَعْدَهُ أَحْسَنَ تَعْلِيمًا مِنْهُ قَالَ إِنَّ صَلاَتَنَا هَذِهِ لاَ يَصْلُحُ فِيهَا شَىْءٌ مِنْ كَلاَمِ النَّاسِ إِنَّمَا هُوَ التَّسْبِيحُ وَالتَّكْبِيرُ وَتِلاَوَةُ الْقُرْآنِ قَالَ ثُمَّ اطَّلَعْتُ إِلَى غُنَيْمَةٍ لِي تَرْعَاهَا جَارِيَةٌ لِي فِي قِبَلِ أُحُدٍ وَالْجَوَّانِيَّةِ وَإِنِّي اطَّلَعْتُ فَوَجَدْتُ الذِّئْبَ قَدْ ذَهَبَ مِنْهَا بِشَاةٍ وَأَنَا رَجُلٌ مِنْ بَنِي آدَمَ آسَفُ كَمَا يَأْسَفُونَ فَصَكَكْتُهَا صَكَّةً ثُمَّ انْصَرَفْتُ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ فَأَخْبَرْتُهُ فَعَظَّمَ ذَلِكَ عَلَىَّ فَقُلْتُ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ أَفَلاَ أَعْتِقُهَا قَالَ ادْعُهَا فَقَالَ لَهَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ أَيْنَ اللَّهُ ﷻ قَالَتْ فِي السَّمَاءِ قَالَ فَمَنْ أَنَا قَالَتْ أَنْتَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ﷺ قَالَ إِنَّهَا مُؤْمِنَةٌ فَاعْتِقْهَا  

"We used to speak to each other during the prayer, saying whatever was necessary, at the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, until this verse was revealed: Guard strictly (five obligatory) As-Salawat (the prayers) especially the middle Salah (i.e. the best prayer- 'Asr). And stand before Allah with obedience (and do not speak to others during the Salah (prayers)), so we were commanded to be silent."  

كَانَ الرَّجُلُ يُكَلِّمُ صَاحِبَهُ فِي الصَّلاَةِ بِالْحَاجَةِ عَلَى عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ حَتَّى نَزَلَتْ هَذِهِ الآيَةُ { حَافِظُوا عَلَى الصَّلَوَاتِ وَالصَّلاَةِ الْوُسْطَى وَقُومُوا لِلَّهِ قَانِتِينَ } فَأُمِرْنَا بِالسُّكُوتِ  

"I used to come to the Prophet ﷺ when he was praying, and I would greet him with Salam, he would return my greeting. Then I came to him when he was praying, and he did not return my greeting. When he said the Taslim, he pointed to the people and said: "Allah (SWT) has decreed that in the prayer you should not speak except to remember Allah (SWT), and it is not appropriate for you, and that you should stand before Allah (SWT) with obedience.'"  

كُنْتُ آتِي النَّبِيَّ ﷺ وَهُوَ يُصَلِّي فَأُسَلِّمُ عَلَيْهِ فَيَرُدُّ عَلَىَّ فَأَتَيْتُهُ فَسَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ وَهُوَ يُصَلِّي فَلَمْ يَرُدَّ عَلَىَّ فَلَمَّا سَلَّمَ أَشَارَ إِلَى الْقَوْمِ فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ ﷻ يَعْنِي أَحْدَثَ فِي الصَّلاَةِ أَنْ لاَ تَكَلَّمُوا إِلاَّ بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ وَمَا يَنْبَغِي لَكُمْ وَأَنْ تَقُومُوا لِلَّهِ قَانِتِينَ  

"We used to greet the Prophet ﷺ with salam and he would return our salam, until we came back from the land of Ethiopia. I greeted him with salam and he did not return my greeting,a nd I started to wonder why. So I sat down; and when he finished praying, he said: 'Allah (SWT) decrees what He wills, and He has decreed what we should not speak during the prayer.'"  

كُنَّا نُسَلِّمُ عَلَى النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَيَرُدُّ عَلَيْنَا السَّلاَمَ حَتَّى قَدِمْنَا مِنْ أَرْضِ الْحَبَشَةِ فَسَلَّمْتُ عَلَيْهِ فَلَمْ يَرُدَّ عَلَىَّ فَأَخَذَنِي مَا قَرُبَ وَمَا بَعُدَ فَجَلَسْتُ حَتَّى إِذَا قَضَى الصَّلاَةَ قَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ ﷻ يُحْدِثُ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ مَا يَشَاءُ وَإِنَّهُ قَدْ أَحْدَثَ مِنْ أَمْرِهِ أَنْ لاَ يُتَكَلَّمَ فِي الصَّلاَةِ